Leicester-based Hickman & Smith Architects and specialist contractors Trinity are to work together on the £900,000 project to rejuvenate the city’s Grand Hotel.
The Grade II listed building in Granby Street in the city centre is set to be repaired and restored as part of Historic England’s High Street Heritage Action Zones.
As part of a major programme of improvements now under way, the shopfronts that line the Granby Street façade of the hotel will be reinstated as close to the building’s original design as possible, using sustainable hardwood and toughened glass.
Recessed doorways will be fitted with bespoke iron gates, and new signage will be introduced, in keeping with the building.
There will also be improvements made to the hotel’s entrance, with cleaning and repairs made to the oriel windows and balcony. Work to restore the existing canopy above the entrance is also planned.
Work is expected to take around five months to complete and will be supported as part of the city council’s successful bid for £1.5million towards a High Street Heritage Action Zone for the Granby Street and Church Gate conservation areas.
Andrew Pring, asset and investment director at the building’s owners Jupiter Hotels said: “We are pleased to be working with both Historic England and Leicester City Council to restore the façade of the hotel on Granby Street close to the original design. This will be the first stage of further significant investment in the hotel, with plans to upgrade the internal areas of the hotel in 2024.”
David Hickman, director and architect at Hickman & Smith, said: “We’re excited to be working with a great team on this project and to help deliver the restoration of traditional features to the Grand Hotel shopfronts. As a local practice, the opportunity to contribute to the regeneration of the Granby Street Conservation Area is a very exciting prospect.
“This project offers a fantastic opportunity to make a long lasting and positive visual impact that will improve the character of the conservation area on this principal route into the city centre from Leicester Station, whilst raising awareness of the benefits of conservation.”
Deputy city mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on climate, culture and the economy, said: “The restoration of the Grand Hotel’s historic street-level frontages is good news for Granby Street and the city centre.
“The Grand Hotel is a fine example of Leicester’s Victorian past and the city’s rich architectural heritage. It is a local landmark and has long been considered one of Leicester’s most prestigious hotels. With the support of Historic England, this investment will help to restore the building to its former glory, create a much more attractive street scene, and make the area feel safer and more welcoming to all.
“It will also build on recent work to improve routes along Granby Street and Belvoir Street, and will help further improve the look and feel of this important gateway into the city centre.
“It’s important that we continue to invest in our historic city centre shopping streets to support local businesses, boost the city’s economy and create a place where many more people want to live, work and visit.”
A grant of £700,000 has been awarded towards the cost of the restoration work, which is estimated to cost about £900,000. The hotel owners will contribute £200,000 towards the project.
High Street Heritage Action Zones are areas up and down the country which have been singled out by Historic England for funding support. They encourage local councils, businesses, architects and contractors to work together to bid for funding which can be used to sympathetically restore historic buildings.
Louise Brennan, Regional Director for the Midlands at Historic England, said: “This restoration work will be a welcome step in the revitalising of this wonderful area of Leicester. The Grand Hotel is a prestigious building, and we are looking forward to supporting the repair and refurbishment of its street-facing ground floor. Hopefully, this will encourage more people, both tourists and local residents, to step inside to see its fantastic interior and become part of this historic building’s future.”
Gateley RJA strengthens East Midlands residential team with senior appointments
Gateley RJA, the specialist quantity surveying, project management and clerk of works arm of professional services group, Gateley, has strengthened its residential team with two senior appointments in Leicester and Nottingham.
James Frost has been appointed as a senior quantity surveyor at the Kibworth Harcourt office. He previously held roles with Summers-Inman and Gleeds, bringing 12 years of construction experience to the team.
In his role at Gateley RJA, Frost will deliver key quantity surveying and employer’s agent services, as well as driving process efficiencies within the residential team, including a strong focus on cost planning and due diligence.
Casey Harper joins the West Bridgford office as a senior project manager. Harper brings 12 years of construction, residential development and commercial property management experience to the team following appointments with Beyond Consult, Trent & Dove Housing and Nottingham City Homes.
At Gateley RJA, Harper will support residential and affordable housing clients with the delivery and completion of design and build contracts, as well as developer agreements.
Both appointments will bring a strong strategic focus to the consultancy’s residential services offering, as well as leading on the development and management of their respective teams.
Hardeep Kooner, director of residential at Gateley RJA, said: “We pride ourselves on our strong client relationships and the delivery of outstanding services on projects.
“James and Casey both have a wealth of construction and property experience which will bolster our strategic management team and play a core part in strengthening our residential offering.
“Both appointments will make brilliant additions to our team, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their careers progress.”
Intercede secures contract with large US federal agency
Intercede, the specialist in digital identity, credential management and secure mobility, has secured a major new contract win with a large US federal agency, with an aggregate value in excess of $8m.
The order means that the Lutterworth-based group now expects financial performance to be significantly ahead of market expectations for FY24.
Intercede sees the contract as “an exceptional order and deemed ‘one-off'” due to the large number of perpetual licences purchased.
The new customer contract was secured after a “rigorous selection process,” and work will commence immediately to replace the customer’s existing, separate legacy platform with the group’s MyID Credential Management Solution (CMS).
Intercede believes that this new relationship has the potential to develop further as the group’s solutions roll out across hundreds of locations.
Klaas van der Leest, CEO, said: “We are delighted with this new customer win in the US which underlines both our product leadership and our ability to strategically partner with the key system integrators in this market. During the bid cycle, MyID CMS was represented in multiple tenders again highlighting the markets’ confidence in the software.
“We look forward to a productive and deepening relationship with our teaming partners and new federal customer. It is a testament to the hard work of the group’s employees to achieve this landmark contract win. Whilst we are conscious of the exceptional nature of this order our pipeline remains strong and we are confident about the group’s future prospects.”
Leicester property investment company slashes pre-tax losses
Custodian Property Income REIT has improved its pre-tax losses, according to interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2023.
The Leicester-based firm posted a loss before tax of £2.7m, contracting from loss of £14.1m in the same period last year.
Revenue grew slightly to £22.8m from £22.3m.
Meanwhile portfolio valuation remained stable with a marginal 0.6% decline to £609.8m. The portfolio saw a £15.6m valuation decrease, driven by current investor and market sentiment around the UK’s economic outlook and high interest rates, tempered by a £6.1m uplift from asset management initiatives.
EPRA earnings per share increased 3.5% to 2.9p, which the property investment company says is due to rental growth and improvement in occupancy offsetting administrative cost inflation and higher finance costs.
During the period £12.2m was invested primarily in the refurbishment and redevelopment of seven properties, which is expected to enhance the assets’ valuations and environmental credentials and increase rents to give a yield on cost of more than 7%, ahead of the company’s marginal cost of borrowing.
David MacLellan, chairman of Custodian Property Income REIT, said: “The company’s diversified and well managed investment portfolio has shown its resilience during the period, mitigating the risks posed by volatility in real estate investment markets and driving a continued strong operational performance.
“In addition, the company’s conservative balance sheet and its longer-term fixed rate debt profile have provided insulation against the challenge of higher interest rates in the short to medium term.
“Negative sentiment towards real estate investment is currently weighing against capital performance. This sentiment is driven primarily by the potential for persistent inflationary pressure to mean ‘higher-for-longer’ interest rates, uncertainty around the future of offices and the impact of the UK’s general economic outlook on discretionary consumer expenditure.
“However, there is depth in occupational demand and latent rental growth in the portfolio which offers the prospect of growth for existing shareholders, as sentiment improves towards the sector and gives us confidence that the company will continue to perform well.”
Landmark Nottingham educational schemes get go ahead for construction
Midlands contractor, G F Tomlinson, has secured two major builds for Nottingham College.
Procured via Pagabo’s Medium Works Framework, construction has been approved for a new £5.4m Centre for Employment and Independent Living for Students with Learning Difficulties and Disabilities (CEIL for SLDD), as well as a new £5.4m Construction Skills Centre (CSC), as additions to Nottingham College’s existing portfolio.
Works for the CEIL for SLDD scheme will include delivering a two-storey new build with a gross internal floor area of 1,350m2, comprising 13 classrooms, teaching kitchen, dining area and ancillary spaces across its two levels, as well as associated external works.
The CSC scheme will consist of a new build specialist centre to meet the growing need to provide training for construction skilled trades in the local area.
Offering a flexible teaching and learning facility that will support the curriculum and estate objectives of the College, the 1,500m² building will comprise a large double height construction trades workshop, as well as additional classrooms, a smaller modern construction workshop and associated staff and support facilities.
Meeting the rising demand for post-16 sector education to meet the needs of local employers, the building will be used as a critical educational tool in line with the Department for Education’s (DfE) output specification in addition to supporting the sustainability ambitions of Nottingham College towards Net Zero Carbon in operation.
Chris Flint, Managing Director of G F Tomlinson, said: “We’re delighted that these two pivotal educational schemes are moving ahead for Nottingham College, procured through the Pagabo National Framework for Medium Works.
“We’re very much looking forward to delivering the CEIL for SLDD build alongside providing a much-needed learning facility in the form of the CSC, which will support the College’s curriculum, and more importantly, the critical demand for upskilling in the construction sector to support businesses in the region.”
Carl Ara, assistant principal at Nottingham College, said: “We’re excited to be working with G F Tomlinson to bring these two new developments on our Basford campus to fruition.
“As a key driver of economic growth in the north of the city, we are really aware of our responsibility to provide a curriculum offer that helps support young people and adults in the city to learn and succeed in their chosen industry.
“Once complete, the CEIL for SLDD and CSC buildings will provide top class education facilities for both our SLDD and construction cohorts respectively and enable us to ensure our offer is future ready.”
Adam Brumfitt, regional delivery manager (Midlands) at Pagabo, said: “We’re delighted that our Medium Works Framework was used by Nottingham College to appoint a contractor for these key projects.
“Pagabo supported the college in understanding the procurement needs of the two projects and have delivered a successful outcome through the compliant appointment of G F Tomlinson.
“The two new buildings that will be delivered on the college’s Basford campus are set to have a huge positive impact on the experience of students and staff. We’re proud to have played our part in getting these schemes underway.”
Dynamic duo rewarded with directorships at construction consultancy
Northampton-based Bhangals Construction Consultants has celebrated a recent expansion and office move by making two members of staff directors of the business.
Former operations manager Katie Newman is now associate operations director and Harrison Baxter, who was previously estimating manager at the firm, has been named associate estimating director.
The dynamic duo have worked their way up the career ladder at Bhangals Construction Consultants over the last five years and both recently featured in the company’s Build A Career at Bhangals campaign which marked Careers in Construction Month.
Katie started out as a client services executive five years ago, and now oversees and improves business processes and in-house strategies to ensure the company’s success.
She said: “I’m thrilled to announce my new role. From starting out as an administrator five years ago to being where I am now is something I’m extremely proud of and I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of such an amazing team. I’m so excited for the journey ahead!”
Harrison, who studied product design and has a natural eye for detail, looks after a team of around 20 estimators and enjoys the responsibility of his role.
He said: “I am so excited about this promotion. My journey throughout the last five years has been unimaginable and I have grown within the business and within myself by a staggering amount.
“I am excited for what this new opportunity brings and can’t wait to hit future goals with our amazing team.”
Bhangals Construction Consultants Managing Director Parm Bhangal said: “This promotion for Katie and Harrison is well deserved and well earned. They are both an asset to our business and their dedication and hard work has paid off. We look forward to continuing to watch them thrive as they ascend the professional ladder within our organisation.”
Made Smarter East Midlands opens to micro manufacturers
Following the Autumn Statement’s announcement of the nationwide expansion of Made Smarter Adoption until 2027, the Made Smarter East Midlands programme eligibility criteria will now be expanded to include micro sized manufacturers with a headcount of one to nine people.
Since its launch a year ago, the East Midlands Made Smarter Programme has only been open to SME Manufacturers in Leicestershire, Greater Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire with headcounts between 10 and 249 people. With immediate effect the programme will now be accepting expressions of interest from micro sized manufacturers.
Made Smarter East Midlands now offers the following support to the region’s micro manufacturing businesses: Digital Road Mapping (a lighter touch road map is available to micro businesses, which will set out a Digital Implementation Plan); access to 10 hours of fully funded Industrial Digital Technology Advice (IDTA); grant funding to support CAPEX and revenue projects.
Programme director Dr Chris Owen said: “We are absolutely delighted we can now expand the scope of the East Midlands Made Smarter programme to thousands of micro SME manufacturers across the region.
“Since we opened our doors for business in December 2022, we have had a healthy interest from micro sized manufacturers who are eager for support to adopt industrial digital technology but we have been unable to help them.
“We’ll be reaching out to all those micro manufacturers who have already registered an expression of interest in Made Smarter East Midlands, and opening our doors to new expressions of interest from other micro manufacturers across the region.
“We have created a pathway of support specifically designed for micro manufacturers, which is quicker and lighter touch than the core programme, but still gives companies access to packages of free and impartial technical advice and grant funding of up to £20,000 to help them adopt industrial digital technology.”
Alongside the new micro manufacturer pathway the core programme will still continue to accept expressions of interest from manufacturers with headcounts of 10 to 249 people.
In just one year, Made Smarter East Midlands has engaged with over 150 manufacturing businesses across the region providing much needed grant funding, free and impartial technical advice, digital transformation road mapping and Leadership Development.
Council buys former House of Fraser building in Grimsby
The former House of Fraser building on Grimsby’s Victoria Street West has been bought by North East Lincolnshire Council.
Contracts have been exchanged and the sale, which has been advised by strategic partner Queensberry, also includes a leasehold on an adjacent car park.
The five-storey building sits within the council owned Freshney Place and with a frontage on 9 to 29 Victoria Street West. It has been empty since House of Fraser closed four years ago.
Continuing to see it unused was not an option, said Council Leader Cllr Philip Jackson, who has responsibilities for regeneration and the economy. This purchase, he explained, would provide yet more opportunity for the authority and its partners to look at the redevelopment and diverse use of Freshney Place as a whole.
“In order to effect change, which we all know is needed, we must look at opportunities such as this with a view to shaping and guiding redevelopment. Town Centres across the country have changed almost beyond what any of us would have anticipated and that is what we are determined to do here,” said Cllr Jackson.
“We have a fantastic opportunity to re-invent Freshney Place and complement its retail offer with the new cinema, leisure attractions, and fresh new market. The House of Fraser building will now form an integral part of those plans. This is a good move for the town centre,” he added.
Over the last five years, the reshaping of the town centre has been led by the local authority. Along with partners and stakeholders including the Greater Grimsby Town Board, it has won multi-million-pound funding bids from Central Government.
This money, all ring-fenced for specific projects, has seen the transformation of St James’ Square and Garth Lane with its new footbridge, river dredging and extensive paving and landscaping. Further to that, work has started on the redundant St James’ House with the E-Factor purchasing the building to create a business hub.
This is in addition to the Future High Streets Fund, and projects earmarked for Towns Fund money including the already underway full refurb of Riverhead Square, a plan for new housing at Alexandra Dock and the new OnSide ‘Horizon’ Youth Zone. The latter involves the transformation of the historic redundant buildings along Garth Lane into a state-of-the-art centre for young people.
Meanwhile initial work has now started with Queensberry on the multi-million-pound Freshney Place Leisure & Market Hall Scheme with its new cinema, market, and leisure attractions.
More good news is the arrival, in mid-2024, of a Community Diagnostic Centre. The NHS facility in Freshney Place will bring thousands more people into the town centre every year – with such increased footfall through the town centre presenting more opportunities.
Balfour Beatty Living Places secures £330m Highways Maintenance contract extension from Lincs County Council
Balfour Beatty Living Places has been awarded a £330 million six year Highways Maintenance contract extension by Lincolnshire County Council. The extension builds on the current six year contract which is due to end in 2026, extending it until Spring 2032.
Balfour Beatty Living Places will continue to work closely with the Council to maintain the regions 9,240 kilometres of carriageways, provide drainage cleaning services as well as winter and reactive highways maintenance such as gritting, road repairs and traffic management.
The company will utilise its Operational Control Hub, which launched this year, to monitor all activities in real-time and drive efficiencies across the local road network.
The Hub serves as a platform for teams to promptly address network issues, facilitating real-time digital planning. It empowers efficient organisation of both reactive and emergency works, along with streamlined defect reporting in a dynamic digital environment.
Steve Helliwell, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty Living Places, said: “We are delighted that Lincolnshire County Council have extended our contract by a further six years, testament to the strong relationship we have built.
“Today’s announcement will see us continue to provide a best-in-class highways maintenance service, whilst offering customer focused solutions in a collaborative partnership and leaving a lasting positive legacy for the communities we serve.”
Jonathan Evans, Head of Highways Client and Contractual Management Services, said: “The LCC Executive unanimously voted in favour of extending the contractual arrangement with Balfour Beatty Living Places by a further six years ensuring long term service continuity and allowing both parties to focus on strategic improvements in service delivery.
“In addition to this, we have secured a number of improvements for the residents of Lincolnshire and I’m excited to work with Balfour Beatty to implement these in the near future.”
The contract will continue to employ a workforce of 183, including 10 apprenticeship and graduate positions as part of Balfour Beatty’s commitment to The 5% Club.
New student flats planned for “run down ensemble” of Nottingham buildings
Plans for the upward extension and conversion of buildings along Lennox Street in Nottingham for new student accommodation have been submitted to the city council.
Hockley Nottingham Ltd is looking to provide a mix of nine cluster flats and 17 self-contained studios and add two new floors.
The site currently hosts three separate buildings facing the length of Lennox Street and the corners of Cranbrook and Lower Parliament Street.
A design statement submitted by Debtal Architecture says: “The proposal is to create a purpose built student accommodation in a disused building along Lennox Street by converting the existing space and adding an upward extension to create 4 floors altogether.
“The design of the proposal is entirely governed by the existing proportions in the façades. It is celebrating the past looks of the buildings and is contributing to the quirkiness and distinctive character of the area.
“The architectural style introduced is in keeping with each individual building. It will refresh the existing facing brick and introduce contemporary materials with high quality design. The proposal to refurbish the existing façades and extend the buildings to create student accommodation will bring a welcome uplift of a run down ensemble on a vibrant upper
coming central location.
“The design which respects the existing architectural features of the buildings will complement the street scene and will be a suitable addition to the area.”
