The proposals from Clarendon Nottingham relate to 38-46 Goose Gate, a thee storey building and a courtyard and parking area to the rear. The ground floor of the Goose Gate frontage was last used as a bar/restaurant.
The new development would provide 100 student bedrooms in a variety of studios and cluster flats on the upper floors, with shared recreation facilities, amenity space and cycle parking. The ground floor would host a commercial unit.
The project would involve retaining and converting the existing three storey building that fronts onto Goose Gate, while rear parts of the building, together with other buildings that front onto Woolpack Lane, would be demolished to allow redevelopment at the back of the site.
The development at the rear of the site would comprise a four storey extension immediately behind the retained Goose Gate building. This extension would increase in height to six storeys along the Woolpack Lane frontage but step down to five storeys towards Hockley House.
Green light recommended for Goose Gate student scheme
Plans redevelop and extend a former retail and office building in Nottingham to provide purpose built student accommodation and a commercial unit have been tipped for approval.
Strong trading momentum for Marks Electrical despite challenging market back-drop
Marks Electrical Group, the online electrical retailer, has reported a strong trading period for the first four months of its new financial year – against a challenging market back-drop.
According to an update for the four months ended 31 July 2022, revenue grew 13.7% to £27.7m, compared to £24.3m in the same period last year.
The Leicester-based business, which floated on AIM last year, said its strong performance was driven across categories but particularly in televisions, vacuum cleaners, washers & dryers, and air conditioning.
Mark Smithson, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’ve started the year well despite a very tough market back-drop with the group’s sales for the first four months up 13.7% compared with the online MDA and CE markets being down over 20% in the first months of our FY23.
“We’ve seen strong competitive activity both in pricing and marketing, with heavy discounting of headline prices and higher cost per click marketing expenses. Despite this, we have maintained our tight control on inventory, cost management and disciplined capital allocation, ensuring we are in a healthy cash position and remaining focused on profitable market share gains.
“Our differentiated operating model, leading customer service and free next day delivery provides a unique offering that sets us apart from the competition. I’m proud of the performance our team has delivered in a very challenging market. Whilst the remainder of the year is difficult to predict, our focus on maintaining a market leading customer proposition and healthy cash flow provides us with the best platform to generate continued profitable market share growth.”
Celebrate outstanding property & construction businesses, projects and people at the unmissable East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022
Place the spotlight on exceptional businesses and projects, and reward the teams behind them, by submitting a nomination for East Midlands Business Link’s esteemed Bricks Awards before entries close on Friday 19 August.
The East Midlands Bricks Awards celebrate the region’s property and construction industry, its people, and outstanding developments. Award categories include: most active estate agent, commercial development of the year, responsible business of the year, residential development of the year, developer of the year, deal of the year, architects of the year, excellence in design, sustainable development of the year, contractor of the year, and overall winner.
Winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony on Thursday 15 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – an evening that will also provide plenty of opportunities to forge new contacts with property and construction professionals from across the region.
Thanks to our sponsors:
William Crooks, Managing Director of Cawarden, reflected on winning an award at the 2021 event: “After being named Contractor of the Year at the British Demolition Awards at the start of September, we were absolutely thrilled to win the same accolade from the East Midlands Bricks Awards a few weeks later.
“The event is a real showcase for the regional property and construction sector and we are proud to be recognised for our project and service delivery expertise as a leading specialist contractor. It was a great night and provided an opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces as well as meeting new with the wonderful Trent Bridge Cricket Ground as a backdrop.
“Well done to the Cawarden team for continuously going above and beyond and maintaining high standards for our valued clients. Congratulations must also go to all the other awards finalists and award winners on the night.”
To submit a business or development for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2022, please click on a category link below or visit this page.- Most active estate agent
- Commercial development of the year
- Responsible business of the year
- Residential development of the year
- Developer of the year
- Deal of the year
- Architects of the year
- Excellence in design
- Sustainable development of the year
- Contractor of the year
- Overall winner (this award cannot be entered, the winner will be selected from those nominated)
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 15 September 2022 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. The event will also welcome John Forkin MBE DL, Managing Director at award-winning investment promotion agency Marketing Derby, as keynote speaker. Dress code is standard business attire.
To be held at:
Well known Brigg Hotel sold to local business
The Exchange Coach House Inn and Tavern in Central Brigg has been acquired by the Hunt Group.
The historic Exchange Coach House Inn along with the Exchange Hotel and Exchange Tavern have been closed since 2020 and will be refurbished, renovated and fitted out by their property development business ahead of re-opening later this year.
Robert Smithson, associate director of Hotels Agency at Colliers advised Joseph Mullen on the sale after almost four decades of ownership, marketing the central Brigg complex for offers in the region of £950,000.
He said: “We are delighted to have advised Mr Mullen who successfully operated the business for the last 38 years. This sale highlights the strong levels of interest in regional UK hotels and in particular those which present a new owner with significant opportunities to grow trade in this post-pandemic market.”
Located across a large proportion of central Brigg, the property offers 42 ensuite bedrooms plus substantial public areas including four bars, two restaurants, several function/meeting rooms and an architecturally pleasing alfresco courtyard seating area. The original grade II* listed property was formally a gentleman’s club built in around 1760 and has been frequented by a number of local dignitaries as well as Winston Churchill during World War II.
Shaun Hunt, CEO of the Hunt Group, said: “The Hunt family are absolutely delighted with this acquisition and becoming the new custodians of this sizeable hotel and food and beverage complex in the very heart of the historic market town of Brigg.
“This is the family’s home town and we are committing ourselves to a very significant investment throughout the site. Whilst the ‘vibe’ in Brigg is already good we shall strive to make it even better, hopefully making Brigg the place to go in North Lincolnshire.
“This will undoubtably require the help, support and combined efforts of all local businesses, including all existing and new food and beverage operators. The plans for our own site currently includes a sports and live entertainment venue, large restaurant with gin bar, a more traditional pub bar, plus fully refurbished and updated ensuite bedrooms.”
Report shows support for LLEP Careers Hub from partners, employers and schools
The LLEP Careers Hub has been praised by careers leaders in a report setting out its impact – with value placed on the Hub’s practical approach to supporting local schools and colleges.
The Careers Hub, which is part of the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), was established in 2018 with 20 trailblazer schools and colleges. It now works with all of the 91 secondary schools and colleges in its city and county.
The LLEP commissioned an independent report from Little Lions Research to coincide with the Hub’s third anniversary and research progress and impact made in careers provision at the original group of 20 schools.
It has now concluded that the Hub is valued by partners and stakeholders for its joined-up approach, providing strategic direction to local schools and colleges, and providing help with funding and peer networks.
Careers leaders were also positive about insights provided by the Hub into the local labour market, as it enabled them to design programmes relevant to the local economy.
Data shows that the LLEP Careers Hub was ahead of national averages in five of eight performance benchmarks when research was conducted at the start of the year.
There have been particular gains made in publishing careers programmes on school websites, involving governors in careers, and giving pupils meaningful encounters with FE colleges.
But the report notes that challenges remain, with four in five careers leaders reporting that they continued to face at least one barrier to further progress.
The three biggest challenges cited were lack of staff time, lack of funds and difficulties in tracking activities.
Andy Reed OBE, interim chair of the LLEP Board, said: “The report is really encouraging and shows the positive impact that strategic planning of careers resources is having in schools and colleges across our region.
“We know that there is more to be done and that the disruption of the Pandemic forced changes. However, it’s great to read about the value our careers leaders are placing on the Careers Hub’s offer.
“The Careers Hub is spearheading a joined-up approach, offering support with funding, and providing young people and careers leaders with genuinely useful information about the local labour market.”
Enterprise Advisers (EAs) are one of the ways that the Careers Hub is helping shape how schools and colleges embed practical labour market information and opportunities into their careers programmes.
EAs are industry volunteers who go into schools to offer the benefit of their first-hand experience of what industry really needs.
The report notes that 79% of careers leaders surveyed found the support and advice provided by local EAs to be useful and the LLEP is currently recruiting 10 more business representatives to act as volunteer EAs.
Gerarde Manley, LLEP Careers Hub manager, said: “Commissioning an independent report has been a really useful exercise in tracking gains made in our original cohort as the Careers Hub has grown from 20 to 91 of our schools and colleges.
“The report contains several recommendations for making further progress and these have been mapped to our strategic plan through to March 2023 and beyond.
“As a Careers Hub, we will continue to build capacity and listen to stakeholder feedback as we play our part in delivering the LLEP’s strategic priority of making Leicester and Leicestershire more inclusive for all.”
Extend your network at the East Midlands Expo
On Monday 14 November 2022 the East Midlands Expo will return, offering an ideal day for networking and business generation – meet more potential clients in one amazing cost effective day, than it would take months out on the road.
An established event of over 20 years, for which Business Link is a proud partner, the free to attend expo is well targeted and aimed at the construction, property, business, investment, finance, professional services and related B2B markets.
Taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, the exhibition will open to attendees at 9am, with a seminar taking place between 10:45am and noon.
A special networking lunch (for which tickets can be purchased here) will then take place between 12:15pm and 2:15pm, and the exhibition will close at 3:30pm.
For more information on exhibiting at the event click here.
To register to attend the event for free click here.
To secure tickets for the networking lunch click here.
From property agents to developers, architects, contractors, investors, PR firms, and more, see the list of current exhibitors here.Council reveals outcomes of consultation into Victoria Indoor Market’s future
Nottingham City Council has published the outcome of its consultation into the future of Victoria Indoor Market.
The consultation was carried out between April and June this year after the council’s Executive Board agreed in January to review future options for the market’s operation, putting forward a proposal to end the lease.
The Victoria Indoor Market has been operating for over 50 years with significant council investment of £400,000 in the food hall in 2012. For many years the council has heavily subsidised the market’s operation – with the ongoing subsidy costs over the remaining 50 years of the lease agreement estimated to amount to £39m. This includes considerable investment of up to £10m to enable the market to perform effectively.
From 2015 costs outside the council’s control substantially increased and this, along with significant Government funding cuts to council grants and changes in shopping habits exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to the review. The six-week consultation was carried out online and through meetings with the public and traders, generating 630 responses.
Findings show that most respondents (143) supported the council continuing to run, subsidise and invest (88) in the market. The next most popular option (85) was to establish a council-run market at an alternative location, while 53 agreed with the council’s proposals.
Acting lead councillor for markets, Cllr Linda Woodings, said: “Our proposal to end the lease would save estimated running costs of £39m over the remaining 50 years of the current agreement, helping us to meet our duty to deliver value for money for local taxpayers.
“As expected, feedback from the consultation showed there is a great deal of affection for the market, with many respondents wanting the council to continue the market’s operation and subsidy and to carry out further investment.
“We have considered the feedback from the public, traders and the landlord. Following a review of the options in light of the consultee responses, the council’s officers are likely to recommend the council ends its lease and operation of the Victoria Market. We understand this would be a huge disappointment not only for customers and the wider public, but especially for traders at the market.
“We will now embark on further engagement with all traders and the landlord, before a final recommendation is made to councillors for a decision.”
Castle Gym memberships soar despite uncertain future in battle with developers
A Nottingham gym facing “the fight of its life” has been boosted by a major membership and day-visit surge, as it continues to battle with developers over the future of the venue.
Established in 1981, Castle Gym on Caste Boulevard has looked after the health and wellbeing of its members for over 40 years and was seeing a return to pre-pandemic popularity this year.
Sadly, that recovery is now under threat after owner Luke Willmott confirmed rumours that the site has been sold by developers who then reneged on initial plans to keep the gym at the site.
However, as news of the battle reached the local community, Luke says that membership enquiries have risen over 25%, whilst day visits have doubled.
“It is incredible to feel this groundswell of support to be honest,” said Luke.
“We know we have a very loyal customer base as we’re more of a community gym with a ‘tribe’ of followers, not just a room full of steel. We’ve had to be very clear with the membership requests that we don’t know what the future holds but that hasn’t been an issue as we can offer flexible rates and the day visits have gone through the roof.
“That has been a combination of new faces coming to train and some folk we’ve not seen in a while, as a lot of people switched to training at home in the pandemic. It is great to have them here and really heartening to have their backing as this is a really challenging time for us all, logistically, financially and most of all, emotionally.”
Whilst membership and visitor numbers are bright, the future is still clouded as Luke continues to work behind the scenes with the developers to find a best way forward for everyone.
“The battle continues,” says Luke. “I’ve had a lot of supportive messages from the local fitness and business community which has buoyed us all and I will fight tooth and nail to secure the future of the gym in some form. What form that takes remains to be seen.
“That takes a lot of careful planning and consideration and is not something I will be railroaded into by anyone, let alone a developer from outside of the city who is just seeing a yield opportunity on a site that has been here for four decades serving the local community.”
Environmental services group makes first acquisition with Nottingham firm
Cura Terrae, the new environmental services group backed by Palatine’s Impact Fund, has made its first acquisition since its creation in March.
The deal is a strategic bolt-on for Cura Terrae group company Envirocare, which has bought S I Environmental, an established occupational health consultancy based in Nottingham, expanding its presence in the East Midlands alongside its existing bases in Bradford, Brackley (Northants) and East Kilbride in Scotland.
S I Environmental was established in 2000 and has a strong market reputation and a number of specialist and experienced staff; some with over 30 years’ experience in occupational hygiene monitoring.
Greg Holmes, investment manager at Palatine, said: “We are delighted to have completed this first strategic acquisition so soon after the formation of Cura Terrae. We have a strong pipeline of further acquisition opportunities and we look forward to continuing to support Pete and the team to build a more sustainable future.”
CEO of Cura Terrae, professor Peter Skipworth, said: “The formation of Cura Terrae has given our market-leading businesses a unique opportunity to grow and expand, in terms of the services they offer, the expertise and resources at their fingertips, their geographical coverage, and the quality of their customer service.
“I’m really pleased that our flagship occupational hygiene company, Envirocare, has acquired S I Environmental, and it’s another valuable addition to our family tree, complementing our shared mission to offer services and solutions to help take care of the Earth, and help our clients work towards a more sustainable future.”
This acquisition was also backed by Shawbrook Bank.
Cura Terrae and Envirocare were advised Megan Atack and team at Freeths and S I Environmental was advised by Hopkins Solicitors.
Carl Renshaw, Managing Director of S I Environmental, said: “It was important to find the right home for S I, where the business and its staff could continue to thrive, and that shared our commitment to providing high quality customer service. I believe we’ve found that in Envirocare and we’re excited to become part of the wider Cura Terrae family as we align firmly with their mission to ‘look after the Earth’.”
EV Technology Group to open EV Centre of Excellence in Silverstone
EV Technology Group has entered into terms with MEPC Silverstone Park, securing a 90,000 sq ft industrial lease at the historic motoring site.
The new facility comprises EV Technology Group’s EV Centre of Excellence, and has been constructed by MEPC, and is a part of MEPC’s latest 265,000 sq ft development at Silverstone Park.
It follows the recent announcement of the proposed acquisition by EV Technology Group of Fablink Group Holdings Limited, a tier one contract manufacturer in the United Kingdom, who operate seven manufacturing and assembly sites with over 750 employees. Fablink operates its ‘Streamline Automotive’ Division, which services the increasing demand in the U.K. for contract vehicle assembly services, especially in the electric vehicle sector.
The new Silverstone facility will allow EV Technology Group and its subsidiaries to rapidly expand electric vehicle manufacturing and assembly capacity, supporting its vision of electrifying iconic brands.
As EV Technology Group looks to expand its house of brands, this facility will be home to the company’s electric vehicle engineering and development hub, whilst also providing world class facilities for Streamline Automotive for vehicle assembly and finishing.
Wouter Witvoet, CEO and founder of EV Technology Group, said: “Silverstone has been the home to many iconic motoring stories – and our future electrifying iconic brands here will be part of its next chapter. The site’s location puts us in the heart of the booming UK EV industry, and will allow us to scale manufacture and assembly of electric brands such as the iconic MOKE.”
