University of Derby is launching a new Business School and inviting the community to be involved in the planning process
Thoughts invited on plans for Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station site
Residents and interested parties have been invited to have their say on plans for the Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station site and a Local Development Order (LDO) that could give the green light to new industry and business projects and the potential of thousands of permanent highly-skilled jobs.
The power station, owned by international energy company Uniper, will close at the end of September 2024 in line with government policy to end coal-fired power generation.
Rushcliffe Borough Council want to hear views at rushcliffe.ratcliffeLDO.com from Monday November 29 and at two local events on helping secure its long-term future with a site of local, regional and national importance after its closure.
If taken forward, the LDO would grant planning permission for a range of modern industrial uses on the redeveloped site, including advanced manufacturing, low-carbon energy production, battery production, energy storage, logistics, and research and development.
A masterplan for the site is currently being prepared to support the redevelopment, which will guide growth and development over the coming years including the proposals linked to the previously announced East Midlands Freeport and the Development Corporation that could create further jobs and significant investment.
The emerging vision for the site sets out the guiding principles by which the development would be brought forward, and seeks to deliver:
- A zero-carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands
- Highly skilled jobs
- Modern industry and business uses, served by on-site sustainable energy generation and storage
- Advanced manufacturing, for example to produce electric car batteries
- A hub for research, development, and innovation, through links with universities, business support organisations and established industry.
- Tuesday November 30, 3pm-7pm at Thrumpton Village Hall, Church Lane, Thrumpton, NG11 0AX
- Tuesday December 7, 3pm-7pm at Gotham Memorial Hall, Nottingham Road, Gotham, NG11 0HE
County council approves 10-year vision for Nottinghamshire
A new plan which sets out Nottinghamshire County Council’s 10-year vision to deliver a “healthy, prosperous, and greener future” for communities has been approved.
The Nottinghamshire Plan is a nine-point blueprint shaped by the responses to the Big Notts Survey, which was conducted earlier this year and led to more than 12,000 residents having their say on their hopes and aspirations for the county.
County council leaders say the plan will address residents’ hopes and concerns as Nottinghamshire and the country continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and look to the next 10 years and beyond.
Levelling up life opportunities are at the heart of the wide-ranging plan by investing in priority communities, improving Nottinghamshire’s roads and pavements, and making core council services such as adults and children’s social care fit for the future.
The aspirational plan also outlines how securing greater investment by bringing more powers and funding from London to Nottinghamshire would support the delivery of major infrastructure projects like HS2 and the East Midlands Freeport.
Responding to residents’ concerns about climate change, the county council has also set itself a bold target of making all its activity net carbon neutral by 2030 – as well as planting more than 250,000 trees to support local biodiversity.
Set out in nine ambitions, the Nottinghamshire Plan details actions the council will fulfil over the next four years, including:
- piloting Family Hubs which give access to all family support services under one roof;
- providing sufficient school places in good schools so that parents have greater choice;
- creating the world’s first 5G Connected Forest within the historic Sherwood Forest area.
Council purchases shopping centre for £9.9m
Leicester City Council is the new owner of Leicester’s Haymarket Centre. The council has purchased the landmark shopping centre for £9.9m after securing a deal before the property went to market.
Funding for the purchase comes from a pot of £10m set aside for capital investment within the council’s overall capital programme. This funding can only be spent on buying or improving buildings or highways, and not on running services.
Before purchasing the property, the council was a major tenant of the previous owners, contributing 19 percent of all revenues paid to them. It paid rent for the Haymarket car park, Haymarket Theatre, Haymarket House (sub-let to Travelodge) and Haymarket Health (sexual health clinic).
Savings from rent payments and the income generated from rent paid by other tenants will give the council an income to continue to support critical services.
The shopping centre will be a major addition to the council’s Corporate Estate portfolio, which is worth more than £112m and includes buildings such as the Corn Exchange and Loseby Lane properties, but also 400 industrial units and 263 retail units, more than half of which are in neighbourhoods.
It also supports small businesses and start-ups by letting workspace at a low rent. However, the entire estate generates an annual income of more than £7m which the council uses to support services.
Leicester City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, said: “This council has invested in property in Leicester for many generations. Unlike many other councils, we are continuing to invest in our own city, and these assets make a huge contribution to its economic prosperity.
“The Haymarket Centre is a significant and important addition to our holdings. It also fits in with our wider regeneration of this area, where we have already invested in a new bus station, the pedestrianisation of surrounding streets, and a new link road to St Margaret’s bus station.
“Government cuts to our revenue budget mean that like all councils we face very difficult spending decisions in the coming months. Using our capital budget in this way will generate much-needed income that we can spend on jobs and services, and will also give us the opportunity to have a positive impact on the city centre and the many businesses and jobs it provides.”
Built in the early 1970s, the Haymarket Centre is currently home to 65 shopping outlets. Major tenants include Matalan and B&M. The units leased by Primark, TK Maxx and Metro Bank are owned by another local authority outside the East Midlands.
The council will work with the current, experienced managing agents to operate the centre, whilst working on a medium to long-term plan looking at how its performance could be improved.
Focus to help decarbonise homes after Community Renewal Fund grant announced for Nottingham
Focus has welcomed the news that Nottingham City Council has been awarded £3m funding from the Government’s UK Community Renewal Fund (UK CRF), which will help accelerate the city’s 2028 net zero carbon ambition.
The city council will use the grant to deliver four key projects, including a £384,000 Nottingham Carbon Neutral Housing scheme which Focus has been appointed to advise on. The Cost vs Carbon Retrofit Roadmap seeks to transform the city’s existing housing stock of nearly 153,500 dwellings – 61.4% of which have an energy performance certificate of band D or lower – into carbon neutral homes using advanced retrofit strategies, fabric improvements and integration of solar photovoltaics and air-source heat pumps.
The project will enable the city council and stakeholders to introduce a programme of works in a logical manner with an increased level of engagement and understanding amongst citizens that will ease the way towards carbon neutral housing. It will develop the framework to deliver change at the pace and scale needed to effectively address the UK Government’s 2050 target and need to decarbonise existing homes.
Benefits include:
- Bridging the current knowledge gap between retrofit theory (what we think we can achieve) and retrofit practice (what is actually feasible).
- Identifying the most cost-effective retrofit strategies.
- A unified digital approach to retrofit evaluation to enable the gathering of large scale evidenced insights to support policy, industry and academia in the route to decarbonisation.
- Engaging the community and the workforce to make the implementation of the retrofit strategies more attractive and feasible.
- Training opportunities that can lead to new products, services, the creation of jobs, and an opportunity to gain further qualifications.
Food and gift fair to showcase Lincoln’s newest shoppable superstars
Visitors will be able to fill their boots full of Lincolnshire’s best produce, from unique gins that pack a punch of balanced and bold flavours to a curated array of retro hand-picked designer clothing at this year’s Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 November.
Lots of new, local and exciting exhibitors will be taking stands at the Lincolnshire Showground, including popular Anelise Home and Crowstick Interiors, which are both exhibiting at the event for the first time.
Anelise Home, offers stylish interiors with a personal touch. Liz Milns, owner of Anelise Home, said: “Our team is honoured to be exhibiting for the first time at the Food and Gift Fair. It’s such a great opportunity to meet people from all over the country, as well as some familiar local faces, and, of course, to get into the Christmas spirit.
“Attendees can expect to shop for beautiful Christmas decorations, handmade bespoke cushions, home accessories and gifts. They can take their time browsing our collections and ask us any questions to help get those Christmas lists ticked off.”
Another exciting exhibitor is Crowstick Interiors, which is all about colour and focused on brightening any settee, chair, or corner of a room with cheery, high-quality colourful handmade items.
Sophie Crosbie, owner of Crowstick Interiors, said: “This is our first time at the Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair – although we have attended every year as guests – and we can’t wait to get involved and help visitors find their perfect gifts across the weekend.
“We’re hugely looking forward to seeing some of our favourite stalls, plus all the newcomers. It really feels like the start of the festive period when the Food and Gift Fair comes around and here at Crowstick we wish all stall holders the very best of luck.”
With more than 30 new exhibitors this year, it’s promising to be an exciting fair for all. Foodies should lookout for Tiffin & Co Bakehouse, Fudged Up, and The Oink Company, to grab some of the most scrumptious and handmade treats around. For those after something a bit different, be sure to check out what artistic and creative gifts and treats you can find at Art Monster Studios, The March Hare and Vivified Ceramics.
The ever-popular cookery workshops in the Lincolnshire Kitchen are introducing two new hosts this year: Fiona Lucas from Lincolnshire Cookery School and Ruchita Green from Masala Masters. Alongside this, there will be plenty of activities to keep little ones busy at one of the biggest festive fairs in the county. The famous Santa’s Workshop area will be ready to provide hours of free entertainment, including two new additions, festive imp painting provided by St Barnabas Hospice and cake decorating hosted by Back Garden Bakery.
Lincolnshire’s Food and Gift Fair’s Toy Appeal will also be returning after its success in 2019. Visitors are asked to bring an unwrapped toy or gift and place it in the provided Santa’s sack. All contributions will be donated to the Bridge Church.
Sian Wade, senior leader at Bridge Church, said: “The project is quite simple. We receive referrals from social workers, family support workers, other professionals who work with people who will be struggling financially to provide for themselves and/or their families this Christmas. We then arrange for the workers or the families to come and choose some items for themselves and their children on a week in December, which will be managed carefully from a health and safety perspective with Covid-19 in mind.
“We are so pleased to be partnering with Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair again this year. Last year, we were able to help more than 500 families and individuals with gifts and food for Christmas, showing them that their local community really cares. Many will be struggling this year so working with the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and the generous visitors to this year’s Food and Gift Fair is incredibly valued.”
Jayne Southall, CEO at the Lincolnshire Showground, said: “Anelise Home and Crowstick Interiors have all made their mark on the Lincolnshire community, so we’re thrilled they will be joining us this year. They – along with hundreds of other exhibitors – will provide visitors with the biggest celebration of Lincolnshire produce this winter, and the perfect opportunity for some festive shopping too.”
The Lincolnshire Food and Gift Fair is open from 9am to 5pm on Saturday 27 November and from 9am to 4pm on Sunday 28 November 2021. Visitors will have access to free parking. Tickets for the Fair can be bought online at £5 each (plus booking fees) in advance and will be £6 on the day, with under 5s going free.
Please visit lincolnshireshowground.co.uk/food-gift or call 01522 522900 for further details.
Fresh plans submitted for 885-home community
A revised application has now been submitted that will deliver a new community containing a primary school and up to 885 new homes if plans are approved in Blaby on a site allocated by the Council for development.
Strategic land developer, L&Q Estates, has submitted a revised outline planning application to Blaby District Council for Hastings Fields at Leicester Forest East on land north of the A47 Hinckley Road in Kirby Muxloe.
The amended application involves demolishing existing buildings and building 885 homes which will include a combination of one, two, three and four-bedroom properties with 25 per cent being affordable houses for local people in housing need.
Newly-created accessible public open spaces, land reserved for a new primary school, natural green spaces, improved cycle and pedestrian connectivity and highway improvements are also included in the proposals.
The main access from Hinckley Road will be by way of a new roundabout junction which will incorporate a loop road to facilitate a diverted or new bus route within the site.
The changes to the application include additional land to the south east of the previous site boundary that includes an extra section of land extending from the A47, wrapping around Leicester Forest Rugby Club and joining the previous site boundary.
The addition of the new land would create a second point of access for pedestrians and cyclists on to Hinckley Road.
Richard Edwards, group planning director at L&Q Estates whose headquarters are in Warwick, said a revised application had been submitted to provide a more comprehensive and cohesive development that has walking and cycling at its heart.
He said: “We have brought in Dr Stefan Kruczkowski, a nationally recognised urban design practitioner, into the design team to help shape the development into a truly sustainable 21st century development.
“The final detailed design will be governed by a comprehensive design code to ensure the key design and movement aspects are delivered as set out in the application. We have submitted the new plans which further improve the design of the scheme on the site which was allocated for housing as part of Blaby’s Local Plan.
“The site area has increased from 39.11 hectares to 44.01 hectares and the number of proposed houses has increased from 750 to 885. A one-form entry primary school is planned along with improving walking and cycling connectivity which is really important in creating an integrated sustainable community.”
The application is expected to be discussed by Blaby District Council Planning Committee early in 2022.
Sales grow at Eurocell while effective action taken to mitigate cost inflation and supply chain pressures
Eurocell, the manufacturer, recycler and distributor of window, door and roofline PVC products, remains on track to deliver profit before tax for the full year in line with market expectations despite ongoing cost inflation and supply chain pressures.
In a trading update, the Derbyshire-based company said that group sales for the four months to 31 October were up 18% compared to 2019 and 5% compared to 2020, with the latter reflecting a very strong second half last year.
For the ten months to 31 October 2021, sales were up 21% compared to 2019 and 38% compared to 2020.
Eurocell said: “The positive sales trends from H1 have continued into the second half of the year, supported by good underlying demand in our markets. We are taking effective action to mitigate ongoing cost inflation and supply chain pressures. As a result, we remain on track to deliver profit before tax for the full year in line with market expectations.”
BTL going green! By Nic Rotton, Sterling Commercial Finance
Nic Rotton, Commercial Mortgage Consultant at Sterling Commercial Finance, speaks on the recent green evolution of BTL.
We recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of Buy to Let and my last blog explored how it has evolved over the years.
One of the recent evolutions has been the launch of green BTL mortgages by a number of Lenders. This isn’t to suggest that the mortgage itself is eco-friendly, but it goes some way to facilitating the UK Government’s push to make our housing stock more environmentally friendly.
It is estimated that 15% of all UK emissions come from our housing and one of the Government initiatives to reduce this is the requirement for all rented houses to reach an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of at least C by 2025 (existing tenancies have until 2028). The current minimum standard is an EPC of E, which would suggest a significant number of landlords will need to invest in their portfolio over the coming years in order to ensure this stock is available to rent. Without action, we risk a substantial proportion of the Private Rental Sector becoming unrentable and therefore unable to secure a mortgage or resell as a BTL.
2025 is not that far away (I can’t believe it’s less than 8 weeks to the end of 2021), and my message to landlords is to act now ahead of the rule change in 2025. There is a recognition by the mortgage industry that many landlords will need support from lenders to make these changes. In addition, upgrades aren’t normally straightforward or quick to resolve and trying to access good quality builders is already providing a challenge. I heard of one client saying his recommended builder was booked up for almost the next 12 months!
We have seen an increase in the requirement for short-term finance (bridging finance) for light and heavy refurbishment in the last 12 months in order to improve the energy efficiency of the property. Quite often, there is a significant change to be made to increase the rating to an EPC of C and above and short-term finance can be a useful solution when the property will not be lettable during the refurbishment or where funds to carry out the work are not readily available. Over recent years, we have seen the introduction of innovative and competitive products to the market, whether borrowing to refinance the loan or funding for the cost of works.
The Buy to Let market has also responded with an incentive to reward landlords who are committing to increasing the energy efficiency of their properties. Lenders such as Lendinvest, Landbay, Paragon have introduced so called Green Mortgages, offered at lower rates for properties which can show EPC ratings of C and above.
Record breaking first half for Motorpoint
Motorpoint, the Derby-headquartered vehicle retailer, has witnessed a record breaking first half.
According to unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2021 (H1 FY22), revenue increased 56.1% to £605.2m, up from £387.7m in the same period last year.
The company said this reflects record performance after reopening, continued strong consumer demand for used vehicles and strong market share gains.
Profit before tax, meanwhile, increased 39.2% to £13.5m from £9.7m, despite the business’s ongoing investment in technology, people and marketing.Mark Carpenter, Chief Executive Officer of Motorpoint Group PLC, said: “The first half of the year marked a record performance for the Group. While we have naturally benefited from favourable market conditions, we have also had to contend with unprecedented vehicle inflation and widely documented shortages in available stock which undoubtedly limited our revenue and profit growth. In the end, it is our market share gains which demonstrate the unique strengths of our model.
“During the period we continued to invest in future growth with strong progress made on our medium term strategic targets as we execute on our goal of at least doubling revenue to over £2bn in the medium term.”
