Build to rent specialist Oblix Living has purchased the former HMRC tax offices from Mapeley in its first venture in the city. The 89,000 square foot vacant building is set to be transformed into new homes with planning approval for 100 one and two bed apartments granted in August 2021. Oblix Living is looking at options to re-design the scheme to meet current building regulations and also bring in amenities, such as a gym, residents’ lounge, workspace, car parking and a landscaped garden. The Saxon House building on Causeway Lane sits opposite the High Cross shopping centre in the heart of Leicester and on the doorstep of the city’s bustling leisure scene. Rishi Passi, CEO, Oblix Living said: “At Oblix Living we’re looking to fill a gap in the private rental market, providing well-specified homes with the amenities that people want, but without pushing prices up beyond most people’s reach. “We’re going to need to re-design the existing plans for the site to meet changes in building regulations, but this also gives us the opportunity to create communal spaces for residents including a lounge, workspace and gym. “This site benefits from a location right in the heart of the city, within walking distance to shops, restaurants and bars and good transport links. We see it appealing to young professionals looking for a well-designed apartment alongside communal spaces where they can socialise or work from home.” Founded in 2020, Oblix Living is already on site in Sheffield with 95 apartments under construction at Iron Yard and is actively targeting other towns and cities across the UK. Taking a service-led approach, Oblix Living is creating homes for professionals seeking flexibility, security and amenities fit for modern day living.

West Northamptonshire Council has appointed specialist innovation centre management company, Oxford Innovation Space, to manage Vulcan Works Creative Hub, a new innovation centre for Northampton’s small creative businesses. Located in the heart of the town’s Cultural Quarter and Waterside Enterprise Zone, Vulcan Works consists of 68 lettable units specifically aimed at start-ups and growing businesses within the creative industry. West Northamptonshire Council has led the multi-million regeneration project to transform the area, including two new buildings, along with the renovation of a former ironworks and a collection of old and derelict industrial workshops, to provide local creative businesses with studios, workshops, and managed workspaces. It is anticipated that during its first ten years of operation, Vulcan Works will support up to 150 businesses across the county, creating around 500 jobs. With over 30 years at the forefront of providing support to start-ups, Oxford Innovation Space successfully manages innovation centres throughout the UK, providing expert support and knowledge to drive business growth and regional success. Jo Stevens, Managing Director, Oxford Innovation, said: “We’re delighted to be managing this new centre that is part of such an inspiring rejuvenation project. We pride ourselves on our ability to provide bespoke support for all businesses within our centres. It’s much more than a workspace, we build innovative communities, that with the expert support from our innovation directors, are encouraged to grow and thrive.” She added: “Northampton has been identified as one of the top 10 innovative places in the UK. We’re really looking forward to help drive this further and maximise the innovative spirit of the town.” South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) has contributed £6.3m towards the £14m scheme, through the Local Growth Fund and a further £3m contribution coming from the Waterside Enterprise Zone. Cllr Daniel Lister, cabinet member for economic development, town centre regeneration and growth at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “Oxford Innovation has a fantastic track record in managing sites like Vulcan Works and we’re very lucky to have them on board. I know with their guidance and support, the small creative businesses choosing the site as their home will go from strength to strength.” The workspaces are expected to be available from early next year.

The construction industry in the Midlands needs to “think differently” to meet the challenge of finding 10,000 new starters every year for the next five years to meet project demands. That’s the view of Lorraine Gregory, the director of the Civil Engineer Contractors Association (CECA), which supports companies across the sector and provides a voice for the industry. Civil engineering firms were already facing a skills and recruitment crisis before Covid-19 struck but the pandemic has seen it worsen meaning 50,000 new recruits will be needed between now and 2027 to deliver on projects earmarked for the Midlands. Lorraine said an aging workforce – 23 per cent of employees are now over 55 compared with just 10 per cent in 1990 – made it vitally important that more people were attracted into the sector and, also, retained within it. She said: “An ageing workforce in our sector is something that has long been warned about and with many using the pandemic as a moment to take retirement, it is starting to come home to roost. “Despite many older workers taking retirement, the workforce in construction is still not getting any younger on average. “The figures show a much higher percentage are now over 55 and the concern is that the cohort aged 25-54 is now weighted towards older end of the spectrum. “The implications of this, is that we’d expect to lose greater numbers of workers as we move forwards and there is little evidence that they are being replaced by younger workers at anywhere near the same rate. “It’s vitally important, therefore, that we think differently about how and where we recruit and what we do to keep them in the industry. “Ongoing training – something CECA supports our members with – is great way to ensure skills are constantly improved and allow people to progress but we all recognise that we have to do more to get people into the sector in the first place. “We are not the only industry that’s crying out for more workers so we have to differentiate ourselves from other sectors. Through CECA, we’ll be sending STEM ambassadors into the schools in the region to promote the vital work that civil engineering does and the incredible careers it can lead to. “When speaking to individual businesses that get recruitment right it’s clear that this is not a short-term fix. Firms need to look at how they go about this and plan how they intend to ensure they have the skills for the future.” Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd, which has offices across the UK including Birmingham, Solihull, Stowe and Manchester, has a Future Skills Programme – which includes apprentices, graduates, trainees and placements – and currently just under 15 per cent of the business’s 700 employees are either on it or graduated from it. Retention rates are high and, as a result, an average of 20 new entrants complete studies annually and become permanent members of the Group. The firm is still not immune from the effects of the recruitment crunch but the commitment to bringing new people into the industry has stood Buckingham Group in good stead. Recruitment manager Matt Suckling said: “We are in a perfect recruitment storm when you look at Covid, Brexit, IR35 and the perpetual issue of an ageing workforce. “Tristan Tregartha, Future Skills manager, began our Future Skills Programme five years ago and it has been a real success story for the business, one that helps us grow our own talent and provides new entrants with a clear career development path. “There is not a quick fix and it comes down to more than the way you recruit. We are in a ‘word of mouth’ industry so you have to make sure that your staff, your supply chain and anyone else who comes into contact with you are all talking about you in a positive way.” Meanwhile, Highway Traffic Management (HTM) in Birmingham, is launching a bid to attract 40 women into the industry. Marcus Casey, business director at HTM, said: “We are growing considerably and as with many industries at the moment, there’s a skills shortage. “We have over half the population who may not be thinking about traffic management as a career path for them, simply because the industry has historically had the reputation of being a hands-on role which therefore tends to attract more men. But there’s more to it than people think with a lot of problem solving involved, attention to detail and customer communication required too. “By challenging the status quo and showing that this type of work can be completed by both men and women, we will be creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce, something we believe is vitally important to the industry as a whole. “We already have female operatives working within HTM, so we have been engaging with them to get their input and see what more we can be doing to encourage more women into the industry.”

Work has started on new council homes following the demolition of old garages in Kirkby. The plans include eight new homes across two sites; three two-bedroom homes on the Ashfield District Council owned garage site on Darley Avenue, Kirkby, and five two and three-bedroom homes on Spruce Grove, Kirkby. These eight family homes will add to the council’s growing housing portfolio. In the past year over 51 new council homes have been built and another 62 are planned. These include 15 family homes on derelict garage sites in Hucknall on Barbara Square, Hawthorne Avenue, Chatsworth Drive, and Chestnut Grove. In Sutton, 31 council homes have been built including five new townhouses on Stoney Street, a mixture of 22 houses and apartments on Froghopper Lane, off Davies Avenue, and four bungalows on The Poplars and The Beeches. Ground has been broken on Charlotte Gardens, off Midland Road, which will welcome 20 new homes in 2023. Cllr Andy Meakin, Ward Councillor for Abbey Hill, said: “It is fantastic that work has started at these two disused sites in Kirkby. We are pleased to be able to provide high quality, affordable housing for residents in Ashfield. “The council has plans to build over 100 new council houses over the next few years and we have made excellent progress with this in the space of a year. We have completed 46 houses so far. This number will continue to rise as we hand over even more quality housing in the coming months.”

Three new lettings have been completed at Borough Hill Farm, Walton on Trent. Printable Promotions Limited, Levison Rose Homes Limited and specialist IT and gaming recruiters, C V Bay Limited, have signed up to the Derbyshire site following the conversion of barns into office accommodation. Phil Randle, partner at Salloway Property Consultants, said: “We are delighted to see Borough Hill Farm fully let. “The landlord, Wheelton Farming Limited, have made an absolutely superb job of converting the barns at Borough Hill Farm into high quality, environmentally sustainable office accommodation. “With soaring energy bills and climate change very much on everyone’s minds, it is no surprise to see these office suites let.” Amy Wheelton, director at Wheelton Farming Limited, added: “We are obviously very biased, but we think this is a wonderful setting located in historic countryside on the side of the Trent valley. “Whilst we have gone above and beyond in terms of providing excellent green credentials, it means a great deal to us that our carbon footprint is minimal, and we are extremely pleased to have found like-minded tenants and we wish them the very best here.”

Next spring social landlord Lincolnshire Housing Partnership will move its Grimsby base to Cartergate House, on Chantry Lane in the town. The housing association previously announced the end of its lease on Westgate House, and its search for a new North East Lincolnshire home. Changes will reflect the feedback the organisation received from customers and stakeholders in the preparation for its 2022-2027 Corporate Strategy, Building Better Communities Together. Customers particularly highlighted their desire to see LHP teams in their communities, rather than having to visit an office environment. The ground floor office suite, extending to just under 5,000 square feet has been empty since the building was built by North East Lincolnshire Council and occupied mainly by Wilkin Chapman Solicitors. Murray Macdonald, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Housing Partnership said: “We have recently launched our 2022-2027 Corporate Plan, Great Homes…Strong Communities, which outlines our commitment to a more sustainable future, and working more closely with our customers in their neighbourhoods. “As an organisation we are embracing modern ways of working and providing our colleagues with both flexibility and the most appropriate facilities for them to undertake their role. “We have also seen our customers’ habits change, as well as moving away from the traditional habits of attending a local office, there has been a call for more ways to contact LHP through digital channels. “We work best when we are engaging with customers and other agencies to deliver housing solutions. Such engagements can work better in the community and, sometimes, in people’s homes. “Having a large office with rows of desks is not particularly efficient and so we have taken the view that a smaller office base and increased technology and flexibility will enable us to invest further into the business.” LHP has been advised by Scott’s Property LLP, whose Lawrence Brown said: “We worked with LHP to help shape and create their brief.  The proposal is to fit out the premises in a modern staff focused way rather than straightforward corporate office. Cartergate House  met a number of criteria including flexibility of accommodation, proximity to other services together with sustainable issues such as public transport links and energy efficiency.” The premises are currently in a shell state and contractors will spend the next few months fitting out the premises with occupation anticipated to take place in spring next year.

The dedicated real estate investment arm of Quilvest Capital Partners (Quilvest or QCP), QCP Real Estate, working with operating partner Arax Properties Limited, has acquired Falcon Works, a multi-let industrial estate in Loughborough. The 53-acre property, strategically located in the heart of the Midlands’ ‘Golden Triangle’ logistics and industrial area, has strong upside potential with scope for increased occupancy rates and rental income. The property also offers great potential for the development of unused land and the redevelopment of obsolete space into new, grade-A space with a more efficient vehicle circulation plan and with significantly improved ESG characteristics. Quilvest intends to invest significantly in this redevelopment to support the growth of SME businesses in the Loughborough area. Patrick Laroche, principal at Quilvest Capital Partners, said: “We are delighted to have completed this acquisition which maintains QCP Real Estate’s strong legacy investing in multi-let industrial assets globally. “This is a highly attractive property, due to its favourable location and good accessibility, with significant scope for value add through development and commercial initiatives. This transaction is aligned with our strategic commitment to this segment, where we have significant UK experience via previous investments.”