Victoria Dock site to be transformed into new apartments

April Lara
-
0
Victoria Dock site to be transformed into new apartments

A landmark building in Hull’s Victoria Dock area will be converted into residential apartments following its acquisition by Nottingham-based property investment firm PIP Group. The company recently finalised the purchase of the former Victoria Dock Offices and secured planning approval from Hull City Council for the redevelopment.

The project involves converting the property, located at the Plimsoll Way and South Bridge Road roundabout, into six apartments, three of which will have two bedrooms and three will have one bedroom. Each unit will feature views across the Humber Basin.

The redevelopment adds to PIP Group’s growing portfolio of regeneration projects across the North of England and the Midlands. The firm has been focusing on revitalising underused properties with potential for high-quality living or commercial spaces in key regional growth areas.

The transformation of the Victoria Dock Offices reflects ongoing investment activity in Hull’s urban renewal, which has seen increasing interest from developers targeting historic buildings suitable for modern residential conversion. The scheme is expected to enhance the area’s appeal to professionals seeking waterfront living close to the city centre.

Arv Soar, founder and managing director of PIP Group, said: “The acquisition of the Victoria Dock Offices is an exciting opportunity to breathe new life into a building that holds both historical and architectural significance. “Hull is a city undergoing significant regeneration, and we are thrilled to be part of its continued growth. Our vision is to create high-quality, modern living spaces that retain the character of this beautiful landmark while offering residents a contemporary lifestyle and exceptional views of the Humber Basin.”

Derby nursery founder honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Tess Egginton
-
0
Derby nursery founder honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award
Derbyshire nursery founder Margaret Mason OBE has been honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Nursery World Awards, recognising her extraordinary contribution to early years education across the UK over more than 70 years. Margaret, who founded Children 1st Day Nurseries in Long Eaton in 1988, has dedicated her life to giving children the best possible start. From one nursery on Breedon Street in Long Eaton, she built one of the UK’s most respected nursery groups – educating and caring for thousands of children and employing hundreds of people across Derbyshire and beyond. Many of her nurseries were recognised by Ofsted as Outstanding, a reflection of the high standards and strong values she championed throughout her career. Alongside running her nurseries, Margaret also played a key role in improving quality across the whole early years sector in the UK. She became the first Chair of the National Day Nurseries Association, helping to raise professional standards and give a national voice to private and voluntary childcare providers. Her commitment to children and families has been recognised nationally too. In 2017, she was awarded an OBE for Services to Education. Last year, Margaret completed the sale of the Children 1st group to national nursery provider Storal, ensuring the future of the nurseries she created. She has retained one setting in Derby, Maggie’s Day Nursery and Forest School in Breadsall – which continues her approach to early years education. Maggie’s is also home to the Margaret Mason OBE Children 1st Trust, a charity Margaret established to support vulnerable children and families across Derbyshire. The Trust helps to provide essentials and emergency childcare to families experiencing hardship, ensuring that every child can access care and learning when they need it most. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Margaret by Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, at a ceremony in London on Saturday 27 September. Paying tribute to her impact, he said Margaret had “a life dedicated to making the lives of others better – and that is a true lifetime achievement.” Commenting on being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, Margaret Mason OBE said: “I am honoured to have received this award and feel so proud of what we’ve achieved. This award isn’t just mine – it belongs to every member of our team, past and present, who has shared that same passion for giving children the very best start in life. “When I opened my first nursery, I just wanted to create a place where children could feel happy, safe and inspired to learn. I never imagined it would grow the way it has or touch so many lives.”

Vesuvius development reaches full occupancy in Worksop

Tess Egginton
-
0
Vesuvius development reaches full occupancy in Worksop
The final unit at Northern Trust’s Vesuvius development in Worksop has been let, with chicken brand Wingers taking Unit 5. This latest letting means that the 46,921 sq ft estate is now fully occupied. The arrival of Wingers marks the opening of the brand’s 20th UK store, creating over 10 new local jobs. Amran Sunner, co-founder of Wingers, said: “We’re pumped to be joining the local community and bringing our bold, fresh flavours to Worksop. This launch is another big step in our mission to bring proper chicken to every local neighbourhood in the UK.” Vesuvius is a trade counter and industrial scheme arranged across five blocks, providing 19 units ranging from 1,208 sq ft up to 5,094 sq ft. Dan Hodge, regional property director at Northern Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome Wingers to Vesuvius. Their opening not only completes the occupation of the estate but also enhances the on-site amenity offer. Securing a growing national brand such as Wingers further underlines the quality and profile of this development.” Ben Flint, director at Flint Real Estate, who acted as letting agent on behalf of Northern Trust, said: “I am delighted that Flint Real Estate has assisted Northern Trust with the lettings at Vesuvius, Worksop, which now sees the estate fully let for the first time since it was built. “The recent lettings, at asking rents and in quick succession, highlight the strong demand for good quality space. I look forward to trying out the new Wingers restaurant in Unit 5.”

Nottingham sets sights on becoming host city for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035

Tess Egginton
-
0
Nottingham sets sights on becoming host city for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035
Nottingham is setting its sights on becoming a host city for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2035, with a reliance on Nottingham Forest’s re-development of the City Ground. At a meeting of its Executive Board next week, the City Council will decide whether Nottingham should proceed as a part of the UK bid to stage the event due to be submitted to FIFA at the end of November. If the UK proposal to host the event is successful, with a decision by FIFA due in April 2026, Nottingham would be one of up to 20 cities shortlisted as a part of the bid. A final selection of between 14-16 host cities and stadia is expected to be made by FIFA in 2030. The Nottingham host city bid would be subject to Nottingham Forest’s re-development of the City Ground and compliance with FIFA stadium requirements. In a document for the Executive Board meeting the council notes that if this re-development does not take place or is delayed, the opportunity to host the tournament in the city would not be possible. The council added that the bid represents an “ambitious once in a lifetime opportunity for Nottingham to host a truly world class sporting event.” Expected England-wide economic outputs hosting the tournament is forecasted to be £1.9bn GVA and creating 31,000 jobs, plus significant benefits of social value, volunteering, participation and a feel-good factor. It is expected that Nottingham, if selected as a host city, would host seven matches as a part of the tournament. Based on this it is estimated that the host city GVA would be in the region of £20m.

Unpaid takeover instalment leaves recycling firm seeking rescue options

April Lara
-
0
Unpaid takeover instalment leaves recycling firm seeking rescue options

Unimetals Recycling (UK) is preparing for potential administration after missing the final payment on its £195 million acquisition of Sims Metal’s UK scrap division. The company, which employs around 650 people across 27 sites, has filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as it works to secure new investment.

The final instalment of £55 million from the deal remains outstanding more than three months after it was due. A major investor recently withdrew from a funding round intended to provide liquidity and meet deferred payments.

The Stratford-upon-Avon-based group is now exploring refinancing and recapitalisation options to stabilise its operations. It continues to run recycling and processing facilities for scrap, critical, and energy transition metals in locations including Bristol, Peterborough, Derby, Manchester, and Nottingham.

The company’s situation highlights ongoing funding pressures across the metals and recycling sector, where high capital requirements and fluctuating commodity prices are testing financial resilience.

Patchworks secures £2m to accelerate growth and expand into US market

April Lara
-
0
Patchworks secures £2m to accelerate growth and expand into US market

E-commerce integration platform Patchworks has received £2 million in growth funding from Palatine Growth Credit, with additional backing from Gresham House Ventures. The Nottingham- and London-based company enables retailers to connect systems such as e-commerce storefronts, POS, ERP, CRM, warehouse management, and marketing tools into one streamlined platform.

The investment will support further platform development, enhance operational efficiency, and help attract large-scale enterprise clients. It will also fund the company’s expansion into the United States, marking its next phase of growth.

The funding represents the seventh deal completed under Palatine’s Growth Credit Fund, which was launched in early 2024 to provide flexible capital to high-growth regional businesses across the UK. The fund targets companies achieving strong revenue growth in sectors including cyber, fintech, SaaS, healthtech, medtech, AI, and advanced manufacturing.

Palatine’s Growth Credit Fund sits alongside the firm’s existing Buyout and Impact funds, reflecting its broader strategy to invest in technology-driven businesses across the UK’s key innovation regions. Patchworks’ addition to the portfolio reinforces the fund’s commitment to scaling regional firms with global potential.

Cubo hits £30m revenue milestone

Tess Egginton
-
0
Cubo hits £30m revenue milestone
Cubo’s contracted annual revenue has surpassed £30m, marking a major milestone in the Derby-based flexible workspace brand’s rapid rise since it was founded five years ago. The £30m milestone follows several years of sustained expansion. In the past 12 months alone, Cubo has added new locations in key UK cities, achieved record occupancy rates, and attracted a surge of blue-chip organisations to its community. The company recently achieved its highest number of new enterprise sign-ups and record occupancy across many of its 13 locations. Cubo has now achieved 100% occupancy at five of its sites. Marc Brough, CEO of Cubo, said: “Reaching £30 million ARR in revenue is a huge testament to the strength of our vision and the trust that so many businesses have placed in Cubo. In just five years, we’ve built a model that delivers commercial success while inspiring innovation and collaboration across our member base. “The workplace continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, and we’re proud to be leading that transformation. We will shortly be announcing a number of new sites which are set to open at the end of this year and the start of 2026, marking the next phase of our expansion.”

Housebuilder buys land for £35m second phase of Nottingham’s Barton Quarter

Tess Egginton
-
0
Housebuilder buys land for £35m second phase of Nottingham’s Barton Quarter
The landowner for the Barton Quarter development in the Nottingham suburb of Chilwell, Beeston has sold the land for the second phase to Cameron Homes. The 4.9-acre site has full planning for 93 houses and apartments, designed by prize-winning London-based architect Ben Pentreath. Located off Queens Road West, the site was previously Barton’s bus depot, which had been owned by the Barton family since 1913. The company teamed up with The Prince’s Foundation, Stockbridge Land and Pentreath to masterplan the brownfield site for a total of 221 homes. Work commenced on the first phase of 30 two-, three- and four-bedroom homes in 2021, with residents moving in from 2022 onwards. Enabling work for Cameron Homes’ newly acquired £35m development will commence in Q1 2026, followed by a start of construction during Q2 2026. The housebuilder has programmed the first homes to be ready to move into in early 2027. The scheme will be launched to the market next year. John Hickman, group land director for Tara Group and Cameron Homes, said: “Barton Quarter is an exemplary development with some very special design characteristics and qualities. It’s been well received by locals and set new precedents in the market, which is testament to the legacy approach of Simon Barton and Ben Pentreath’s timeless design style. “Work has stalled since construction concluded on the first phase, so we are very pleased to acquire the site for phase two. With the strength of our group, we can provide reassurance that enabling works will start in January, to be carried out by Chasetown Civil Engineering – a sister company of Cameron Homes. “We have a handful of other family-focused developments currently underway across Nottingham, so are already looking forward to registering prospective purchasers and delivering this outstanding £35m project.” The accommodation mix for the development will comprise one- and two-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom mews and coach houses, and two- to five-bedroom villa-style houses. A new vehicular access will be created from Holly Lane.

Faith organisation relocates to new Nottinghamshire headquarters

April Lara
-
0
Faith organisation relocates to new Nottinghamshire headquarters

A major faith-based organisation is set to relocate its administrative base to Sherwood Park in Nottinghamshire. The North England Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists has secured a 22,335 sq ft Grade A office at the Evo Business Park.

The move to the Vertex building will centralise the organisation’s operations, which oversee a network of churches, schools, and community initiatives across the North of England. The new headquarters will accommodate administrative functions, training facilities, and community programme offices.

The relocation is designed to enhance collaboration between departments and expand capacity for projects focused on youth development, family support, and wellbeing. The property’s accessibility and modern facilities are expected to improve efficiency and service delivery for the organisation’s members and partners.

The transition to Sherwood Park is scheduled to take place later this year.

East Midlands unemployment dips as businesses await Budget clarity

April Lara
-
0
East Midlands unemployment dips as businesses await Budget clarity

Unemployment in the East Midlands fell slightly to 4.4% between June and August 2025, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. The regional figure remains below the national rate of 4.8% but is higher than at the start of the year.

The figures reflect a mixed picture for employers across the region. Recruitment difficulties continue to challenge many firms, with labour shortages persisting in key sectors. Rising operational costs, including higher employer National Insurance contributions and increases to the national living wage, have compounded the pressure on businesses’ hiring decisions.

Business groups in the region are urging the government to review elements of the Employment Rights Bill, arguing that added administrative demands could hinder firms already facing tight margins. Many also want assurances that the Autumn Budget will avoid further tax increases and instead offer measures that support investment and job creation.

With the Budget scheduled for 26 November, business leaders are calling for policies that prioritise economic stability and protect growth prospects in the East Midlands. For now, while the latest unemployment figures offer cautious optimism, the regional outlook remains closely tied to national fiscal policy and workforce legislation.

1...151617...1,157Page 16 of 1,157