All but a few homes have now been sold at two developments which are transforming the former Staffordshire police headquarters site in Stafford into a new residential neighbourhood. Bellway West Midlands is delivering a total of 141 new homes on the site, off Cannock Road, with 111 properties at Baswich
Although carpets have a reputation of being a boring – and typically beige – necessity, 2021 has seen some bolder and brighter carpet colour trends come through, including royal blue, forest green, dusty pink, mustard yellow and geometric patterns. According to JustServicesGroup.com, who analysed global Google search volumes, ‘grey’ is the
he Hill Group, the UK’s second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, has completed the full portfolio refinance in the first major sustainability-linked loan (SLL) valued at £220m, maturing in 2026. As the group’s main source of debt funding for the delivery of its private development pipeline, this revolving credit facility was last renewed
Aspen Woolf, a property investment firm, has announced that Mariners Wharf, the new luxury apartment complex set to be built at Salford Quays is now open for reservations to future residents. The new 30 story apartment complex, with 158 luxury apartments available on pre-sale, is being built by developer Fortis Group.
Mobile Mini UK, one of the leading worldwide providers of portable accommodation and secure storage containers, has furthered its reputation for business excellence after being named HR Team of the Year Silver Award winner at the seventh annual HR Brilliance Awards. The HR Brilliance Awards celebrate outstanding contributions that innovatively
All but a few homes have now been sold at two developments which are transforming the former Staffordshire police headquarters site in Stafford into a new residential neighbourhood. Bellway West Midlands is delivering a total of 141 new homes on the site, off Cannock Road, with 111 properties at Baswich Grange and 30 at neighbouring Berswick Manor. Two homes are still waiting to be released for sale across the two developments, with just the four-bedroom Alder showhome and the five-bedroom Bransford house type yet to be released, at Baswich Grange. A total of five homes are currently available for purchase at both developments, including four at Baswich Grange and one final plot at Berswick Manor. The final properties available to purchase include a mix of three, four and five-bedroom houses, with prices starting from £255,500. Work started on the new homes at Baswich Grange at the end of 2018, with Berswick Manor launching last year to provide an additional range of luxury four and five-bedroom detached houses. Construction on both sites at the former police site in Stafford is on track to be complete by June 2022. “Only the final few homes remain for sale at our two Stafford developments. Built on the former police headquarters site, this new neighbourhood has a fascinating history and it’s been positive to have been able to transform this brownfield land for the benefit of both the new residents and people in the existing community, with significant investment also generated for local facilities,” said Marie Richards, Sales Director of Bellway West Midlands. “Due to the location of the developments, residents can not only reap the rewards and advantages of living in a new-build home, but also within an already thriving and well-established popular area,” Marie continued. “Berswick Manor, like Baswich Grange, is a highly desirable development with the added element of greater privacy and seclusion. All the homes at Berswick Manor have an impressive design, set within large gardens and surrounded by tree-lined public open space. Both sites benefit from the array of local amenities in the town centre, just over two miles from home, as well as residents having access to well-regarded local schools and being within a commutable distance of Birmingham city centre.” As part of Bellway’s planning agreement with Stafford Borough Council, the housebuilder is contributing nearly £1 million to local services, including more than £780,000 towards education in the area, more than £120,000 for open space, more than £110,000 towards sports facilities and £30,000 for highway improvements.
Although carpets have a reputation of being a boring – and typically beige – necessity, 2021 has seen some bolder and brighter carpet colour trends come through, including royal blue, forest green, dusty pink, mustard yellow and geometric patterns. According to JustServicesGroup.com, who analysed global Google search volumes, ‘grey’ is the firm favourite among customers buying a carpet, with the colour receiving 88,620 monthly searches. Whilst the past few years has seen more colourful and exciting carpet options coming through, people have preferred to stick with neutral tones for their interior decorations. As a result ‘grey’ comes in first in the top 10 ranking. Moving away from the simplicity of grey was ‘blue’, which was second on the list with an average of 17,400 monthly searches. The most popular ‘blue’ search terms included midnight, ‘duck egg’, ‘royal’ and ‘teal’ – in terms of blue patterns ‘herringbone’ was amongst the most searched for. Third in the top 10 was ‘black’, which reflects darker paint trends of the past few years. The brooding colour had 15,460 average monthly searches, and was followed by white (12,680) and green (11,780). Classic beige also appeared in the top 10, placing in position seven with 7,690 average monthly searches. The 10 most popular carpet colours of 2021 were: Grey: 88,620 monthly searches Blue: 17,400 monthly searches Black: 15,460 monthly searches White: 12,680 monthly searches Green: 11,780 monthly searches Brown: 10,190 monthly searches Beige: 7,690 monthly searches Patterned: 5,870 monthly searches Pink: 5,350 monthly searches Silver: 4,240 monthly searches Interior designer Rita Chulani said: “For most homes and commercial spaces the durability and neutrality of greys, blacks and blues always works with a modern to bring a warm cohesiveness to most areas. In 2021 there has been a slight turn to warm beiges with a hint of grey to a colour that we have coined as ‘greige’. “Sticking to neutral beiges and grey carpets certainly helps to follow trends and personal likes for certain colours in fabrics for drapery, cushions and upholstery.” Co-founder of JustServicesGroup.com Chris Burls said: “There are so many options for carpets whether it’s a large patterned rug or a neutral fitted carpet, it can be the perfect way to bring a room together. It doesn’t just have aesthetic value, it also has great insulation benefits in the colder months and can help to effectively retain heat in a home. “Whilst past years have seen more colourful and patterned carpets become more popular, we’re not surprised to see that our research has uncovered that a more neutral colour like grey is the most favoured.”
he Hill Group, the UK’s second-largest privately-owned housebuilder, has completed the full portfolio refinance in the first major sustainability-linked loan (SLL) valued at £220m, maturing in 2026. As the group’s main source of debt funding for the delivery of its private development pipeline, this revolving credit facility was last renewed in December 2017 for £200m but has now been increased to £220m, with household UK banks; Lloyds Bank, NatWest, HSBC and Santander, each committing to a £55m loan. The refinance will support the Group’s five-year plan to double the size of the business to £1.2bn by 2025. “Our sustainability-linked loan refinancing is an important step in our overarching group vision to become a leading sustainable housebuilder in the UK. We are extremely pleased with the confidence that these leading banks have placed in our long-term development plans,” said Tony Parker, Finance Director at Hill. The new SLL will fund Hill’s long term development projects including multiple award- winning Knights Park development in Cambridge; Woolwich Leisure Centre, a mixed-used regeneration project comprising 500 new homes and community facilities, and the regeneration of the Teviot Estate in Tower Hamlets, London. Using the SLL for its portfolio refinance, Hill will benefit from a lower interest cost as their green credentials increase in the future. This is based on four sustainability linked criteria – biodiversity net gain, reducing operational carbon, reducing scope 1&2 carbon and the company’s overall sustainability rating as measured by the NextGeneration scoring system. David Cleary, Head of Housing at Lloyds who acted as sustainability co-ordinator for the deal, added: “We are delighted to have helped complete the refinancing of The Hill Group’s assets in partnership with NatWest, HSBC and Santander in our first SLL of the year in the housebuilding sector. It is a great step towards achieving a more sustainable future and we hope to see more housebuilders follow suit in the near future.”
Aspen Woolf, a property investment firm, has announced that Mariners Wharf, the new luxury apartment complex set to be built at Salford Quays is now open for reservations to future residents. The new 30 story apartment complex, with 158 luxury apartments available on pre-sale, is being built by developer Fortis Group. It will offer “picturesque views of the Salford waterfront, complete with a rooftop garden”. The apartments will be an ideal home for those looking to live close to Manchester City Centre, Salford Quays, and the vibrant MediaCityUK. Mariners Wharf is the new buy-to-let development to be situated along the Salford Quayside, which has become a dream location for young professionals. The apartments will be a short walk from hundreds of restaurants, shops, bars, and public transport options in and out of Manchester. The apartments will be in walking distance (5-minute walk) to the iconic MediaCityUK, the quayside development park home to the Quayside Lifestyle Retail Outlet, Imperial War Museum North, BBC, and ITV Studios, the Lowry Theatre and Gallery and a wide range of waterside activities. Mariners Wharf will offer an awe-inspiring private rooftop garden for residents, an on-site gym, concierge service, secure cycle storage, and car parking facilities (including electric charging points). The private communal rooftop garden will offer a stunning, unique view of the Salford Waterfront. Developers Fortis Group say many of the uniquely styled features of the 1, 2 & 3 bed apartments available at Mariners Wharf are being designed in response to the new post-pandemic world. After a year locked inside, many people are now looking for property with outside space and features that offer the ultimate luxury when working from home. Mariners Wharf could prove an outstanding opportunity for buy-to-let investors. Property prices in Salford are expected to enjoy a 30.5% increase in the next 4 years. As property opportunities are increasingly running out alongside Salford Waterfront, property in the area is in high demand. Investment firm Aspen Woolf are offering buy-to-let apartments at Mariners Wharf with just a 25% down payment needed. Due to open in 2024, sales at Mariners Wharf will officially open in the coming months, but Aspen Woolf are currently taking pre-launch reservations to enable early bird investors to secure access with just a 25% deposit. Apartments will start from £149,245. Mariners Wharf is being built at Fortis Quay, a new property complex that already homes two new-build residential towers. It will be built next door to the Northill Apartments which is due to open next month.
Mobile Mini UK, one of the leading worldwide providers of portable accommodation and secure storage containers, has furthered its reputation for business excellence after being named HR Team of the Year Silver Award winner at the seventh annual HR Brilliance Awards. The HR Brilliance Awards celebrate outstanding contributions that innovatively design and superbly execute Human Resources and strategies that improve overall business performance. Previous winners include the likes of Canon, O2, Virgin Media, Astra Zeneca, Odeon, Zurich and BMW. This year, the judging panel included senior representatives from companies such as Deloitte, Co-op and LinkedIn. At a glittering awards bash in London, Mobile Mini overcame strong competition from ten other leading businesses from various sectors and industries to be named the Silver Award winner in the HR Team of the Year category. Mobile Mini is headquartered in Stockton-on-Tees and has 16 regional sites across the UK. Typical customers range from builders and construction professionals to facilities management personnel in sectors as diverse as retail, education, entertainment, medical, sports and events. The Mobile Mini HR team aims to improve the industry through its advanced Employee Benefits Scheme (EBS) including a new Health Care Cash Plan but added to this with further schemes last year encouraging smoking cessation, additional exercise promotion and the implementation of flexible annual leave buying/selling models, which provides opportunities for staff to take extra time off when needed. Mobile Mini is proud to partner with the Lighthouse Construction Charity, which offers guidance on wellbeing issues and financial and emotional support to the individuals and their families within the construction community. All company employees completed an award-winning, IOSH-approved Mental Health Awareness module, which featured building resilience and developing a personal wellbeing toolkit. 7% of all Mobile Mini employees are now MHFA qualified. On receiving this accolade from the HR Brilliance Awards, Helen Johnson, HR Manager said, “Mobile Mini is thrilled to have been recognised for the ongoing commitment of our people to improving and developing successful HR methods and approaches. Fulfilling employee benefits, providing employees with the means to source any form of wellbeing or mental health support and playing a vital role in developing, reinforcing and shaping culture are just some of the ways the six-person HR team at Mobile Mini supports operations and overriding business goals. Our number one golden rule is that people are our most valuable asset and we wanted to help employees build resilience and mental strength so that they are better equipped to cope with challenges in work and in life. Being named HR Team of the Year Silver winner shows that we are living up to these key values. We remain fully committed to ensuring that our future HR strategies are just as efficient and effective.” Earlier this year, three Mobile Mini branches were awarded Merits from the British Safety Council and the UK SHEQ team were named ‘Safety Team of the Year Highly Commended Winner’ at the International Safety Awards. The business installed a new digital reporting system, Assure by SHE Software, to improve risk assessment, incident and health & safety reporting; as well as upgrading its FORS Gold accredited fleet of Trucks with a revolutionary new crane-shut off feature. Mobile Mini is proud to have rolled out life-saving defibrillator equipment to all of its UK branches this year for the protection of customers, clients and over 370 members of staff.
