Nottingham City Council awaits decision on £3.4m grant to progress Broad Marsh shopping centre demolition
Nottingham City Council has applied for a £3.4m grant to allow further demolition of the former Broad Marsh shopping centre.
The council has bid for the money from the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), which is meeting next Monday (16 December) to discuss the award as part of a potential wider allocation of £9.5m to councils and organisations across the region.
It comes from EMCCA’s Investment Fund and the authority has worked with local partners to consider projects that invest in homes, jobs, manufacturing, clean energy creation and greener spaces.
The funding is set to be discussed and a formal decision made during the EMCCA Board meeting in Newark next week.
The city council has bid for up to £3.392m to carry out partial demolition of a section of the frame near to the recently-opened Green Heart. This would then enable works to start on the Broad Marsh masterplan to transform a key part of the city centre.
Councillor Neghat Khan, Leader of Nottingham City Council and Executive Member for Strategic Regeneration, Transport and Communications, said: “This is key funding that the city has bid for to accelerate our ambitious plans for Broad Marsh.
“If we secure the grant at EMCCA’s board meeting next week, this will be a great example of partnership working between the new Regional Mayor and Nottingham City Council, delivering on projects which provide huge benefits to Nottingham and our residents.
“This would help us continue our progress on the Broad Marsh masterplan to transform a key part of the city centre following on from the recent opening of the Green Heart.
“The funding would allow us to bring forward selective enabling-demolition of part of the remaining old shopping centre structure, which is good news for the city and continues our regeneration plans in this part of Nottingham.”
Claire Ward, Mayor of the East Midlands, said: “Broad Marsh is one of the region’s biggest development opportunities and this funding will help towards delivering the masterplan for the site.
“It will go towards the demolition of part of the frame near to the Green Heart and will be an important step in helping to bring forward work on the site.
“The Broad Marsh project has the potential to be a major boost for both the local and region economy – it will create 1,600 new homes, just over 2,000 news jobs, plus visitor attractions and business space. So, it’s an important project for this funding to go to.”
New CPD courses in Cyber Security showcased to businesses
New courses to help businesses equip their staff to face the growing threats of cyber attacks have been launched at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).
DMU is one of just eight universities in England to be rated Gold for its cyber security teaching and outreach work by the National Cyber Security Centre. Businesses and industry teams were invited to find out more about the new courses at an event, held in the university’s newly-refurbished computer labs at DMU’s Gateway House.
Professor Eerke Boiten, Head of the School of Computer Science and Informatics, said: “Cyber security is a main area of strength in our teaching, and as a gold standard Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE), we are delighted to be able to offer these continuing professional development courses to industry professionals, shaping and supporting cyber security education as a lifelong learning university.”
The event included a tour of DMU’s Security Operations Centre, a talk on ways to protect your business from cyber threats and how CyberSprint: Fast Track to the Future, a new project, will revolutionise cyber skills in the East Midlands.
DMU’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Media (CEM) has been developing new continuing professional development (CPD) programmes for industry.
The academic team showcased DMU’s Red v Blue Team Training demo, an immersive training exercise designed to provide a cyber warfare training environment, and the interactive Serious Critical Protection Scenarios gamified training with simulated attack scenarios to improve awareness and understanding of cyber security investment in your organisation.
The team also presented the new flexible learning opportunities to access DMU’s Cyber Security MSc level programme as manageable one-week courses for professionals looking to upskill and specialise in a particular subject area. Course topics include Cyber Threat Intelligence, Network Security, Malware Analysis, Digital Forensics, Penetration Testing and Incident Response.
Latest Government reports show that half of all UK businesses have experienced some form of cybersecurity breach or attack in the past 12 months. Some 70% of medium sized businesses and 74% of large businesses reported they had been targeted.
One attendee said: “The week long sections of the masters degrees should be an excellent way of businesses sending staff on useful training, without too much time out of the business.”
Another added: “I liked the mix of the courses on offer. From individual modules, technical team scenario’s (Red v Blue), and SCIPS can demonstrate the importance of every person’s role towards cyber security within an organisation.”
Interested in finding out more about DMU’s exciting new cyber security training exercises and CPD opportunities? Email Business Services at DMU – businessservices@dmu.ac.uk
Van Elle anticipates decline in first half revenue amidst challenging market conditions
Van Elle, the ground engineering contractor, is anticipating a decline in first half revenue amidst challenging market conditions.
According to a trading update for the six months ended 31 October 2024, the firm expects to report revenue for the period of approximately £65m, representing a decrease of 5% on the prior year.
Market conditions have continued to be challenging across all sectors, Van Elle noted, with workload subdued in Rail, as the sector transitions from CP6 into CP7, and Highways continues to experience project delays.
The business added that the impact of the Building Safety Act has caused delays to start dates of taller residential schemes, however encouragingly the new build housing sector has continued to recover, with a strong pipeline of work planned for delivery throughout the second half of the financial year.
Van Elle said it has also made further progress in developing a strong position in the water and energy sectors, and the recent acquisition of Albion Drilling provides additional momentum in Scotland.
Growth is also continuing in Canada, with the award of a new three-year framework agreement in November for the delivery of Metrolinx renewals projects worth approximately CAD$9m to the Group.
Van Elle’s order book at 31 October 2024 increased to £41.6m (30 April 2024: £35.1m).
2025 Business Predictions: Parm Bhangal, Managing Director, Bhangals Construction Consultants
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 Parm Bhangal, Managing Director at Bhangals Construction Consultants.
The construction industry has suffered in the past 12 months. While we anticipated a quieter year, nobody was prepared for the widespread dip across all areas.
2025 has to be a year for recovery and growth in our sector. The new Government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, which should help construction companies to find greater opportunities for more building contracts.
However, we continue to face a massive labour and skills shortage, and it has been widely reported that we will need an extra 250,000 workers in the UK in order to meet demand. Therefore, there is no doubt that businesses will continue to struggle to find the right people with the right skills and right attitude in order to succeed. That skills gap for consultants and trade needs to be filled urgently and we need more apprenticeship programmes and better routes to market to achieve this.
During 2025, the industry will continue its focus on sustainability and aiming to reduce carbon emissions in each individual build through solar panels and other specialist environmental measures.
Businesses will also need to embrace technology as it advances in order to make jobs more efficient and use time most wisely.
Council plans new affordable homes for disused block of flats
A disused block of flats that has stood empty for over seven years is to be demolished to make way for new affordable housing.
The Leys building, in Beaumont Leys, was bought by Leicester City Council in 2019 with the intention of refurbishing it to bring back into use.
The building is currently in a state of disrepair and with the opportunity to acquire adjoining privately-owned land at John Calvert Court, the council is now planning to demolish the building and develop a new council housing scheme. The proposed scheme would deliver up to 52 new affordable homes and include a toddler playground for use by the wider community.
The city council originally purchased The Leys building for £1.2 milllion. The anticipated costs of the proposed new affordable housing scheme – including demolition costs of about £800,000 – is £15.5 million. This would be funded using receipts from the sale of council properties under the Government’s Right to Buy scheme.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Elly Cutkelvin, who leads on housing, said: “Leicester continues to face a housing crisis and it is essential we do everything we can to address the growing demand for high-quality affordable housing in the city.
“By acquiring more land and preparing this site for new homes, we can increase our stock of council housing and build high quality, affordable homes that meet the needs of local people as well as providing a boost to the local area.
“There is no doubt that the Right to Buy scheme has hit the supply of council housing hard. It is essential that we invest whatever proceeds we can back into ambitious schemes like this that will help address the urgent need for more affordable homes in our city.”
If given the go-ahead, demolition of The Leys is expected to take place in 2025.
A competitive tendering process will then get underway to find a development partner to design and build the new affordable homes, subject to planning permission.
Work starts on new research and development facility for food and farming sector
Work has started on creating a new research and development facility at the University of Lincoln’s Riseholme Park Campus, enabling new industry collaboration and research opportunities for the UK’s food and farming sector.
The glasshouse will facilitate regional industry specialisms, support innovation in food and farming, deliver collaborative, impactful and high value research with industry, and further establish the University’s Riseholme Park Campus and Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) as specialist centres.
The Glasshouse Research & Development (R&D) Facility will use geothermal ground source heating technology to provide heating from renewable energy. The building will therefore operate with a considerably lower carbon footprint than traditional facilities of its kind and will demonstrate plausible pathways towards a Net Zero transition for this segment of the agriculture and horticulture industries.
When completed, the glasshouse will offer access to specialist research infrastructure and innovation support services. This will allow SMEs and other businesses in the UK’s food sector to adapt or improve their products or services.
The glasshouse will have capacity for multiple R&D projects to take place simultaneously in independently controlled compartments. Eligible businesses will also have access to academic experts from the University of Lincoln, as well as many research and knowledge transfer opportunities. This ongoing support will enable adoption of new technology, new processes, acquisition of skills and the development of new products.
Prof. Neal Juster, Vice Chancellor of the University of Lincoln, said: “We are very excited at the prospect of our new Glasshouse Facility being constructed at the University’s Riseholme Park Campus, and it will be working with Net Zero technologies that are in line with our ongoing commitment to sustainability and a carbon free future.
“Lincolnshire is the UK’s Food Valley, from its seafood industry in Grimsby, through agri-tech in Lincoln, to its fresh produce sector in southern Lincolnshire. We are facilitating growth with an industry-led investment agenda. Our enabling strategy, working in conjunction with industry can deliver success by attracting and supporting investors.
“By working together, locally and with the government, we can deliver much more investment, innovation, job creation and food security. It is incredibly important that we invest in applied research and development opportunities such as this and encourage the growth of our University as a commercial entity.”
The Glasshouse R&D Facility will form part of Greater Lincolnshire LEP’s proposed Agricultural Growth Zone (Ag Zone), designed to support Greater Lincolnshire agriculture and the delivery of the UK Food Valley.
The research and development infrastructure will also be used for the new AgriTech Incubator established by the University of Lincoln in partnership with Barclays Eagle Labs.
The total cost of the project will be £2.2 million with the majority of the capital being provided by a local growth fund from the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership. Construction of the facility is expected to be completed by Summer 2025.
Rail firm hosts Christmas party to help young people who have left care feel less alone
A Derby woman has praised a community Christmas party which brought young care-leavers together for festive fun, music and food – saying they give people hope at what can be a lonely time of year.
Harley McComiskie, 22, attended the event on Monday with her two-year-old daughter, Aurora, alongside 50 other young people from across Derbyshire.
The party, which was organised by volunteers, staff from Swadlincote-based rail firm MTMS and members of the Derbyshire Freemasons, was being held for the second year and featured a turkey lunch, music, face-painting and a balloon modeller.
It was Harley’s second time attending the event, which was held at the Derby Freemasons Hall in Littleover and also saw everyone leave with a large hamper filled with Christmas presents, food and treats.
Harley, who works as a TikTok content creator, said: “People that are in care don’t get to spend a lot of time with other people, and at Christmas time it can be hard for everyone.
“This is really good fun, it gets people at the house and having some fun for Christmas. It’s about good company, good people, it’s just really nice to spend time with others.
“I feel like these Christmas parties should continue to happen, they give children that little bit of hope before Christmas.
“I would usually just be spending Christmas with Aurora but this party is all fun and games for us two, this is what we enjoy.”
This party followed a similar event which was held in Burton for young care-leavers from across Staffordshire last Friday (December 6), where 100 guests also tucked into a lunch and enjoyed music and fun.
The idea for the parties dates back nine years, when Trandeep Sethi, district leader for children’s services for South Staffordshire at Staffordshire County Council, put out a call searching for help to organise a Christmas party for young people who had left the care system.
He decided to take action after finding young people who had been through care had taken their own lives at Christmas, when their feelings of isolation and loneliness often come to a head.
There have been no suicides while the parties have been taking place, and Malcolm Prentice, group chairman of MTMS, urged more organisations to step forward to hold Christmas parties too.
He said: “We welcomed special young people for a Christmas lunch and plenty of fun. We try to put on the best possible day for them, a community environment with activities and entertainment.
“Without this, some of these people would not get a proper Christmas surrounded by people who care about them. They have not got parents or people to go to at Christmas so they are most likely to be on their own.
“But this is not possible without funding, so we are asking for support from businesses to help us put on these fantastic parties and make young people feel cared for and less lonely around Christmas.
“We need to raise money to pay for the parties for young people who live independently after leaving the care system. Next year we want it to be bigger and better by helping more people across more venues.”
Each year, MTMS launches its annual appeal to raise money to fund the festive fun. The aim is to raise money to pay for all the food, musical entertainment and hampers at the two parties.
Anyone who would like to make a donation can do so by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/makeadifference2024
Blueprint Interiors appoints commercial director
Workplace consultancy and commercial interior design firm, Blueprint Interiors, has appointed John Tansur as commercial director.
The Ashby-based business recently announced a management buyout, with operations director Rachel Biddles and creative director Chloe Sproston taking ownership of the company.
The newly created commercial director role will help shape and deliver Blueprint’s business strategy, and enhance its marketing and business development functions.
Previously in business development and senior management positions, John brings over 25 years of commercial and culture acumen and will be part of Blueprint’s leadership team.
John Tansur said: “Knowing the team at Blueprint and seeing their progression over recent years, I feel privileged to be asked to be part of the business for what we know can be a very exciting future.
“The culture within Blueprint and their reputation for injecting passion into delivering projects for clients is very appealing to me, and we look forward to sharing our expertise across a number of sectors as the business continues to grow.”
Rachel Biddles said: “It’s such a pivotal time for Blueprint. Following the recent MBO, our investment in the commercial director post is a key part of our strategic growth strategy.
“John will be an asset to our expanding team. His expertise and ambition will be a valuable addition and will enable Blueprint to take greater strides in core areas of our business.
“Welcome John and thank you to our talented team here at Blueprint for being on this incredible journey with us.”
Nottingham Venues confirms commitment to being a Real Living Wage employer
Nottingham Venues, the collection of independent venues specialising in meeting and events set within the University of Nottingham campus, has confirmed its commitment to being a Real Living Wage employer.
The company, which employs over 280 people, received full certification from the Living Wage Foundation in November 2023 and has once again pledged that it will continue to pay all its staff the Real Living Wage or above.
Nottingham Venues remains committed to paying the Real Living Wage following the increases to the National Minimum Wage announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in the October Budget. It will pay the National Living Wage of £12.60 per hour, which is higher than the National Minimum Wage, and is independently calculated based on what people actually need to meet the cost of living, not just the Government minimum.
The pledge reflects Nottingham Venue’s dedication to ensuring fair and sustainable pay for all its employees, recognising their essential role in delivering the best possible guest experience and ensuring the future success of the business.
Tom Waldron-Lynch, CEO of Nottingham Venues, said: “Given the nature of our industry, we are a hugely people focussed organisation, and I am committed to rewarding people for delivering great service.
“We want our employees to feel valued and supported at work so that they can deliver an outstanding guest experience, and the best way you can do that is to ensure that people are paid appropriately. I am proud of our commitment to paying the Real Living Wage and would call on other employers to do the same where they can.”
Nottingham Venues values the wellbeing of its employees highly and has a range of initiatives across the business designed to support employee’s mental health and wellbeing.
Employees are supported in their roles through excellent training and development, and the company’s latest staff survey showed that people felt they had a good work life balance and that leaders demonstrated that people are important to the company’s success.
The company has also signed The Hoteliers Charter the national standard that champions the hospitality industry and advocates for working in hotels as a viable long-term career choice.
In becoming a Charter Hotelier, Nottingham Venues is committed to providing a workplace environment built on the foundations of respect, fairness, equality, diversity and opportunity, and supporting employees’ career development, their wellbeing and to ending low pay.
This commitment to its employees led to Nottingham Venues winning the ‘Commitment to People Development Award’ at the 2024 East Midlands Chamber of Commerce Nottinghamshire Business Awards.
Nottingham Venues is a collection of independent venues specialising in meetings and events, set in the grounds of the University of Nottingham campus. All venues, including the East Midlands Conference Centre, the Jubilee Hotel and Conferences venue, Campus Venues and the 4* Orchard Eco Hotel were brought together under one brand in July 2022 with the aim of providing an unrivalled guest experience.
Nottingham-based Inaphaea BioLabs appoints Head of Scientific Operations
Inaphaea BioLabs, the translational contract research organisation based at MediCity Nottingham, has promoted Melissa Barr to Head of Scientific Operations.
Melissa joined Inaphaea in 2023 as Lead Scientist. Since then, she has played an instrumental role in delivering preclinical drug discovery projects across oncology and women’s health, as well as leading a team of scientists on-site.
Spun out from ValiRx PLC, Inaphaea offers cell-based assays specialising in oncology. Its aim is to improve the translation of early drug discovery projects towards the clinic.
Commenting on her promotion, Melissa says: “I have had the privilege of growing alongside Inaphaea since its inception. Being part of a start-up has been an exciting and rewarding journey, offering opportunities to develop not only technical expertise but also operational and leadership skills.
“Highlights of my role so far have included establishing and characterising patient-derived cancer models, driving their use in translatable research, managing our laboratory operations, and leading a talented team of scientists.
“In my new role as Head of Scientific Operations, I am excited to continue supporting our amazing team, strengthening our current capabilities, and driving forward innovative research. I look forward to contributing to the technical, operational, and strategic aspects of our work as we deliver impactful solutions for our clients and stakeholders.”
Mark Eccleston, ValiRx CEO, adds: “We’re delighted to announce Melissa’s well-deserved promotion. She has played a key role in Inaphaea’s growth and development journey so far, bringing specialist scientific expertise as well as helping to drive operational efficiencies.
“Melissa’s practical laboratory experience, academic understanding of oncology, and commercial experience in the contract research space will be an invaluable asset as we work with a growing number of customers to accelerate the progress of their drug candidates.”
