New office and new hires for Ascentant Accountancy

Tess Egginton
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New office and new hires for Ascentant Accountancy

Derby-based Ascentant Accountancy have moved office to double the amount of space available as the firm continues to grow.

Ascentant Accountancy have moved to Ivygrove property Keynes House on Alfreton Road to accommodate the growth of its team as its headcount continues to increase.

The new space allows the firm to provide free hot desking to clients, an incubator space for startup businesses and dedicated conference room facilities for client roundtables and networking events.

Immediately following the move, Ascentant Accountancy have recruited new legal cashier, Su Churm, from Rothera Sharp, and a new apprentice, Thomas Finnegan via local provider, EMA Training.

Managing Director, Kevin Drew said: “The move has really enabled us to facilitate our growth plans as we can build out new client offerings, grow our headcount and build a community around our business.

“We quite literally ran out of space in our prior office, which impacted our ability to recruit and our ability to grow. We can now really focus on moving forward and have a number of new hires in the pipeline. The last 12 months have seen rapid growth at the business, record turnover and a churn of new client engagements.”

Five on shortlist in Mansfield’s White Hart Street design competition

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Five on shortlist in Mansfield’s White Hart Street design competition
A competition to design a major social housing scheme in Mansfield’s White Hart Street area has resulted in a shortlist of five entries being invited to go through the next stage.
There were a total of 37 entries for the competition which is being managed by The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) on behalf of Mansfield District Council. Mike Robinson, Strategic Director at the council, said: “There was a very high level of interest from architectural practices nationally and internationally and we are confident this will lead to a high quality scheme.” The five shortlisted practices now have to develop a concept design for the site to be submitted by the end of May. These submissions will then be assessed by the evaluation panel to select the winning practice. Whoever wins will work with the council subject to the approval of a business case for the scheme. White Hart Street is an important area close to the town centre which has been run-down and largely derelict for many years. The council is seeking a scheme that will address the challenges of climate change, provides affordable high quality homes for people of all ages and respects the architectural heritage of the site which is within the Bridge Street conservation area. The council purchased land in this area last year (2022) in order to facilitate its regeneration. Redevelopment of this area would strongly align with the council’s Growth, Aspiration, Wellbeing and Place priorities. Full Council approved a £16.5m budget to build new council homes on this brownfield site in 2019. Architects entering the competition currently have a £14m budget for the scheme although this may increase subject to a successful bid for grant funding. The properties are expected to be a mix of housing types, including family houses and apartments for older people, and built to the Future Homes Standard to save energy for residents, in line with the council’s Climate Emergency Action Plan. They would be added to the council’s stock of affordable homes. The firm winning the competition will progress the design for planning permission, subject to approval by the Full Council of the business case which is expected in early 2024. If approved, a planning application will be submitted and if that is approved, demolition work could start around October 2024 and building work in February 2025.

Seven figure deal secured for Nottingham office

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Seven figure deal secured for Nottingham office
In a testament to the growing confidence of the East Midlands commercial property market, Innes England has completed a major deal with an offer being tendered within 24 hours of the property reaching the market.
Located at The Triangle, at Nottingham’s NG2 Business Park, the detached 5,730 sq ft property was put on the market on December 5, with an offer at the asking price being received the following day. 

The final paperwork concluded on Valentine’s Day just 10 weeks later, with the new owners now planning to move in by the summer.

The seven-figure deal reflects the burgeoning commercial property market in the East Midlands despite it still absorbing the consequences of the UK’s economic turmoil in the second half of last year.

Ross Whiting, director at Innes England who handled the deal having previously managed the property, said: “The striking thing about it has been the quick turnaround between putting the property to market and signing the final bits of paperwork.

“Especially for a property of this size and for a solid price, the fact that an offer was tendered within 24 hours which was consequently paid just ten weeks later, with Christmas and the New Year period in between, is remarkable. The quick timeframe meant that handling the transaction was an exercise in due diligence and ensuring every detail was taken care of.”

Colleague Andy Nuttall, associate director in the property asset management department, added: “Our management of the property served us well as we worked with all the parties involved to ensure a smooth sale process, including dealing with the service charges and compliance. We are also pleased to continue managing the property on behalf of the new owners.”

The vendor, Rod Shiers, said: “It wasn’t surprising to see such keen interest in the property – it’s an impressive building in a desirable location that has great access to the tram and the A52. Ross and the team at Innes England worked hard to assist us in achieving a prompt sale and gave good advice throughout the process.”

Topps Tiles hails record first half revenues

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Topps Tiles hails record first half revenues
After reporting record years for revenue in both 2021 and 2022, Topps Tiles, the tile specialist, has delivered a record first half. According to a trading update for the 26-week period ended 1 April 2023, revenues at the Leicestershire-based firm reached £130.5m, £11.3m or 9.5% higher than the prior year. Approximately £9m of revenue growth was related to the acquisition of Pro Tiler Tools and the launch of Tile Warehouse in 2022. Rob Parker, CEO, said: “Our performance across the first half has been good, with a record period for group revenues, supported by like-for-like sales growth in Topps Tiles of 4.3% and an excellent post-acquisition performance from Pro Tiler Tools. “The economic outlook remains uncertain but early signs of easing supply chain pressures, allied to the group’s strong balance sheet, world class customer service, specialist expertise and growth strategy give us confidence in our ability to drive value for all stakeholders over the medium term.”

Green light given to start work on 333 brand-new Nottingham homes

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Green light given to start work on 333 brand-new Nottingham homes
Countryside Partnerships, the mixed tenure developer, has been granted planning permission by Rushcliffe Borough Council to start work constructing 333 brand-new homes at Fairham and has signed agreements with emh group and Start Living for the scheme’s affordable and private rented homes. Countryside Partnerships is the first developer to start work on the site, which will bring forward much-needed housing to the local area. ‘Alvaredus’, so named as a nod to the area’s lineage to Alvaredus de Clifton, a Norman knight, will deliver 333 new homes and provide a sustainable new community made up of two, three and four- bedroom properties. The scheme will deliver 133 homes for private sale, 100 affordable homes for emh group and 100 private rental homes through Start Living, the single family build-to-rent joint venture between Gatehouse Investment Management and TPG Real Estate Partners. Martin Harrison, Managing Director, North East Midlands, Countryside Partnerships, said: “We are delighted to get the green light to start work to build a well-planned, safe and friendly community with a great mix of housing options to suit everyone. “It is great to be partnering with emh group on this inclusive residential development which will not only create housing, but also local employment and with millions of pounds of investment in the local economy.” Chris Jones, executive director for development at emh group, said: “We are proud to be working with Countryside Partnerships on this exciting new scheme. These 100 new high-quality homes will contribute towards meeting the housing aspirations of people in the area and will support the local community to thrive.” Paul Stockwell, Managing Director of Gatehouse Investment Management, said: “Having worked closely with Countryside Partnerships on other developments, it is hugely pleasing to be undertaking another project with them, which when complete will be Start Living’s third site in Nottingham. Securing planning permission is a major milestone for the scheme, and we look forward to construction getting underway.” Homes England and Clowes Developments have partnered to deliver Fairham, a 606-acre mixed-use neighbourhood located on the southern edge of Clifton. Fairham will not only deliver new employment opportunities but will also assist Rushcliffe Borough Council in meeting its new homes target of 13,500 dwellings by 2030. In order for Countryside Partnerships to achieve planning consent for Alvaredus, the team had to pay close attention to the Fairham masterplan and adhere to strict design codes intended to encourage developers to create schemes that comply with Fairham’s aspirations for quality, deliverability and sustainability, providing people with the opportunity to flourish and thrive in a well-rounded built and natural environment. Residents at Alvaredus will benefit from Fairham’s expansive cycle ways, green corridors, ecological and wildlife zones, a neighbourhood centre and excellent public transport links. Robert Hepwood, director – Clowes Developments, said: “After many years of planning Fairham, we are absolutely delighted to welcome Countryside Partnerships to the development. To date, most of the works at Fairham have centred around a £100 million infrastructure works package, ensuring that power, utilities, sewerage, drainage, and roads are in place. “The first four buildings on Fairham Business Park are nearing completion with occupiers scheduled to move in before the end of the year. We have worked closely with the NET to create a brand-new access road off Mill Hill serving the Park and Ride and Fairham. “Having the first housing developers mobilising their team on site is a very exciting next step for Fairham.” Countryside Partnerships is due to start the construction of Alvaredus at Fairham imminently.

Property consultancy makes 24 promotions across East Midlands offices

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Property consultancy makes 24 promotions across East Midlands offices
A property consultancy has made 24 promotions across its offices in the East Midlands following a period of growth. Fisher German has promoted 19 colleagues at its head office in Ashby, while five have been promoted at its Market Harborough offices. Three have been named as partners – Louise Duffin and James Watson at Market Harborough, and Richard Gadd at Ashby, while seven people have also progressed within the partnership. At Ashby, Matthias Charlton becomes associate partner, Joanne Ziemelis becomes senior associate, while Antonia Wyatt, Emma Pattisson, Hannah Price and Robert Webster have been promoted to associate. Bev Cowley becomes PR manager, Joanne Morton becomes senior administrator, Katy Bregazzi becomes senior GIS technician, Emily Weston becomes senior planner, and Joanna Grew is now people system officer. Further promotions at the Market Harborough office include Harry Edwards, who becomes associate partner, Matthew Trembath, who is now an associate, and Julia Dilworth, who becomes a senior estate administrator. The promotions in Market Harborough come after a recent move for the team to a new office at Welland Business Park after being based in the town’s high street for decades. Louise, who joined Fisher German as a graduate in 2001, advises a variety of clients across Leicestershire, Rutland and beyond on estate management, and regularly works with Fisher German’s development and planning teams on major projects. She heads up a team of seven and is hopeful of attracting new surveyors into the company now she has been invited into the partnership. Louise said: “It’s fantastic I have joined the partnership after working my way up through Fisher German since joining right after I finished my degree. “Fisher German has always supported me in my career from day one, and for me to have the opportunity to become a partner despite working part-time shows the faith in me and in what I can do for the company. “It’s great that 24 of us have been promoted across the East Midlands, and this reflects the strength of the team in the region. “I am excited to help bring in new talent to our new office in Market Harborough, help them grow their careers, and continue the excellent advisory work we provide for our clients every day.” The news follows Fisher German’s merger with Matthews & Goodman in June last year – a deal which has created one of the largest providers of multi-disciplinary property services in the UK, with 28 offices and a turnover approaching £60 million. Fisher German has made a total of 54 promotions, including ten partner promotions, through the firm’s career progression framework, which gives employees a clear pathway to advance within the business. There have also been 20 progressions within the partnership. Duncan Bedhall, senior partner at Fisher German, said: “I would like to congratulate all of those who have received promotions, and it is fantastic to welcome ten colleagues to the partnership. “This announcement demonstrates the career progression opportunities at all levels and specialisms within the firm and shows our commitment to investing in learning and development right across the business. It also highlights the exceptional quality and hard work of our colleagues. “It is excellent to see a number of colleagues who joined us from Matthews & Goodman receive promotions. “The business continues to go from strength to strength following the merger, and we continue to capitalise on collaborative opportunities within the firm which benefit both the business and our clients. “I look forward to announcing further promotions across the firm later in the year.”

Basford planning consultancy celebrates 40th year in business

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Basford planning consultancy celebrates 40th year in business
The 1st April to most is an opportunity to play tricks on each other, but for Aspbury Planning, this year was serious, as the business turned 40 years old. The business (originally named Antony Aspbury Associates) was founded by Tony Aspbury in 1983 with the first offices based at Castle Gate, Newark. In 2007 the business moved to its current location at 20 Park Lane Business Centre in Basford. In the spirit of growth and reinventing itself, in 2015 the business moved into its next phase with a new name and so ‘Aspbury Planning Ltd’ was born. Aspbury has always been and will continue to be a hub for development and growth. It has helped to develop confidence and skills in its team that have led to substantial promotions for them in the planning world. 2022 saw Denise Knipe become Managing Director and secure Asbury’s future for many years to come. In an ever-changing world where many things are uncertain, Aspbury Planning has stood the test of time. Its future looks bright and its team are stronger than ever. It plans to celebrate this momentous occasion with a party in the summer months to thank everyone who has helped Aspbury Planning to achieve the success it has, so watch this space. In the meantime, if you need help with your project contact Aspbury Planning today! Aspbury Planning is small, but mighty, with the skills and knowledge to drive projects forward, whilst providing a consistently excellent service.

Nominations open: East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023

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Nominations open: East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023
Nominations are now OPEN for East Midlands Business Link’s annual Bricks Awards, shining a light on the region’s property and construction industry. The prestigious event recognises development projects and people in commercial and public building across the region – from office, industrial and residential schemes, through to community projects such as leisure schemes and schools. Take this opportunity to showcase your team, reward their efforts, and boost morale. To nominate your (or another) business/development for one of our awards, please click on a category link below or visit this page.
Award categories include:

Nominations end Thursday 31 August

Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 28 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – an evening of celebration and networking with property and construction professionals from across the region. The event will also welcome Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, as keynote speaker. Find out who last year’s winners were here.

Book your tickets now

Tickets can now be booked for the awards event – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 28 September 2023 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge County Cricket Club from 4:30pm – 7:30pm. Connect with local decision makers over canapés and complimentary drinks while applauding the outstanding companies and projects in our region, and hear from Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, our keynote speaker. Dress code is standard business attire.
Guests network at the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022
Thanks to our sponsors:                                                             To be held at:

6 steps for social media success

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6 steps for social media success
Nearly every business owner knows the importance of social media marketing – and video is the most effective form of online advertising content, generally achieving better audience retention and engagement when compared with other formats like still images. This ultimately leads to a higher click-through rate and more sales. However, that’s only when you use video on social media in the correct way. Here is your six-step action plan for successful social media video marketing. Step 1) Create 4 short videos each month Assuming you post one video each week, making four short and engaging videos all in one ‘batch’ saves a lot of time – being part of your monthly to-do, rather than weekly. To ensure suitability across multiple social media platforms, your marketing videos should be no longer than 59 seconds. This also helps with viewer retention, as you won’t be requesting too much of their time. Each video should be highly engaging, with a ‘hook’ at the beginning to keep viewers interested. Step 2) Export each video in both Square and Portrait aspect ratios Aspect ratio basically refers to the ‘crop’ or ‘shape’ of the video, such as landscape (widescreen), square, or portrait. Typically, these would be referred to as 16:9, 1:1 and 9:16 respectively. As most social media videos are watched on phones, your videos should be uploaded using the most suitable aspect ratio, to ensure that they take up a lot of ‘real estate’ on a phone screen. This means you should opt for square (1:1) and portrait (9:16), as these are the most favourable across various social media platforms. Make sure you export each of your four videos in both square and portrait, effectively creating eight videos. Step 3) Post square videos on Facebook and LinkedIn Facebook and LinkedIn can be awkward places to post portrait videos, as you usually find that a portion of your video (e.g. the bottom quarter) is covered up by the platform’s interface and buttons. Particularly if you then boost the video, Facebook will crop a portrait video to make it less tall, potentially hiding an important part of the video content. It is best, therefore, to post the square aspect ratio versions of your four videos to Facebook and LinkedIn. Step 4) Post portrait videos on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts These platforms are designed for 9:16 portrait videos, allowing you to dominate a phone screen’s real estate and achieve maximum attention from your audience. Step 5) Boost the videos to reach a big targeted audience Some business owners believe they will have success with social media video marketing without actually ‘boosting’ their posts (paying Facebook, for example, to show the videos to more people). However, it’s just not realistic to expect a return on investment if you don’t make an investment. You should ideally spend at least £50 per video to reach a big and targeted audience. Videos without any ‘boost’ budget don’t even reach all of your page followers, while a boosted video can be seen by many, many more people and specifically target your demographic and geographical region. Step 6) Make it really easy for yourself If you want to make life easy, get the very best high-quality content, and be left only to post and boost the videos, you should look to hire a video production company that specialises in this kind of videography. While some such companies might charge thousands per month, Glowfrog Video Production are currently offering a social media discount bundle deal, in which you get four videos each month – in both square and portrait aspect ratios – for just £99 each! Just click here for more information or head to www.glowfrogvideo.com/bundle.

New dean appointed at Nottingham University Business School

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New dean appointed at Nottingham University Business School
The University of Nottingham has appointed professor David Park as the new dean of the Nottingham University Business School. Dr David Park is a professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and was previously associate dean (external engagement) and the director of Executive Education for the School. Professor Park holds three degrees (BEng, MSc, PhD) from the university, in engineering and artificial intelligence, and has a wealth of practical entrepreneurial experience gained in the UK and New Zealand from starting and running his own innovative businesses and social enterprises. He has first-hand experience in raising millions of dollars’ worth of start-up funds, growing effective, multi-disciplinary teams, and completing multi-million-dollar licensing deals with FTSE100 companies. He has also played an active role in helping create national policies across a number of sectors including food, geospatial engineering and UAV systems. As well as providing strategic support and mentoring to hundreds of early-stage companies and social enterprises across the UK, he has enthusiastically mentored and taught thousands of Undergraduate and Postgraduate students from across the world. Professor David Park, dean of the Nottingham University Business School, said: “This is an exceptionally exciting time to become dean of Nottingham University Business School. There are some fantastic opportunities on the horizon in academia and business to help us realise the School’s potential.” The news comes as the School is set to make a significant investment in its staff, students and research, as well as expanding its operations to the new Castle Meadow Campus in the city centre. The Business School will conduct teaching, research and partnership activity on the new site, establish a new Executive Education Centre, and provide a practice-orientated campus where employers and postgraduate students can work and learn together.
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