Lunaz Applied Technologies’ vast vehicle upcycling campus at Silverstone Park is now fully operational following a major expansion.
The facility, the first of its kind in the world, now occupies a total of 200,000 sq ft according to Lunaz – nearly four times its original size when it opened in 2018.
Some 300 jobs have been created as a result of the expansion, making Lunaz Applied Technologies (LAT) one of the largest companies within the Silverstone Technology Cluster by space and employees.
The expansion means LAT can significantly increase production of its upcycled electric vehicles (UEVs), with capacity to now produce 1,100 of them per year.
Lunaz founder David Lorenz said: “The expansion of the Lunaz Silverstone campus is a clear demonstration of our commitment to breaking the ‘replace-with-new’ cycle.
“Lunaz now has the largest manufacturing footprint of any company within the Silverstone Technology Cluster.
“From this state-of-the-art facility, we unlock the power of upcycling, providing UEVs that are cleaner, cheaper and better equipped than their all-new equivalents.
“Our new and fully operational facilities, which gives us four times as much space as we had before, enables us to continue scaling up production of our UEVs, meet the demands of more fleet operators and government bodies who want to benefit from our technology.
“We will also continue to grow this critical sector through the research and development of our proprietary EV technologies, too.
“Above all, it’s a huge vote of confidence in our own technology and upcycling model, and in Silverstone as a location. We’re very excited that this new chapter for LAT has now begun.”
Upcycling involves taking conventional diesel-powered refuse trucks alongside other commercial vehicles and converting them to fully electric power when they reach the end of their normal working lives.
Lunaz says that UEVs are proven to be cleaner, cheaper and better-equipped than all-new equivalents, saving money for local taxpayers and helping authorities achieve their net-zero goals.
Research, states the business, shows upcycling also carries over more than 80% of the originally embedded carbon from the initial vehicle production process when compared to buying new.
An independent audit showed that the LAT model preserves the equivalent weight of the Eiffel Tower in carbon every year.
The additional space allows LAT to bring the majority of the upcycling in-house, giving it total quality control at every stage of the production process and enabling seamless integration of its proprietary technologies.
LAT has substantially extended the space devoted to innovation within its Silverstone Park facility. The company is pursuing various avenues of technology development to make the upcycling process even more efficient and cost effective, enabling further savings for its customers.
In keeping with its wider environmental mission, the LAT facility is powered entirely by renewable energy.
Plans for a new hotel in Skegness have been approved by East Lindsey District Council.
Burney Property Group are behind the proposals for the former Crazy Golf site on South Parade, which has been left vacant for the past four years.
The new scheme involves two units on the site; a six storey Travelodge hotel with 80 rooms, and a drive thru Starbucks restaurant.
A design statement indicates that the development would create a significant number of local job opportunities, and have knock on beneficial impacts associated with the wider regeneration and investment in the local area.
EV charging points would be included in the development, along with cycle parking spaces, 65 car parking spaces for the hotel and 17 spaces for the Starbucks unit.
A publicly accessible food and drink outlet is also proposed on the hotel’s fifth floor, with panoramic views across Skegness beach and coastline.
Alan Hardy, the former owner of Notts County, is said to be leading a consortium interested in purchasing Scunthorpe United.
The reports from BBC Radio Humberside come after the football club was handed a winding-up petition over money owed to HMRC.
A sale by current owner Peter Swann looked close at the end of 2022, with a deal agreed for the acquisition of Scunthorpe United by a local group.
At the start of December it was said the National League club would work with the group during the final due diligence and transition into their ownership “over the coming weeks.”
Hardy took over at Notts County in 2017, selling to Christoffer and Alexander Reedtz, the owners of football statistics firm Football Radar, in 2019, following the club’s relegation to the National League.
Councillors have approved the latest stage in Leicestershire County Council’s quest to deliver congestion-busting measures on a stretch of the A511 between Ashby and Coalville.
The A511 Coalville Growth Corridor scheme will see major improvements to eight junctions along the A511 and a dual carriageway between Thornborough Road and Whitwick Road.
Integral to the whole plan is the construction of a link road off the Bardon Road roundabout to connect with housing developments off Grange Road.
The planning application relating to the link road proposals was approved by members of the county council’s Development Control and Regulatory Board.
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Gaining planning permission for the link road is a small, but nonetheless, significant step in the progress of the scheme. The A511 has suffered from congestion for many years and this scheme will not only improve traffic flow, but provide us with the opportunity to improve public transport and promote walking and cycling initiatives.
“For example, the link road will include lit footpaths and cycle paths, meaning that local residents can be less reliant on their cars when travelling between the new housing developments and Coalville town centre.”
The road will also provide better access to around 3,500 new homes off Grange Road for which developers have been granted planning permission.
The public right of way on the land would also be re-routed to line up with the road, and a crossing provided for pedestrians.
In addition, there will be an 18-tonne weight limit to restrict heavy vehicles from using the route and proposals to implement a 30mph speed limit.
Mr O’Shea added: “We wanted to ensure that we fully took into account the views of residents and businesses so we also consulted on the link road proposals last year.”
In 2021, the Government approved the county council’s initial plans for the Growth Corridor scheme and awarded £40m to the scheme with around £7m coming from developer contributions as part of a funding strategy developed with North West Leicestershire District Council.
This strategy has also identified approximately £23m of additional developer contributions which would be used to support the scheme, particularly in the light of rising costs, much of it around materials.
The full business case for the A511 scheme is also due to be submitted to Government for final approval in advance of works starting. Work on the scheme is scheduled to start in Summer 2024.
Avant Homes Central has acquired an 11-acre site in Eastwood to deliver 107 new-build homes with a gross development value (GDV) of around £27m.
Called Lawrence Point, the development is located eight miles from Nottingham city centre on Lynncroft.
Subject to planning approval, the development will comprise a mix of two, three, four and five-bedroom homes.
Of the 107 homes proposed, 10 per cent have been designated to affordable housing. Avant Homes has also committed to community contributions of around £680,000 for the provision of local education, healthcare, improvements of bus stops and library facilities, a travel plan, and public open space.
Avant Homes Central Managing Director, Chris Coley, said: “We’re consistently searching for development opportunities across the region. Following great success with our developments in Wollaton, Mansfield and Ruddington, Lawrence Point is a fantastic opportunity to further expand our presence in Nottinghamshire.
“We now await the planning decision from Broxtowe Borough Council, and, subject to approval, we look forward to commencing initial groundworks in due course.”
Councillors and transport experts will meet in Nottingham today for a transport summit, to share plans for improvements to the city’s transport network.
The event organised by Midlands Connect in partnership with Nottingham City Council will see discussions of proposed improvements to rail links in and out of the city, and a presentation of innovative transport developments.
The Nottingham Transport Summit will also focus on innovative transport in the city, with presentation and a panel from key figures in Nottingham City Council’s transport department. Nottingham is ahead of the game when it comes to innovative transport, with £11m of investment for electric buses being announced last year. The city has also invested in active travel such as e-bikes and e-scooters.
Midlands Connect will present an update on its proposals for rail improvements to Nottingham. One of these is the Nottingham to Lincoln line, passing through Newark Castle. The sub-national transport body is working on plans which would improve safety measures and reduce journey time.
Tawhida Yaacoub, senior rail programme manager at Midlands Connect, said: “It’s great to be here in Nottingham today sharing our plans to improve connectivity to the city.
“Nottingham is such an important and key city in our patch so we want to showcase how we can help its residents keep moving.”
Cllr Audra Wynter, portfolio holder for transport at Nottingham City Council, added: “Both Nottingham City Council and Midlands Connect have such exciting plans for enhancing transport options in Nottingham. It is fantastic to come together and share these ideas with members of the community.”
The Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) has announced its work programme after its funding was extended for a further five years by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
From January 2023 the ESCoE will begin the development of a new programme of work on economic statistics, hosted at King’s Business School at King’s College London with professor Rebecca Riley as director, and professor Paul Mizen, of the University of Nottingham, as deputy director.
Established in 2017 with the support of the Office for National Statistics, ESCoE is the UK’s first-ever dedicated academic centre of expertise for economic measurement and one of just a handful around the world.
With the new funding, the ESCoE will:
Deliver research and analysis that enables the ONS to meet its vision of delivering world-class economic statistics
Deliver research and conceptual work which is influential in the international standard-setting agenda, allowing ONS to exert greater influence over the direction of travel of such standards
Deliver an international annual conference to facilitate the sharing of best practice and world-class challenge to the work of the ESCoE
Provide opportunities for joint working between the ONS and academic community
Work in collaboration with the ONS Data Science Campus to develop new techniques
Promote and develop a wider academic community with skills and research experience in economic statistics.
Professor Rebecca Riley, director of the ESCoE, King’s College London, said: “Our programme of work looks at new challenges for economic statistics, from increased concerns about the climate and the environment, to the changing nature of work and shifts in the way we contribute to the economy over our lifetimes.
“I am proud that King’s will be at the forefront of research that we hope will have a significant impact on the development of national statistics, and in turn support better decision-making on issues we all care about.”
Professor Paul Mizen, deputy director of the ESCoE, University of Nottingham, said: “The ESCoE plans for the next five years, drawn up by the contributing universities and institutes, address important challenges for economic statistics and produce better data that will benefit all those who rely on the ONS. I am excited to be part of this, and to have the opportunity to work with over 60 researchers at King’s, Nottingham and beyond.”
King’s College London and the University of Nottingham are collaborating with the University of Cambridge, the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Nesta, the University of New South Wales, the University of Strathclyde, and many other partners.
The programme draws on a network of more than 60 established experts in economic and environmental-economic statistics from across the UK and internationally. The ESCoE’s foundation followed the recommendations of the Independent Review of UK Economic Statistics by professor Sir Charles Bean, published March 2016. This Review recommended that “in conjunction with suitable partners in academia and the user community, ONS should establish a new centre of excellence for the analysis of emerging and future issues in measuring the modern economy.”
There are six programmes of research currently planned for the next phase of ESCoE:
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 Andy Priestley, Managing Director of DSP (Interiors) Ltd Derby.
A sense of normality finally started to emerge again in 2022 following a turbulent few years for business in the wake of the pandemic. But this sense of calm hasn’t lasted long and we are now faced with a cost of living crisis, rocketing energy bills and an impending recession.
However, we have to stay positive and as we look towards 2023, there are a number of trends I predict will come to the fore, especially in industrial production and the emergence of factories of the future.
There is significant demand for UK manufacturing to evolve in order to maintain international competitiveness and promote economic, social and environmental sustainability.
Factories of the future are future-oriented manufacturing companies that embrace industry changes. In the coming year, we are set to see future-oriented manufacturing companies drive flexibility, customisation, and product innovation.
The industry will have to become more efficient in response to fast-changing market demands to produce better results but will have to do it sustainably.
Research from the World Economic Forum suggests that manufacturing represents 54% of the world’s energy consumption and is responsible for 20% of global emissions, meaning the industry must act fast to reduce its footprint.
Sustainable manufacturing will continue to be an important topic into 2023, with trends towards optimum sizing of production equipment, reducing waste and material and energy use. More on this topic later.
I predict there will be more automation and digital transformation heading into 2023 and beyond, with companies adopting a new culture of experimentation and innovation within their organisations.
Companies that embrace automation and advanced manufacturing technology across their factories and supply chains will thrive in their respective sectors.
This will involve employees working alongside new technology to ensure operations run smoothly, with staff re-training taking place where appropriate.
Those companies that don’t adapt accordingly risk falling behind, with business growth slowing down.
A key example of this early adaptation is SureScreen Diagnostics Ltd. The team at DSP Interiors have recently delivered phases 1-3 of a new state-of-the-art production facility at Sherwood Business Park in Nottingham for them. The flexible, agile nature of the facility allows SureScreen to quickly adapt their technology to address new challenges facing both the UK and abroad.
This agility and adaption will also extend to contemporary workplaces. The pandemic has challenged the notion of the office, allowing staff to work more flexibly where required but also support a more collaborative workplace environment centred around the activity of the worker when they do visit the office. For example, areas for focused work, huddles for team meetings, informal areas for creative collaboration, ‘re-charge’ breakout zones and more.
More precisely it has been a catalyst for design-led thinking that had started to garner momentum prior to COVID – biophilic agile offices that promote staff well-being, foster creativity and improve productivity through collaboration.
I see workplace design in 2023 continuing to evolve this flexible offering with a heavy focus on user well-being, assisted by technology and incorporating biophilic elements.
East Midlands-based law firm Nelsons has welcomed a new senior associate and solicitor specialising in commerce and technology to its Nottingham office as part of its continued growth.
Sarah Eley specialises in advising on commercial agreements, data protection and e-commerce terms and brings a wealth of expertise having advised organisations on these matters throughout her career.
With more than six years’ experience, Sarah started her career with Mills & Reeve LLP before qualifying in 2016. She then moved to work in-house for Derby City Council in 2020.
She said: “Nelsons has a great reputation for its culture and for the service it provides to clients. They also have key values which align with my own, so this was the ideal next step in my career. My colleagues have made both my guide dog, Berry, and I feel incredibly welcome. In fact, Berry has already amassed a substantial fan club.
“I’m looking forward to being involved in business development and continuing to help as many clients as possible to achieve their objectives and exceed their expectations.”
Sarah will work alongside partner and solicitor Emma Toes who heads the intellectual property team at Nelsons.
Emma said: “Having robust agreements and contracts is vital for any business and we’re thrilled that Sarah has joined us to strengthen the commercial services that we offer to organisations throughout the East Midlands.
“Sarah’s expertise and skillset, advising on commercial agreements and non-contentious intellectual property matters, links closely with the work that I do, so we’ll be working closely together to provide a comprehensive service. I am looking forward to seeing Sarah flourish in her new role.”
Clowes Developments’ Forbes Park Scheme in Long Eaton, where agents Tim Gilbertson of FHP Property Consultants and Richard Sutton of NG Chartered Surveyors have acted on their behalf, in now fully developed.
Formerly the home to a substantial manufacturing complex, the 6.5 acre site was initially fully remediated by contractors for the scheme, Roe Developments, and then a development of small to large industrial and warehouse units, augmented by trade counter facilities and roadside retail, was crafted and implemented, designed by Ben Hall of IMA Architects. Once the agents had quickly found occupiers, leases and freehold sales were documented by Heather Dixon of Geldards.
With many units put under offer before and then during the construction phase, just before the end of 2022 the final unit of over 26,000 sq ft was delivered to the last local occupier to enable their relocation and expansion.
The finished scheme sees over 78,000 sq ft built and developed on the park.
This is not the end of similar size development for Clowes in the region as the developers, together with their agency, architectural and legal team, are now rolling forward and starting to progress the marketing and development of Stud Brook Business Park at Castle Donington, a few miles drive away.
Stud Brook Business Park Masterplan
Stud Brook will see the development of 23 units totalling 180,000 sq ft, all to be delivered before the end of 2023.
Already interest is strong in this scheme with a number of pre-lets in place.
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