Clegg Construction starts work on £8.1m Derbyshire school project
Contractor Clegg Construction has begun work to deliver a new primary school.
Drakelow Primary School will be part of a 2,200-home residential estate currently under construction by Countryside Partnerships on the former Drakelow power station site.
The 420-pupil primary school, being built on Marley Way, has been designed to be flexible in use and meet a range of requirements. Both the indoor and outdoor areas will maximise the learning experience, with classrooms flowing onto outdoor teaching spaces to allow for integration of inside and outside teaching, linking to the main play area.
New sports facilities, including a 3G pitch, will be included, as well as a habitat area to provide forest school experiences.
The scheme will also feature a 26-place nursery and a 45-space staff car park.
The building’s heating capacity will be met by externally mounted air source heat pumps and the school will benefit from underfloor heating fed from a low-temperature hot water system from the central heat pump plant.
Drakelow Primary School, designed by multi-disciplinary consultants ONE Creative environments, is due for completion by the end of 2025.
Michael Sims, managing director at Clegg Construction, said: “We are very pleased to have started on site to deliver this new primary school in South Derbyshire which will serve the community currently being developed on the site of the former Drakelow Power Station.
“Drakelow Primary School is a welcome addition to our strong portfolio of design and build schemes delivered across the education sector, and we are delighted to be part of the team appointed to create this important addition to the local community.”
During the development of Drakelow Primary School, the project will be registered with the Considerate Constructors Scheme and follow the CCS Code of Practice (Care for the Environment, Protect the Workforce, Respect the Community). Clegg Construction will also identify opportunities to engage with and enhance the local community and environment throughout its time on site.
Michael Moore, operations director at Countryside Partnerships, said: “Having worked together to develop the reserved matters application for Drakelow Primary School, we are pleased to now appoint Clegg Construction for the delivery phase of this exciting project.
“The new building will be a valuable addition to the Drakelow development, providing a modern, sustainable and attractive environment in which students can learn and thrive.”
Becki Smith, Associate Director – architect and education lead at ONE Creative environments (ONE), said: “We are delighted that work has started on site for the new Drakelow Primary School.
“Working closely with the Academy Trust, South Derbyshire District Council, Clegg Construction and Countryside Partnerships, we have designed the school to maximise the potential of the indoor and outdoor spaces to support a range of teaching opportunities, as well as support the community.
“Flexibility has been built into the design to meet the school’s requirements now and in the future to provide the best possible learning experiences.”
Nottinghamshire-based solicitors firm acquired
Smalleys Solicitors, based in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, will now be able to offer more legal services to businesses and individuals after being acquired by Coventry-based Askews Legal LLP, along with Cocks Lloyd Solicitors in Nuneaton, and John Mohamed & Co in Bedworth.
Key to the acquisitions is the desire to maintain the identities of the local businesses, which each have long-standing histories in their towns, while helping them to expand their offer to their communities. This will include modernising processes and aiming for further growth.
In each case, the existing partners were retiring and wanted their practices to be taken on by someone who would protect the brand and reputation they have spent years developing. All staff and the physical office locations have been retained and retiring partners are assisting with the transitions.
Smalleys Solicitors has over 20 members of staff, specialising in various aspects of law including conveyancing, wills and trusts, and family law. As well as the existing services, Smalleys’ clients will now also be able to access the additional specialisms offered across the wider Askews group.
Askews Legal LLP is a full service law firm, taking care of legal matters across criminal law, civil litigation, commercial property, public family law, conveyancing, wills, estates and trust, and all aspects of corporate and employment law.
The size of the business has doubled as result of the investment, both in terms of revenue and number of employees, which has increased from 60 to 120.
Practice manager, Pritpal Chahal, said: “We have always had a vision of growth, but we wanted to spend time developing a good solid base from which to achieve that, while at the same time setting ourselves apart as a modern law firm, flexible to the needs of today’s clients and employees.
“We felt the time was right to accelerate our plans for growth and these acquisitions are a massive step forward. We put a lot of time and effort into finding the right businesses to bring into the Askews group, and equally, they had to choose us too.
“The partners at Smalleys, Cocks Lloyd and John Mohamed & Co have all put their heart and soul into these businesses over many years and they didn’t want them to be swallowed up by a big regional business. It was important to them to see their names and reputation continue because they have built up so much respect in their communities, and we are also keen to see that continue.
“The acquisitions allow us to expand the Askews offering into new locations, while bringing more legal services to the Nottingham, Nuneaton and Bedworth areas.”
Smalleys retiring partner, Deanne Taylor, said: “Smalleys has had a presence in Arnold for around 30 years and we’ve built up an excellent reputation in that time. I’m delighted that the firm’s future has been secured by becoming part of a wider group that shares our values, ethics and commitment to providing the best possible service to each individual client.”
Rushton Hickman completes investment sale of Burton property
Rushton Hickman has completed the investment sale of 23 Station Street in Burton upon Trent. This was a rare opportunity with a strong tenant in situ.
The property is in a pedestrianised location of Burton, benefitting from high footfall. The area is well populated with nearby occupiers including Costa Coffee, Isabel’s, Coral and Domino’s.
Currently, the space is occupied by Gizili, a Turkish Street Food restaurant that has revitalised the space.
Reflecting on the sales process, former owner of the property, Mrs Jones said: “When we decided to sell the property, we were very keen to minimise any disruption to our commercial tenant in the property, Gizili Turkish Street Food.
“The Rushton Hickman team did a great job of marketing the property to create interest – and they then worked very effectively with our tenant to best schedule all the viewings. We were able to make a quick decision on the sale thanks to the enthusiasm and professionalism of the Rushton Hickman team.”
Taylor Millington, who facilitated the deal, added: “This successful transaction is a win-win for our client, the purchaser and the tenant. Each party achieved positive outcomes, which is always our goal.”
Rescued manufacturer falls back into administration
Administrators have been appointed to five entities of the Fablink Group: Wharfside Industrial Ltd, Fablink (Evenwood) Ltd, Fablink (Luton) Ltd, Fablink (Northampton) Ltd and Fablink (Wolverhampton) Ltd.
The group, employing 427 people, specialises in the manufacture of metal pressings, fuel and hydraulic tanks, operator cab assemblies and other complex structures.
It was acquired out of administration in September 2024, but since then it has lost the business of certain key customers.
The group’s management team has worked to find a viable solution to rescue the business, however, the significant loss of business has severely impacted the group’s future viability. As a result, the directors have determined that they have no option other than to place the group into administration.
On 7 January 2025, Dan Hurd and Lucy Winterborne of EY were appointed as joint administrators.
Given the lack of ongoing business, the majority of employees have been made redundant whilst the joint administrators continue to explore a sale of certain parts of the group and its assets. All employees impacted are being offered support and advice.
Aggregate Industries wins £20m contract for Leicester road maintenance
Leicester-based Aggregate Industries has won a £20m two-year contract to resurface and maintain the city’s roads.
The contract builds on a four-year contract with Leicester City Council, during which it delivered major road improvements and maintenance schemes across the city.
The business has previously held the contract for Leicester City Council’s carriageways between 2020 and 2024, and this latest contract will run for a period of a further two years, with an option of two extensions of 12 months each.
Kevin Murgatroyd, MD for Aggregate Industries’ Contracting division said: “We’re thrilled to be part of this ongoing project in our hometown of Leicester. Securing this contract is a great win for our team and showcases our proven track record in working for Leicester City Council.”
Martin Fletcher, City Highways Director, said: “After a robust procurement process, Leicestershire based supplier Aggregate Industries UK has secured a two-year contract with the city council. The company has a strong history of delivering road maintenance schemes in the region, including Leicester. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to enhance the safety, quality and longevity of Leicester’s roads for both residents and visitors alike.”
Sperry Rail works with University of Derby to bring AI into railway maintenance
An three-year project using artificial intelligence to revolutionising the railway industry has been launched by the University of Derby and Sperry Rail.
Funded by Innovate UK, the Knowledge Transfer Partnership will investigate the application of AI to automatically detect cracks in railway lines.
Dr Alaa AlZoubi, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Derby, is leading the project. He said: “Sperry Rail are world-leaders in rail health solutions. Our partnership to develop advanced AI for railway surface inspections highlights our commitment to innovation and strong academic-industry collaboration.
“This project offers a unique opportunity to integrate novel AI technologies with a deep understanding of railway inspection needs, driving greater efficiency and intelligence in the industry.
“While existing inspection methods are effective, they often require significant time and labour resources. By integrating cutting-edge AI models with railway inspection protocols, this initiative will create automated systems capable of data analysis and predictive maintenance, reducing false detections, minimising service disruptions, and extending the lifespan of railway assets.
“It also provides a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and showcases the transformative potential of academia-industry collaboration in developing solutions that advance technology and its real-world applications.”
Bobby Gilbert, Senior Director Digital Transformation at Sperry Rail, said: “I am excited to be working in partnership with the University of Derby.
“By combining our expertise in non-destructive testing for rail flaws with advanced AI developments and the knowledge available through the University, we are well-positioned to accelerate our efforts in improving rail flaw detection. I am impressed by the calibre of the University research team, who significantly enhance the strength of our data science team.
“I believe we will see our existing AI technology greatly enhanced by developing new AI in the area of data fusion.”
2025 Business Predictions: Sam Berry, Managing Director of the Berry Group
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Sam Berry, Managing Director of the Berry Group.
As we look ahead to 2025, we predict a year of both challenges and opportunities for the East Midlands construction sector and the wider economy.
With on-going economic pressures, including rising interest rates and inflationary costs for materials, businesses in the construction industry will need to remain agile and innovative. However, we also foresee significant opportunities driven by government investment in infrastructure, housing, and sustainability.
The East Midlands is ideally placed to benefit from its strategic location and strong transport links, making it a hub for logistics and distribution projects. This, coupled with increased demand for affordable housing, is set to result in a surge in residential developments, especially in urban regeneration areas like Derby, Nottingham, and Leicester.
Sustainability will remain a key focus for the industry in 2025. The push for net-zero targets and stricter regulations around energy efficiency and carbon reduction means construction companies must prioritise green building practices, energy-efficient designs, and the use of sustainable materials.
This shift not only aligns with environmental goals but also meets the growing demand from clients who value eco-conscious projects.
Technology will play an increasing role in shaping the future of construction. From Building Information Modelling (BIM) to drones and AI-driven project management tools, innovation will be crucial for improving efficiency, reducing costs, and ensuring high-quality outcomes.
The skills shortage remains a pressing issue, and we hope to see a greater focus on apprenticeships and collaboration with local educational establishments to build a skilled workforce capable of delivering all the ambitious projects on the horizon.
Despite these challenges, the East Midlands is well-positioned for growth in 2025, driven by its central location and strong SME base.
However, rising material costs and interest rate fluctuations could still pose challenges, emphasising the need for careful planning and innovative approaches.
At the Berry Group, we remain committed to delivering high-quality developments that support the region’s economic ambitions and create vibrant spaces for businesses and communities to thrive.
Boots sees strong first quarter
Nottingham health and beauty retailer Boots has welcomed a strong first quarter with total comparable retail sales up 8.1% Year over Year (YoY) for the three months ended 30 November 2024. The business saw growth across all categories and channels, on top of a significant increase in the prior year.
Boots.com performed strongly during the quarter, with digital sales up 23% YoY, accounting for 22% of total retail sales. Use of the Boots app continues to grow, now with 8.1 million active users. Store sales grew, with Boots destination health and beauty stores and flagships performing particularly well, as well as travel stores.
Continuing its investment in the in-store experience, Boots refurbished over 30 stores in the quarter.
These results were supported by a strong Black Friday period, with sales up 20% during the week. On the Friday itself, boots.com achieved its biggest ever day of sales, with almost five orders per second during its busiest hour. Store sales were also strong.
Beauty continued to perform well, with sales up 11% YoY for the quarter, driven by fragrance, premium beauty, and skincare.
In healthcare, comparable pharmacy sales were up 10.9%, primarily driven by services including flu, COVID-19 and travel vaccinations.
Boots also delivered over 155,000 NHS Pharmacy First consultations in England in the quarter, enabling accessible treatment on the high street for seven common conditions, including sore throat, earache and urinary tract infections. Boots Online Doctor continued to perform well, with sales more than doubling YoY.
Boots Christmas sales performance will be reported on in its Q2 earnings later this year, however early indications from the business suggest a solid Christmas trading period.
Anthony Hemmerdinger, Managing Director, Boots UK and Ireland, said: “This is another strong set of financial results, with retail and pharmacy sales seeing significant uplift alongside market share gains and increased customer satisfaction scores.
“These figures demonstrate that our ongoing transformation – from improvements to the in-store and digital customer experience to a focus on offering the very best product and service range across all price points – is working. This kind of success requires collaborative working at pace, and I’d like to say a big thank you to all of our team members for their hard work over this important trading period.
“We are relentlessly focused on our transformation journey and have more exciting plans ahead to further enhance the experience for our customers. Looking forward, we face heightened cost pressures in 2025 following the Autumn Budget, however with positive momentum behind us and a clear plan in place, the business is focused on navigating these and continuing to deliver long-term, sustainable growth.”
Rolls-Royce appoints design partners for Derby site expansion
Rolls-Royce Submarines has appointed AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald as its new fissile design partners – a key milestone in the expansion of its Raynesway site.
Both AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald are globally renowned engineering and development consultancies that bring with them a wealth of experience working on major, complex and high-profile projects.
In June 2023, it was announced that Rolls-Royce is planning to double the size of its Submarines site in Derby to meet the growth in demand from the Royal Navy, and as a result of last year’s AUKUS announcement.
This increase in demand will see new manufacturing and office facilities being built and will create 1,170 skilled roles across a range of disciplines, including manufacturing and engineering.
As the work will take place within the nuclear licensed site at Raynesway, the design and construction of fissile facilities adds a level of complexity and rigour above and beyond that of traditional builds.
Working as the PROPEL joint venture, it will be AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald’s role to design these new facilities and work with the incoming fissile construction partner to deliver them.
Rolls-Royce Submarines Infrastructure Director Terry Meighan said: “The expansion work we have planned is of critical national importance as it enables us to safely increase our speed of manufacture, helping to deliver Dreadnought and the new SSN-AUKUS attack submarines at a much faster rate.
“The experience and deep nuclear knowledge, as well as the strong safety ethic, evidenced by the combined AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald team means the design of our crucial new fissile facilities is in capable hands.”
Andy Smart, Head of Major Projects – Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis, said: “These new facilities will be vital to deliver new submarines safely, swiftly and efficiently and we’re delighted to be appointed alongside Mott MacDonald to progress these plans at pace.
“This critical project requires expertise and skillsets across nuclear fuel management, defence and complex infrastructure programmes. Collectively, we’ll use our experience across these disciplines to support Rolls-Royce Submarines in the successful delivery of this programme.”
Jeremy Reed, Global Practice Leader – Nuclear, Mott MacDonald, said: “Mott MacDonald brings over 60 years of experience delivering complex technical solutions in highly regulated, secure, and safety-critical nuclear environments.
“Combined with our commitment to excellence, safety, and sustainability, this experience, along with that of our partner AtkinsRéalis, will play a key role in supporting Rolls-Royce Submarines to deliver the successful expansion of the Derby site, continuing our longstanding commitment to support the UK submarine enterprise.”
The next milestone in Rolls-Royce’s ten-year expansion programme is to select the fissile construction partner, who will bring AtkinsRéalis and Mott MacDonald’s designs to life. They will be tasked with building the nuclear manufacturing facilities, with the winning firm being announced in the coming weeks.
Rolls-Royce Submarines currently employs more than 5,000 people and designs, manufactures and provides in-service support to the pressurised water reactors that power every boat in the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet.
Rolls-Royce is currently supporting the existing Astute and Dreadnought boat build programmes through the delivery of reactor plant and associated components.
It also provides frontline support across the world for reactor plant equipment from its Operations Centre in Derby and supports the submarines when in the Barrow-in-Furness shipyard and the naval bases at Devonport and Faslane. In addition, there are technical specialists working in offices in Glasgow and Cardiff, with a unique test facility operating in Thurso, Scotland.
Shorts’ Managing Partner takes seat on global board
Shorts’ Managing Partner Andy Irvine has been elected to the Global Governing Council and Board of Praxity – the world’s largest alliance of independent accounting and consulting firms.
Shorts has been a member of Praxity since 2018, and in the six years since joining, has forged strong relationships with member firms. The alliance provides a modern responsive delivery model that gives member clients access to quality auditing, tax, accountancy and advice around the world, whilst UK clients remain confident in the knowledge that partner firms in other territories are there to support and guide as appropriate.
Having played an active role within the Alliance and chaired the UK conference for four years, Andy’s appointment to the Global Board, reflects his commitment to the future success of the Alliance.
Mr Irvine said “I look forward to working with Steffen Aherns, Jason Drake and the rest of the Praxity board as we focus on developing the alliance for an exciting future, whilst continuing to serve our global clients with outstanding work.”
As active members of the alliance, Shorts maintain strong relationships with international colleagues. During 2024 alone, representatives from Shorts attended the North American Leadership conference, the Global Tax conference in Madrid, the Global conference in Singapore, and the North American Tax Conference in Orlando.
