Alstom secures eight-year services contract extension worth €950m from CrossCountry

Tess Egginton
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Alstom secures eight-year services contract extension worth €950m from CrossCountry
Alstom has signed an eight-year extension to its Train Services Agreement (TSA) with CrossCountry. The contract extension is valued at around €950 million.

Under the agreement, Alstom will continue to maintain, overhaul, service and clean 252 vehicles of the CrossCountry fleet (34 Class 220 Voyagers and 24 Class 221 Super Voyagers) at their primary depot, Central Rivers.

In addition, seven Voyagers will move to CrossCountry when they are released from service with Avanti West Coast to bolster the CrossCountry fleet and enable service uplifts in due course.

“We are delighted to extend our Voyager Maintenance Contract with CrossCountry for another eight years. We have worked in close partnership since 2007, providing reliable, well-presented, and safe trains for all CrossCountry’s customers. We look forward to working with our colleagues at CrossCountry to help them deliver a high-quality train service for the next eight years,” says Nick Crossfield, Alstom Managing Director, UK & Ireland.

“We’re delighted to continue our relationship with Alstom as we embark on our National Rail Contract. Improving the onboard experience is critical to ensuring our customers view us as a long-distance operator of choice and we look forward to working closely with Alstom in the years ahead to deliver these improvements,” says Tom Joyner, Managing Director, CrossCountry.

Alstom is the UK & Ireland’s leading supplier of new trains and train services, having built, or building, just under 40% of the UK mainline train fleet; as well as the entire fleets in service with London Underground. The company is one of Derby’s largest private sector employers, where the future of its Litchurch Lane factory is currently unclear.

Health and well-being will be main focus of £60m redevelopment

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Health and well-being will be main focus of £60m redevelopment
Building designs that advance health and wellness will be considered as part of £60m redevelopment plans. The WELL Building Standard is the world’s first evidence-based system designed for measuring, certifying, and monitoring building features that impact on health and wellbeing. The trend is increasingly on the rise around the globe as emphasis shifts to how indoor spaces can improve quality of life. Now, an expert in the field will be sharing his knowledge with the team who are behind the redevelopment of Leicestershire County Cricket Club’s Uptonsteel County Ground. Rob Day is the newest recruit to the working party formed to push through plans for the £60m rebuild. With 40 years of experience, the Chairman and Founder of Blueprint Interiors, based in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, will add a wealth of experience and passion to the group which also includes the likes of Steve Kind, who was instrumental in Leicester City moving to the King Power Stadium. Day has a strong background in commercial property and has expertise in implementing the international WELL standard and will be working with the group to ensure the standard forms part of the planning and design. Rob said: “When the ground redevelopments were announced it definitely piqued my interest and when Sean approached me to ask if I’d like to be a part of it there was no doubt. Leicestershire has a phenomenal asset there in terms of the ground itself and it is clear there is a strong team coming together with representation from ECB and the City Council. I think we’re all inspired, and we’re all driven by that shared passion for the club and the desire to see it succeed. “At Blueprint we’ve evolved into more of a workplace consultancy-led business and that’s because we have a clear understanding of what people need to function and that undoubtedly will be of value to the club. We work to the WELL standard which is a global standard that concerns itself with the suitability of a building being for the people that are using it and because our own approach to the workplace is so human-centric, I’ll be able to feed this in through the working group to help create a space that is designed entirely around the people using it. “I absolutely see the opportunity for Leicestershire as both a club and a business. There’s a real opportunity there to develop relationships with local schools and students that are surrounded by some particularly challenging demographics and cricket has got terrific potential to help us overcome that, I’m excited to get stuck in.” Sean Jarvis, CEO of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, added: “It’s great to have Rob on board to help the ambitious plans we have for the club. He brings some really important insights to the team which will prove invaluable as we move into the next stages of the development.” Other members of the working party include Bruce Cruse, Director of Facilities at the ECB, Tom Lomante, Head of Capital at Leicester City Council, Ian Kendall, Director of Leisure Projects at LCCC, and Chairman, John Thorpe.

Deep-fat flyer: Rolls-Royce succeeds in sustainable aviation fuel tests

Stuart Pearcey
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Deep-fat flyer: Rolls-Royce succeeds in sustainable aviation fuel tests
Rolls-Royce has succeeded in a series of tests with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel on its latest generation of business aviation engines, the Pearl 15 and the Pearl 10X. The fuel was made from waste-based sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oils and waste fat, delivering the potential to significantly reduce net CO2 lifecycle emissions by about 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.
Rolls-Royce says its tests demonstrated that its current engine portfolio for large civil and business jet applications can operate with 100% SAF, laying the groundwork for moving this type of fuel towards certification. At present, SAF is certified only for blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel. By the end of 2023 Rolls-Royce will have proven that all its in-production Trent and business aviation engines are compatible with 100% SAF. Dr Dirk Geisinger, Director Business Aviation, Rolls-Royce said: “Sustainable Aviation Fuels are a key element of our sustainability strategy, as they will play an important role in decarbonising long-haul flight. With its outstanding environmental performance, the Pearl family is already setting new standards in the ultra-long-range corporate jet market.”
The Pearl 15, the first member of the Pearl engine family, powers Bombardier’s Global 5500 and 6500 aircraft, while the Pearl 10X will power Dassault’s ultra-long-range flagship aircraft, the Falcon 10X. Tests on the Pearl 700, powering Gulfstream’s G700 and G800 business jets, have already been completed in 2021.
The tests took place at Rolls-Royce’s Business Aviation headquarters in Dahlewitz, Germany, and are part of the company’s ongoing ambition to play a leading role in the journey to achieve net zero flight by 2050.
As well as proving compatibility with 100% SAF another target of the test campaign was to run a back-to-back engine test with both Jet A-1 and SAF on the same Pearl 10X engine. The aim was to confirm further improvements in the environmental footprint when switching to SAF. The results from this first back-to-back engine emission test under standard certification conditions provides important correlations for the evaluation of future SAF within our environmental strategy.
The back-to-back tests conducted with conventional fossil-based fuel and subsequently SAF also confirmed a cleaner combustion of the sustainable fuel, with significantly lower levels of non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM). In combination with the low NOx combustor technology of the Pearl 10X and its additive manufactured combustor tiles a reduction of all emissions was achieved.
 

Contractor named for Birstall games area project

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Contractor named for Birstall games area project
Ten Construction has been appointed to create a multi-use games area on School Lane Playing Fields in Birstall with support from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The project is receiving £150,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is one of 10 projects chosen by Charnwood Borough Council. The Council has been allocated £4 million from the fund to invest in communities, support local businesses and improve skills. Cllr Jennifer Tillotson, Charnwood Borough Council’s Lead Member for Economic Development, Regeneration and Town Centres, said: “I am delighted to see this project progressing as the multi-use games area will be a great asset for the Birstall community. Now the contract has been awarded, we look forward to seeing work start on the facility.” Birstall Parish Council Vice-Chairman Tony Fowler has been campaigning for many years for a MUGA. He said: “I am really pleased we have been able to secure the funding as this is a facility the community really needs. “We were very impressed with the design put forward by the contractor, particularly as there was a focus on making this games area very accessible for people of all ages and abilities.” The MUGA will be located in the central area of the playing fields and will be available to use for football, basketball, cricket and a host of other activities. It will also include games that can be played by people of all abilities. Charnwood Borough Council is backing 10 projects across the borough utilising the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. They include extending Jubilee Hall in Anstey, regenerating Sileby Memorial Park and Pavilion, expanding sports facilities in Mountsorrel, backing a three year youth support programme, improving the wellbeing and skills of young people as well as regenerating Shepshed’s Market Place.

Gateway at PEAK Resort makes new progress

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Gateway at PEAK Resort makes new progress
Revised Phase 1 planning applications have now been submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council for the Gateway at PEAK, which has been consented on 300 acres of land regenerated from opencast mining located on the eastern boundary of the Peak District National Park, outskirts of Chesterfield. The Gateway is intended to play an important role in cementing Chesterfield as a destination town and as part of the Peak District experience providing visitors to the region and the local community with low impact ways to explore the National Park thanks to a zero-carbon travel hub. Like a ski resort, PEAK Resort will be built around a carless mobility service, not in this case to mountains and skiing, but into the Peaks for biking and hiking, for nature, heritage, sport and culture. The commercial village will comprise of experiential retail, locally sourced dining and unique spaces for events, artisan craft and learning experiences. Phase 1 of the development will create around 1,000 jobs across these sectors with a commitment to education and green skills delivered via an onsite skills academy. The planning consents for PEAK Gateway Resort were implemented and safeguarded in 2016. The founders of Birchall Properties, the landowner, have already invested over 35 years in nature recovery, passive rewilding and preparation for the development on the 300-acre Birchall Estate which had been the subject of extensive open-cast activities. The development footprint for Phase One of PEAK Resort is just 10% of the 300-acre reclaimed estate. The rest of the estate continues to facilitate ongoing work and experimentation to improve biodiversity net gain and research into suitable building materials for the future development which can be gathered and replenished. It is also currently home to Forest Schools, helping bring children from urban environments into the great outdoors in safe, educational settings. Stanton Williams were recently appointed to design the Gateway at PEAK and in recent months key, strategic agreements have been entered into, which will be announced soon. These include:
  • Heads of terms with national retail brands to become anchor tenants for the commercial village element of the Gateway.
  • An agreement with a hotel operator to bring a flagship concept to Gateway and operate the 165-room hotel.
  • Heads of terms with vehicle and transport partners to operate the zero-carbon travel hub.
  • Agreements with regional education providers to develop education and learning opportunities at the Gateway.
  • Heads of terms with a leading UK Waste Management partner to deliver waste management solutions and enable an innovative circular economy with a focus on waste reduction and recycling.
PEAK Resort is a phased development of national significance. Phase 1 will represent a £200m capital investment supporting and showcasing clean growth in the visitor economy across multiple sectors. Section 73 and Reserved Matters Applications relating to the already consented planning approvals have now been submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council. Outline and reserved matters approvals were granted for previous iterations of PEAK Resort. The revised Phase 1 has now been developed to incorporate latest best practice and operator requirements. The Gateway will comprise zero carbon travel hub enabling carless access to and within the Peak District National Park, a 165-room resort hotel, a variety of F&B outlets and spaces for experiential retail facilitating all types of outdoor pursuits including a significant focus on horticulture and adventure sports.

Liqueur producer wins accolade at Great British Food Awards

Stuart Pearcey
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Liqueur producer wins accolade at Great British Food Awards
North Derbyshire fruit liqueur producer Hogg Norton has won Silver at this year’s Great British Food Awards for its Passion Fruit Liqueur product. The latest accolade is Hogg Norton’s third Great British Food Award, which sits alongside 10 Great Taste Awards the business has won since it was founded.  Find out more about Hogg Norton’s latest Great Taste Award win. Explaining his delight at being recognised once again, Mike Norton, co-founder of Hogg Norton commented: “The Great British Food Awards provides us with the opportunity to have our food and drink tasted by some of the UK’s most acclaimed chefs, critics and influencers. “This is why it is so important as we are judged by experts in their fields and we are proud that we have achieved 3 of these awards which shows we produce our liqueurs to a consistently high standard. “Winning this award shows that our products are recognised throughout the country.  All produced in Chesterfield and made with no artificial colours or preservatives. Our liqueurs are great on their own, with Prosecco, added to tonic or a lemonade for a long drink or can flavour Gins, Vodkas, Whiskeys or Rums or even poured over desserts and ice cream.” Speaking about how Chesterfield is the ideal location for the producer, Mike added: “Being based in the Chesterfield gives us inspiration, as we have the best of both worlds – being on the edge of the Peak District and close to all the amenities of the town.”

Mansfield District Councillors to consider plan to relocate council HQ

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Mansfield District Councillors to consider plan to relocate council HQ

Mansfield District Councillors are set to consider a report regarding moving the council’s operational headquarters to the planned Mansfield Connect hub.

Details of the scheme are due to be presented to the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 7 November to give members a chance to reflect on and comment on the project ahead of an expected delegated decision by the Executive Mayor, Andy Abrahams, later in November. A report by the council’s Strategic Director, Mike Robinson, to the committee says the plan to redevelop the former Beales department store into a multi-agency civic hub forms a key part of the council’s adopted town centre Masterplan. The council was last year awarded £20m from the government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF) in ring-fenced funding to enable the redundant landmark 1930s building to be extended and modernised. It would house a variety of public, enterprise, and health and wellbeing services, alongside spaces for private sector investment. By bringing together a variety of public services under one roof in the heart of the town centre, the development is expected to have a number of benefits. As well as improving the co-ordination and delivery of public services, it is expected to generate extra footfall in the town centre from the people who will work in the hub and from people who visit it. This should act as a catalyst for wider development, stimulating both the local day and night time economy. Deputy Mayor Craig Whitby, who is also the council’s Portfolio Holder for Corporate and Finance, said: “Everyone knows our town centre needs a kick-start and new vision. “In an age of internet shopping, the high street now needs to be a place where people live and work, as well as shop. “Revitalising a building that had no longer had a commercial purpose or future, and represents the decay of the past for as long as it remains empty, demonstrates considerable civic leadership after decades of decline. “Mansfield Connect represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to initiate a renaissance of our town centre as well as helping us improve the delivery of our services by being able to work more closely with our partners in a purpose-built one-stop shop. “This is a key component of a comprehensive approach towards the regeneration for the town centre, steered through the Masterplan. “These are exciting times for Mansfield town centre. Private plans have already come forward for redevelopment of the Rosemary Centre site; the former bus station site is already partly redeveloped and the White Hart Street area has been acquired for residential redevelopment. “We are thrilled to see this flagship scheme taking shape from a wish-list to a reality. We believe we have proven there is a business case for this scheme and that it is affordable, but there is still a way to go.” Mike Robinson added: “The council has been working with Partnering Regeneration Ltd to develop the business case for the project. This demonstrates that from an operational position, the council will be no worse off than the current operational position at the Civic Centre. Indeed, it is expected to achieve a saving year on year. “The scheme also sits side by side with the council’s four key corporate priorities of Growth, Wellbeing, Aspiration and Place, with educational opportunities for local people to upskill and improve their life chances.” The current plan would see the space requirement met from refurbishment and rebuild. This would see the retention of the former Co-op building, with the remaining parts of the former Beale’s store building being demolished and a new-build being incorporated. Two existing shopping link footbridges over Stockwell Gate would be removed. The submission for LUF funding costed the project at just under £26m. Inflationary pressure impacting on construction costs since the award of this funding means the costs are now estimated at £30m. Negotiations are under way with the government to secure an additional £5m to enable the project to become a beacon of green, low carbon, energy efficient regeneration. Any formal decision to relocate the council from the Civic Centre would be conditional on a full funding package being in place and being able to present an affordable scheme. The Department for Work and Pensions, Nottinghamshire County Council, NHS health partners, and volunteering co-ordinator Mansfield CVS have all expressed interest in taking offices at the new hub. Nottinghamshire County Council is a vital partner in the project and is expected to locate its administrative centre within the hub and be a co-funding partner of it. Vision West Notts College could potentially use the hub to locate students on its catering courses, including a dining facility and possibly a fitness suite. NHS health partners are expected to occupy a multi-function suite providing a vaccination hub, plus women and children’s support and men’s health unit. Retail space in the building is expected to be suitable for a small scale convenience store. There could also be scope for a small scale enterprise hub, focused on creative and digital businesses and start-ups.

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company invests over £10m in Northampton Brewery to boost sustainability

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Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company invests over £10m in Northampton Brewery to boost sustainability
Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) is to invest more than £10m in upgrading equipment at its Northampton Brewery, increasing capacity for producing its Snap Pack packaging and reducing its water usage.
The investments will see three significant upgrades realised, with all three set to go live in Q1 next year; a second-generation machine for packaging cans in Snap Pack is being installed, alongside a new laser can encoder and an improved can filler and seamer. First launched in 2018, Snap Pack uses innovative glue dot technology to hold cans together, removing the need for plastic rings and making multipacks more sustainable. Snap Pack was co-developed by Carlsberg Group and KHS GmbH, an international manufacturer of filling and packaging equipment. This technology has been used across some of the best-known and most popular beers in CMBC’s portfolio, including Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, San Miguel, Birrificio Angelo Poretti and Brooklyn Pilsner. By the end of 2022, Snap Pack was used for 65% of the four- and six-can multipacks produced at the brewery. The new second-generation Snap Pack machine will allow double the number of Snap Pack multipacks to be produced, with the company aiming to fully transition by the end of 2024. By eliminating plastic rings from packaging, once fully rolled out across four- and six-can multipacks it is estimated that Snap Pack will reduce CMBC’s plastic usage by up to 76%, compared to previous multipacks. The replacement KHS can filler, which will be attached to a new seamer from Ferrum, and a Domino Laser Can Coder are also being installed, bringing a number of improvements across efficiency and safety. Combined, these new machines alone will see an estimated reduction of around 10% in water usage, around 18 million litres every year – equivalent to more than seven Olympic-size swimming pools or almost 32 million pints. Paul Davies, CEO, CMBC, said: “We take our responsibility as a brewer very seriously and ensuring we reduce our impact on the planet is a hugely important part of this. This major investment of more than £10m in Northampton demonstrates our clear commitments to eliminating packaging waste, reducing water waste, and improving efficiency at our breweries. “By taking ambitious action now, we can deliver on our sustainability goals and enable even more of our innovative Snap Pack multipacks to make their way to consumers.”

Derbyshire accountancy firm makes fifth acquisition of 2023

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Derbyshire accountancy firm makes fifth acquisition of 2023
Cooper Parry has welcomed financial planning firm, Chamberlyns, to the Cooper Parry Wealth (CPW) team. Is is the Derbyshire accountancy firm’s fifth acquisition of 2023, following deals with ihorizon and Acclivity in the Tech & High Growth space in February, the addition of London-based financial planning firm, Future Perfect, to the CPW team in April, and the arrival of Haines Watts London and its associated audit and advisory businesses in September. The deal takes CPW to over £1.3bn assets under management, with a headcount of around 70, while CP now consists of over 1,150 individuals. Ade Cheatham, CEO, Cooper Parry, said: “2023 began quickly and we’re showing no signs of slowing down. As well as being a high-calibre, specialist financial planning firm, the Chamberlyns team have successfully embarked on their own acquisition journey in the past. “That experience is sure to prove useful as we continue ours, and given the cultural similarities between our businesses, I know the benefits for all parties and our clients will be huge.” Stephen Jones, Cooper Parry Wealth CEO, added: “Chamberlyns is a business I’ve known and respected for many years since myself and Michael Smith (CEO) first met in a best practice group in March 2010. “I’ve watched their progression closely since then and admired their principles of true financial planning and evidence-based investing because our businesses share so much common ground. “Having met the rest of the Chamberlyns team over the years, I knew they’d be a perfect fit as we continue our deals through 2023 and beyond, positively impacting more lives and building a legacy to be proud of.” Michael Smith, former Chamberlyns CEO joins CPW as Head of M&A and Proposition. He said: “It feels like ideal timing for both businesses. There’s no question to me that Cooper Parry Wealth is one of the leading financial planning and wealth management businesses in the UK. And, as part of the wider Cooper Parry Group, it has that infrastructure and multi-disciplinary offering that would benefit Chamberlyns and our clients. “We’re excited to be joining a business combining pedigree and continuous innovation in the early stages of its acquisition journey, and I’m sure we’ll go from strength to strength.”

Freeths Nottingham advises on completion of EG Group’s UK sale to Asda

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Freeths Nottingham advises on completion of EG Group’s UK sale to Asda
Law firm Freeths, led by its Nottingham office, has advised on completion of EG Group’s £2.07bn sale of its UK operations to Asda. Founded by Issa brothers in 2001, EG Group is a British retailer which operates filling stations, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants across Europe, the United States and Australia. The successful transaction was led by Freeths UK Real Estate legal team, Partner Atiyya Khaliq and Managing Associate Michaela Mason, together with Managing Associate Zac Clayton, Associates Samuel De La Bertauche, Hayley Bunt, Nicole Hendy and Elliott Thorne, and Legal Assistant Poppy Hinton, supported by colleagues from Freeths’ Glasgow office including Partner Paul Ockrim, Director Gary Georgeson and Associate Pamela Gorman. The team worked alongside corporate lead counsel Skadden. Commenting on the deal, Atiyya Khaliq said: “It’s been wonderful to work with the EG Group team and its corporate and tax advisers Skadden and EY on this sale which has been testament to the business and its stakeholders all working together to complete the transaction. This deal has really played on the strengths of our Freeths national Real Estate capabilities. “Marking a new chapter for EG Group, we look forward to seeing what’s next in store.”
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