THE education sector is well versed in procuring built environment work. However, current market constraints, the latest statistics on the level of work needed across school estates and the lack of associated funding means that it will not be an easy road for many. Emma Hesbrook, regional manager at national
Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson and its partners Arc Partnership and Perfect Circle have donated more than £35,000 in services to end-of-life charity partner Treetops Hospice, as part of its Local Communities Partnership Programme. During the last 12 months, G F Tomlinson has been working closely with the hospice to
Pick Everard announces ambitious business strategy to become the first-choice consultancy in the industry Collaboration forms a key part of all five of the firm’s strategic pillars Key commitments include achieving net carbon zero by the end of the year and a pledge to invest five per cent of turnover
Due to recent successes, national Architects, GSSArchitecture, are delighted to announce the opening of a new collaboration hub in the heart of Leeds. With offices in Kettering, Gloucester, Harrogate, Milton Keynes and Newcastle, the Practice is opening another space in the Yorkshire area to further build on their presence in
Following the successful national rollout of award-winning, net zero carbon hoarding solution, EnviroHoard™, Panthera Group is delighted to announce it has been awarded a sole supplier nationwide framework by John Sisk & Son. The move follows the publication of Sisk’s ambitious road map that defines targets and actions to reduce
South Seaham Garden Village has taken a huge step forward with landowner Tolent completing the land sale to a trio of developers including Karbon Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes. The completion of the deal means construction of the project, which was awarded garden village status back in 2019, can
Commercial property and investment company Evolve Estates has acquired two prime town centre parades in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough. It has added to its burgeoning retail portfolio The Balmoral Centre, a 57,339 sq ft covered retail centre anchored by Wilko, and Bar House, on Aberdeen Walk, which
Site Sold For Proposed New Major Employment Scheme Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, has completed the sale of its Wakefield East site in West Yorkshire to Opus North and Bridges Fund Management for an undisclosed sum. A planning application for
The way businesses file Value Added Tax (VAT) returns has now changed, as part of Making Tax Digital (MTD). HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging businesses in your sector to join over 1.7 million taxpayers who are already benefitting from MTD to make the change. From 1 April 2022,
Industrial asset and property management specialists NSM has appointed Kim Howey as its new Property Manager for the North West. Kim joins the growing company – with offices in Warrington and Doncaster – to help manage a range of logistics, SME and office assets across the M62 corridor and Midlands.
THE education sector is well versed in procuring built environment work. However, current market constraints, the latest statistics on the level of work needed across school estates and the lack of associated funding means that it will not be an easy road for many. Emma Hesbrook, regional manager at national framework provider Pagabo, discusses how compliant procurement through frameworks and a direct award approach can support schools with their building programmes. 61 schools have been announced this week as successful in securing funding from the government’s school rebuilding programme. Although, this number is a drop in the ocean when compared to the fact that 1,105 schools applied for support within a short four-week window earlier this year. With the Department for Education (DfE) planning to support 500 projects in the next decade, that means more than half of this batch of applicants are likely to miss out on funding altogether – and considering the DfE has previously revealed that more than £11 billion of repair work is needed across England’s schools, this is significantly short of what is needed. To qualify for this latest allocation of funding, schools had to demonstrate that they had at least 1,200 square metres of ‘severe condition need’ to apply. The government has quite rightly prioritised applications with ‘structural or safety issues that pose risk to users’, followed by those showing ‘severe deterioration’ in external walls, roofs, windows or doors, or those with mechanical and electrical systems ‘close to failure’. However, outside of these categories there are thousands of schools that require refurbishment work that are just as important. As well as maintenance, another consideration is the drive towards net zero. Almost 70 per cent of schools around the country comprise of buildings from before the 2000s – with 20 per cent dating back to the first half of the 20th century or even earlier. There are no prizes for guessing when education providers prefer – or rely on – construction work to be undertaken considering that summer offers the largest annual window in which sites are significantly quieter. Post-covid, summer has provided an ideal concentrated timespan to get building work, critical repair or maintenance work done. With such a significant number of schools needing work and likely to miss out on funding, it’s fair to assume that next summer will be busier than ever with summer works – and we may see a marked increase in works during term time as well. When it comes to carrying out education projects in recent months, we have seen an increase in contractors turning projects off and turning their backs on expensive bidding opportunities. This comes as no real surprise when considering the backdrop of rising costs, and materials and labour shortages across the construction industry – but it has given the direct award process a new lease of life in the procurement realm. We know that clients have existing supply chain relationships, which must be nurtured. While framework providers are capable of consulting and opening up a network of compliant suppliers, there is intangible value found in building on existing collaboration, which direct award can allow. The direct award approach is one that can work for both low and high-value projects, offering benefits including greater cost and programme certainty, tailored social value outcomes and no stressful or costly bidding process. It also allows for a quick turnaround for supplier appointment, without compensating on compliance checks. One such example of a recent scheme that maximised the benefits of the direct award process is Nottingham College. The team approached us in April for a low value project to be completed this summer. The expression of interest went to market via our DPS and Medium Works framework, but with suppliers oversubscribed with work to assign the necessary bidding resource to the project, a direct award was suggested. Local contractor J Tomlinson was appointed quickly via direct award, getting the project on track and on site within weeks – and is now making excellent progress against the original programme timetable. Schools craft our experts of tomorrow and without the best environments, pupils’ learning experience will be impacted. This is why it’s so important that the built environment sector looks to support schools with creating those excellent environments, and while funding continues to fall short for schools, we must champion tactics like direct award to help schools in creating the environments they need however and where we can. For more information, please visit https://www.pagabo.co.uk/
Midlands-based contractor G F Tomlinson and its partners Arc Partnership and Perfect Circle have donated more than £35,000 in services to end-of-life charity partner Treetops Hospice, as part of its Local Communities Partnership Programme. During the last 12 months, G F Tomlinson has been working closely with the hospice to provide advice and project management services on a pro bono basis, to aid in Treetops’ aims to improve its estate, including staff offices and external landscaping at its main site in Risley, Derbyshire. The Local Communities Partnership Programme is a collaborative initiative developed by G F Tomlinson, which is aimed at supporting communities and charitable bodies within the region. It is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to delivering social, economic and environmental benefits to the local communities in which it works through the SCAPE Regional Construction framework, a direct award framework that drives collaboration, efficiency, time and cost savings. Treetops Hospice, which provides care and support to more than 3,000 local people every year, was selected as the finalist following a ‘Dragon’s Den’-style event last year. G F Tomlinson and its partners, Arc Partnership, a joint venture between Nottinghamshire County Council and SCAPE, and Perfect Circle, have provided over 325 hours of time and expertise to the hospice, equating to £35,000, and is the equivalent cost for Treetops Hospice to do one of the following: provide an at-home nursing service for five weeks allow for nurses to be at the bedside of 324 terminally ill people allow for roaming nurses to respond to 515 calls for help during the night allow for its counsellors to be there for more than 90 children when someone close to them passes away Working together, the partners have provided Treetops with designs and budget advice for landscaping and boardwalk improvements to increase safety and accessibility of their grounds. They have also provided professional services for structural assessment, design and costing to enable the reconfiguration of hospice offices and backroom spaces to provide improved working areas for their dedicated and caring staff. Architecture, mechanical and electrical design were provided by Arc Partnership. The landscape architecture and structural engineering services were delivered by built environment consultancy Pick Everard – operating under Perfect Circle’s unique collaboration. Treetops Hospice will now use the information provided to prioritise the works and secure sufficient funding to make the improvements. To support the Treetops Hospice’s master planning for the wider estate in Risley, supply chain partners Gleeds and Amptron have provided condition surveys for the buildings and M&E systems. This will enable the hospice to plan ahead for future maintenance requirements to ensure facilities remain safe and functional. As an evolution of G F Tomlinson’s partnership with the hospice, the firm is also supporting Treetops with the refurbishment of its charity shop in Sandiacre, providing costing and project management services to ensure the condition of the building is fit for purpose. In preparing for the work G F Tomlinson sourced competitive quotes from specialist sub-contractors and programmed the works around the live shop environment. Mechanical contractor Miller Freeman was kind enough to carry out its work free of charge bringing further benefit to Treetops. Works on the shop refurbishment are currently underway and are being overseen by one of G F Tomlinson’s Site Managers. The works will complete later this month. Chris Flint, managing director at G F Tomlinson, said: “We are very proud to be continuing our partnership with Treetops Hospice 12 months after the leading charity were selected as the finalist of our Local Communities Partnership Programme. “With dedication from the team at G F Tomlinson and our partners Arc Partnership and Perfect Circle, we have been able to provide advice, design and costing work to help bring Treetops’ plans for its hospice facility and grounds to life. As a Derbyshire-based business that is highly active in the East and West Midlands, we feel it is extremely important to give back to the local communities in which we operate. “Social value is a cornerstone of our business, and a fundamental part of our ongoing relationship with SCAPE through its Regional Construction framework, so we wanted to partner with other like-minded regional organisations in the industry to collaborate on and contribute towards a highly beneficial outcome for a local charity that provides support and care to thousands of patients and their families every year.” Julie Heath, chief executive officer at Treetops Hospice, said: “We know we face challenging financial times ahead as the cost-of-living increases. It’s going to be tough. The support and technical information provided by G F Tomlinson and their partners will help us to apply for funding to undertake major and much-needed maintenance projects. Their help is also helping us to keep the hospice in an excellent state of repair for all our patients.” Managing director of Perfect Circle Victoria Brambini said: “We are proud to continue to support this joint partnership with G F Tomlinson. Community-focused initiatives sit at the core of our ethos, with Treetops Hospice benefitting from a collaborative model that creates value at the heart of the public sector. Together with SCAPE, our aim is to help deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Local Communities Partnership Programme.” Sara Williams, head of pre-construction at Arc Partnership said: “At Arc, we pride ourselves on delivering real value together and supporting our local communities. Not for profit organisations like Treetops Hospice play a vital role supporting people in the region at the most challenging times of their lives, and we are delighted to have been able to collaborate with our partners, G F Tomlinson and Perfect Circle to develop improvement plans for Treetop Hospice’s estate and support them in providing these crucial services.”
Pick Everard announces ambitious business strategy to become the first-choice consultancy in the industry Collaboration forms a key part of all five of the firm’s strategic pillars Key commitments include achieving net carbon zero by the end of the year and a pledge to invest five per cent of turnover into innovation and new technology PICK Everard has today announced its new business strategy, which outlines a commitment to creating a collaborative, prosperous and sustainable future for all to benefit from, along with ambitions to be the most highly regarded consultant in the property and construction industry. The announcement comes after the firm’s most successful year to date, having achieved a turnover of £58.8m and a 17 per cent growth in its staff body. The multi-disciplinary consultancy now has more than 600 employees across its national network of 14 offices, with further growth set over the coming years. Managing Partner Duncan Green said: “Despite the worldwide challenges faced over the past year, together we have made it one of the most significant and successful in our 156-year history. It is the agility and determination of our people that has allowed us to navigate the national challenges of the last two years and come through stronger than ever – and with new ways of working that benefit our people, our clients and the wider industry too. “We have been enjoying a period of sustained growth, and with a strong pipeline of work and continued success in projects and frameworks appointments, we have examined our business strategy to outline the vision that underpins our journey. Collaboration forms a key part of all five of our strategic pillars, focusing on ‘delivering better together’ for our teams, our clients, communities and for the planet.” Pick Everard places huge value on fostering excellent company culture, with regular staff engagement shaping its approach as a business. The firm strives to be an industry leader in diverse recruitment – driven by its attitude to individuality and openness. Focused on building a talent density that perpetuates success and a commitment to train the industry leaders of tomorrow, the strategy includes the implementation of practice-wide award-winning career support mechanisms, including the Pick Everard Professional Map. This provides the pathway of the technical skills, behavioural competencies, role expectations and core values needed for personal progression, which together with the firm’s RISE mentoring programme will give staff the tools needed to achieve their career aspirations. To reflect its collaborative and client-oriented attitude, Pick Everard has evolved its internal structure to increase efficiencies and better meet the requirements of its clients. This evolution includes the creation of strategic account director roles to ensure even closer collaboration between the firm’s multi-disciplinary services to collectively. focus on the consistent delivery of excellent results for its clients. Pick Everard aims to achieve third party certification to support its strategy – namely ISO44001, which centres on collaborative business relationships. This accreditation seeks to build and support long-term partnership approaches that will increase project delivery success, manage risk, and promote best practice. The firm will also continue to build on its strong track record of outperforming competition in providing the best consultancy, choice, and services for its clients, aided by appointments on key national frameworks including Crown Commercial Services, ESPO, NHS Shared Business Services, Pagabo, and SCAPE. Duncan said: “Continuous improvement is embedded deeply in our culture, making sure that not only are we a leader in promoting new industry best practice, but also an early adopter of technology and innovations that enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our actions. Our pledge to invest at least five per cent of annual turnover in innovation and technology will ensure we push forwards with the best solutions to meet clients’ needs on every scheme. “Our open attitude to sharing expertise allows us to upskill and inform our clients and key stakeholders, leaving a legacy of best practice and understanding wherever we work. This, along with our ambitions to be a leader in supply chain management and SME engagement, ensures that the projects we deliver provide communities with the high-quality assets that will have a positive impact on the way they, and future generations, will live, work, learn, and play.” Building on an excellent reputation for its approach to sustainability within project work, Pick Everard has been on a journey to drive down its own carbon footprint. It now pledges to become carbon neutral by the end of 2022. Duncan said: “We place sustainability and tackling the climate crisis with carbon neutral solutions central to any project, so there is no question that we must lead by example when it comes to the environment. On our own journey to net zero, we have been making great strides but will go even further, becoming a carbon neutral business by within 2022. “Delivering better together’ is not just a phrase, it’s a definition of our culture and the way of life at Pick Everard. It defines our approach to our people, our teams, our clients, and the communities and environment in which we live. We pride ourselves in our aim to create a better future and leave a positive and lasting legacy wherever we work.” For more information, please visit www.pickeverard.co.uk.
Due to recent successes, national Architects, GSSArchitecture, are delighted to announce the opening of a new collaboration hub in the heart of Leeds. With offices in Kettering, Gloucester, Harrogate, Milton Keynes and Newcastle, the Practice is opening another space in the Yorkshire area to further build on their presence in the Leeds region and to better meet the needs of both their clients and architectural teams. Based in the centre of the city, with fantastic views of the River Aire, the hub sits at the southern gateway to Leeds City Centre, with excellent motorway links, and only a short walk from the southern entrance to Leeds Train Station and the City Centre. The flexible and engaging space will provide the GSS team with a base from which to meet and engage with consultants and clients alike. With several business lounges and breakout areas, the collaboration hub’s adaptive suite of spaces and geographical location are well suited to support the continued growth plans of the Practice. Jonathan Hunter, Partner at GSS, said, “The new Leeds collaboration hub marks the next exciting step in our continued growth plans for the Yorkshire region and has come about following several recent appointments and having secured places on frameworks with two major clients in the region. This will increase our ability to be collaborative and further build on our practice values.” Founded over 140 years ago, GSS have an extensive portfolio in a range of sectors. To find out how they can help with an upcoming project, please visit www.gssarchitecture.com
Following the successful national rollout of award-winning, net zero carbon hoarding solution, EnviroHoard™, Panthera Group is delighted to announce it has been awarded a sole supplier nationwide framework by John Sisk & Son. The move follows the publication of Sisk’s ambitious road map that defines targets and actions to reduce the company’s waste intensity by 50%. Using EnviroHoard™ enables the company to make a start on its waste reduction journey at the boundary of every project. It is widely acknowledged that the construction industry accounts for approximately 60% of material use and a third of all waste in the UK. Traditional painted plywood hoarding exacerbates the problem when it reaches end of life as it is often disposed to landfill. EnviroHoard™ was conceived to eliminate the use of timber and plywood and embrace a circular economy concept of recyclability and reusability. The system’s uPVC panels are manufactured from post-industrial uPVC and can be used multiple times before being recycled. The part recycled galvanised steel frame and ultra-low carbon blocks are also designed for re-use over many projects. With a view to adopting circular economy principles into the business from 2023, Sisk undertook a comprehensive appraisal of EnviroHoard™, culminating in the decision to award the national framework. Craig Murphy, Supply Chain Director of John Sisk & Sons Ltd, oversaw the negotiations; “We are delighted to have recently renewed our strategic partnership with Panthera Group. It is a partnership that we feel will continue to generate great value for our business and that is underpinned by a significant strategic alignment between the two organisations. As part of our 2030 Sustainability Roadmap Sisk has committed to reducing our carbon and waste intensity through adopting circular principles. Panthera’s EnviroHoard™ hoarding system, which has been verified as net zero carbon, ensures our site teams can further contribute towards our drive to decarbonise our projects”. Sisk analysed the benefit of EnviroHoard™ on an assumed project of two years and found that the system would offer 70% lower embodied carbon reduction than the equivalent plywood hoarding method, along with additional climate positive benefits including carbon offsetting and tree planting directly attributable to the individual project. Unlike plywood hoarding which requires on-going maintenance, EnviroHoard™ offers zero maintenance cost saving benefits. Using a typical installation example of 2500m of EnviroHoard™ versus plywood hoarding, the figures were compelling: Embodied carbon saving of 177.14 tCO2e 211 trees planted Equivalent of taking approximately 60 family sized cards off the road Saving an estimated 100 no. 30-50-year-old softwood trees from being needlessly cut down Of note to the team was that the longer the project duration the higher the carbon embodiment saving. A further unintended consequence of using EnviroHoard™ is the cost savings against the purchase of traditional hoarding due to the global rise in the price of timber. Neal James, Managing Director of Panthera Group, is delighted that his decision to invest in a net zero hoarding system has been vindicated with another framework award; “This is fantastic news for all the team at Panthera and testament to the credibility of EnviroHoard’s™’ sustainability credentials and the commercial viability of the product. Our relationship with Sisk goes back over 10 years and this is our second framework award; this time as a sole supplier. We are looking forward to supporting Sisk’s decarbonisation goals over the coming years”.
South Seaham Garden Village has taken a huge step forward with landowner Tolent completing the land sale to a trio of developers including Karbon Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Miller Homes. The completion of the deal means construction of the project, which was awarded garden village status back in 2019, can now progress. Infrastructure works linking the development to the nearby A182 are due to start this summer with the first phases of housing commencing early in 2023. The development will bring 1,500 new homes to the area. 750 homes will be developed for private market sale by Miller Homes and Taylor Wimpey, with the remaining 750 homes to be of mixed tenure including rent to buy, shared ownership and affordable rent options. It is hoped that a proportion of the affordable homes will be designed to meet the emerging net-zero standards providing lower operational costs for residents as well as minimising the environmental impact of the development. Paul Webster, CEO at Tolent said: “South Seaham Garden Village will provide a diverse mix of homes providing a vibrant community on the outskirts of Seaham. The site has been owned by Tolent for a number of years and we have been working in partnership with Durham County Council to create an ambitious garden village that will provide innovation in the local housing market. “Approximately half of the development will be managed green space including play areas and a grassed playing pitch lined by a network of over three miles of landscaped paths and cycleways which coupled with its coastal setting make it an idyllic location.” Tolent will remain engaged in the project following the sale of the land and has entered into a construction partnership with Karbon Homes to deliver their share of the properties supporting local housing delivery over the next decade. Sarah Robson, Director of Development and Regeneration at Karbon Homes, said: “We’re delighted to have bought our share of the land at South Seaham Garden Village and are looking forward to bringing 750 much-needed, affordable homes to the area. This is the largest development we have embarked on to date and we’re excited to be playing a part in bringing this vibrant new community to County Durham.” In addition to the planned housing, the project includes a new village centre, which will include the delivery of a two-form entry primary school and a range of community facilities. Russ Hall, Managing Director of Taylor Wimpey North East, said “We are pleased to continue our investment in the North East and the South Seaham Garden Village project is a result of considerable hard work to date that will be evident on the ground soon. We are excited to be part of the delivery of another major development in the North East and the delivery of a new garden village community” Patrick Arkle, Managing Director, North East at Miller Homes said: “This is a key location for us in the region, Seaham has transformed over the years into a popular beachfront destination and an up-and-coming place to live. As a team we’re excited about South Seaham Garden Village, the scale of the site presents lots of opportunities and we believe it will become a flagship development offering an excellent range of much-needed three, four and five-bed homes.” The site is set to be a testbed for future technologies with a range of modern methods of construction planned for use with the potential for off-site panellised solutions and a range of alternative building methodologies currently being considered.
Commercial property and investment company Evolve Estates has acquired two prime town centre parades in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough. It has added to its burgeoning retail portfolio The Balmoral Centre, a 57,339 sq ft covered retail centre anchored by Wilko, and Bar House, on Aberdeen Walk, which has 17,602 sq ft of retail and leisure space over three floors. It acquired the parades for an undisclosed sum, taking this year’s retail acquisitions to more than £48m. Sebastian MacDonald-Hall, of Evolve Estates, said: “Scarborough is a beloved seaside resort and we’re pleased to have secured these well-known, popular parades, bringing them into our in-house portfolio. “We are committed to focusing our efforts on regional retail centres and neighbourhood parades where we can see there is incredible potential. The Balmoral Centre and Bar House provide us with significant opportunities to add significant value and we are already looking to identify how we can revitalise these centres further. We hope to make announcements on how we can achieve this over the next few months.” The Balmoral Centre, which Evolve bought as freehold, comprises seven retail units on ground floor, with five fronting Westborough. There are also two further units, plus a vacant night club located on the first floor and a gym located on the second floor. An NCP car park has space for 480 vehicles. Bar House comprises seven shops fronting Westborough and Aberdeen Walk, with vacant first and second floors, which used to be a nightclub. The agents for Evolve Estates were Prime Retail.
Site Sold For Proposed New Major Employment Scheme Keyland Developments Ltd, the property trading arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water, has completed the sale of its Wakefield East site in West Yorkshire to Opus North and Bridges Fund Management for an undisclosed sum. A planning application for the 31-acre employment scheme, now branded ‘City Fields’, was recently submitted by Keyland. The indicative layout proposes employment space totalling up to 500,000 sq ft, which could generate around 800 new jobs for the local area. The majority of the commercial site will benefit from Class B2, B8 and E(g) consent for urban logistics, as well as industrial accommodation in a varied range of unit sizes, whilst also offering scope for the development of a trade counter scheme and associated pub/restaurant/drive-thru options. Previously part of the redundant Yorkshire Water Calder Vale treatment works, the site will now form a key strategic element of the overall City Fields development which, at 375-acres, will play a significant role in creating a new, important, and sustainable primary employment hub to the east of Wakefield. The site runs adjacent to the £33m Wakefield Eastern Relief Road (WERR) which opened in 2017. Regeneration of the broader City Fields community also includes the construction or (re)development of around 2,500 houses, a primary school, health facilities, district and neighbourhood centres. Appointed agents Avison Young and Knight Frank facilitated the sale of the land on behalf of Keyland with Square One Law acting as legal team. Carter Towler and Walker Morris advised the purchaser. Peter Garrett, Managing Director of Keyland Developments, said; “We are delighted that the sale has now completed and look forward to the planned development forming the main commercial element of this significant regional regeneration scheme.” Ryan Unsworth, Development Director of Opus North, said; “The acquisition of this strategic site continues our strategy of sustained growth in the northern commercial sector. The surrounding area has witnessed a considerable surge in investment and regeneration and the development of this pivotal site will make a further significant economic contribution. We are looking to commence works on site in early 2023 with a targeted completion of the first units later that year. In addition to bringing about new jobs, the development will help ease the well documented shortages of high quality industrial/commercial accommodation in the region.” Guy Bowden, Partner at Bridges Fund Management partner, added: “The City Fields development will allow us to revitalise a previously redundant site and create over 800 new jobs for the surrounding area. Aiming to incorporate important sustainable features into the design, this development will both benefit occupiers and provide the wider Wakefield community with a high-quality commercial and industrial hub, contributing to the catalysing of local economic growth. We are looking forward to working with Opus North on delivering another successful project.” Iain McPhail, Partner at Knight Frank, said; “City Fields is an exciting new commercial opportunity which benefits from not only access to the region’s motorway network via the M1 and M62, but also to Wakefield town centre itself. The site is ideally positioned to capitalise on the significant demand in the current market for urban logistics and distribution as well as manufacturing and trade.” Rob Oliver, Principal at Avison Young, added; “‘Due to the range of plots across the development, we have considerable flexibility and are able to accommodate a wide range of unit sizes. We are already talking to a number of businesses, some already local and looking to relocate or expand, others would be new to the area. There is a severe lack of units available in the West Yorkshire area, particularly on the M62 corridor, and with continued occupational demand we are confident that the scheme will prove very successful. Occupiers are increasingly keen to occupy new premises which will meet their ESG agenda’s as well as staff wellness and retention in addition to presenting their brand positively, having lower operating costs and greater efficiency.”
The way businesses file Value Added Tax (VAT) returns has now changed, as part of Making Tax Digital (MTD). HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging businesses in your sector to join over 1.7 million taxpayers who are already benefitting from MTD to make the change. From 1 April 2022, MTD for VAT became mandatory for all VAT-registered businesses, regardless of turnover. This means businesses need to keep digital business records, sign up to MTD and file all their future VAT returns using MTD-compatible software. If they do not file their VAT returns through MTD, they may have to pay a penalty. Even if a business currently keeps digital records, they must check their software is MTD compatible and sign up for MTD. MTD’s aim is to help businesses get their tax right first time and to support the UK to go digital. More than 15 million returns have been successfully submitted through MTD, with businesses reporting that MTD has increased their confidence in managing their tax affairs and using technology. There is a range of compatible software products available for VAT, allowing businesses to choose which tools they use to run their business and tax affairs. A list of software compatible with Making Tax Digital for VAT, including low-cost options, is available on GOV.UK. HMRC has continued to work with smaller businesses below the £85,000 VAT threshold to ensure they are ready and to remind them of the actions they need to take. A range of accessible help is available online through GOV.UK, webinars and videos as well as through HMRC’s Extra Support Service. Giles McCallum, Director of Making Tax Digital at HMRC, said: “We continue to support those businesses who have yet to sign up and are encouraging traders in the construction sector to help them make the change to Making Tax Digital. Using MTD helps businesses reduce errors, making it faster to prepare and submit returns. “In order to gain benefit from MTD and to avoid any penalty as many others have already, we urge all businesses to sign up to MTD now.” Federation of Small Businesses National Chair Martin McTague said: “MTD software can improve productivity and open up opportunities to tighten internal processes beyond just the tax side of things. Even if you’re not obliged to be a part of MTD at the moment, it’s worth looking into different platforms, especially now Help To Grow Digital is live. If you’re an FSB member, we can help you get up to speed in this area.” To comply with MTD for VAT, businesses or an agent on a business’ behalf need to take three simple steps: If a business hasn’t signed up to MTD yet, they must do so before they submit their next VAT return otherwise they could receive a penalty. Find out how to sign up on GOV.UK. Agents can sign up on behalf of a business, although businesses remain responsible for meeting their VAT obligations. Details on how to avoid being charged a penalty can be found here.
Industrial asset and property management specialists NSM has appointed Kim Howey as its new Property Manager for the North West. Kim joins the growing company – with offices in Warrington and Doncaster – to help manage a range of logistics, SME and office assets across the M62 corridor and Midlands. Its current portfolio under management has grown to £374m so far this year. She was previously residential and commercial property manager for The Next Big Thing, based in Liverpool, and before that worked for Regus as a Community Manager in Cardiff. Kim reports into Associate Director Jacqui Saunders and will be part of the Property Management team that manages 577 units nationally with a rent roll in excess of £20.67m. NSM Managing Director Nicky Jones said: “Kim’s experience in both commercial property and asset management is a welcome addition on to the team and she has hit the ground running. Her knowledge of the North West property market is very strong and is already proving to be a real asset, both with our clients and their tenants.” Kim added: “I’m delighted to be joining NSM which holds a large and diverse portfolio of assets. My background has been in commercial space but more recently I’ve moved into residential property management, so the fit with NSM is ideal. I’m looking forward to being able to add to my knowledge in the larger commercial property section and I’m very excited to be starting this new chapter in my career.” NSM is in a uniquely strong position, in addition to managing more than 5.4 million sq. ft of industrial property across the north, the company also markets many of the properties, handles lettings and is overseeing the delivery of new builds which will ultimately come into the management portfolio.