Final designs for the revamp of Leicester’s historic railway station have been revealed by the city council.
New visuals have been released showing how the multi-million-pound project will transform the landmark station building with improved facilities for passengers and a new public plaza to create a more accessible and attractive gateway into the city.
The railway station redevelopment is led by Leicester City Council in partnership with Network Rail and East Midlands Railway (EMR). The project is backed by £17.6 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund which aims to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK.
Final development proposals detailing the ambitious plans have been submitted by the city council for approval.
Under the plans, the station’s main entrance will be moved from London Road to Station Street, which will be closed to traffic and replaced with a new pedestrianised public plaza.
Work is now under way to prepare for the demolition of 48a London Road, which stands immediately next to the railway station. This will be complete by late-summer and will create the space needed for the redevelopment to go ahead.
It will also reveal the original façade of the historic Grade-II listed building. This will be carefully restored to its Victorian glory and form the new entrance, facing directly towards Granby Street and into the city centre.
Pick up and drop off points, including for hackney cabs. will be relocated from inside the station’s existing covered entrance hall – or porte-cochere – to a new location at the rear of the station, off Fox Street and close to the new entrance.
The glass-roofed porte-cochère will be completely overhauled to provide an attractive and welcoming place for cafes, bars or retail.
A new curved ramp, steps and lift will provide easy access to the new entrance and main concourse ticket hall, which will also be remodelled including a wider ticket barrier, to provide more space for passengers. Secure bike storage will be provided underneath the new entrance ramp.
Outside, a new and now larger public plaza will feature rainwater gardens and new tree planting. The statue of Thomas Cook will be moved to a prominent position within the scheme to ensure that it continues to serve as a reminder that Leicester was the birthplace of popular tourism.
Image courtesy of Leicester City Council
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Leicester’s railway station is a landmark building but as a vital transport hub, it needs a radical revamp to meet the needs of a modern city the size of Leicester.
“We have been working closely with our rail industry partners and listening carefully to feedback from the public as we progress and develop these ambitious plans that will improve the station and revitalise this important gateway into our city.
“The award of almost £18 million of extra Government investment into the city through the Levelling Up Fund is powerful endorsement of the importance of the project. It will make a vital and lasting contribution to Leicester’s future growth and prosperity.”
Will Rogers, Managing Director for East Midlands Railway, said: “We’re excited to work alongside Leicester City Council and Network Rail to significantly improve the facilities for our customers.
“The investment will see the iconic Leicester railway station restored back to its Victorian glory. The development will transform Leicester railway station, as the gateway to the city, by encouraging integration with the surrounding community and offering an improved customer experience to all station visitors.”
Gavin Crook, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail’s East Midlands route, said: “We are really pleased with the early progress that has been made on the work to transform Leicester station entrance.
“We’ll continue to work with Leicester City Council and East Midlands Railway to deliver these improvements to the station and improved facilities for passengers.”
The council plans to appoint a main development partner this summer, following a competitive tendering exercise. Construction work is expected to begin shortly after the contractor is appointed.
It is estimated that Leicester railway station is currently used by around five million passengers each year. This is forecast to increase by around 60 per cent over the next 20 years.
Image courtesy of Leicester City Council
NAHL, a marketing and services business focused on the UK consumer legal market, has hailed a “solid financial performance” for 2023.
In its newly released audited results for the year ended 31 December 2023, the Kettering-based business saw a 2% increase in group revenue, to £42.2m.
Meanwhile, pre-tax profit was £650,000, up from £570,000 in 2022.
James Saralis, CEO of NAHL, said: “I am pleased with the solid financial performance that the Group delivered in 2023 and am encouraged that we continued to outperform the market in both Consumer Legal Services and Critical Care while further reducing net debt and building a more sustainable business.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our fantastic team for their continued hard work and commitment, driving our success.
“We demonstrated further improvements in our Personal injury business, which was again profitable and cash generative, and delivered double digit growth in Critical Care. These strong results position us well to maintain our growth and realise the step-change that we have been working towards as our own fully integrated law firm, NAL, matures.
“Building on our strong foundations and proven ability to navigate market conditions, the Board is confident in delivering the growth in profits and reduction in net debt in line with 2024 market expectations.”
In April 2024, the company announced it is evaluating a possible sale of Bush & Co.
Local law firm Hegarty has promoted four team members. Now in its 50th anniversary year the firm, which has offices in Peterborough, Market Deeping, Stamford and Oakham, has further expansion plans.
Sarah Martin works in the Residential Conveyancing team at the Hegarty Market Deeping office and has been promoted to partner. Sarah is a CILEX practitioner and has been with the firm since 2012. Sarah deals with all aspects of residential conveyancing including freehold and leasehold sales and purchases, transfers of equity, remortgages and shared ownership transactions.
Sarah said: “I am pleased to have received this promotion and am grateful to the partners for this opportunity. I’m now looking forward to assisting in the growth and development of the firm.”
Chris Brown, head of the Family Law team at Hegarty also becomes a partner, having joined the firm in 2012. A Resolution accredited family lawyer, Chris specialises in advising clients in respect of the division of assets when their marriage breaks down. Chris also recently qualified as a collaborative family lawyer, which is a non-adversarial, solution-focussed approach to dealing with issues on divorce or separation.
Chris remarked: “I am extremely proud to be a partner of a firm with such a great local reputation and I am excited to embrace the challenges that this next stage of my career will bring.”
In addition to partner promotions, Rachael Griffiths and Tom Moore at the firm have also been promoted to associate.
Rachael began working for Hegarty after moving to Peterborough in April 2022 as a chartered legal executive in the Wills, Trusts and Probate team. Rachael deals with a variety of cases including Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, Deputyship Orders, and all aspects of estate administration, as well as assisting clients with Inheritance Tax planning and protection against care fees.
Rachael said: “I am very grateful to have my contributions to the firm recognised and am looking forward to continuing my work in an area of law that I love, knowing that the partners and my colleagues at the firm will continue to provide me with their support and encouragement.”
Tom joined Hegarty in 2022 as the firm’s Tax, Trust and Estate Planning specialist following 15 years working for local and national accountancy firms. His expertise is with private client matters, including high net worth individuals, trusts and estates; covering income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax, both the compliance and planning aspects.
Remarking on the promotions, Kally Singh, senior partner, said: “I’m pleased to announce the promotion of four of our talented team members. Hegarty is proud of its reputation for excellence and we strive to support our team in their development throughout their careers. These promotions recognise our team members’ contributions to the firm and their focus and vision for delivering excellent client care.
“We value team members who share in our vision for the firm, and we are passionate about developing our team’s professional skills and helping them achieve their career aims. We value the contribution each member of our team makes, and I am sure they will continue their significant contribution to the firm.
“We have ambitious growth plans this year as we mark our 50th anniversary, with a new office planned to open in Bourne in the Autumn and plans to further expand our team. We would be delighted to hear from legal professionals looking for a rewarding and challenging firm to make their next career move.”
East Midlands charity, Star Trust – The Charitable Entrepreneurs, has donated the proceeds of its annual ball to several smaller charities across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire who are focused on improving the lives of local people.
The charities were invited to an event at Graypaul Maserati Nottingham who were the headline sponsor for the annual ball at Stapleford Park Hotel and Spa last September which raised £114,000.
The presentations brought the total donated by Star Trust over the past ten years to £852,642 for 114 charities – benefiting more than 71,000 people across the East Midlands.
Among the recipients of the latest round of funding were:
– The Children’s Bereavement Centre in Newark which was awarded £10,287 to pay for eight 1:1 bereavement counselling sessions
– Pasic Cancer Support received £10,708 towards its family support service for families of the 278 children and young people who receiving treatment for cancer at Nottingham Children’s Hospital
– Disability Support for Nottingham and county were awarded £2,000 to provide 400 free meals for attendees of their social groups
– Derventio Charitable Trust received £2,739 which has paid for 155 essential food hampers for the charity’s supported housing residents across Derby and Derbyshire
– Level Youth Collective were awarded £3,000 to support creative arts projects attended by young people in Derbyshire who are Autistic and Neurodivergent
– Saffires in Leicester received £3,000 for its work to tackle the sexual exploitation of women through holistic support for women affected by prostitution
– Arthritis Support Leicestershire received £4,500 to support the charity’s wellbeing activity programme
Star Trust founder Steve Hampson said: “The fantastic companies and individuals across the East Midlands who support Star Trust do so safe in their knowledge that their generosity is translated into real support for real people in the heart of our local communities.
“We continue to be hugely impressed by the creativity, passion and commitment shown by smaller charities across the East Midlands whose amazing work often goes under the radar but who so many people rely upon.
“We always aim to support grassroot charities who are making a positive difference to people’s lives in their local communities and these charities all had compelling cases for funding.
“We are now open to applications and I would encourage SME charities to contact us if they have not had funding from us in the past three years.”
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been awarded funding for four new Innovate UK-funded projects designed to help businesses innovate quickly.
The Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) projects, three of which are in Health and Life Sciences and one in Computing, Engineering and Media, are worth £141,000 and will run for four months.
Each project is led by an academic who will work with a business to help them develop an innovation that has potential for significant impact for that company. The projects are:
• Alpha Biolaboratories Analytical Ltd, academic Dr Urszula Krzeminska Ahmadzai – to optimise a novel data analysis approach to increase the success rate of non-invasive paternity testing
• Genvolt Ltd, academic Professor Zeeshan Ahmad – developing and testing a portable platform technology to more accurately deliver active drug compounds
• Micron Design, academic Professor Geoff Smith – to address the increasing demand for freeze-dried products in pharmaceutical manufacturing while also improving efficiency and reducing environmental emissions
• Marlow Foods, academic Dr Andrew Wright – a techno-economic feasibility study of the heating and cooling requirements of one of the company’s sites to supports its ambitions of going net zero by 2030.
Casey Randall, Head of Genetics at Alpha Biolabs, said: “The AKT project is a fantastic opportunity to collaborate with an academic partner, in order to enhance our offering to our customers. In particular, we are all very excited to see what advancements and improvements the project can make to our non-invasive prenatal paternity testing service.”
Dr Rhianna Briars of DMU’s Knowledge Exchange team, said the awards were a sign of DMU’s continued drive and emphasis on not only its applied research but its collaborative approach to working with businesses to tackle challenges that face industry partners.
She said: “It is great to have a mechanism from Innovate UK to do these rapid collaborative innovation projects which enables different types of activity that our researchers can engage with industry contacts on.”
AKTs were launched by Innovate UK in 2022, and the new awards bring the number of projects won by DMU to nine, collaborating with a range of businesses and third sector organisations.
Acting on behalf of private clients, FHP’s Darran Severn has completed the letting of 28,000ft2 of industrial/warehouse space just off the A38 at Junction 28 of the M1 motorway.
The letting sees local occupiers Rowes Precision Products Ltd relocate from their current base in Ilkeston to continue their growth and expansion in a much larger building which benefits from a large, oversized yard.
Darran Severn said: “I am pleased to see this deal over the line and I wish the new occupiers well in their new unit. The unit sits within an excellent location just off the A38 dual carriageway and offers clean span accommodation that benefits from a light refurbishment.
“Stock levels seem to be fairly consistent at present as deals are progressing and other opportunities are coming to market. The good news is that there is a good sign of demand and we do need more space to meet the requirements of a number of occupiers that we know who are looking to move.”
From today (1 May) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can bid for a share of £6.4 million to help train their workforce to use artificial intelligence and in turn boost productivity and efficiency.
Sectors set to benefit include law, accountancy, scientific research and human resources, with the UK Government making up to £10,000 available for each business so they can embrace cutting edge and efficiency boosting new technology.
SMEs in these areas will be able to tap into the power of AI to streamline tasks, boost productivity, and drive growth. This could include accountants using generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to draft documents, develop new software which could help to tackle fraud, and legal professionals harnessing the power of AI to analyse lengthy documents such as contracts to provide concise summaries, freeing up time to focus on other critical areas.
By adopting the enormous potential of AI technologies, SMEs across the country will be able to not only improve productivity and drive down costs, but to devote more time to identifying new areas of growth which will deliver new and improved services for consumers.
Expected to support around 2,000 SMEs across the country, businesses employing under 250 staff can now apply for the support, which will see successful applicants reimbursed for up to 50% of the cost of investment in AI skills training.
The move is to future-proof these businesses and incentivise investment in AI skills to ensure they retain a competitive edge through increased productivity and reduced costs, as they begin to integrate AI into their operations – building a pool of technological talent alongside supporting employee growth and development.
Whilst human supervision, judgement, creativity and empathy remain vital requirements in the workplace, augmenting AI into monotonous tasks like inputting data and filling out paperwork can increase speed and efficiency and play a major part in increasing business productivity.
Delivered through the UK Government’s Flexible AI Upskilling Fund, the pilot launched today will support SMEs in the Professional and Business Services (PBS) sector, with SMEs encouraged to apply between now and 31 May for grant funding to deliver training before March 2025.
Businesses specialising in professional services such as law, accounting and market research, alongside those providing business services such as HR, administration and leasing consumer goods are already seeing some of the benefits AI can bring to their day-to-day operations. This includes analysing large volumes of text, answering customer service queries and generating images and text for a variety of applications, including advertising campaigns, contracts and blog posts.
AI is also having a huge impact in specialised areas like drafting legal documents for law firms and creating virtual renderings for architects.
While smaller enterprises often acknowledge the benefits AI can bring to business operations, many require support when it comes to identifying the training employees should undertake to suit business needs.
The AI Skills for Business Framework, also launching today, will help businesses to grip the huge opportunities AI has to offer, driving innovation and future-proofing their workforce.
With the support of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Innovate UK and The Alan Turing Institute have developed this new framework for businesses, to identify the skills and knowledge their employees might need to use AI in the workplace and make the most of emerging technologies.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “Businesses of all sizes and across all sectors, from architecture to law and HR to advertising, are identifying the huge benefits that AI can bring in helping staff boost their productivity while cutting business costs.
“I have launched this new pilot to help SMEs interested in AI adoption make it a reality by contributing towards the cost of upskilling their employees – ultimately increasing efficiency so companies can retain a competitive edge in an increasingly digital world.”
The East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) and Homes England are joining forces to unlock the delivery of stalled residential schemes across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Having secured a devolved allocation of £16.8 million from the Brownfield Housing Fund (BHF), under the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), EMCCA aims to rejuvenate brownfield sites across the region, through the delivery of between 1,000 and 1,400 new homes by March 2026.
EMCCA and Homes England have issued a call for schemes, inviting expressions of interest from organisations – including private sector developers, local authorities and registered providers – which is open until Friday 10 May.
Barry Cummins, Interim Land and Housing Programme Manager at EMCCA, said: “We’re committed to addressing under-investment and regional inequalities in our local area, whilst prioritising the environment and sustainability – this scheme empowers us to do just that.
“Working with valued partners, our ambition is to build up to 1,400 new, high-quality homes, marking a significant stride toward unleashing the potential of brownfield regeneration across our region.”
Schemes must align with eligibility and deliverability criteria, aligning with EMCCA’s Strategic Framework, which was approved in March 2024.
Supported schemes must contribute to:
Economic growth resilience
Skill alignment with economic needs
Creation of sustainable, higher-paid jobs
Advancement towards a net-zero economy
Development of coherent, sustainable transport link
Reduction in inequality and promotion of social mobility
Improvement of healthy life expectancy and reduction of disparities
Enhancement of green spaces to foster community wellbeing and biodiversity.
An innovative nature-based regeneration firm that is on a journey to transform Derby city centre into an urban metropolis is set to receive support to help it scale up.
Down To Earth Derby – the community-interest company behind the Electric Daisy community garden and event space that currently occupies the former Prince’s supermarket site, in Bold Lane – was chosen by Vibrant Accountancy as winners of its Community Growth programme.
The Down To Earth Derby project is linked with Cornwall’s Eden Project, underscoring its emphasis on sustainable and community-focused urban regeneration. They are committed to transforming city spaces to enhance community well-being and environmental health through a range of activities such as educational programmes, events and promoting close interaction with nature.
Vibrant Accountancy, meanwhile, opened up entries for the programme earlier this year, offering to mentor and support companies, charities and non-profit organisations making a positive impact in Derby.
And, after receiving many worthy entries, the Vibrant Team – led by founder Bev Wakefield – chose Down To Earth Derby as winners.
Bev said: “We will be supporting Down To Earth with tailored business support that includes strategic planning sessions, cash flow forecasting, mentoring and regular profit and cash flow improvement meetings.
“For us, Down To Earth tick so many boxes. They are a sustainable organisation at the heart of the community, and we feel that, with the support that we are giving them at Vibrant Accountancy, they will be able to put their visionary plans into action.
“Like us, Down To Earth are disruptors and we are looking forward to working with them as they continue their excellent work in Derby city.”
Vibrant also chose two organisations – the Empowered Parenting Programme and a community supermarket initiative that will be run at Reach Events, near Pride Park – to receive free coaching sessions at the company’s Lodge Lane headquarters.
Bev added: “Vibrant Accountancy’s mission statement is to make an impact, and that’s what we hope we can do with the Community Growth programme.
“This is our way of giving back; by helping others to achieve their goals and make a difference to our city.”
The support comes at an important time for Down To Earth Derby as it looks to scale up its public and private sector regeneration projects, and ahead of a busy spring/summer programme of events at Electric Daisy.
Warwick Acoustics’ expanded cutting-edge manufacturing operations will be based at the MIRA Technology Park (MTP), Europe’s largest automotive research and development site. The company designs, engineers and manufactures its revolutionary speaker systems in the UK and signed its first production contract in June 2023.
Warwick Acoustics’ Electrostatic Audio Panels are now in the final phases of industrialisation for the first customers of this new proprietary technology, which are 90% lighter and use 90% less energy than traditional automotive speakers.
The selection of the 100% renewable powered MTP site further enhances the sustainability credentials of the patented technology, which is made using upcycled materials and is 100% by mass recyclable and free from rare earth elements.
The new building coincides with the construction of a 7MW solar farm by the site owners, which will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 2,300 houses.
Warwick Acoustics’ CEO Mike Grant said: “We have been based at MTP since 2018 and it has been a superb site for us to conduct the research, development and initial manufacturing of our products. As we enter series production, we are very proud to significantly expand our operations here.
“Manufacturing our product where we are based is important to us, not only for ensuring the sustainability and quality of our output, but also because UK production offers real global competitiveness from where we can challenge industry norms in this huge $8bn global market.”
He continued: “Here in the Midlands, Warwick Acoustics is supported by Midlands-based venture capital firm Mercia Asset Management plc, as well as the Midlands Engine initiative. We also sit in a region that has a highly skilled automotive talent pool, allowing us to recruit the best qualified and experienced candidates to develop and grow this business.
“Business growth is our key focus following the successful completion of a £7m funding round, enabling the next step in our strategy to deliver a fundamental shift in the in-cabin audio experience.”
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