Nottingham-based Willmott Dixon has been confirmed as the main contractor to deliver the next phase of Nottingham City Council’s Broad Marsh Green Heart regeneration scheme. Procured through the SCAPE Construction framework, Willmott Dixon is already on-site nearby creating a new public space outside the new Central Library. Work will commence on the Green Heart this Autumn as a key element of the vision for Nottingham’s 20-acre Broad Marsh area, transforming a site that was previously a large shopping centre before it was demolished by Willmott Dixon in 2022, working closely alongside multi-disciplinary consultancy Pick Everard. Nick Heath, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “Nottingham’s Broad Marsh Green Heart vision is a regeneration project with valuable green space at its core. Green space is important for the beating heart of all urban environments, and brings major benefits too, according to the World Economic Forum’s ‘BiodiverCities by 2030’ report which looked at the importance of changing the relationship between nature and our towns and cities. “Having been responsible for the original shopping centre demolition in 2021-2022 and sharing insight on this complicated, historic site with interested parties throughout the process, we’re excited to be maintaining a role in the transformation and using our skills to deliver the next phase. “As a local business with a strong Nottingham presence, we’re looking forward to seeing an important area of the city re-emerge and provide benefits for people that live and work here – creating a new legacy to be proud of.” The Green Heart introduces green, ecologically rich areas and diverse natural spaces providing habitats and food for wildlife, forming a green infrastructure network linking the Broad Marsh area from Nottingham Castle through to the 36-acre Island Quarter regeneration site and beyond. A key aim is to put the ‘marsh’ back to the Broad Marsh, introducing new urban wetlands on land that was once a marshland ecosystem to capture, slow and filter rainwater, potentially preventing flooding and creating pockets of biodiversity. A long bench will arc through the planting and marsh allowing people to sit, enjoy and experience nature. Leader of Nottingham City Council, Cllr David Mellen, said: “More green space was by far the most popular response when we asked people what they would like to see happen around Broad Marsh as part of the huge Big Conversation engagement exercise the council ran a couple of years ago. “Anyone who has visited the area recently will see how much it has changed with lots of greenery, pedestrianised areas and seating. The creation of the Green Heart will take the transformation of Broad Marsh a major step further and be a beautiful addition to the city centre which is unique to Nottingham. I’m particularly pleased that Collin Street will be a family-friendly space that people can enjoy right outside the new Central Library.” Mark Robinson, Group Chief Executive at SCAPE, said: “It is fantastic to be supporting the next phase of this iconic regeneration scheme, with a nature-first design that will encourage rewilding and improve biodiversity. “With a laser focus on sustainability, the Green Heart will create a vibrant, unique space that reflects the changing needs of society for urban, city centre locations. Providing accessible green space is not only essential for supporting the health and wellbeing of Nottingham’s residents and visitors but it also plays a key role in helping Nottingham City Council achieve their target of becoming net zero by 2028.” The design of the Green Heart is unique to Nottingham and has been developed by Townshend Landscape Architects along with Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust with Ares supporting the contractor on the landscape design for the scheme.

Chesterfield’s Northern Gateway Enterprise Centre has welcomed nutritional supplement brand, Nuzest as its latest tenant. The business joins a list of several successful organisations to move to the centre in the heart of Chesterfield, which is now more than 80% occupied within its first year of opening. Nuzest’s Adrian Beckett, who will be working from the firm’s new Chesterfield location, said: “We have operated totally virtually as a team even before Covid. Having the Enterprise Centre available to us creates a new base for all things Nuzest in the UK. A place for us to collaborate in the same space and execute some exciting initiatives much faster. “Chesterfield is favourably located to our CEO plus some of our existing team, it has fantastic transport links and is centrally located for the rest of the team to access also. “The Enterprise Centre is an ideal home for us, it is the place where we see the business taking leaps and bounds in the coming year or two. We are focused on growing all of our main sales channels both in the UK but also the EU. We also have a healthy pipeline of new products which will start to feature online and in-store in the coming months, watch this space.”

Logicor, the owner and manager of logistics real estate in Europe, is set to begin its largest redevelopment in the UK, in the East Midlands. Acquired in 2021, the site is located within the heart of the Midlands, within the logistics Golden Triangle, with Daventry town centre 1.5 miles away. Logicor is redeveloping the site to create 800,000 sq ft of modern logistics across 38.5 acres which will be known as Logicor Park Daventry. Detailed planning consent has been secured for three new warehouses, ranging from 135,000 sq ft to 385,000 sq ft, as well as two on-site gyms, shower facilities and cycle paths. The redevelopment will target BREEAM Excellent and EPC A, and will include a range of environmental features, including photovoltaic panels, electric vehicle charging points, LED lights and rainwater harvesting. Sympathetic landscaping will include planting out over 4,500 additional trees and saplings, along with local species of plants which will all assist in improving the biodiversity of the areas surrounding the development. The redevelopment is set to begin in 2023 and to be completed by Q1 2025. Benniman Construction Group has been appointed as the general contractor and it is expected that 1,000 jobs will be potentially created once the units have been completed and leased. Charlie Howard, UK Managing Director, said: “The ability to develop modern warehouses in this key location was the main reason that we acquired it in 2021. “The Golden Triangle continues to be the core location for distribution logistics and we know that our customers want to be located here, so we are delighted to be able to deliver modern and highly sustainable warehouses to the region. “Logicor Park Daventry is a great illustration of how we, as one of the largest industrial portfolio owners in the UK, are able to utilise our existing land to bring forward new and exciting warehouse opportunities for our customers through development and refurbishments.”

A Derby company which has developed an innovative new range of blinds has moved its head office to Oberoi Business Hub in Pride Park. Blind Screen is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Lenny Reynolds, who has operated in the blinds industry for more than 20 years, and marketing and lead generation expert Paul Cheetham MCIM. Now based in Pride Park, Blind Screen plan to grow their sales and product development teams and will also hold training for national retail and installation partners. The company, supported by Ascend funding from Derby City Council and Vision Derbyshire from Derbyshire County Council, has recently appointed a major UK-based manufacturer and already has nearly 250 distributors based across the UK ahead of the official nationwide launch early next year. Paul Cheetham said the business “needed a head office not only for [its] growing team but also with the facilities to hold training sessions for around 50 different businesses every week.” He added: “Oberoi Business Hub was therefore the perfect solution. It has given us the facilities we need now and the capacity for future growth. The location in Pride Park with excellent road, rail and air transport links make us easily accessible for our network and gives us the business address that adds kudos to the quality of our brand.” Kavita Oberoi OBE, founder and Managing Director of Oberoi Business Hub in Pride Park, said: “Blind Screen is yet another example of why Derby is the capital of innovation and we are delighted that they have chosen Oberoi Business Hub to base their head office and pave the way for future growth. “This is an exciting new range of products which not only look fantastic in homes and commercial premises but will be a game changer to keeping warmth in and, with increasing global warming, protecting buildings and their inhabitants from air pollutants and extreme temperatures.” Business Hub manager Jodie Brady concluded: “We look forward to working with Blind Screen to support them as they take the world by storm and achieve the success that their innovative product development and entrepreneurial spirit richly deserves.”

Commercial property agency OMEETO has completed the latest in a string of letting deals on premises across Derby’s Pride Park. Utilities infrastructure and engineering services company, Avove, is opening a new office in the East Midlands, which reflects its ambitious growth plans and will allow for the creation of new jobs in the region. Avove’s business director of operations, Patrick Rafferty, said: “We wanted quality, modern offices which are in a great location and in keeping with our environmental aspirations of being energy efficient and within easy walking distance of public transport infrastructure. “Securing the second floor of Pride Park gives us a great base and provides plenty of capacity to grow our business in the region. We’ve taken a long-term lease which shows our commitment and is a statement of our intent to be recruiting further as we gear up our operations in the coming years.” Avove’s activities at Pride Park involve water and wastewater infrastructure works including design, construction, programme management, commissioning and customer service – allowing the teams to add real value for its clients. This will be Avove’s twentieth office/hub across the UK. Chris Wright, the director at OMEETO, which recently celebrated its third anniversary in business, said: “The deal with Avove is the latest in a series of completions in and around Pride Park and highlights the continued popularity of this centrally located commercial district across a number of business sectors. “We have recently also secured lettings for a number of other businesses including Explo, Scargill Mann, Derbyshire Properties, Resource Finder and Ivy Tech. “With excellent communication links, these offices have been recently refurbished and offer high quality and flexible open plan and self-contained premises which are ideal for Avove.”

Moulton College has revealed ambitious infrastructure plans to support students studying its new Construction T Level qualification. It follows Government investment through the T Level Capital Fund, which will see the college redevelop existing buildings into a next-generation Construction Science & Technology Hub. T Levels are technical qualifications introduced by the Department for Education as a new two-year post-GCSE option to prepare students going into skilled employment. Moulton College will launch its initial T Level in Construction in 2024-2025, with the first cohort able to make use of the brand-new Hub. The investment will be used to repurpose and update an existing facility, which will be transformed into a new space able to deliver the requirements of the T Level qualification, supported by industry-standard specialist equipment. The building will contain bespoke classrooms and practical skills spaces, including a construction science lab and a digital technology unit offering CAD software and leading virtual reality technology. Corrie Harris, CEO and principal of Moulton College, adds: “We are delighted to have been successful in receiving a share of the UK-wide T Level investment funding. It will enable us to deliver a first-class curriculum in a modern, high quality and engaging learning space, inspiring our students to develop the cutting edge practical and theoretical skills the construction industry requires.” Minister for Skills, Apprenticeship and Higher Education Robert Halfon says: “This boost of over £100 million is our latest investment in T Levels. These are robust, high quality technical qualifications providing a unique ladder of opportunity for students to gain both classroom knowledge and on-the-job experience. “T Levels will support young people into rewarding careers and back businesses with the skills of the future.” Moulton College will offer the Construction T Level from September 2024 alongside other T Levels in Electrotechnical Engineering and Arboriculture.

National planning consultancy Boyer (part of Leaders Romans Group) has reopened its Midlands office, based at Cedar Business Park, Normanton on Soar, Loughborough following a re-fit with sustainability at its heart. Boyer’s Loughborough sustainable office features solar panels, a biomass boiler and EV chargers. It has sustainable carpets and hard flooring made from 65% recycled material and low volatile organic compounds paint. Waste to landfill is minimised through an organised recycling and compostable waste system. Acknowledging the importance of the circular economy, Boyer will be re-using much of its original furniture and fittings. At the point at which these items are replaced, the same sustainable principles will be followed. David Hutchinson, director and head of Boyer’s Midlands office, said: “We are delighted to be the first of Boyer’s six offices to have undertaken a sustainable re-fit. “As planning consultants, we understand the impact brought about by climate change and our work is focussed on delivering sustainability through the built environment. So its entirely apt that we used this opportunity for a re-fit to put our strongly-held principles into practice in our own building. “The expansion of this office has resulted in the creation of the first regional hub accommodating our Land, Planning and New Homes services in a single office. This will enable collaboration between these linked services to better serve our clients and to help secure further growth across the region.” This, Boyer’s first sustainable refurbishment, is one of many within Leaders Romans Group (LRG), which is refitting many of its branches across its estate agency brands to focus on energy efficiency and recycling.

Plans to improve the eastern side of Derby city centre have been given the green light by planners. Derby City Council’s planning committee recently granted permission for the Eastern Gateway scheme. The project, which is part-funded by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, will add extra shops and leisure outlets and create a new public boulevard to transform the area opposite the bus station and the eastern entrance to Derbion. The business case for the Eastern Gateway scheme, which will be delivered by Derbion, estimates that the regeneration will create new jobs, drive additional footfall and support the ongoing recovery of the city centre. John Forkin, Managing Director of Marketing Derby, which submitted a letter supporting the application, said: “We really welcome this as improving the city gateway from the bus station and two of the city’s largest hotels is long overdue. “The area has a footfall of over 12 million people which will only increase when the Becketwell Performance Venue opens in 2025.” The plans involve the removal of a section of the former Eagle Market building and the Castle and Falcon pub, opening up the streetscape and creating a vibrant new space. It will create a split-level area of landscaping, with a series of garden terraces with opportunities for seating at different levels, overlooking the street. It will also include durable play zones to offer a family friendly element to the scheme, with food and drink outlets and associated seating bringing further vitality to the site. A new double height Derbion entrance, which is designed to be welcoming and inviting to visitors, is also part of the scheme. A report prepared by planners ahead of the committee meeting stated: “The existing entrance on the corner of East Street and Morledge provides an uninviting arrival to the city. “The proposal seeks to create a welcoming ‘Eastern Gateway’ to the city centre from the Bus Station with new landscaping works. “These high-quality proposals will raise the overall design standard for Derby city centre and make a positive contribution to the character of East Street.” The city council was awarded £15 million by the Government back in December 2020, following a successful Future High Streets Fund bid to support the recovery of the city centre. Around £5 million of this funding has been allocated to the Eastern Gateway scheme. A share of the funding has also been invested in refurbishing the city’s Grade II-listed Market Hall into an attractive, flexible retail and leisure destination.