- 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.
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:
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
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
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
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
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.”
East Mids law firm sees turnover rise 19%
Law firm Howes Percival’s turnover increased 19% in 2023, according to its latest annual results. The result follows a period of sustained growth, with turnover now up 33% over the last three years.
The firm, which has offices in Leicester and Northampton, has seen turnover increase from £23.6m in 2020, to £31.3m this year.
The growth has been across all offices and all practice areas with Corporate, Commercial and Banking turnover up 74% in three years, Employment Law 23%, Property 25%, Litigation 31% and Private Client 15%.
In August, Howes Percival confirmed it had created 50 new roles in the last two years to meet increased demand for its services.
Over the next two years, the firm plans to continue recruiting across all six offices, creating a further 50 additional new roles, including partners, solicitors and support roles.
Howes Percival Chief Financial Officer, Fayaz Sattar said: “This is a fantastic result, and I am pleased with our performance over the last financial year, given the wider economic situation in the UK. We had been targeting a figure just over £28m in 2023, so to have exceeded our plan quite significantly is testament to the efforts of the entire team.
“Looking forward our core markets are holding up well and have remained resilient, despite inflation in general and the economy as a whole. We obviously can’t control the wider economic factors, but we can ensure that we are a well-diversified firm, investing in our fee earner expertise, IT and back-office infrastructure to continue to provide the most competitive and attractive offer we can to clients.”
Howes Percival Chairperson and East Mids partner, Geraint Davies continues: “We really are thrilled with this result given the unprecedented economic times we are in. Everyone has worked incredible hard so it is great to see the results reflect this. We are continuing to take market share in all our locations and there is real momentum behind the firm at the moment. We will be investing further through 2024/25, in our people and in the business itself, to meet the client demand we are seeing and deliver further growth.
“Our strategy has been to invest in our teams and the business as a whole for a number of years now, and without doubt, we are seeing the results of that plan. Our people are central to everything we do. We want to be a firm that attracts the best talent and is seen as the place to nurture and develop your career from trainees through to partners and at every level for our non-fee earner teams. We have that infrastructure in place now and it is one of the key reasons we are performing so well as a business.”
Countryside Partnerships welcomes new Managing Director for North East Midlands
Countryside Partnerships, the provider of mixed-tenure housing, has welcomed Lee Parry as Managing Director for the North East Midlands.
Lee joins Countryside Partnerships from Keepmoat Homes where he worked as Construction Operations Director, before becoming Interim Managing Director.
In his new role he aims to unlock and maximise both complex brownfield sites and appropriate greenfield sites, working in partnership with local authorities, housing associations and private rented institutional investors to bring much-needed multi-tenure new housing to the region.
The North East Midlands business has ambitious site acquisition targets for 2024, with a minimum target of securing at least six new sites with or without detailed planning permission in place. These sites will be located within Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and North Derbyshire.
Adam Daniels, Divisional Managing Director, Countryside Partnerships Midlands, said: “I am delighted to welcome Lee Parry to head up our North East Midlands team. He brings a wealth of experience and a clear vision to tackle the region’s need for high quality homes across a range of tenures. I look forward to working with him to further develop our partnership building division across the North East Midlands.”
Lee Parry, Managing Director, North East Midlands, Countryside Partnerships, said: “I’m extremely proud to be taking the reins for North East Midlands. It’s a privilege to be working with such a great team and I look forward to continuing to grow the business. My focus is firmly on addressing the region’s chronic shortage of affordable mixed-tenure housing.”
Wellie brand bought by French footwear manufacturer
Wellie brand Evercreatures has been bought by French footwear company Rouchette as part of a deal for its parent company Astbury Collections.
It is a first overseas purchase for the French company, which had previously been a supplier to Evercreatures.
The purchase of the Lincolnshire-based business will bring significant inward investment of up to £500,000 from Rouchette as it looks to bolster its presence in the UK.
Tony Bailey, a co-director of Astbury Collections, will join Rouchette as its sales and marketing director in the UK. He said: “This is a great deal for both brands. Rouchette want to expand faster into the UK and approached us last year about a sale to use the infrastructure already in place.
“Now the deal has been completed, it will see considerable investment in new products, innovation, infrastructure and staff. For current UK customers, they will see the benefit with a new range of stock and new designs for Evercreatures.
“I am already engaged in talks with major retailers, predominantly garden centre chains, who are looking to secure stock in 2024.”
Evercreatures was founded in 2004 and has consistently produced eye-catching fashionable wellies for men, women and children as well as a range of accessories.
Rouchette, which is known for its robust rubber footwear in a range of designs for the garden, maritime and lifestyle sectors, was established in 1990 by Jean-Louis Rouchette.
Sébastien Rouchette, managing director and son of the founder, said: “I’m proud to announce our first overseas acquisition with the purchase of Astbury Collections and its flagship rain boot brand Evercreatures.
“It was quite natural for us to buy a well-known brand in the world of footwear. This is a new stage in the company’s life, which promises to be an exciting and extremely rewarding project.”
National recognition for Nimbus Disability director
A director of Derby-based social enterprise Nimbus Disability and vice chair of Mansfield’s Portland College has been named as one of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK – working to break the stigma around disability to create a more accessible and inclusive world for all.
Mark Briggs PLY, who lives in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, has been named in the Digital and Technology category in recognition of his work to develop the internationally-recognised Access Card.
The Disability Power 100 celebrates ambition and achievement and plays a role in changing society by recognising the strengths and talents of disabled people who are pioneers, changemakers and influencers.
The 100 finalists were selected by an independent judging panel chaired by Andrew Miller MBE from more than 1,500 public nominations. The top 10 and all-important top spot, will be announced on 8 November from The Drum, Wembley.
Previous winners of the Disability Power 100 number one spot have included comedian and presenter Alex Brooker, campaigner and peer Baroness Jane Campbell, BBC disability journalist Nikki Fox.
Mark has been instrumental in the massive growth of the Access Card which has been recognised with The Queen’s Award for Innovation and is held by hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and beyond who register their accessibility requirements.
Nimbus originally created The Access Card, the first accessibility scheme of its type in the world; offering a universal and consistent way of disabled people evidencing and communicating their access requirements to providers quickly and discreetly.
Powered by ‘NOS’, a bespoke software system that translates its holder’s disability/impairment or access requirements into symbols which ultimately means that when booking online, it informs providers quickly and discreetly about the access requirements that individuals need. It has realised a simplistic way for disabled people to book online and protect those reasonable adjustments for those who require them.
It is already widely recognised at the majority of the UK’s leisure and tourism venues with a large number allowing online integration and booking for disabled customers including Buckingham Palace, The NEC Resorts World Arena and Alton Towers as well as at venues in the USA, Europe and New Zealand.
Mark works alongside Nimbus Disability managing director Martin Austin MBE who was named in the Disability Power 100 last year.
Mark said: “Nimbus is run by disabled people for disabled people and our mission through the Access Card is to provide a universal, digitised way of communicating all verified access requirements, from eligibility to essential companion tickets to the necessity for wheelchair-accessible facilities and so much more.
“Our system enables each access requirement flagged to be integrated directly into ticketing systems to remove the need to continually call ‘special’ booking lines and fill in ‘special’ booking forms or answer personal and invasive questions over the phone.
“Ultimately our operating system lessens the administrative burden on disabled people at the same time as opening up equality of access to online ticketing solutions from West End theatres to theme parks.
“I am deeply honoured that I, and therefore the whole team at Nimbus Disability, have been recognised in this way.
“The Disability Power 100 is an important way to highlight disabled role models and advocates across a number of sectors whose work is changing society.”
