Rolls-Royce SMR has completed Step 2 of the Generic Design Assessment by the UK nuclear industry’s independent regulators – the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales – and will move immediately into the third and final Step.
The GDA process assesses new nuclear power plant designs for deployment in the UK, demonstrating they can be built, operated and decommissioned in accordance with the highest standards of safety, security, safeguards and environmental protection.
This announcement confirms Rolls-Royce SMR’s position ahead of any other Small Modular Reactor in Europe. Rolls-Royce SMR will further exploit this significant advantage by moving immediately to Step 3 ‘detailed assessment’.
Helena Perry, Rolls-Royce SMR’s Safety and Regulatory Affairs Director, said: “The completion of Step 2 of the GDA is the most important milestone to date in advancing deployment of Rolls-Royce SMRs in the UK.
“We have built fantastic momentum, and the team will move directly into Step 3 of this rigorous independent assessment of our technology – ideally positioning us to deliver low- carbon nuclear power and support the UK transition to net zero.”
Rolls-Royce SMR will be the first new nuclear power station to be designed and built in the UK for more than a generation and offers a radically different approach, delivering new nuclear power based on proven technology. Each ‘factory-built’ nuclear power station will provide enough affordable, low-carbon electricity to power a million homes for more than 60 years.
Rolls-Royce SMR is currently engaged in the Great British Nuclear SMR technology selection process. A successful outcome from that selection process, this year, will create and sustain thousands of high-skilled, long-term jobs and unlock enormous export potential.
Students create new logo for the Chesterfield Town Board
Students from Parkside School were challenged to create a new logo to be used by the Chesterfield Town Board, which is driving forward almost £20 million of investment over the next ten years.
More than 80 designs were submitted by students from the school, and from these Cindy Lin’s design was chosen as the winner by a panel of Town Board members. Cindy Lin, aged 15, said: “I can’t wait to see my design attached to some really exciting projects!”
The logo will be used to help promote initiatives being spearheaded by the Town Board over the next ten years.
Chesterfield Town Board is made up of local business and community representatives, together with public sector organisations, and is responsible for deciding how to spend almost £20 million of funding announced as part of the Government’s Long Term Plan for Towns.
Dominic Staniforth, a Partner at BHP LLP Chartered Accountants and Chair of the Chesterfield Town Board, said: “I want to thank all the students who submitted their designs for the Town Board logo, there were some fantastic entries, and it was a difficult job to select one winner. Cindy’s design reflects our town and will help identify the projects led by the Town Board.
“Chesterfield is already a great town full of wonderful people and organisations that share a common purpose to make it even better – a place to live, work, invest and study – and this funding will further bolster our ability to deliver on that collective ambition.”
The winning design includes the town’s most iconic landmark, the Crooked Spire, and will now be turned into a digital logo that can be used throughout the programme.
Andy Kelly, Headteacher at Parkside Community School, said: “We are delighted that Cindy’s design for the Chesterfield Town Board logo was chosen as the winner. She is an incredibly talented artist who has done a fantastic job in capturing an iconic image that shows our town moving from strength to strength. We look forward to seeing Cindy’s design across Chesterfield over the next 10 years!”
Allison Homes expands marketing team with trio of new appointments
Regional housebuilder Allison Homes has hired three new team members, to grow its marketing team and further develop the company’s brand.
Michael Hudson, Dan Bursnall and Connor Nottingham have been appointed as Group Marketing Manager, Regional Marketing Manager and Digital Marketing Executive respectively. The trio will all be based at Allison Homes’ head office in Peterborough, with Michael and Connor working on the company’s Group marketing and Dan covering its East region.
Michael has worked in marketing for more than a decade and in 2022 made the move to housebuilding, spending time at both Avant Homes and Miller Homes. Dan has been in the property sector for 13 years and began his career in sales, and Connor joins Allison Homes with five years of experience from working in digital marketing agencies.
Michael, now living in Chesterfield, said: “I joined Allison Homes as I wanted the opportunity to work for a trusted housebuilder at an exciting time of growth and development. I’m thrilled to be in a business that has a genuine culture of friendliness and offers support for its all employees.”
Dan, from Cambridgeshire, added: “I was looking to build my career with an organisation where I could make a difference. Being local, I knew a lot about what Allison Homes was doing in the area and was blown away by the quality of homes and passion of the staff. When this role came up, I applied immediately and was thrilled to secure the position.”
Connor, from Peterborough and now living in Deeping St James, Lincolnshire, said: “I wanted to join a company where I could fully commit myself, and work with a team that truly believes in its goals and cares about its customers. Having heard great things about Allison Homes, I knew I had to apply.”
Michael’s role as Group Marketing Manager includes making strategic brand decisions, analysing data and creating attention-grabbing campaigns.
Michael said: “There’s no such thing as a typical day and that’s why I love working in marketing. From HR and sales, to technical and commercial, getting to know people in different walks of life makes my job fun and varied, and helps me to create marketing materials and brand documents that are more effective.
“I’m looking forward to supporting Allison Homes through its exciting growth plans. As we grow into more sites and regions of the UK, I’m keen to ensure our brand stays consistent and that the incredible work we do achieves high levels of success.”
In his role as Regional Marketing Manager, Dan covers the marketing for upcoming and active developments and campaigns in the East region, as well as assists with the company’s Partnerships division.
Dan said: “The needs of the developments drive the priorities, so I could be working on a brochure for an exciting upcoming site, creating a new campaign to promote a particular home, or out on site looking at signage opportunities.
“Everyone at Allison Homes has been incredibly welcoming and supportive, and it is a genuine pleasure to be part of this outstanding team. Property marketing is my passion, and I am excited to establish myself at Allison Homes and make a meaningful contribution to the company’s success.”
Northern Lincolnshire Environmental Farmers Group gets the backing of leading law firm
A farmer-led cooperative has secured the funding needed to initiate trading opportunities for sustainably-minded farmers in North Lincolnshire, with the support of Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire’s largest law firm, Wilkin Chapman.
The firm joins agricultural machinery supplier Peacock & Binnington as the first sponsors of the Northern Lincolnshire Environmental Farmers Group (EFG), which aims to deliver positive environmental change, funded through natural capital trading.
The organisation aims to increase biodiversity in North Lincolnshire, improve water quality, achieve net carbon farming by 2040 and generate new trading opportunities for farmers.
The Northern Lincolnshire EFG is the 10th group of its kind to be established across the UK since 2020, with the EFG network now comprising 433 farmers, covering around 3% of England’s farmed area and a trading pipeline worth c. £10 million.
The Northern Lincolnshire group – which covers areas surrounding Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Immingham, Louth, Crowle and Epworth – has been set up by local farmers Andrew Jackson, from Pink Pig Farm, and William Sowerby, from Farming Forward. The group is now appealing for more members in the area.
Catherine Harris, head of the agriculture sector at Wilkin Chapman, said:
“When farmers work together, they can have a great deal of power. While there are groups that represent farming as a whole, the EFG is a rapidly growing voice for farmers who are particularly mindful of their sustainability, as well as their financial success.
“Farming plays a major role in the care of our ecosystem and I know environmental custodianship is very important to a great many farmers, so we hope that supporting the establishment and growth of this EFG will help farmers to work together to achieve this.”
The first Environmental Farmers Group was officially launched in May 2022, after a group of farmers came together in the Avon area to build on their local Farmer Clusters to strengthen their position to deliver environmental goods and services for fair reward.
It was convened by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), which founded the Farmer Cluster concept and whose scientific research is behind many of DEFRA’s ELM scheme agri-environment options. Against a backdrop of the transition away from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), the group grew in numbers and expertise, eventually forming a cooperative two years later.
The EFG acts as a trusted navigator for farmers and landowners in industries that focus on natural assets such as soil, air, water, plants and animals (known as the ‘natural capital sector’). Its goal is to use scale and member cooperation to secure the best environmental results and financial returns for a wide range of natural capital goods and services.
Members of the EFG get access to trading opportunities in natural capital markets, guidance on how to trade and benefit from farmer buying power in natural capital markets.
£84.5m secured to support delivery of student accommodation on former Royal Mail site in Nottingham
Bricks Group, development and management specialists in the student and co-living sectors, has secured £84.5m in funding from London Wall Lending to support the delivery of high-end Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) on a former Royal Mail site in Nottingham.
The landmark new scheme will see the transformation of the former Bendigo Building site in the center of the city, which lay vacant for nearly two decades before its demolition in 2023. Once complete, the scheme will contain 752 beds over 13-storeys, with the potential to rise to 781 beds subject to planning permission.
The accommodation will be managed by Bricks’ in-house operating brand, true student, building on its brand portfolio of more than 7,000 beds across the UK. It will also provide a range of indoor amenities and landscaped gardens as well as commercial units on the ground floor for residents and the neighbouring community.
The 28-month loan facility will fund the two-stage transformation of the building by Graham Construction, with potential for a further £5.5m of funding to be unlocked if planning permission is achieved.
The deal represents the latest collaborative venture between the two firms, with London Wall having funded the development and disposal of Bricks’ Discovery Quays 1 and 2 schemes in Salford Quays, as well as providing a further £4m gross facility to assist with the purchase of a 355-bed PBSA plot in Leeds.
John Graham Construction has been selected to deliver Bricks’ vision for the scheme, with Fladgate providing legal support and Knight Frank providing valuation services.
Lev Loginov, Partner at London Wall, said: “This is our first investment in Nottingham, and is illustrative of our strategy to support ever-growing residential demand across the UK’s regional markets.
“With a strong student population spread out across two top-class universities, the city is going from strength to strength and presents exciting opportunity for development. Having worked extensively with Bricks in the past, we’re confident in the business’ ability to seize on this sentiment and provide a top-quality option for the area’s student community.”
Peter Prickett, Founder and CEO of Bricks Capital, said: “We have a well-established relationship with London Wall built over a number of successful projects, so when the chance arose to deliver much-needed student accommodation in such an iconic Nottingham building, we knew that it was one we needed to take.
“The UK remains an attractive proposition to both home and international students, and we’re continuing to experience surging demand for the services provided through our true student brand. We look forward to meeting the students of Nottingham and working to allow them to make the most of their university experience in the years to come.”
Building begins at Broadnook Garden Village
The construction of more than 150 new homes on the upcoming Broadnook Garden Village development has begun following a groundbreaking ceremony.
Midlands developer Cora Homes is building its first collection of 154 homes at the garden village, located off the A6 near Leicester. The development will be the county’s first garden village, made up of more than 1,900 homes and community centres.
Members of the Cora Homes team met with representatives from partner firms and the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Charnwood to mark the start of works on Wednesday, July 31.
Steve Keenan, the firm’s Construction Director, said: “This is a momentous occasion for both our business and the county of Leicestershire as we commence works on this historic development.
“At Cora our mission is to create amazing places – something we are very confident of achieving at Broadnook through our highly energy efficient homes and the mix of green spaces and community amenities.
“Broadnook is designed to meet the long-term needs of homeowners while creating much-needed infrastructure, community hubs and enterprise zones that will be a real benefit the wider area.
“We anticipate interest in our homes to be very strong given the high desirability of this unique garden suburb.”
Aside from an array of energy-efficient homes, Broadnook will also be home to extensive parkland, community and healthcare facilities and education centres including a 570-capacity primary school. Other additions include an early years facility, GP surgery, retirement village, shops and cafes.
More than 50% of the entire garden village will be devoted to green spaces, with other sustainable additions including car-free zones. The first 500 trees on the 12 hectares of designated woodland space have already been planted.
Together, all developers behind the garden village are investing £750,000 into local bus services to optimise transport links.
Cllr David Northage, Deputy Mayor of Charnwood, said: “It’s a real privilege to be here today to witness another step forward in bringing this dream to life.
“Charnwood Borough are immensely proud to be host to Leicestershire’s first garden village. This development is so exciting – a brand-new stand-alone community is being created. A community complete with every up-to-date facility to provide for modern day living.
“Cora Homes are excited and proud to be part of this amazing project, and so they should be. We wish them well and thank them for being part of the Broadnook journey.”
Bert Broadhead, a Director at Cora Homes, added: “We’re hugely proud to be breaking ground at Broadnook. It’s a real privilege for Cora to be working in a wonderful part of the country and we’re very excited to be bringing the Broadnook vision a step closer to reality.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard alongside our partners to bring forward a new garden village in the truest sense of the word.
“We can’t wait to see the project advance and for people to see the Cora way; that Britain’s extraordinary lack of homes can be tackled without compromise and that we can deliver new communities with very high design quality, open spaces, playing fields, facilities, a sustainable ethos and a long-term stewardship structure that ensures it is residents, and not developers, who make the key decisions for the area moving forward.”
Cora is working with a number of local contractors and subcontractors to help bring the development to life.
Jamie Langthorne, Group Commercial Director at groundworks and civil engineering partners RM Contractors, added: “We are excited to be working with Cora Homes at Broadnook Garden Village, delivering the groundworks and infrastructure programme as this thriving community continues to grow.
“We will be working to the highest standards, building on our long-standing relationship with Cora Homes as they meet the needs of homeowners across the region with this landmark development.”
Calls for improvements to ‘sparse and underfunded’ rail services in the East Midlands
Leaders across the East Midlands region have come together to call for a long-term plan for improving regional rail services, following a report from Transport for the East Midlands (TfEM) that shines a spotlight on the opportunity to improve regional rail services.
The report, titled ‘A Platform for Growth’, highlights the need to develop a more competitive rail offer in the East Midlands, improve performance standards, and for an East Midlands voice within the new Great British Railways.
Sir Peter Soulsby, City Mayor of Leicester and Chair of TfEM, said: “Our evidence suggests that regional rail services in the East Midlands are directly worth around £356 million per year to our regional economy. We have major population growth forecast and exciting local plans for many more new jobs and homes.
“Due to years of underinvestment, the East Midlands rail network is sparse and infrequent compared to other regions. This inevitably impacts on punctuality and the ability to run the level of services the region requires.
“Around 75% of stations in the East Midlands are served by just one train per hour or fewer, with even lower levels of service levels on Sundays and increasingly overcrowded trains on Saturdays.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way.
“We need to see a new clear plan for growth for this region in terms of both services and performance. The rail industry cannot ‘cut itself’ to financial sustainability – it must grow patronage to survive, and the East Midlands is a great place to start!”
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “Rail is proudly embedded in the culture of our region, yet there is so much more room for improvement when it comes to infrastructure and regional services in the East Midlands.
“Our regional rail network doesn’t yet match the ambition of our towns and cities. Commuters, local communities and business can see what rail investment has done elsewhere and rightly expect the same standards here.
“If we’re going to reduce the number of car journeys and meet our climate goals, we need to boost sustainable travel by investing in our rail network and making sure commuters are getting a fair deal. If we get this right, we could unlock tens of millions of pounds of direct economic benefits.”
Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “Chesterfield Railway Station is one of the busiest in the East Midlands and of vital importance to unlocking the economic potential of our borough and the wider economies of north Derbyshire and the Peak District.
“We need our train services to be catalysts for growth bringing more and better jobs to our economies, stimulating inward investment, enabling social mobility and introducing new audiences to the area’s visitor attractions.
“To achieve this, there needs to be investment in our stations, better quality trains, more frequent and reliable services, and fare structures that encourage people to leave their cars at home.”
Will Rogers, Managing Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “Although our regional fleet is undergoing a major £28.2 million refurbishment, the East Midlands transport spend per head has been significantly below the UK average level for all of the last 25 years.
“We are keen to work in partnership with Transport for the East Midlands, our mayors and other stakeholders to improve this situation. Rail is a key enabler of economic and social value and for our region to compete, grow and meet the ambitions of its citizens, greater investment in rail infrastructure and services is vital.”
Foresight celebrates £100 million investment in Midlands
Foresight Group, the regional private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has now invested a milestone £100 million in the Midlands and is ready to partner with more growing companies across the region.
Among the businesses Foresight has invested in is Nottingham-based Lightbulb Credit, which provides solutions to enable companies to monitor and improve their credit rating. Lightbulb has helped SMEs to raise over £700 million in funding.
It has also backed Loughborough University spin-out, Previsico, a developer of a software-based flood forecasting and warning system; ReadyGo, a start-up diagnostics company that detects infectious diseases; and Postworks, a Northamptonshire company which has digitised the corporate mail sector and is seeing rapid growth.
Ray Harris, Director at Foresight Group, said: “The Midlands is home to a diverse and inspirational business community, packed with entrepreneurs and dynamic teams ready to take their enterprises to the next level.
“Our passionate and experienced team has significant funds to invest here and are very keen to meet business owners and their advisors to discuss how we can potentially support them on their growth journey.
“We know that every business is different so we take time to nurture relationships and understand where we can add value. Our investment is much more than providing funding – we have a large network of contacts and non-executives who play an important role in helping management teams to grow sustainably, benefiting the local economy.”
IMA Architects appointed by Lidl GB on two regional distribution centre projects
Leicestershire-based IMA Architects has been appointed by discount supermarket Lidl GB to provide architectural services and advice on the construction of two new Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs) in Gildersome, Leeds and in Belvedere, London.
As experts in logistical warehousing architecture, IMA has worked with Lidl GB since 2012 and has now been instructed on 10 RDCs for the company.
In Belvedere, IMA is working with Lidl to rebuild and expand a 36,825m2 RDC. The company has been hired to deliver the RDC through the construction phase to completion.
Anthony Day, Managing Director of IMA Architects, says: “Work is progressing well, and we are excited to be delivering another large-scale project with Lidl GB. The RDC specialises in storing and distributing food at both refrigerated and ambient temperatures and will become another vital part of Lidl’s distribution network in the south east when complete.”
In Leeds, IMA, on behalf of Lidl GB, prepared the architectural designs and planning packs for the RDC for submission to Leeds City Council. The plans have now been approved and will see the creation of a 54,000m2 distribution centre on a 34.6-acre site in the southwest of the city, with good transport links to both the M621 and M62 motorways.
Once complete, the new RDC in Leeds will create around 400 jobs for people in the local area. The site is part of the retailer’s multi-million-pound investment plan to support its growing network of stores and foster local economic growth.
Anthony Day, Managing Director of IMA Architects, adds: “We are proud to be working with Lidl GB on both schemes and bringing forward both projects. IMA is currently active on over 20 logistics and warehousing projects across the UK on behalf of our clients, making new sites for businesses and employment opportunities for local people.”
Mario Viduka, Construction Director at Lidl GB, said: “Our ambitious warehouse plans demonstrate our commitment to investing not only in our distribution network but the UK as a whole, and we look forward to working with IMA Architects to increase that capacity further.”
Next upgrades profit guidance following strong sales
Leicestershire retailer Next has upgraded its profit guidance for the year.
It follows a strong first half in which full price sales were up 4.4% versus last year, exceeding expectations of a 2.5% increase.
Total Group sales, meanwhile, including markdown, subsidiaries and investments, were up 8%, with additional growth thanks to the acquisition of FatFace and an increase in Next’s shareholding in Reiss.
Next has increased its profit guidance for the full year by £20m to £980m, up 6.7% versus last year, as a result of additional sales (£11m) and cost savings (£9m), mainly in logistics.
