Construction has begun on site at the landmark 28-acre Power Park scheme in Nottingham – formerly known as New Horizon – following the close of a £53.8m forward funding deal between property developer HBD and Oxenwood Real Estate.

Power Park will see the delivery of seven buildings up to 145,000 sq ft, all developed on a speculative basis, providing a total of 426,000 sq ft of industrial and logistics space.

Sustainability has been a key focus throughout, with HBD opting to repurpose or recycle over 90% of the material from the original structure. Concrete from the old factory will also be crushed and re-used by contractor Bowmer & Kirkland during the construction works, limiting the scheme’s environmental impact. The new units will each meet a BREEAM sustainability rating of Very Good.

The development is expected to complete in Spring 2023.

Justin Sheldon, director and head of region at HBD, said: “It’s fantastic to see Power Park beginning to take shape – it is a high-quality, sustainable development that will attract new business and investment into the city and could create as many as 1,000 new jobs at Thane Road.”

Jeremy Bishop, co-founder of Oxenwood, said: “Power Park is a very well located logistics development and we are delighted that construction has now commenced – the unit sizes and specification are designed to address the strong supply-demand dynamics in the Nottingham area.”

The forward funding agreement is with Oxenwood Logistics Fund 1 SLP, a discretionary fund managed by Oxenwood Real Estate.

Modular housing builder ilke Homes and Man GPM, Man Group’s private markets investment business, have partnered to acquire an eight-acre site in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire from master developer Northants LLP, who were advised by their agents, Knight Frank. The site will deliver 146 multi-tenure single family homes including rental options. The range of accommodation will include four 4-bedroom homes, 59 3-bedroom homes, 67 2-bedroom homes, and 16 1- and 2-bedroom apartments. The homes will be manufactured offsite at ilke Homes’ 250,000 sq ft factory in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, before being delivered to Glenvale Park. Man GPM’s Community Housing strategy seeks to achieve the dual objectives of providing both social and financial returns, addressing the housing crisis in the UK by building homes that are affordable to households. The strategy invests and develops both rental and ownership homes, with a focus on addressing the housing challenges of ‘squeezed middle-income’ families who do not qualify for social housing and who are priced out of the housing market. Of the 146 homes being delivered, 101 will be made available at affordable rent levels and 45 for shared ownership, with the aim of improving access to high-quality housing for essential workers and middle-income families. Residents will benefit from a significant amount of local amenity which is being delivered as part of Glenvale Park’s wider masterplan. This includes a local centre with extensive retail and leisure amenities; two new primary schools; a community hub with a community centre, nursery, public square and family play park; a 25,000 sqm business park providing 3,000 new jobs; and 200 acres of parkland. The announcement marks the second partnership scheme between Man GPM and ilke Homes, following a £31 million deal to deliver a 227-home scheme in Grantham, Lincolnshire, announced in December 2020. Tom Heathcote, executive director of development at Ilke Homes, said: “ilke Homes is increasingly becoming a partner of choice for institutions looking to increase their exposure to the housing market. Our accredited modular methods of delivery will ensure that the scheme will align with Man GPM’s own, stringent ESG criteria, while also providing much-needed, energy-efficient homes for the local community. “We look forward to working with both local planning officials and other stakeholders to finalise plans for what will be a well-designed sustainable development, in keeping the wider Glenvale Park urban extension.” Shamez Alibhai, head of community housing and Managing Director at Man GPM, said: “We are delighted to be delivering a high-quality modern development which will make a positive contribution to easing local affordable housing shortages. “The scale of the housing shortfall across the UK requires innovative solutions, with consideration for social and environmental outcomes, to create high quality, sustainable communities. By partnering with ilke Homes to deliver modular housing at Glenvale Park we are not only building affordable homes but doing so in a way that underlines our commitment to sustainable and energy-efficient projects.” Jack Hutchinson, an associate in the residential investment team at Knight Frank, said: “We have witnessed a rapid acceleration in the volume of capital looking to enter the suburban build to rent market over recent months. There are currently around 2.3 million privately renting households living in the UK, and 60% of those rent houses instead of flats. Demand from renters for professionally managed family housing is growing significantly, so we’re delighted to broker this deal between Northants, Ilke Homes and Man GPM .” Mark Best, director of Northants LLP, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ilke Homes and Man GPM to Glenvale Park. These homes will bring an exciting new offering to the development, with Ilke’s pioneering and highly sustainable modular properties delivering professionally-managed family homes for rent within our growing community.”

Rayner Davies Architects have completed the refurbishment of Whitegates in Worksop on behalf of Autism East Midlands. The £1million development on Sparken Hill has been created by the charity specifically to provide short-term accommodation. The service will run year-round to provide autistic individuals with specialist support, whilst providing their families and carers with a break. The building has been carefully transformed to create six self-contained apartments, each with its own lounge area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. While staying there, individuals will also have access to a shared outdoor gym and to the extensive grounds that surround the house. Originally built in 1898, Whitegates was a large villa designed by Flockton, Gibbs & Flockton of Sheffield for Arthur Staniforth Esq, a local stockbroker. The building has been thoroughly modernised with many of the original features retained and restored. Vaughandale Construction of Mansfield undertook the work.

UK-based film production company MARV Studios has approached Derby City Council with proposals to develop a state-of-the-art film studio and stunt training facility in Derby. The academy would be purpose-built and include a film studio; a fitness and rehabilitation centre, which would include a publicly accessible gym and sports facility; and a stunt training facility (Europe’s first). The anticipated £13million investment in the site is expected to generate economic and social benefits of over £12million a year, including local economy and supply chain spend, job creation at the academy, and a significant increase in visitors to Derby. The proposed site for the new studio is the former Aida Bliss factory, in Chester Green. Derby City Council’s Cabinet is expected to meet in June to discuss the proposals from MARV – who are creators of global blockbusters like Kingsman, Stardust and Rocketman. Proposals would see the former factory site sold to MARV to develop and repurpose the historically significant building, that has been vacant for almost 20 years. Councillor Chris Poulter, leader of Derby City Council, said: “This is an immensely exciting prospect for Derby, and a very different suggested use for the Aida Bliss site. “MARV Studios would be a fantastic media brand for us to attract to Derby, putting us on the map as a key player in the creative media sector. Of course, it would also contribute significantly to our aspirations to diversify the local economy and regenerate the city centre.” The Aida Bliss site was acquired by Derby City Council in 2018 to enable the construction of a new flood wall as part of the ‘Our City Our River’ (OCOR) scheme. This was completed and proved its worth straight away in the flood event of November 2019. More recently proposals for 74 new homes were drawn up and shared for consultation, with residents being asked their views on the plans. A planning application for the housing scheme is still anticipated but has not yet been submitted. Any sale of the site to MARV would be subject to planning permission being secured. “We’re keen to attract the best possible solution for the site, and any final decisions will of course be taken through the Council’s Cabinet to discuss. We will be arranging an opportunity for local residents to learn more about these proposals and will confirm the arrangements for this shortly,” said Councillor Chris Poulter. Residents will be able to ask any questions about the proposals at a drop-in session on Wednesday 1 June between 1.00pm and 3.00pm, at St Paul’s Church Hall on Seale Street. Damien Walters, a spokesperson from MARV Studios, added: “The academy will provide new studio space for MARV, the production company behind the Kingsman film franchise, and other leading international film and TV productions. In addition, it would accommodate Europe’s first stunt training academy, and also provide a National Centre of Excellence in areas of tumbling, trampolining and martial arts and Parkour. “Core to delivering the Centre of Excellence will be the opportunity for a wide range of local people and organisations to use the facility – from school children in Derby to world-class, high-performance athletes – this will support grassroots and community sports, as well as elite athletes and Olympians.”