Following feedback gathered from residents, businesses and stakeholders, options are now being compiled to give Nottinghamshire’s County Hall a new lease of life. More than 1,620 responded to a public survey which was open earlier this spring and shared their views on County Hall’s future use. It came on the back of the County Council’s decision to move out of County Hall next year after facing spiralling costs to maintain and run the building. It has been the council’s headquarters since 1946. The vast majority of feedback was positive and from people from Nottinghamshire. It backed the wider views of stakeholders that the main building is much-loved, should remain and has the potential to further regenerate and improve the area. 665 of survey responders were business owners, while 448 were from council employees (260 of which work at County Hall). The main survey results reveal: • The majority of people (85 per cent) want to see the main building – with its iconic green roof – remain in place. • 86 per cent value the views of the site from across the river and from Loughborough Road. • 70 per cent agree that the development of the existing car park is an opportunity for regeneration. • 77 per cent would like to see improvements around the riverside. • Almost two thirds of people agree that having more hospitality businesses, such as bars and restaurants, would be a good idea, while 28 per cent of responders don’t. • 73 per cent think that the development of the site would help economic growth. • A wide variety of uses for the site were suggested, but the most popular idea was that it could become a mixed-use development which included offering new homes. As part of a wider engagement exercise, stakeholders such as heritage organisations, sport clubs, universities and other councils were contacted directly for their views. Various developers and regeneration experts also gave their views as part of informal market testing, with most of them praising the site for its unique riverside location with the potential to be transformed into a range of uses. An initial business case is now being put together which will be ready later this summer and will include options for the site. Once approved, a full business case is planned for later this autumn. The shortlisting of developers is earmarked for the New Year. Nottinghamshire County Council Leader Ben Bradley thanked those who gave their feedback. He said: “It was vital we listened to what residents, businesses, partners and developers had to say as we know how important this iconic local landmark is to us all. It was encouraging that we had so much positive and useful feedback, so thank you. “The vast majority who took the time to feed back to us agree with that this site has the potential to bring more jobs and investments to this area. “The savings we’ll be making by not running and maintaining this building will of course mean we’ll have more money to spend on services, not to mention any potential sale.” Nottinghamshire County Councillor Keith Girling, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management, added: “What happens to this building affects a lot of people- so we’re really pleased with the feedback we’ve had. It is helping us come up with a business plan that will hopefully be welcomed by the majority. “We’ll continue to engage with and update people as things progress, including making potential designs and artist impressions available as and when. “We’ve also had separate feedback from developers who have confirmed what we always suspected, which is that there’ll be genuine interest if County Hall was to be put on the market. It’s good to know that having to retain and refurbish the main building wouldn’t put potential developers off either. “Whatever the final decision is on this building, we will have to consider what makes best financial sense for the taxpayer and not take any unnecessary risks.” Commercial, development, legal and technical advice will be sought as necessary for this complex project including using the expertise of Arc Partnership, the council’s property, design and consultancy partner. As part of this, Arc has commissioned property consultants Montagu Evans.

Longhurst Group and Grand Union Housing Group have entered talks over a potential merger. The groups, which, combined, currently own and manage over 37,000 homes and employ over 1,400 colleagues across the Midlands and East of England, are exploring a proposal that would see them come together before the end of the year. The housing associations’ respective Boards have approved a business case that unlocks significant potential to invest more in existing homes and neighbourhoods and deliver 5,000 new homes over the next five years. The new organisation would be one of the largest housing associations in the region. Longhurst Group’s Chief Executive Julie Doyle said: “We have a strong existing relationship with Grand Union Housing Group, with whom we share similar visions and values as well as our geographic footprints and growth aspirations. “We feel that both organisations have complementing strengths as well as areas that can be further improved by coming together, which would give us the opportunity to learn from each other and, ultimately, deliver the best possible service for our customers.  “There is still a lot of work to be done, however both organisations believe there is a strong case for coming together and we are excited by the potential that this move would represent.” The two organisations will now enter a period of due diligence and will consult customers about the potential change.  Grand Union CEO, Aileen Evans, added: “Both ourselves and Longhurst Group are well governed and built on solid financial foundations and we believe that we’d be even stronger together as a larger organisation and have more resilience to respond to a challenging operating environment.    “We are exploring this from a position of strength and this presents an exciting opportunity for both organisations to take proactive steps in ensuring we’re well placed for the future.    “As one organisation, we could better realise our aims for the future; specifically, to speed up improvements in our homes, provide enhanced services and build more homes.”  

Just under 20,000ft² of trade counter/warehouse space has been sold in the heart of Mansfield. The freehold opportunity was snapped up by the expanding Richford Motors, an Alfreton-headquartered vehicle recovery operator established in 1990. The purchaser of the site and premises, Phil Richford of Richford Motors, said: “We are very happy with our new site in Mansfield, this site is to complement Richford Motor Services Ltd in their continuing growth and keep vehicle recoveries local to the Mansfield area, create more jobs locally and help with minimising our carbon footprint. “The site will be fully refurbished to a high standard. We will be advertising for job opportunities to get the site up and running promptly.” Tim Gilbertson, of FHP, who dealt with the sale, said: “My thanks to not only my longstanding clients here but also Phil Richford of Richford Motors for their assistance in ensuring that this sale went through quickly. “It’s another success story for us, a further building of just under 20,000ft² on a large site sold in north Nottinghamshire, reducing available stock yet again, particularly on a freehold basis. “As we enter the summer period, there is undoubtedly better momentum in the industrial and distribution sector, particularly for freehold sales of all sizes as stock levels continue to diminish, which is great when it results from successful sales and lettings, as is the case here, but we are finding more and more parties frustrated by the lack of available options. “Hopefully, this will change later in the summer once the holidays are over as it would be fabulous to build on the current momentum in the market and achieve more disposals before the end of the year. My thanks and best wishes to our purchaser here for his continued success and expansion.”

Scolmore Group has secured 51,000 sq ft at IM Properties’ Mercia Park scheme at junction 11, M42, significantly increasing the size of its warehouse space to accommodate its future growth.

Scolmore Group is a manufacturer of electrical accessories, lighting, home automation, security and cable accessory products. It incorporates Click wiring accessories, Ovia lighting and lighting controls, Unicrimp cable accessories, ESP fire protection and security solutions, and Sangamo heating controls and time switches.

The family-owned business, founded in 1989 in Tamworth and employing more than 350 people, will use the new state-of-the-art logistics centre to house the extensive and growing collection of lighting products from its Ovia lighting division.

The Mercia 51 building, which is Net Zero Ready, BREEAM Excellent, with an EPC A rating will assist Scolmore Group in managing its own sustainability targets.

The facility, which is scheduled to open in September, includes 10 active EV charging spaces, with passive infrastructure for another 30 and storage for up to 12 cycles.

Mike Collins, Managing Director of Ovia, said: “This is a big move for Scolmore Group and an exciting one too. As a proud family business and large employer in the area, investing in Mercia 51 demonstrates to our employees, customers, and the marketplace that we’re committed to the future.

“Of course, at Mercia we’re in great company with DSV and Jaguar Land Rover’s global logistics centre next door, demonstrating the quality of the employment park. It’s connectivity to the M42, Tamworth and the wider motorway network is clearly a major driver for us, allowing for fast, efficient delivery of stock in and out of the warehouse.”

Harry Goodman, development manager for IM Properties, said it was particularly satisfying to attract yet another local occupier and one which is such a success story for the area.

“We welcome the opportunity to assist in the expansion of Scolmore Group, which underlines our belief in Mercia Park as an excellent location for distribution and an important place for job creation, with over 2300 people already employed on the scheme.”

Mercia Park is one of IM Properties’ first large-scale development schemes to achieve Net Zero in Construction, and Mercia 51 raises the bar further to also be Net Zero Ready. This means the building is optimised so the occupier can achieve Net Zero in Operation.

Goodman added: “Mercia 51 was created to a level of specification which sits within our Sustainable Future’s framework and aligns with the Green Building Council (UKGBC)’s recommendations.

“The Mercia Park Community Fund has also made significant contributions to local grassroots organisations and skills and training. This aligns well with Scolmore Group’s own values, and we continue to support projects in the area.”