Commercial : Office News

Milestone Achieved on Canary Wharf Development

A residential development in Canary Wharf, London, has reached a significant milestone. With leading developer Canary Wharf group building residential apartment on the 10 Park Drive site, the building has recently been topped out, reaching its full height of 149 metres above ground level. It will offer 345 homes when

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Siemens Wins Award for Its New Centre

The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am

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Riverside Inverclyde welcomes difficult access specialists, Balmore Group, to new premises at Kelburn Business Park

Riverside Inverclyde (Ri), the organisation delivering the economic redevelopment of Inverclyde in the west of Scotland, has welcomed another new tenant, Balmore Group, to its Kelburn Business Park development in Port Glasgow. A long-established business with a one-stop difficult access inspection, repair, maintenance and specialist cleaning services, its most recently

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Construction Started on New Cefas Headquarters

Construction work is under way at the new £16 million marine science centre in Lowestoft, which will see new headquarters built for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) at its site on Pakefield Cliffs. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by funding supporters from Defra and the New

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Procter Contracts Opens New Office in South West England

Procter Contracts has opened a new office in South West England in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, to serve its growing client base. Architects and main contractors working in the area can now single source automatic gates, fencing, railings, and street furniture from a regional supplier. The new office is located at

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Latest Issue
Issue 327 : Apr 2025

Commercial : Office News

Milestone Achieved on Canary Wharf Development

A residential development in Canary Wharf, London, has reached a significant milestone. With leading developer Canary Wharf group building residential apartment on the 10 Park Drive site, the building has recently been topped out, reaching its full height of 149 metres above ground level. It will offer 345 homes when completed in the final quarter of 2019. “This is an exciting step in the construction of 10 Park Drive, both for the area and for us at Canary Wharf Group as we top out our first residences on the Estate. The work that has gone into the development so far has been phenomenal, and we look forward to it reaching completion and for the first residents to move into Canary Wharf,” said Brian De’ath, Director of Residential Sales at Canary Wharf Group. “Some of our purchasers camped out overnight to be able to secure a home at 10 Park Drive which I strongly believe says a great deal about the quality of the offering here. The extensive calendar of events, diverse community and excellent transport links on the Estate are making it an increasingly hard location to beat within the London property market,” Brian added. 10 Park Drive has been designed by Stanton Williams Architects and it forms a key part of Canary Wharf’s new residential district, Wood Wharf, alongside neighbouring residential development, One Park Drive. It will comprise 74 studios, 115 one-bedroom apartments, 141 two-bedroom apartments and 15 three-bedroom apartments. The apartments’ design maximises the light and vistas of the surroundings at every opportunity, with interiors developed by Make Architects. Residents of 10 Park Drive will have access to a private sky terrace on the 13th floor, with bookable facilities and free use of shared spaces. The development sits adjacent to South Dock and is linked to the water by landscaped gardens and parks. Purchasers will also have access to a state-of-the-art new health and fitness club with a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and fitness class studio.

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Siemens Wins Award for Its New Centre

The ShD Logistics Award for New Facility (under 150,000 sq ft) has been won by Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery for its new Global Service Operation Centre (GSOC). A key role in fitting out this facility was played by BITO Storage Systems that offered innovative storage and order picking solutions. “I am very pleased to congratulate Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery and all the materials handling partners involved in this exciting project. I am particularly proud of the role played by BITO’s broad capabilities and experience in helping the project deliver Siemens’ goals for its new facility,” said Edward Hutchison, managing director of BITO Storage Systems. In order to promote health & safety, deliver reduced cycle times and costs, while expanding service capabilities, the company invested in the new GSOC, located next to its overhaul facility at its Teal Park site in Lincoln. The future-proof centre was delivered on time and on budget and is now facilitating growth without needing to increase headcount. The centre ensures stock availability and the same- or next day response to help Siemens’ customers minimise downtime. The storage and order picking solution provided by BITO included an impressive three-level high engine rack. Its bespoke design using BITO’s standard beams and uprights, enables engines weighing up to 6-tonnes, and stored on 1-tonne pallets to be located on the first beam level, as well as ground level. In addition to its pallet racking, live storage and plastic containers, a further innovative part of BITO’s solution was the first UK installation of its LEO Locative driverless internal transport system to separate vehicle and human work areas, while providing swift and safe transfer of items between Goods In, storage areas and the packaging stations. Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery designs, manufactures and services small industrial gas turbines, with an installed fleet of over 3,500 units across 90 countries. 1500 of these remain operational with key customers in the oil and gas industry, industrial customers, hospitals and paper mills.

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Riverside Inverclyde welcomes difficult access specialists, Balmore Group, to new premises at Kelburn Business Park

Riverside Inverclyde (Ri), the organisation delivering the economic redevelopment of Inverclyde in the west of Scotland, has welcomed another new tenant, Balmore Group, to its Kelburn Business Park development in Port Glasgow. A long-established business with a one-stop difficult access inspection, repair, maintenance and specialist cleaning services, its most recently formed arm is Balmore Aerial Services, which uses the latest Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology, more widely known as drones, to provide aerial inspection and surveying services throughout the UK. Victor MacKay Jnr, a divisional director of Balmore Group, said: “Using UAV technology replaces the immediate need to install expensive scaffolding to examine the fabric of difficult-to-access buildings. “We are only one of only a handful of contractors in the UK with enhanced permissions issued from the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to operate in congested areas. Its use enables the other arms of our business, namely Balmore Specialist Contracts and Balmore Contracting, to pinpoint exactly what inspection, repair, maintenance and cleaning tasks then need to be carried out.” Expansion and development of the business has prompted its relocation from Glasgow to larger, 3000 sq. ft. modern premises at Port Glasgow’s Kelburn Business Park.  The move underpins 10 jobs at the new premises. Mr MacKay said: “We have worked closely with Riverside Inverclyde over the past 18 months and are very pleased with our move to a brand-new premises which are easy to access and spacious enough to let us grow. “Our latest growth plans are set to allow us to provide Health & Safety training including PASMA, IPAF, MIST & CSCS. We have partnered with Atlas Knowledge who hold a vast wealth of knowledge on training. We can now train our staff and keep their credentials tickets up to date, whilst providing current and new clients with highly competitive training costs.” Fiona Maguire, Chief Executive of Ri, said: “Riverside Inverclyde continues to successfully attract new companies to the area and help expand existing businesses, a vital role in the overall regeneration and economic development of Inverclyde. We are delighted to welcome Balmore Group to Kelburn Business Park. “Its expertise and specialism further add to the rich mix of companies at Kelburn and we very much hope that Inverclyde continues to be an excellent base to grow the firm.  We wish the Balmore Group every success for the future.” Balmore Group joins existing tenants at the Kelburn Business Park including global life science’s engineering firm Peak Scientific, The New Chocolate Company and its most recent new tenant, The Start-Up Drinks Lab. Kelburn Business Park has one remaining 15k sq ft unit available with a number of interested parties.  

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LANDMARK MANCHESTER EMERGES ONTO ST PETER’S SQUARE – Concrete Core Complete at Major Office Development

Barings Real Estate, part of Barings LLC, one of the world’s largest diversified real estate investment managers, has announced that Landmark Manchester (Landmark), a 180,000 sq. ft. office development that it is undertaking on behalf of an institutional investor, is emerging onto St Peter’s Square with the concrete core now complete. With Castlebrooke Investments retained as development manager, benefiting from their strong track record in project delivery, and having spent over a year in the demolition and basement formation phase, construction work is well underway with the Grade A, BREEAM Excellent office building set to be launched in Summer 2019. Appointed contractor Bowmer & Kirkland has completed the basement levels, which will support 14 floors of virtually column free office space and a double-height reception at ground level. The building’s concrete core is now visible on the Manchester skyline and, when completed, the scheme will add to the vibrancy of one of the North’s most significant public squares. Designed by world-renowned architects Squire & Partners, Landmark has been created with the next generation occupier in mind. The building is being constructed with an offset core to enable large and efficient floorplates to be designed offering maximum flexibility to occupiers. In a market that is currently experiencing strong levels of demand coupled with limited supply, Landmark is one of only two new build office developments due to be completed in Manchester City Centre in 2019. The scheme has received overwhelming support from Manchester City Council and will complete the Council’s vision for St Peter’s Square and the Civic Quarter. Situated in the heart of Manchester’s central business district at St Peter’s Square, Landmark is in a prime location close to St Peter’s Square Metrolink and several train stations. The development also has easy accessibility to the M60 via the M602 with the location being furthered strengthened by the planned High Speed 2 railway project which will connect Manchester with major cities across the U.K. Charles Weeks, Head of Barings Real Estate – Europe, said; “The city of Manchester is thriving. It is consistently one of the strongest, most active city centre office markets outside of London. Landmark will play a pivotal role in enhancing what the city has to offer by providing businesses with a destination that is both modern and flexible as well as providing excellent infrastructure and connectivity. Barings Real Estate has a proven record of accomplishment adding significant value to investments both within the U.K. and globally and we are delighted to oversee this important development project.” Agents on Landmark are CBRE and Colliers International.   Barings Alternative Investments (BAI), part of Barings LLC, is a 450+ associate team located across 11 countries that manages $52.3 billion in client capital (as of March 31, 2018). BAI seeks differentiated sources of returns by incorporating decades of investment experience in alternative assets offering investors access to a diverse range of opportunities across private equity, real assets, asset-based investments and the four quadrants of real estate. We serve as a trusted partner to clients, leveraging our global presence and robust origination capabilities to identify the most attractive risk-adjusted return opportunities. The Barings Real Estate team offers a broad range of investment opportunities globally across the public and private debt and equity markets. The team invests across all major property sectors with a focus on global relative value and trend-backed preferred strategies. Barings Barings is a $306+ billion* global financial services firm dedicated to meeting the evolving investment and capital needs of our clients. We build lasting partnerships that leverage our distinctive expertise across traditional and alternative asset classes to deliver innovative solutions and exceptional service. Part of MassMutual, Barings maintains a strong global presence with over 1,800 professionals and offices in 16 countries. Learn more at www.barings.com

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Construction Started on New Cefas Headquarters

Construction work is under way at the new £16 million marine science centre in Lowestoft, which will see new headquarters built for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) at its site on Pakefield Cliffs. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by funding supporters from Defra and the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, alongside local councillors, residents, staff and contractors. To commemorate the occasion, a time capsule containing recent Cefas scientific papers, letters to the future from young Cefas apprentices, a reusable water bottle – reflecting organisational commitments to reducing marine plastics, and other artefacts were buried. “I thank Defra, New Anglia LEP, local councillor and the many others for their support for our exciting new Lowestoft headquarters development,” said CEO Tom Karsten. “This will be a vital step in realising our vision of a new era of Cefas and Defra leadership in providing world class science to manage the marine and freshwater environment.” “Cefas has played a leading role in the UK and Lowestoft’s marine history over the past 116 years. The renewal of our Lowestoft headquarters represents an important chapter in this history and future opportunities for our continued development,” he added. Cefas secured the final piece of funding in January 2018 and with the new centre on the way, the firm could save up to £2 million a year in running costs and would safeguard 440 jobs at the Pakefield Road site as well as enabling it to employ 12 to 15 apprentices a year. “We are pleased to be officially marking the start of construction on this important development, which will provide Cefas with outstanding facilities to support their globally-relevant research and anchor our region as a centre for marine science excellence in the UK,” said Saul Humphrey, managing director of Morgan Singall’s East region. “Our team is already making good progress and we look forward to working closely with Cefas and the wider project team as we deliver this landmark centre,” he continued. Building work on the new office is due to begin shortly, with the completion date set for May 2020.

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Procter Contracts Opens New Office in South West England

Procter Contracts has opened a new office in South West England in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, to serve its growing client base. Architects and main contractors working in the area can now single source automatic gates, fencing, railings, and street furniture from a regional supplier. The new office is located at The Hive Business Centre in Weston-super-Mare, with Steve Spaven, Senior Business Development Manager, leading the operation and Lee Harvey, together with a team of local staff, supporting clients and handling new enquiries. Technical and logistical backup is also available from Procter’s design, manufacturing, and installation teams from Bedwas (South Wales), Garforth (Yorkshire) and Brentwood (Essex). “I am delighted that the new office is already thriving, with a growing base of satisfied clients and a wealth of new projects in the pipeline. Previously we have served the South West from our other bases, but having a dedicated office in the South West is proving highly beneficial to our clients in that region,” commented Jeremy Procter, Chairman of the Procter Bros Group. Procter Contracts has seen an unprecedented growth in the South West during the past two years through a combination of loyal existing clients and new ones. Recent contracts have been completed for major construction groups such as Costain, Kier, Morgan Sindall, Willmott Dixon and Midas, in projects that included the supply and installation of standard and bespoke products a park-and- ride scheme, the Avonmouth Concrete Plant, multi-storey car parks and various education projects. Procter Contracts is a business unit within Procter Bros Ltd, which can trace its roots back to 1740. The three areas in which Procter Contracts specialises are fencing, automatic gates and street furniture. As well as offering a range of standard products, Procter Contracts has the design and manufacturing capability to create bespoke products. With all projects, the priorities are quality and customer service.

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