Flurry of deals for Trent Gateway as region’s industrial sector sees continued growth
Due to high demand in recent months, Northwood Urban Logistics now has just two units (one 10,488 sq ft unit and one 3,250 sq ft unit) remaining at its Trent Gateway scheme.
Recent deals, brokered by JLL and FHP, have included Tekled, Conker Bespoke Furniture Ltd, and Europadisc. They join a range of other established businesses based on the 18-unit industrial site, including RSK Group and BW Flexible Systems.
Demand for logistics real estate in the East Midlands is on an upward trajectory, according to the leasing agents of Trent Gateway.
JLL’s own research has revealed that the industrial property sector is being driven by increasing demands on ecommerce and express parcel delivery, as well as those requiring third-party logistics, healthcare and life sciences. Yet, suitable land and planning permission for new units is currently in short supply.
Gemma Constantinou, industrial director at JLL East Midlands, said: “The uplift in demand for space within the East Midlands reflects the wider trend visible across the sector regionally and globally. Our own research has shown that 74% people in the sector are expecting growth in the next five years but equally struggle to secure the facilities required.
“Nottingham continues to experience this robust demand with limited new build Grade A options. Trent Gateway has benefited from having quality units, in a great location with enviable green credentials.”
Iain Taylor, director at Northwood Urban Logistics, said: “We are very pleased to welcome our latest occupiers to the scheme. Trent Gateway is able to accommodate a wide range of occupiers who will be able to adapt the units for a variety of uses.”
Anthony Barrowcliffe, surveyor at FHP said: “The marketplace is starved of excellent quality industrial units like Trent Gateway and due to this we have experienced great success with only 2 units remaining but with several active conversations taking place on these remaining units.”
New Leicestershire HQ for international hygiene company
A hygiene company is on the move to new headquarters.
Citron Hygiene has signed a five-year lease to make Ceva House in Ashby de la Zouch its new UK HQ in a deal concluded by commercial property specialists Bromwich Hardy.
Citron has taken more than 3,000 sq ft of space on the ground floor of the Grade A office development, which sits close to junction 13 of the M42.
The company, which provides bespoke managed washroom & hygiene services, has its international headquarters in Canada, and supplies and services more than 30,000 commercial premises across the UK.
Bromwich Hardy’s Michelle Mills negotiated the deal just 12 months after helping the company find six new sites across the UK covering more than 35,000 sq ft of space, to help it meet its strategic growth plans.
“We are delighted to have been able to find this excellent property for Citron and help play a further part in their continuing success,” said Michelle. “The offices are superbly equipped and well located and are ideal for Citron as the company continues to grow across the UK.
“The deal was tied in with negotiating a surrender of Citron’s current warehouse in Bardon, Leicestershire, from where they are relocating their finance and corporate development team.”
Robert Guice, CEO at Citron Hygiene, said: “In line with our rapid growth strategy and continued expansion, the move to a new headquarters seemed only a natural progression for the business.
“Our new home supports Citron’s ongoing recruitment drive with state-of-the-art facilities available for our staff and customers to reap the benefits as we continue to cement our position as a market leader in the washroom hygiene space.”
Avison Young acted for the landlord over the deal.
EMR to improve wayfinding signage at eight stations across its network
East Midlands Railway (EMR) is rolling out wayfinding improvements across eight of its stations aimed at helping its customers use more logical and safer ways to navigate its sites.
The £73,000 project will deliver accessible wayfinding improvements at locations up and down EMR’s network, including Kettering, Wellingborough, Nottingham, Beeston, Bulwell, Newark Castle, Hinckley and Sheffield.
The new signage has been placed to allow customers to better understand how to get to a platform, exit, or entrance, as quickly and as safely as possible. EMR has also reduced sign clutter as much as possible, helping customers navigate the station environment with confidence and in a way that suits individual needs.
Standardising the language used on the signs is another feature of the work, helping customers to become familiar with the same words and better understand their meaning.
The project is wholly funded by EMR with the exception of a £3,000 match funding contribution from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council.
Depending on funding, similar wayfinding projects at other stations could also be rolled out in the future.
Examples of the works include:
Sheffield
The current signs in the concourse (directly below) show three separate way out lines. In the new design this has been changed to two, with different alignment disciplines to improve the wayfinding experience.
Bulwell
The installation of a new poster case that highlights the step free route to the town centre.
Helen Dolphin MBE, Chair of East Midlands Railway’s Inclusivity Panel, said: “The Inclusivity panel is delighted to see the introduction of this much improved wayfinding signage.
“The signage will significantly improve the experience of customers, particularly those with disabilities where finding the quickest and safest route is vitally important. As a society we don’t always appreciate the difficulties people can have navigating around a station and this signage is going to make a big difference.”
Lisa Angus, Transition and Projects Director at East Midlands Railway, said: “We are always looking at better ways to help our customers navigate easily and safely around our stations.
“We hope this project will help in this regard and cut down the number of trips and falls which do occasionally happen when customers mistakenly take a more challenging route to either a platform, entrance or exit.”
Nottingham City Council set to invest £230m in five-year housing programme
Nottingham City Council looks set to invest £230m in a five-year investment programme in its housing stock, when it goes to Executive Board next week.
The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital programme provides funds for improvements to properties, new build council housing and improvements to estates. The HRA, which is the council’s landlord account, will also need to fund improvements to make council homes warmer and more energy efficient, both in new builds and retrofitting of the current stock. With energy prices rising sharply, creating and investing in energy efficient homes is becoming increasingly important to help lower fuel bills.
Nottingham City Council, along with its arms-length housing management company, Nottingham City Homes (NCH), has already built over 650 houses, with over 300 more new council homes planned or in the pipeline across Nottingham over the next two years, including at Bestwood and Clifton, where 144 new homes are already under construction.
The council capital programme, which aims to help improve the council’s current housing stock of 25,218 homes, includes new kitchens and bathrooms, energy efficient windows, solar panels and external wall insulation.
Additional home improvements include:
- Upgrading around 2,500 heating, 1,100 of which are high efficiency boilers
- Upgrading existing fire alarm systems across 375 homes in low rise blocks
- Delivering new, large-scale fencing, guttering, painting and concreting as part of the Decent Neighbourhoods programme, due to start shortly.
- Overall, housing stock reduction caused by Right to Buy and the need to create more new council homes to replace them
- Impact of Covid 19 on housing management costs and rental income
- Increased construction cost affecting the costs of repairs and the overall new build and investment programme
- The impact of implementing new regulations including the Building Safety Act, the Social Housing White Paper and energy efficiency requirements.
Regional Economic Observatory to positively impact the region’s businesses, people and communities
A new independent initiative is being launched by the University of Derby designed to support businesses and communities within the region to have their say about their growth and the decision making that affects them.
The University of Derby Regional Economic Observatory (UDREO) aims to work with local businesses to build a robust evidence base to inform economic and social policy deliberations, engage with people and communities and produce analysis to support engagement with local and national government policy.
The University will regularly collect empirical data on business intelligence, social attitudes and the labour market, so it can report on the real challenges, barriers and opportunities facing the region.
The UDREO’s first task has been to develop a new business diagnostic tool, designed to collect data that will enable key decision makers, the supply chain and support services to focus their efforts for maximum return, inform how businesses can recover and improve performance during the current challenging economic climate. The business diagnostic tool and wider UDREO initiative will be launched at the University ‘Planning for Growth in 2022’ event on Wednesday 16 February, where businesses can learn more about the programmes, funding, consultation services and advice offered to businesses by the University. Dr Mark Gilman, Professor of Economics at the University of Derby, is leading the initiative. Speaking about the launch, he said: “Business growth is integral to successful regional economies. However, many firms are constrained by factors such as employee skills, finance, innovation and strategic planning, and are experiencing new challenges, intensified by pandemic. “To support companies in addressing these obstacles, the University’s business diagnostic tool will focus on helping organisations grow quicker, work better, and perform more competitively. Our mission is to make a real difference to the region’s businesses, people, and the communities they live in, with evidence based informed solutions rather than policy-based evidence making. “The UDREO’s reporting will provide a platform for them to have their say about what is having a positive or negative impact on their growth, so that the decisions affecting them can be made with real data and insight.” Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Business, Law and Social Sciences at the University, Professor Kamil Omoteso, added: “We are delighted to be launching the University of Derby Regional Economic Observatory to businesses and community leaders at our Planning for Growth event. “At Derby, we recognise the inter-connectedness of people, work, business and community in a way that transcends traditional policymaking. This initiative and our tools will identify current and future barriers and opportunities and inform our research agendas to help us build a resilient economy as we recover from the impact and challenges of the pandemic.”Sarah steers ProCon Emerging Talent
Leicester architect Sarah Grocock is the new chair of Emerging Talent, the ProCon Leicestershire group for young and new professionals in property and construction roles.
Sarah has been attending Emerging Talent events since the group started in 2017 and will now lead its steering committee as they plan a year of social and professional events in 2022.
A De Montfort University graduate, Sarah has been working at the Leicester office of the architectural business rg+p for almost a decade and is now a team leader at the practice’s Princess Road West offices.
Sarah said: “Emerging Talent is a great way to get to know people of a similar age and at a similar stage of your career. I would recommend anyone at the outset of their career to take a look at our group, say hello and join in.
“It is nice being part of the group and being in a position to help other people in our sector and encourage them to progress.
“It’s also great to mix with and get to know people from across the professions, including architects, contractors, quantity surveyors, solicitors, agents and those from the public sector.
“It’s good to get to know people on a social level and find out more about what role they play, and it is also useful when you work with them on projects.”
Events in the pipeline for 2022 include a bowling night, a quiz and a masterclass given by a senior professional in property or construction.
Navkiran joins Nottingham PR team along with new travel and property clients
Digital PR firm Jennie Holland PR has appointed Navkiran Bains to its team as senior social media executive.
Navkiran joins the agency as it welcomes new clients in the travel and property sectors who have appointed the team to provide digital PR, social media and influencer marketing services.
New clients include holiday company The Perfect Break, which provides value UK holidays for adults.
Expanding on the agency’s extensive experience within the property and construction sector, the team has also been appointed to provide PR and social media services to Addison Hunt and Sherwood Oak Homes.
Chartered quantity surveyor and project management company, Addison Hunt, is working with the agency to raise the profile of its services – client and contractor side – and its skilled team, based at its Loughborough office.
Residential property developer, Sherwood Oak Homes, has chosen Jennie Holland PR to publicise and build desirability for its new homes and lifestyle offering at its new 300+ home Mansfield development, The Oaks, and other UK-wide sites.
Navkiran, from Derbyshire, is a social media content and engagement specialist and will be leading the social media strategy and execution for a number of clients across the agency.
Navkiran said: “The opportunities presented by social media are unlimited for businesses and at Jennie Holland PR we harness that and maximise what can be achieved through company platforms. At the heart of our social media management service is building relevant and engaged online communities.
“I’m honoured to have joined the talented team at Jennie Holland PR and to be delivering innovative content strategies for our clients.”
Navkiran’s appointment comes just months after Katie Ford joined the agency as senior PR manager. Katie joined the business from the marketing team at hosiery brand Pretty Polly and is the creative lead for clients in the food & drink, property and professional services sectors.
Managing Director, Jennie Holland, said: “It’s wonderful to welcome Navkiran to the business. As an agency, we found that the pandemic compelled many businesses to put marketing at the forefront of strategy, leading to further demand for our services. Continuing to build our team is a fantastic journey and one of my favourite parts of my job is getting to know new team members.
“I’d like to thank our new clients for choosing us as their PR partner. These are impressive businesses and organisations and we are already working with them to reach their marketing and wider business objectives.”
Contractor encourages businesses to go green by attending Derbyshire event
Cawarden, the specialist contractor, is encouraging businesses to attend ‘Going Green Marketplace’, for a chance to meet forward-thinking businesses who have reduced costs and attracted new customers by going green.
Visit the event on Wednesday 30 March, at Cromford Mill heritage centre in Derbyshire, to learn about sustainable technologies, green business thinking and the wealth of support from local experts that can help improve your operations, build your skills and grow your business.
Network with like-minded people and browse the marketplace of stallholders showcasing their goods and services; including local businesses and organisations that support local firms on their journey towards sustainability.
The event will also see the launch of the Derbyshire Net Zero Accelerator Programme, which promises a suite of funded opportunities for businesses based in the Derbyshire Dales and High Peak areas.
Working with the Low Carbon Business Network Derby, Cawarden, a presenter and stall holder on the day, will deliver a talk about its journey on the road to net zero.
For more than 35 years, Cawarden have had a commitment towards reusing and recycling. They do this by reducing their impact on the environment, creating a positive impact wherever possible and fully support the shift towards a low carbon economy.
Other short talks will be given on environmental accreditation, green marketing, sustainable procurement, smart factories, sustainable food choices and more.
River Freshney water quality project completes
Work finished last week on a key project to improve the water quality of the River Freshney in Grimsby Town Centre with more than 2230 tonnes of silt removed from the riverbed over four weeks.
Specialist contractor, Ebsford Environmental, were appointed to undertake dredging of the river between West Haven Maltings opposite Frederick Ward Way and the ABP pumping station.
During the project, 122 lorry loads of silt and sediment were taken from the riverbed and removed off site for recovery to meet the Environmental Agency waste directive regulations.
Additionally, 1.5tonnes of scrap metal, including bikes, shopping trollies and scaffold pipes, was taken from the riverbed and recycled at our local plant in Immingham.
Dredging this section of the riverbed has allowed the water to flow much more freely in the town centre section of the river, with the channel depth now around 1.8m. Established vegetation has been maintained for the benefit of wildlife in the area.
Cllr Stewart Swinburn, Cabinet member for the environment, said: “This work has been done as one of the final stages of the Garth Lane project, one that’s already seen a major site in the centre of Grimsby transformed into a lovely natural area.
“We’ve already seen an improvement in the water quality and flow. We’ve also seen the family of otters around in the last few days, which is encouraging. The dredging will boost biodiversity and make the river more useable for years to come.”
Cllr Callum Procter, Cabinet member for economic growth, added: “This is a huge investment in our river – for years, we’ve turned our back on the waterfront, and it’s now time to embrace it and all that it might offer. Investing in clearing up the river is the first stage, and along with the Youth Zone project and the Towns Fund projects nearby, I’m looking forward to seeing the waterfront develop into a vibrant place in the future.”
The depth of the river will be reviewed in 12 months’ time to see how quickly the silt is building back up and help form a future management and maintenance plan.
These works are part of the £3.7m Garth Lane site scheme funded by Central Government, through the Town Deal and the Humber Local Enterprise Partnership.
Public feedback results in changes to City Council budget savings proposals
Retention of an additional Children’s Centre and reducing proposed cuts to the Youth Service will be recommended to councillors at a meeting of Executive Board on Tuesday 22nd February.
The changes follow feedback from residents and businesses, trade unions and staff in the biggest-ever consultation on Nottingham City Council’s budget for the coming year.
Executive Councillors will be asked to endorse the council’s four year Medium Term Financial Plan which is balanced in all years from 2022/23 to 2025/26. A balanced four year budget plan is key to delivering the City’s Together for Nottingham improvement programme passed by Full Council in January. Also up for consideration is the Government’s Adult Social Care Precept of 1% which would be added to Council Tax bills and a below-inflation increase in core Council Tax of 1.99%.
If endorsed by Executive Councillors, these items will go forward for final approval at the Full Council meeting on 7th March.
The formal budget consultation process began in December last year with the council seeking to close a £28m funding gap in 2022/23. The funding gap is due largely to increasing costs in the provision of care services for older people and a growing number of children coming into the care of the council, now making up two-thirds of the entire budget. This is squeezing the funding available for other council services.
Around 700 responses were received during the budget consultation, resulting in the following suggested changes to the savings proposals:
- Reducing the Children’s Centre saving and retaining four centres rather than the three originally proposed
- Increasing the number of Play and Youth Services staff that will be retained
- Withdrawing the proposal to charge for toilets at Greyhound Street.
