< PreviousCOMMERCIAL PROPERTY10Business Link www.blmforum.netA new year, a new office or base?Well, a lot of companies will beconsidering it this year. Whether it’s forfinancial reasons, expansion or abusiness starting up, there are manypitfalls you should seek to avoid thatyou might not have consideredpreviously. The recent tidal surges that floodedthe east coast of Yorkshire andLincolnshire have been devastating forbusinesses and home owners. Hull andBoston seem to have suffered the mostwith the worst surges for sixty yearswreaking havoc. Flood defences havebeen in place for years, however theoverall strength of these surges hascaught people off guard. In light of this,it is interesting to note that businessesin the Lower Don Valley area ofSheffield have voted by a majority infavour of contributing to the cost ofinstalling flood defences through aBusiness ImprovementDistrict.The decision means the£8.1million project, whichFlame and floodWith today’s commercial property market being more varied than ever, we delve into someof the unusual or unexpected elements you might stumble across.Sheffield City Councillors Jack Scott and Leigh Bramallwith Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Richard Wrightand the flood defences prospectus.10-12:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:36 Page 1Business Link 11www.blmforum.netCOMMERCIAL PROPERTYwill see more than 40 interventionsinstalled across an 8km stretch of theRiver Don, has taken a significant stepforward. As part of a BID ballot, 82% ofbusinesses who voted agreed tocontribute £1.4 million to the scheme.The payment will be based on theirrateable value for a fixed period of fiveyears to cover part of the building costand ensure the river channel is properlymaintained and kept clear.Sheffield City Council and SheffieldChamber of Commerce have beenliaising closely with businesses in thearea for the last two years to informthem of the flood defences proposals,the BID process and levels ofcontributions. Small companies with a rateablevalue less than £12,000 will beexcluded from paying towards theproject, while more than 60% ofbusinesses in the BID area will payless than £2,500 over five yearstowards the flood defences and rivermanagement. Councillor Jack Scott, CabinetMember for Environment, Recyclingand Streetscene at Sheffield CityCouncil, says: “We are delighted thatbusinesses in the Lower Don Valleyhave given the go ahead to thisscheme. We saw the devastatingconsequences the floods of 2007caused to businesses and this schemewill enable us to provide theprotection they need to developtheir businesses in future.“Making the city resilient toclimate change is essentialto the future success of our businesses.I believe this flood defence BusinessImprovement District – the first of itskind in the country – shows that thecouncil and the private sector can worktogether positively to help achieve this.”Fire, fire!As well as flooding, fire seems to besomething companies are simply notpreparing for adequately in recentyears either. Fire safety checks onfactories and warehouses are beingstepped up by Humberside Fire andRescue Service after inspectors foundserious failings on recent visits in theScunthorpe area.Rob Grayson, Technical Fire SafetyManager for the Service, says: “Factoryand warehouse owners must takeresponsibility for ensuring the safety ofemployees and visitors to theirpremises; I urge them to review theirfire risk assessment to see howeffectively the risks are beingcontrolled.“Factory and warehouse owners mustkeep their fire risk assessment up todate. We areincreasing thenumber of visitsin the Humberside area to ensure therisk assessments are suitable andsufficient. If any factory or warehouseowners are in breach of the legislationwe can serve enforcement notices andin very serious cases prohibit the use ofthe workplace and considerprosecution.”If factory or warehouse owners needfurther advice or clarification they canaccess, free of charge, an online ‘FireSafety Risk Assessment Factories andWarehouses’ publication via the DCLGwebsite which can be found by visitingwww.gov.uk/government and searchingfor ‘factories’.It’s an uncomfortable truth, butbusinesses aren’t immune from naturaldisasters or so-called ‘acts of God’ andthe more planning in place the better.Tackling the problem as a communityseems to be a leading way ofcombating too much going wrong, butit is down to the individual companywhen all is said and done to ensuretheir premises are protected or at leasthas planning in place. Don’t make 2014the year you are caught out.“Factory and warehouse owners must keeptheir fire risk assessment up to date. We areincreasing the number of visits in the Humberarea to ensure the risk assessments aresuitable and sufficient.”Rob Grayson, Technical Fire Safety Manager10-12:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:36 Page 212Business Link www.blmforum.netmercury_house@lincolnshire.gov.ukCOMMERCIAL PROPERTYMake a movethis New YearIf you are thinking about moving office thisNew Year then think Mercury House,GainsboroughMercury House, a County Council-run business centre, is animpressive, yet comfortable building, comprising of a fullymanaged reception area, 24/7 access and free parking.With a range of office spaces to choose from, prices start fromas little as £62 per week. With easy in, easy out tenancy terms,new and growing businesses can relax, knowing they aresupported within a fully serviced office environment.If you currently work from home and would like to benefit fromprofessional business services and networking events, MercuryHouse offers virtual office tenancy. Relax in the knowledge thatyour calls are being answered and your post sorted and safelystored waiting your collection. Prices for virtual tenancy start from£15 per month.The business centre also provides a professional environmentto hold conferences and meetings with AV equipment and videoconferencing. With three conference suites to choose from, theCentre has capacity to hold one-to-one meetings to largerconferences of up to 60 people.Sadie Weller, Business Centre Manger says "Mercury Houseprovides a range of packages and benefits to suit the needs ofyour business. Having different business tenants at the Centrereally creates a supportive environment for new and growingbusinesses. We regularly hold networking meetings for ourtenants, which gives everyone the opportunity to get to know andsupport each other."Mercury House, Willoughton Drive, Foxby Lane Business Park, Gainsborough DN21 1DYTel: 01427 619500Email: mercury_house@lincolnshire.gov.ukwww.mercury-house.comTwitter: @mercury_houseFacebook: Mercury House Business and Conference Centre10-12:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:36 Page 3Business Link 13www.blmforum.netNEW YEAR PREDICTIONSRon Lynch, East Midlands RegionalDirector, Institute of Directors“There are cautious but significant notesof optimism about the performance ofbusiness in 2014. Most recently they camefrom Graeme Leach, the IoD’s ChiefEconomist and Director of Policy when hewas speaking at the University of LincolnBusiness School.“I'm delighted some fifty students atLincoln are among six hundred students inEast Midlands universities who are nowpart of the IoD’s successful StudentMembership scheme which we piloted inthe region. These are some of thebusiness leaders of tomorrow and we aresupporting them and all our IoD Membersas they tackle the still challengingeconomic times.“The latest GDP figures show therecovery in the UK’s economy isbroadening and deepening, with firmgrowth in both consumption and businessinvestment which should continue into2014 but we expect it might plateau in2015 due to supply side constraints. TheIoD will be doing all it can in 2014 tocontinue to provide good economic dataand information to its members.”James Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner,Streets Chartered Accountants“As we ended 2013, the economy andbusinesses seemed to be showing somesigns of increased prosperity andconfidence – whether the catalyst wasincreasing house prices and property salesor consumer spending or a combination ofall is hard to say. In general terms, though,things felt a bit better and there seemed tobe a sense of optimism.“Will this renewed confidence andoptimism continue throughout 2014?Given the various economic forecasts theanswer seems to be yes. We certainlyseem to be riding a wave of an upturn.“In terms of commercial property andconstruction, while public sector works areJames Pinchbeck, Marketing Partner,Streets Chartered AccountantsSo we've made it out of another year seemingly unscathed and,indeed, with a more favourable economic climate and some highprofile successes for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, many businessesare reporting an upturn in fortunes. But what does 2014 have instore? We invited some familiar faces to gaze into their crystalballs and ponder what the next twelve months might mean for youand your business.Ron Lynch, East Midlands RegionalDirector, Institute of Directors14 2014Focus on 13-15:Layout 1 19/12/13 15:15 Page 1NEW YEAR PREDICTIONS14Business Link www.blmforum.netstill rare, the private sector seems to haverenewed vigour with architects anddevelopers reporting signs of increasedactivity, a trend which will hopefully runthroughout the year.“As ever cash and access to funding willbe key for many businesses, not leastthose that need to fund increased sales.Those that have the financial collateral andconfidence may now look to invest someof their reserves in growth strategieswhether it includes new equipment,property or general expansion. Certainlythere should be more call for businessadvice and support.“As we saw in 2013, energy in terms ofits cost and availability, was high on thepolitical agenda – no doubt this willcontinue to be the case in 2014. While thewind may have blown out of the role ofturbine for generation on shore, we arelikely to see greater commercial anddomestic interest in solar, biomass andother sources of renewable energies. “Finally as a keen cyclist, who can doubtthe Tour De France visit will be asignificant boost to the local area? I lookforward to being a spectator!”John Longworth, Director General,British Chambers of Commerce“It is really great that this year the UKeconomy is finally expected to bounceback from the deepest recession inmodern times, but we must acknowledgethat longer-term challenges are stilllooming. As household consumptionslows in the medium-term, we have to findways of boosting business investment andexports as rebalancing our economy iscritical to our long-term economic future.The confidence displayed by UK firmsmust be nurtured through moregovernment support.“Politicians must not take their eye offthe ball in the run up to the election, andmust ensure that the economy remainsfront and centre at all times. If we makeimportant decisions to fix the long termstructural failure in business finance,continue to deliver a major infrastructureupgrade and do more to support exports,it is possible to achieve not just a goodrecovery, but a truly great and sustainableeconomy.”Mark Newton, Managing Director,Freshtime UK, Boston“The effects of the past three years onconsumer spending look to be wellestablished and I would expect the trendfor both discounters and top-end retailersdoing well to continue. What will be crucialin maintaining the increased consumerconfidence we are currently seeing areinterest rate decisions throughout 2014. Ifindividuals see a risk of mortgage rateincreases on top of ever-increasing utilitybills, then consumer spending will fall andmanufacturers such as ourselves willundoubtedly be hit as retailers reduceretail prices to compete.Equally important will be exchange rateswhich have seen sterling performing verystrongly in the latter part of 2013 –excellent news if you are sourcing rawmaterials overseas, but not such goodnews for exporters.”Michael Hollamby, Director, PIP Lettings, Lincoln“Lincolnshire has always been fairlygood at weathering the economic storm,and in my opinion it’s likely businesses inthe county will continue to enjoy steadygrowth. I’m expecting to see interestingthings happening in the housing market asa result and anticipate 2014 to be a year ofheavy property investment. As houseprices are continuing to rise, I thinktowards the end of 2014 and into 2015we'll see interest rates start to creep up asJohn Longworth, Director General,British Chambers of CommerceMark Newton, Managing Director,Freshtime UK, BostonMichael Hollamby, Director, PIPLettings, Lincoln13-15:Layout 1 19/12/13 15:15 Page 2Business Link 15www.blmforum.netNEW YEAR PREDICTIONSbanks begin to flex their muscles andcollect the mortgage debt they’re owed.“I also expect to see a lot more buy-to-let landlords coming into the market asnow is the time to invest in property andget interest rates fixed for five years beforethey start to rise. In turn, the rise in ratescould well lead to more repossessions orpeople opting to sell up, and as a result,those people who were home owners willlook to rent instead.”Gordon Millward, Federation of Small Businesses“We look forward to direct employerfunding of apprenticeships. We have saidGovernment needs to take its time withreforms to make sure it gets it right firsttime. It also needs to seriously considerhow to make the transition smooth andkeep small businesses engaged. “Further consultation on proposals isneeded because as it stands the proposedsystem could alienate the smallest firmsfrom taking on an apprentice, at a time theGovernment is looking for moreengagement. In particular many micro andsmall businesses will be put off engaging ifthe costs significantly increase. To keepparticipation rates up, it’s vital to considerhow to make sure their costs don’tincrease. Added to which, the systemmust be easy to use and not expectupfront payments before the business canrecover the Government contribution.“The commitment to expand higherapprenticeships will help more and moreyoung people think about this as a routeinto a career that leads them right to thetop of business.”Richard Wright, executive director,Sheffield Chamber of Commerce“By revising up growth forecasts from1.8% to 2.4% for 2014, we should providea needed confidence boost to companies.The Government is aiming for growth tobe at 2.7% by 2018 and while we shouldbe aiming higher than this, it will providethe stability business owners need whenlooking to invest in the future.“We welcome the Government’sdecision to double export finance to £50billion to help increase international tradewith growing emerging markets aroundthe world. It will now be crucial that thisfunding reaches the businesses quicklyand effectively to see through an increasein exports.“Christmas and New Year is always acritical time for retailers and so it is goodto see the Chancellor has put in placemeasures to increase business on our highstreets. The discount to retail premiseswith a rateable value of up to £50,000 willbe excellent news for many, as will thereduction by half of business rates for newoccupiers. This will assist moreindependents to be developed across thecity region in 2014.”Tim West, Tax Partner, Ernst & Young“By spending over £1 billion next yearon Business Rates, the Chancellor hasshown that he has been listening to thepain felt by businesses through a systemthat has its origins in the Poor Laws of1601 and was updated in 1990 alongsidethe introduction of the poll tax.“By capping the increase next year at2%, as well as extending small businessrelief and introducing a measure targetedat lower rated retail properties, theGovernment has reduced the immediateburden. However, the commitment to areview for change in 2017 is arguably asimportant for driving growth forbusinesses in the UK – getting the systemto be one that drives entrepreneurship,and investment, rather than a beingmillstone that constrains business.”Gordon Millward, Federation of SmallBusinessesRichard Wright, executive director,Sheffield Chamber of CommerceTim West, Ernst & Young13-15:Layout 1 19/12/13 15:15 Page 3BUSINESS TRAVEL16Business Link www.blmforum.netWith the rise of sustainable business,one area in which people are no doubtlooking to save money as well as theenvironment is travel. We’re toldconstantly that we need to lower ourown personal carbon footprints andthere’s plenty you can do to curb caruse such as taking more publictransport or even walking more often.However the answer might lie in ourregions ever-improving business travelsector. Huge investment in the railnetwork should see journey timesimprove and standards overall muchmore palatable. One example of this is train operatorEast Coast spending £2.2 millionupgrading its on-board wireless internetsystems. The investment will includethe installation of industry-leadinghardware on-board each of its 44 trains.East Coast Commercial and CustomerService Director Peter Williams says;“We know that WiFi is one of the keyreasons why people choose to travelwith us, instead of driving or flying. It’svital that our system keeps up withrapidly rising demand from passengers,starting with a more reliable connectioninto the system from the moment theirjourney with us begins.“The investment we are making willupgrade the consistency of the service,by replacing on-train servers, accesspoints and switching equipment whichis used to deliver WiFi in everycarriage.”The East Coast route was the first inthe UK to offer WiFi on a moving trainten years ago, when trials began usingwhat was then ground breakingtechnology. On-train systems havebeen progressively improved since, butthe extension of fibre optic broadbandto millions of homes and the surgingpopularity of smartphones and tabletcomputers have quite rightly, raisedcustomers’ expectations from on-trainwireless internet.As well as this comes great news forcompanies wanting to marry upsustainable transport initiatives withtheir everyday operations. With morecommuters than ever cycling to work inPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/DIEGO CERVOWhen going about our business, wesometimes forget that a littlepreparation or some canny planningwill get us there cheaper on business.As well as this, the region is improvingits infrastructure, which is great newsfor all concerned.Destinationunknown?16-18:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:23 Page 1Business Link 17www.blmforum.netBUSINESS TRAVELa bid to get fit as well as reduce theircarbon footprint putting this into actionwith a longer commute than allows issometimes a challenge.Cyclists will now be able to plan railjourneys much more easily following theaddition of more information on theNational Rail Enquiries smartphone app.People planning to cycle to a rail stationor take their bike on a train, can get theinformation relevant to their journey. Thenew function will allow people to easilyand quickly find out about; cycling facilitiesat stations such as cycle parking, the rulesfor taking bikes on their journey, thenumber of cycle spaces on the train, andwhether they need to reserve a space fortheir bike.The app upgrade is a joint project by theCycle Rail Working Group and has beenfunded by ATOC, the Enabling InnovationTeam, the Department for Transport andthe Bicycle Association of Great Britain.The app has been developed and tested inpartnership with key cycle groupsincluding the National Cycling Charity andSustrans.Conrad Haigh, Head of IntegratedTransport at ATOC, says; “Cycling inBritain is booming and the rail industry isplaying a key role in its success, as morepeople than ever want to cycle to thestation.18 PHOTO: EAST COAST TRAINS“Cycling in Britain isbooming and the railindustry is playing a keyrole in its success, as morepeople than ever want tocycle to the station.”Conrad Haigh, Head of Integrated Transportat ATOC16-18:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:23 Page 218Business Link www.blmforum.net“By putting all the information a cyclist might need in oneeasily accessible place, the new upgrade to the NRE app willencourage more people to travel by bike to their station,benefiting their health and the environment.”Planning for successPlanning often also comes into play when attempting tocurb costs and companies offering services that plan ourjourneys are on the increase. Where it can be madehealthier for your workforce too is an area that’s improvingto. The likes of inmotion! are taking a long look at howcompanies could improve the way they get to work, be itthrough local transport networks, by cycle or even bywalking. Set up as a partnership by the councils of Barnsley,Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield and South YorkshirePassenger Transport Executive they implement theDepartment for Transport’s Local Sustainable TransportFund programme in South Yorkshire. It aims to look at improving people’s health as well ashelping keep an eye on their costings and covers nearly allmodes of transport apart from the air. It even has a divisionthat gives advice and training to coach, bus and HGVoperators under its ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme,which it says can save companies up to £2,300 in fuel costs.Whatever the means of getting around, there seems to beways to curb expenditure if the adequate amount ofplanning is put in place. Getting around is sometimes astressful process, especially when it comes to business, butthere seems to be more help than ever in place to helpthose wanting to make cutbacks in both carbon footprintand overall outlay.PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/HXDBZXYWhatever the meansof getting around,there seems to beways to curbexpenditure if theadequate amount ofplanning is put inplaceBUSINESS TRAVELWhatever the meansof getting around,there seems to beways to curbexpenditure if theadequate amount ofplanning is put inplaceThe Inmotion! team can help your businessssssget the most out of the travel options aaarrroooouuuunnddyou, from bus, tram and train to wwwwwwaaaallllkkiinngg,,cycling and betteeerrrrr dddrrrrriiiivvviinnggg...travel@inmotion.co.ukinmotion.co.uk01709 51 51 5116-18:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:23 Page 3FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE SERIOUS ABOUT REDUCING THEIR CARBON FOOTPRINTWWW.RENEWABLESANDENVIRONMENT.COMYou can read Renewables &Environment on the go!Available on smartphones and tablets. Ideal forthose whospend time away fromtheir office19:Layout 1 19/12/13 12:48 Page 1Next >