Employee-owned business, Kite Packaging, was pleased to welcome West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, to its Regional Distribution centre in Coventry this week. The team were delighted to show Mr Street around their day-to-day operations and give him a deeper insight into the Kite brand. “On behalf of all the staff and
A new state-of-the-art science park that will deliver cutting edge facilities for R&D and high-tech manufacturing has been proposed in Swindon. The 82,188 sq m Wasdell Group facility located at Inlands Farm, Wanborough, will also help support Wasdell’s projected growth. The planning application for the development was submitted by national planning and
Corecom Consulting, a Leeds-headquartered IT recruitment firm, has recorded substantial growth within the last 12 months, as it opened an extra office in Manchester. The company has also extended its charity partnerships and gained new clients. Opened in January 2018, the Manchester office marked the launch of software testing community
The £1.6 million contract to develop the expansion plans for Viking Shipping Services in Yorkshire has been handed over to Britcon, which aims to expand its offerings at the Selby site with a new warehouse and office facility. “After a thorough contract tender process managed by GGP Consult we were pleased to
MyJobQuote, a website that allows homeowners to easily source local tradespeople, has received more than 190,000 quotes this year, generating over £220 million worth of jobs for tradespeople. It connects homeowners looking for home improvement projects to qualified, local tradespeople who are right for the job. After the users enter the details
The plans to replace 70 social homes in Kensington and Chelsea with private housing options have been rejected by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Clarion Housing’s project aimed to demolish the William Sutton Estate build to make room for private units for sale. After initially submitting an objection
A topping out ceremony has taken place at a new £19 million student accommodation scheme in Sheffield city centre, which is being built by Clegg Construction. The event was held to mark the build reaching its highest point and was attended by representatives from Clegg Construction, Future Generation and Axis
Around £7 million of funding is to go to three culture and tourism projects in Yorkshire. £6.9 million have been confirmed by Sheffield City Region to go towards Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Gullivers World and Vulcan to the Sky, which will also see almost 500 new jobs created. The funding for
An ambitious entrepreneur is seeking to take the market by storm with his first housing development on a site in Corby. At only 26 years, Joseph Daniels from Essex already has 27 directorships under his belt, with one of his ventures, Project Etopia, securing £3 million backing from hedge fund
APA Facade Systems, Speedclad and Wates Group are continuing their partnership for the newest development in Leeds’ most sought-after business location – 4 Wellington Place. APA’s TB60 and TB60 SG facade system will be installed by Speedclad to 4 Wellington Place, marking the latest installment in this 22-acre office development. The proposed addition to Wellington Place consists
Employee-owned business, Kite Packaging, was pleased to welcome West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, to its Regional Distribution centre in Coventry this week. The team were delighted to show Mr Street around their day-to-day operations and give him a deeper insight into the Kite brand. “On behalf of all the staff and partners at Kite Packaging, we’d like to thank Andy Street for the time he gave us. It was great to be able to talk about the opportunities and difficulties that we all face,” commented Managing Partner, Gavin Ashe. The organisation, which has expanded its Coventry operation and earned a place on the Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Barometer earlier this year, is set for continued growth as it goes in to 2019. With a regional branch network across the UK this Coventry-based business also has sites in Rotherham, Swindon, Letchworth, Sittingbourne Portsmouth and Gateshead, as well as an Environmental Compliance business and a leading ecommerce offering. Coventry and Warwickshire’s Growth Hub’s Strategic Account Manager, Phil Peak, joined them as Mr Street explored Kite’s Coventry base and met with some of its employees. Kite’s key founding principle of a sense of partnership being at the heart of every good long term relationship has laid solid foundations as the Kite brand has grown over its 18 year history. Kite’s hard work and dedication to its sector did not go amiss, with Mr Street describing it as “a hidden gem in the Coventry economy.”
A new state-of-the-art science park that will deliver cutting edge facilities for R&D and high-tech manufacturing has been proposed in Swindon. The 82,188 sq m Wasdell Group facility located at Inlands Farm, Wanborough, will also help support Wasdell’s projected growth. The planning application for the development was submitted by national planning and development consultancy Turley submitted the . The company is also providing planning, environmental impact assessment, landscape and built heritage services for the scheme. “This facility will provide a major lift for Swindon and the surrounding area, providing jobs and boosting the local supply chain. We are thrilled to play our part in helping to deliver fantastic new opportunities for the local economy and people,” Turley’s head of planning for the south east, Peter Lawson. Swindon Science Park will be designed by Oxford Architects and will boast low-density green spaces separated by footpaths, cycle ways and water features. 14% of the park will be built area, while 86% of the site will be given over to green sustainable landscaping, screening and planting of native British trees. The buildings will be constructed using the latest technology and materials, with roof mounted solar panels to generate renewable energy and green sedum roofs to promote bio-diversity, air quality and rain water attenuation. “The Government recognises the crucial role that the life sciences industries must play in UK PLC, and there are considerable opportunities for our local and regional economy if as a town we embrace the life sciences and collaborate on R&D and investment,” said Wasdell’s CEO, Martin Tedham. “Our neighbours in Reading, Oxford, Bath and Bristol are already reaping substantial rewards through making the sciences an economic and employment priority. With the national research councils on our doorstep, and Heathrow less than an hour away, Swindon is perfectly placed to grow its hi-tech, science-based industries too,” he added. The first element of the Wasdell facility is believed to become operational in 2021, with the remainder becoming operational over the subsequent four years.
Corecom Consulting, a Leeds-headquartered IT recruitment firm, has recorded substantial growth within the last 12 months, as it opened an extra office in Manchester. The company has also extended its charity partnerships and gained new clients. Opened in January 2018, the Manchester office marked the launch of software testing community networking events in the region. The company has extended its support for Emmaus, a charity for the previously homeless, partnering with its Salford community in addition to Leeds. “We are ahead of our five per cent forecasted growth figure and on track to achieve a turnover of £4,940,125 and net profit of £474,978 by the end of 2018,” said Jonathan Sanderson, managing director at Corecom Consulting. Since the start of the year, the company has achieved 10 award shortlists including those for the company’s innovative marketing strategy, presence in the Manchester region, contributions to charity and for its entrepreneurial company leaders. “By 2019, we plan to open a third office in London. We are looking forward to and are committed to expanding our relationships across the North West and South East of England, including sharing our knowledge and expertise in the local communities in which we operate,” said Jonathan about future plans. Established in 2008, Corecom Consulting has grown from 15 to 24 employees over the last 12 months and the company plans to recruit an additional six members of staff at its Leeds HQ and is forecasting a year on year growth of eight per cent in both Leeds and Manchester by December 2019.
The £1.6 million contract to develop the expansion plans for Viking Shipping Services in Yorkshire has been handed over to Britcon, which aims to expand its offerings at the Selby site with a new warehouse and office facility. “After a thorough contract tender process managed by GGP Consult we were pleased to award Britcon the Viking project and commence the new development at our Selby site. We look forward to working with the Britcon team,” commented Graeme Pickering, Director at Viking Shipping Services. The comprehensive freight forwarding and cargo handling services provider will complete the design and build phases of the 12,000 sq ft warehouse and adjoining 4,500 sq ft offices. “We are pleased to be appointed by Viking Shipping to assist with its exciting growth at Selby. Amongst our expertise is full turnkey solutions where we are able to take care of planning issues, ground and civils works and of course the build programme,” said Matt Harker, Regional Manager at Britcon. “On this particular project two of the original rail lines dating back to the historical landmark are still exposed with two sets of buffers and the local authority has requested that we maintain these as practical in the new build,” he added. Construction has commenced on site and is expected to take 29 weeks to complete. Britcon is one of the UKs most successful and progressive construction and development businesses based in the North of England. Established for nearly 30 years as a family owned business, Britcon has exceptional pedigree with an impressive and diverse client portfolio. The business directly employs over 100 people in its team and maintains an operating turnover of £50 million. Viking Shipping Services Ltd commenced trading in the 1940’s with the specific aim of providing a comprehensive freight forwarding and cargo handling service. Based at Selby just off the M62 in North Yorkshire, Viking Shipping is strategically located to facilitate a range of services for cargo arriving by both road and sea.
MyJobQuote, a website that allows homeowners to easily source local tradespeople, has received more than 190,000 quotes this year, generating over £220 million worth of jobs for tradespeople. It connects homeowners looking for home improvement projects to qualified, local tradespeople who are right for the job. After the users enter the details of the job, the platform matches the customer with the right local tradesperson across 32 categories, 200 sub categories and more than 13,000 verified trades, who will then get in touch in order to complete the job. The 32 categories and 200 sub categories include, but are not limited to: bathroom, builders, carpenters & joiners, cleaners, electricians, heating engineers, kitchen, plasterers and plumbers. The platform offers complete transparency and lets homeowners find a tradesman without having to search for hours online and in the telephone book. Once trades are sourced by the site, the user is able to choose the tradesperson that is right for them. Likewise, for tradespeople and businesses, the site allows them to connect with homeowners without the need for any marketing experience. Trades are able to sign up for the site on either a pay-as-you-go basis, or through a subscription. This year alone, over 190,000 quotes have gone through the site, generating more than £220 million worth of jobs for UK-based tradespeople. Since inception, £491 million worth of jobs have been generated through the platform, £220 million of which was generated throughout 2018. “It has always been our aim to offer a service that is both transparent and useful, both for trades and homeowners, and it’s what we have achieved from all of our hard work. We’re delighted to have been able to generate over £220 million worth of jobs for trades, whilst solving so many consumers’ problems,” said Carl Meredith, spokesperson for www.MyJobQuote.co.uk. There are currently more than 13,000 verified trades signed up to the site in total. What’s more, customers are able to submit feedback following a job to help others find the right person for the job, and the average review score given to trades is 4.2/5. The site itself has an average review of ‘excellent’ on trustpilot and reviews.co.uk. Since beginning operations in 2014, MyJobQuote has received more than 471,000 quotes of Britons wanting to find a tradesman for jobs of all sizes within their home and businesses.
The plans to replace 70 social homes in Kensington and Chelsea with private housing options have been rejected by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. Clarion Housing’s project aimed to demolish the William Sutton Estate build to make room for private units for sale. After initially submitting an objection to planning application submitted by the Sutton Trust to redevelop the Sutton Estate, GMB has welcomed the planning decision. Warren Kenny, GMB Regional Secretary, said: “GMB is very pleased with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s decision to reject the Clarion Group’s appeal for planning permission for proposals that would have led to the loss of nearly one third of the social housing units on the William Sutton Estate in Chelsea. GMB had branded this development a blatant case of asset stripping. “Clarion must not forget the primary reason of a housing association is to provide low cost housing to those on low incomes or those who need extra support. Nor must it forget that the Sutton Dwellings Trust was founded to provide ‘model low-rented dwellings for occupation by the poor of London and other towns and populous places’. “GMB has consistently supported residents fighting for their voices to be heard on proposals for demolition of their estates. We salute the residents of the Sutton Estate in their fight to retain social housing in Chelsea. We are supporters of Demolition Watch London in its campaign for all residents on estates facing demolition to be balloted on redevelopment plans with no loopholes or exceptions. This is the only way to stop asset stripping and the loss of social housing.” Cllr Ian Henderson, Chair of the Chelsea Association of Tenants and Save The Sutton also commented on the news: “I think this is a great day for the residents of Kensington and Chelsea and for all the other housing battles that are taking place across the country. “London needs homes for Londoners, not investment vehicles for international hedge funds. Social housing tenants across the UK can take heart from this decision. Just because your landlord says it needs to be knocked down, it isn’t necessarily so. We call for a halt to the 10 year managed decline of the estate and for Clarion to meaningfully engage with residents and the council, so we can get people out of temporary accommodation and into a home,” he concluded.
A topping out ceremony has taken place at a new £19 million student accommodation scheme in Sheffield city centre, which is being built by Clegg Construction. The event was held to mark the build reaching its highest point and was attended by representatives from Clegg Construction, Future Generation and Axis Architecture. A total of 324 rooms will be delivered as part of the Steel City scheme, which is being built for Future Generation in the city’s St Vincent’s Quarter. As part of a new build ranging between three and five storeys, a mix of cluster flats and studio flats will be provided and 247 beds will be delivered. An existing Grade II listed building dating back to 1833 is also being redeveloped and refurbished providing a further 77 beds. Other facilities will include reception, laundry, security office, fitness studio and rooftop terrace with café bar. Designed by Axis Architecture, the buildings will be finished mainly in brick with natural slate pitched roofs; the buildings will be highly sustainable with a CHP energy centre and green and brown roofs. The new development is situated on Hollis Croft close to the University of Sheffield’s School of Engineering. “We are delighted that the Steel City build has reached its highest point and we are on track to complete the building in time for the start of the 2019 academic year. We have delivered a number of high quality student accommodation developments across the UK and this is one of the biggest projects we have worked on so far,” said Simon Blackburn, Clegg Construction Managing Director. Clegg Construction has already delivered 1,400 rooms across Sheffield, including Provincial House in nearby Solly Street which completed for the 2017-18 academic year. The company has also completed student accommodation across Leicester, Birmingham, Nottingham and Cambridge, and is currently on site delivering nearly another 1,000 beds across three further sites.
Around £7 million of funding is to go to three culture and tourism projects in Yorkshire. £6.9 million have been confirmed by Sheffield City Region to go towards Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Gullivers World and Vulcan to the Sky, which will also see almost 500 new jobs created. The funding for the projects is part of the Sheffield City Region’s Local Growth Fund (LGF) allocation, funded by the Government. Funding of £5 million was approved for the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, £1.5 million for Gullivers Valley, and £400,000 for the Vulcan to the Sky project at a Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) meeting. “It’s great to be able to fund such a diverse range of projects, which will create new jobs, boost our visitor economy and complement the existing range of fantastic arts, culture and heritage sites we have here in our region. Not only do cultural attractions enrich our quality of life, but they act as a driver for economic growth. By working together, we can be more than the sum of our parts,” said Mayor Dan Jarvis, who chaired the MCA meeting. Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster will add an additional 150 acres to the current site providing a new entrance, expanded car parking, new animal reserves and a large lake, all due to the funding. There will be also a visitor hub incorporating a 148-bedroom hotel, an events and conference venue, restaurants and shops, with aims to grow to 1.2 million visitors by 2022. The Gullivers Valley project will receive £1.5 million towards the £7.5 million cost of the whole theme park project, which will offer rides and attractions aimed at children aged from two to 13. The resort will also offer family-friendly accommodation, and is expected to create around 250 new jobs. Meanwhile, funding for the Vulcan to the Sky project will help to create a permanent home in Doncaster for the restored Vulcan XH558 bomber. “We are obviously thrilled that the Sheffield City Region has recognised the significance of the region being the permanent home to the Vulcan by the award of a significant grant towards the new hangar. The funding from the Sheffield City Region will be vital in delivering this heritage hangar, ensuring that XH558 is given the home she deserves and that the public can once again visit this iconic aircraft,” commented Dr Robert Pleming, on behalf of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust.
An ambitious entrepreneur is seeking to take the market by storm with his first housing development on a site in Corby. At only 26 years, Joseph Daniels from Essex already has 27 directorships under his belt, with one of his ventures, Project Etopia, securing £3 million backing from hedge fund speculator Stanley Fink earlier this year. Project Etopia aims to build homes from modular kits using structural insulated panels, which would be made in a new factory set to open in Deeside in January. A site at Prior Halls in Corby has already been bought and it will house 47 eco-homes fitted with energy saving and storage technology. The homes incorporate Daikin mechanical ventilation, heat recovery, air purification and solar power as standard. “Old building techniques are exacerbating the housing crisis and it’s totally unnecessary. Corby is leading the way in showing how villages of the future should be built. Modular building is now so advanced, it is senseless to cling to bricks and mortar, which takes longer to build and is far more expensive,” said Joseph. Jospeh Daniels plans to start groundwork this month, while construction for the 47 homes, comprised of 31 houses and 16 apartments, will begin in February. By constructing the exterior shell in a factory, costs a lowered. A four-bed house is expected to sell for between £320,000 and £350,000, while new brick and mortar builds in Priors Hall Park cost from £450,000 to £575,000. His target market is young Londoners prepared to put up with an expensive commute in exchange for a foot on the housing ladder. “With a desperate need for more housing stock around the country, it is vital developers and investors finally let go of preconceptions of modular building. These are homes people really want to live in and they present huge environmental benefits from being energy neutral to requiring less on-site traffic during the build. Commuter villages like this offer younger would-be homeowners the wage benefits of working in the capital but without the high property costs, and Etopia Corby will be a model other councils can follow,” Joseph added. The factory planned for Deeside has a planned capacity of 2,000 units a year and is co-owned with Istidama, a company run by Christopher Moss and previously called Ecomech Structurally Insulated Panels. Project Etopia also co-owns a production facility at Butterleigh Sawmill near Tiverton with its home build partner Etribus. The first four homes in Corby are expected to be completed by the end of March, with each unit taking no more than six to eight weeks to build, and the whole scheme completed by autumn 2019.
APA Facade Systems, Speedclad and Wates Group are continuing their partnership for the newest development in Leeds’ most sought-after business location – 4 Wellington Place. APA’s TB60 and TB60 SG facade system will be installed by Speedclad to 4 Wellington Place, marking the latest installment in this 22-acre office development. The proposed addition to Wellington Place consists of an eight-storey triangular building, with a sloping roofline from Northern Street to Tower Square, incorporating terraces to all floors facing onto the Lifting Tower. The development frames stunning views across Wellington Place and the wider townscape, reflecting its emerging context through the use of the bronze, stone and glass as seen on 3, 5 and 6 Wellington Place. Described as ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the wider 22-acre development, on account of its unique form, 4 Wellington Place will deliver 131,500ft² nett of grade A office accommodation. It will also include 17,000ft² of ground floor retail and leisure space, in addition to basement car parking and landscape work. When entering the masterplan via the two avenues heading towards Tower Square, the proposed facades intersperse stone and bronze vertical panels with glazing, giving the reflective quality that creates the building’s jewel-like appearance. The gateway approach of 4 Wellington Place and its position sitting at the centre of the current master plan, has led to the development of a building that is distinct whilst borrowing from the architectural language of the surrounding buildings. Having already completed no’s 3 and 5 Wellington Place, APA Facade Systems is currently working on no’s 7 & 8 and is delighted to secure the latest contract in this development.