Granby Street changes could become permanent, says Council
A POP-UP scheme introduced three years ago to create more space for pedestrians and outdoor seating on Granby Street in Leicester city centre could be made permanent.
The Council is proposing to create additional available car parking on side streets off Granby Street to support local businesses, and so that footpaths along the busy shopping street can be permanently widened.
If given the go-ahead, the plans would see existing pop-up measures that provide more space for shoppers and outdoor café-style seating improved and made permanent. This would involve converting former pay and display parking bays on Granby Street – which have been out of use for more than three years – with new paving and seating areas, to help create a safer and more attractive route between the city centre and Leicester railway station.
The temporary measures were originally introduced as part of the city council’s response to Covid-19 in spring 2020.
Additional on-street parking is now proposed for Chatham Street, York Street, and Dover Street.
York Street would be made one-way to create space for more safe car parking.
The city council is also proposing to close the junction of Dover Street and Granby Street to motor vehicles to help improve safety. A new turning facility would be created on Dover Street, so access for general traffic can be maintained. This measure was originally proposed as part of the recently completed Granby Street gateway scheme, funded through the Getting Building Fund, a pot of government funding awarded for shovel-ready infrastructure projects to create jobs and support economic recovery.
The proposals are part of wider, ongoing investment to improve the street scene and shopping environment in Granby Street. This includes the refurbishment of historic shopfronts and restoration of the landmark Grand Hotel building, supported as part of the city council’s successful bid for £1.5million from Historic England towards a High Street Heritage Action Zone for the Granby Street and Church Gate conservation areas.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke said: “Granby Street is a major gateway into the city centre and a busy shopping street in its own right. It links directly to the railway station and is a well-used route for people walking, wheeling or cycling into the city centre.
“These latest proposals will build on the recent improvements to this important part of the city centre, and support the major heritage-based investment now being made to landmark buildings along the route. It’s vital that we continue to invest in Granby Street to support local businesses and to improve the look and feel of the area, making it feel safer and more welcoming to all.”
Improvements get green light at Matlock regeneration site
Derbyshire Dales District Council is pressing ahead with improvements to the former market hall site in Matlock’s Bakewell Road – despite the authority’s long-term vision being put on hold due to the volatile construction market.
For a number of years the council has been driving forward a key town centre regeneration project to enhance the street scene along Bakewell Road, improve public transport waiting areas, and convert the former market hall into a two-screen cinema and new food and beverage/retail unit.
But at a full meeting of the District Council on Thursday it was confirmed that two invitations to procure a main contractor and value engineering of the scheme design had not brought acceptable or affordable tenders, illustrating the significant challenge of delivering the proposed scheme in the current inflation-impacted construction market.
To give the construction market situation more time to improve while still utilising a 2023/24 UK Shared Prosperity Fund government grant, Thursday’s meeting approved an initial revamp of the site worked up in consultation with ward Members and Leaders of the council’s Progressive Alliance administration.
This will deliver a first phase of improvements to the bus station and taxi waiting area. Public realm improvements to the area surrounding the bus station are also proposed, including new trees, new planters, new seating and new cycle parking.
The District Council’s Regeneration & Place Manager Giles Dann explained that the initial phase one works package aims to improve the entrance to the high street, utilise currently redundant space and improve the area for waiting bus passengers and taxi users without prejudicing any future re-development of the site.
Improvements will feature external works to the building including glazed window openings and external lighting, internal works to the bus station area including new seating, passenger information and lighting and a new bus layby.
All councillors bar two voted in favour of the new phase one scheme, and Council Leader Councillor Steve Flitter said: “I don’t think anyone could have worked harder than Giles and fellow officers who have been working on this for years. The officers are just as frustrated as we are that we can’t get this off the ground.
“We want to move forward in 18 months’ time. We want to have a cinema in Matlock if that is possible and, if not, at that time we will make another decision. At this present time we want to keep the cinema operator on board.
“We want things to improve. While this has all been going on, the cost of materials, the cost of labour, all those contractual costs rose so significantly. There are no promises but we have got to look at this and we’ve got to prepare.
“We have a shovel-ready scheme here. It’s been well worked through on every angle.”
Speaking about the planned improvements to the bus and taxi waiting area, Councillor Flitter added: “People talk about Matlock benefiting from this scheme. It isn’t just Matlock. It’s a public transport safety issue and everyone from Bakewell, from Ashbourne, from Wirksworth and in the villages and further afield comes to Matlock and what they want to have is a safe journey home.
“We’re trying to do our best in Matlock to give Matlock residents, Derbyshire Dales residents and visitors the opportunity to wait for public transport in an open, safe environment and that’s the whole emphasis of this scheme.”
Thursday’s meeting heard that this first phase of development is capable of being delivered within existing statutory consents and, subject to procurement, work can start in early 2024.
Council won’t challenge decision on Gartree super prison planning permission
Harborough District Council will not challenge the Secretary of State’s decision to allow planning permission for a new Cat B prison adjacent to the current Gartree Prison, councillors have decided.
After considering an exempt report on the implications of starting legal proceedings, which included advice from King’s Counsel, councillors voted in a private session not to allocate funding for a statutory challenge at a Full Council meeting on 11 December 2023.
Councillors were asked to consider the potential grounds on which the council may seek to challenge the Secretary of State’s decision letter in which the appeal was allowed, along with the prospects of such a challenge being successful.
Although the decision to commence legal proceedings in this case is a decision for Cabinet, Full Council is required to decide whether to allocate funding from the council’s reserves to finance the legal proceedings, therefore amending the Budget and Policy Framework.
A council spokesperson said: “Harborough District Council wanted to fully explore the option of a legal challenge and funded advice from King’s Counsel (KC) on the matter. Unfortunately, KC advised that no grounds for a challenge have been identified.
“The council’s Chief Finance Officer also advised that allocation of funding for this legal challenge would not meet the fiduciary duties of the council. The council recognises that the decision not to allocate funding for a legal challenge was a difficult one and there is a lot of concern about the new prison in the community.
“It is disappointing that the council’s decision to refuse planning permission was overturned, but we also recognise that there is no reasonable chance of being successful in a legal challenge.”
In April 2022, Harborough District Council refused a planning application on the grounds of unsustainable location; harm to the character and appearance of the landscape and harm to an area designated as an Area of Separation.
An appeal was brought by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and arrangements were made for the appeal to be heard at a public inquiry in October 2022, which was recovered for the Secretary of State’s determination in September 2022. A public inquiry was held in October 2022 and the Inspector’s Report was published in January 2023.
The Secretary of State’s Decision Letter in which planning permission was allowed was issued on 15 November 2023.
Nottingham game development studio acquired for £76.5m
Keywords Studios, the international provider of creative and technology-enabled solutions to the global video games and entertainment industries, has acquired The Multiplayer Group Ltd (MPG), a multiplayer focused game development studio headquartered in Nottingham, for £76.5 million.
The Group has acquired the business from Improbable, the metaverse company, which has owned MPG since 2019.
MPG is one of the largest and most respected developers of AAA multiplayer games and technology for some of the world’s best-known studios and publishers including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda, Zenimax, Epic and 2K.
MPG provides a range of services including both co-development and full game development to a global client base, and also has functions working on data science, new technology and AI. The business has grown rapidly since its foundation in 2018 and now employs over 360 staff globally.
MPG’s leadership team comprising Andy Norman, Rocco Loscalzo, Vaughan O’Brien and Roger Cheung will continue to lead the business post-acquisition and will participate in a management incentive plan based on ambitious growth targets over the next two years.
Bertrand Bodson, CEO of Keywords Studios, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the MPG team to Keywords. MPG is a business that we have long admired for its high-quality work, blue-chip client base, deep experience in developing AAA multiplayer games and its use of technology and data analytics.
“This is another important step in building out our platform and expanding our offering to encompass specialised multiplayer game development at scale, which is increasingly in demand for live services.
“We believe that MPG complements our existing high-quality UK and global Create studios and are excited to bring them into the Group. We look forward to working with Andy and the wider talented MPG team over the coming years to continue to drive growth in the business.”
Andy Norman, CEO of MPG, said: “MPG has found success in the multiplayer space through passion, expertise, and customer driven collaboration. We have seen strong growth over the past few years, working on some of the most complex and successful games in the market, supported by our dedication to a sustainable, people-first culture.
“With Keywords, we believe we can continue to lead and grow multiplayer innovation, bringing the MPG ethos to more customers and games. We look forward to working closely with Keywords and driving growth both in MPG and across the enlarged Keywords’ group.”
Games Workshop and Amazon’s plans to develop films and TV series stride forward
A year on from its initial announcement, Nottingham’s Games Workshop has entered into an agreement with Amazon Content Services LLC for the prospective development by Amazon of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe into films and television series, together with associated merchandising rights.
Under the terms of the agreement, Games Workshop has granted exclusive rights to Amazon in relation to films and television series set within the Warhammer 40,000 universe, together with an option for Amazon to license equivalent rights in the Warhammer Fantasy universe following the release of the initial Warhammer 40,000 production.
Games Workshop and Amazon will work together for a period of 12 months to agree creative guidelines for the films and television series to be developed by Amazon. The agreement will only proceed once the creative guidelines are mutually agreed between Games Workshop and Amazon.
‘Disruptive’ East Midlands startups invited to fully-funded Venture Builder
Innovative and ambitious startups in the East Midlands are being offered the expertise of dedicated disruptor entrepreneurs to help drive transformation and resilience – as well as access to multiple perks including more than £70,000 worth of hardware and software credits – as part of the CBIT Venture Builder programme at Nottingham Business School (NBS), part of Nottingham Trent University.
The fully funded Venture Builder is a core part of the Centre for Business and Industry Transformation (CBIT) at NBS. It focuses on nurturing entrepreneurs who are looking to challenge and disrupt industry norms and revolutionise their business operations to propel them from the early stages to scalable and sustainable growth.
CBIT Venture Builder’s sparring partner approach delivers a customised journey tailored to each startup, featuring four key offerings: in-depth business model clinics and innovation; business process and product road mapping; strategic growth hacking; and investment readiness. This personalised journey ensures that a business’s growth is strategically guided and robustly supported at every stage.
Start-ups gain access to an array of perks, including advanced hardware and software technologies such as drones, AI development-ready stations, 3D printers for prototyping, and credits for essential services like Notion, Miro, AWS, Stripe, and other essential tools.
Professor Xiao Ma, director of CBIT and an internationally recognised thought leader and educator in entrepreneurship, business transformation, and digital economy, said: “Our role at CBIT has been pivotal in assisting numerous startups in pivoting and understanding their unique value propositions, aiding them in transforming business norms.
“We are committed to nurturing more businesses, helping them to innovate and challenge conventional industry standards, with the aim of establishing them as leaders in their respective fields.”
Businesses supported by the Venture Builder so far include IoT workforce and security management business, Jakin ID, and its parent company, Actatek, which has just won a major contract for the supply of state-of-the-art access control and workforce management hardware and software solutions, and UK grooming brand BarberBoss, which is currently working with the programme on a £230,000 Knowledge Transfer Partnership to improve supply chain efficiency and reliability through the use of artificial intelligence.
Recent additions to the portfolio are Freeaim VR, whose groundbreaking virtual reality shoes offer a highly immersive experience in virtual reality environments, and Healthy Air, a Nottingham-based venture pioneering in the field of air purification technology. Its advanced air purifier product is designed to significantly improve air quality in both workspaces and homes, effectively addressing the critical challenge of air pollution and ensuring a healthier environment.
The Venture Builder has also assisted DOCK-Y, a technology innovation company with a mission to make micro-mobility safer, smarter, and more secure. Experts from the programme helped DOCK-Y through the process of developing and launching its Advanced Rider Assist System (ARAS) that leverages artificial intelligence, computer vision, and machine learning to revolutionise the safety of e-scooters and e-bikes, among other micro-mobility device.
Manish Pillay, founder and chief executive of DOCK-Y, said: “DOCK-Y’s journey in the CBIT Venture Builder program has been significantly beneficial. This opportunity has allowed us to have access to valuable expertise, aiding in the refinement of our business model and processes, and enhancing our growth tactics. CBIT has been more than just a collaborator; they’ve been a valuable partner, propelling us forward in Dock-Y’s journey towards having a strong foot in the micro-mobility sector.”
The CBIT Venture Builder is fully funded but businesses must meet selection criteria as places per year are limited.
Public engagement event on Nottingham City Council budget proposals scheduled
A public engagement event has been scheduled on Nottingham City Council’s budget for 2024/25.
The council is faced with a £50m funding gap as the crisis in local government funding continues to impact on authorities across the country.
Last week, the council published initial proposals put forward by council officers to make the savings needed to close the budget gap and balance the budget for 2024/25, which is a legal requirement for all councils.
The engagement event is due to take place at the Council House on Wednesday 20 December between 5.30pm and 7pm and is open to all. No booking or registration is needed. It will give people a chance to hear from leading councillors and officers on the proposals, the current national crisis in local government and ask questions.
The council’s Executive Board will meet on 19 December to discuss the proposals and agree formal consultation can commence which will run for four weeks until 16 January. It will include an online survey as well as further engagement events.
The proposals for consultation involve managing demand, increasing charges, reducing costs, reducing services to a statutory minimum and in some cases ceasing services and funding altogether.
Last month, the council’s chief finance officer issued a Section 114 Report due to the authority not being able to deliver a balanced budget for the current year.
Major pressures affecting local government nationally, including the cost of increased demand for children’s and adults’ social care and rising homelessness presentations, have led to a £23 million overspend this year and whilst the council says it is working hard to reduce this through enhanced spending controls, some of these underlying pressures will continue to affect the budget next year.
Last year, services for adults, children and housing and homelessness accounted for 62.5% of the council’s revenue budget. Since 2013/14, the council’s Revenue Support Grant (RSG) from Government has reduced by £97 million every year. Over the same period, Nottingham’s ‘Core Spending Power’, a measure used by Government which also includes income from Council Tax, business rates and other grants, has reduced by 28.2% in real terms compared to 19.4% for all councils in England, according to SIGOMA, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities.
Although not the cause of the overspend in the current year, past issues in the council’s financial governance which led to the appointment of an Improvement and Assurance Board have reduced its financial resilience and ability to draw on reserves.
2024 Business Predictions: Edward Grant-Salmon, Managing Director of Xtra Express Logistics
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Edward Grant-Salmon, Managing Director of Xtra Express Logistics.
I believe that businesses, particularly those in the logistics sector, will need to work hard on their sales pipelines in 2024.
Interest rates and inflation on fuel have massively impacted cash flow for businesses in our industry in 2023, so logistics companies need a steady flow of new contracts coming in to negate this and be sustainable.
The businesses that are cash rich and not paying high interest rates on business debts will weather any further storms that 2024 sends our way.
Ultimately, the 2024 economy will be driven by government decisions on fuel duty, inflation, interest rates and other changes to legislation such as rises to the living wage and National Insurance contributions.
Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) and eco/sustainability will be key considerations for logistics firms in 2024 too, with many prospective clients looking to them to demonstrate what they are doing to reduce their carbon footprint and tackle climate change.
Derby’s new performance venue reaches another milestone
Derby’s new £45.8m entertainment and conference venue has reached another milestone as the auditorium starts to take shape.
Just five months after main contractors Bowmer + Kirkland moved on site, the steelwork alongside rows of concrete steps which will become a tiered seating area is clearly visible.
An overhead steel gantry containing 200 tonnes of steelwork for lighting and other technical equipment is also being constructed.
Councillor Nadine Peatfield, Cabinet Member for City Centre, Regeneration, Culture and Tourism at Derby City Council, said: “It’s thrilling to see the building being built from the ‘inside out’ with the seating area being installed before the walls. It’s amazing to think this time next year the venue will be almost complete and getting ready to open.
“This new and flexible space is a key part of putting culture back into the heart of Derby. The progress of the scheme so far is giving the city a real buzz and we are already talking to business and shop owners in the area to discuss how they will handle the increased footfall that the venue will bring.”
In the coming weeks, additional steel beams will be fitted to create the roof, ready for the concrete pour in early 2024. This will be followed by a layer of insulation, plasterboard and quilting to ensure the building is soundproofed.
The finished building will contain 1,200 tonnes of steel. Heavy machinery is helping the 10 operatives responsible for fixing the steel into place. The heaviest single piece weighs 3.5 tonnes and the longest single span of steel is 12.9 metres.
Bowmer +Kirkland Contracts Manager, Stephen Green said: “This is an exciting milestone as the purpose of the building is now starting to reveal itself.
“Despite the recent inclement weather, construction is on programme and we are delighted to be working with all our project partners to bring such an exciting development to Derby and the wider region.”
Paul Morris, Development Director at St James Securities, added: “It’s great to see the new entertainment venue taking shape in front of our eyes. This fantastic venue will offer a larger, more flexible space than Derby has had in the past and will collaborate with and complement the activities of Derby Arena to provide the best possible events programme for Derby and the wider region.”
Set to host over 200 cultural and commercial events each year, the venue is expected to attract an additional 250,000 visitors to Derby, create over 200 new local jobs, and increase levels of investment in surrounding areas of the city centre.
The venue will be owned by Derby City Council and leased to and operated by ASM Global, a venue management company, whose UK portfolio includes OVO Arena Wembley, AO Arena (Manchester), and Olympia and OVO Hydro (Glasgow).
Practical completion and handover are scheduled for the first quarter of 2025, just a couple of weeks later than was originally planned when contracts were signed in March 2022.
The new 3,500 capacity venue forms the second phase of the £200m Becketwell regeneration scheme.
Phase one includes The Condor, the city’s first purpose-built Build to Rent scheme, which is now open, owned and operated by Grainger plc, along with Springwell Square, a new public square for the city, which officially opened in September.
The scheme is being developed by St James Securities, a privately-owned Leeds-based property developer.
Future planned phases of the scheme include the potential for a range of other complementary uses of the site including a hotel, further residential accommodation, and purpose-built student residential.
BRUSH Group supports Leicestershire Christmas children’s charity
Loughborough-based BRUSH Group has teamed up with Leicestershire charity, Toys On The Table, to bring presents to some of the region’s most disadvantaged children this Christmas.
Employees of the energy engineering solutions company have gathered together a huge collection of new toys and games for the charity to distribute to children who might otherwise not receive anything on Christmas day.
Besides the generous gifts from its workforce, the company also donated 25 copies of Monopoly – Loughborough Edition – which features BRUSH as the Electric Company.
Nicolas Pitrat, BRUSH Group CEO, said: “Toys On The Table is a wonderful charity and we jumped at the opportunity to support them this year. I hope families receiving our gifts will enjoy spending time together playing Loughborough Monopoly over Christmas and I would like to thank all my colleagues who donated to this year’s collection.”
