Loughborough University has appointed Dr Sally Wilson as commercial director.
Dr Wilson is currently working for Harper Adams University as their commercial advisor. She began her career as a Marie Curie Post Doctoral Researcher in the Michael Smurfitt Business School, University College Dublin, before moving into the private sector to deliver business and commercial leadership in a global management consultancy and FTSE 100 PLC. She then went on to lead and deliver transformation and growth at Surrey University, University College London (UCL) and Surrey Police. In her new role at Loughborough, Dr Wilson will be responsible for the continued development of the University’s commercial strategy and supporting key partnerships that are strategically aligned with its values, business goals and culture. Speaking about her appointment, she said: “I am privileged to be joining Loughborough University and excited to be bringing together existing and new partners to deliver the strategy. “I am looking forward to meeting all the people that have made Loughborough such an iconic and exciting world-class institution and looking outwards to how we build, grow and leverage on existing achievements.” Alexandra Owen, the University’s Chief Financial Officer, added: “We are delighted Sally will be joining us. Her appointment underlines our commitment to enhancing the commercial activities of the University, maximising the benefits of both existing and future partnerships, and the role they will play in delivering our ambitious new strategy.” Dr Wilson is due to join the University in September 2023.Council successful in defending decision to sell Sixfields land to Northampton Town Football Club
West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has been successful in defending its decision to sell land to Northampton Town Football Club.
On 8 March 2022, WNC’s Cabinet agreed to accept a bid from County Developments Northampton Ltd (CDNL), which is owned by the club.
At a late stage, development firm Cilldara had submitted a bid for the land, but although this bid was for a larger amount of money, and was “very carefully considered,” other factors led the council to determine that the club’s bid was most advantageous. Cilldara challenged the decision via judicial review.
The case was argued on six grounds: procedural unfairness, predetermination, failure to make proper inquiry, failure to achieve the best price, irrationality, and failure to give reasons.
A hearing was held at the High Court in March this year and The Hon Mrs Justice Steyn DBE, presiding, considered extensive evidence from both sides.
In her judgement, she found in favour of the council and dismissed all grounds of Cilldara’s claim.
Cllr Jonathan Nunn, Council Leader at West Northamptonshire Council, said: “We always make important decisions through the most careful consideration, and this decision was one for which we thought through every aspect and detail.
“We also took a great deal of advice, both from our own officers and from external professionals. We were therefore optimistic that the decision we made was sound, given the complexities presented by the leases in place on this land, and what we felt the likelihood was of bringing it forward for development.
“Despite questions raised in some quarters since Cabinet’s decision to dispose of the land to CDNL, Cilldara’s challenge through the High Court has been unsuccessful, and we’ve been completely vindicated on all six of the grounds raised.
“We thank the court and The Hon Mrs Justice Steyn DBE for their time in considering this matter, and we’re pleased that we can now progress a deal which we’re confident will, in the long run, be of greatest benefit to our residents.
“We still have much work to do in shaping and agreeing the final detail of the contractual arrangements with the club, and this will commence immediately.”
The council will now be seeking costs against Cilldara to recover the public money spent on successful defence of the decision.
Warmflame to develop further 47,275 sq ft scheme on Moulton Park
Warmflame Developments is to develop a further 47,275 sq ft scheme on Moulton Park in Northampton. Demand for industrial space remains strong in the area; with one unit already pre-sold off plan.
This new scheme on Anglia Way marks the second site to be developed on the industrial estate by the Solihull-based company.
The company will break ground on its latest project – WD.Park Anglia Way – in July, which will see the construction of two new industrial/warehouse units of 21,528 sq ft and 25,747 sq ft.
Each warehouse unit will offer a comprehensive mezzanine floor that can be fitted out to provide offices or additional storage space. Other features include an 8m clear internal height, electrically operated loading doors, electric vehicle charging points and generous yard areas.
Unit 1 of 21,528 sq ft has already been pre-sold to a leading global provider of products and services that support patient care.
Development director at Warmflame Developments, Stuart Mair said: “We are delighted to be bringing this site forward as it allows us to plug a gap in the market for mid-box industrial space in Northamptonshire.
“As we look forward to practical completion in Q1 2024, this speculative development will provide both this company and another occupier with a high-quality, energy efficient building, located in a prime employment area.”
Richard Baker, a director of Prop-Search, acting as joint agent with TDB Real Estate, said: “Anglia Way brings some much needed new stock to Northampton. It is well placed to offer end users access to both a skilled and experienced workforce.”
This latest wave of construction follows the success of Warmflame’s neighbouring 58,020 sq ft scheme on Deer Park Road, which completed in October 2022 and saw nine units sold within two months of practical completion.
Investor acquires Nottinghamshire stone manufacturer
Investor Nene Capital has acquired Serene Stone, a Nottinghamshire manufacturer and supplier of architectural cast stone.
As part of this acquisition, Serene Stone will operate as a standalone entity within Nene Capital’s long hold portfolio, retaining its brand, management team, and existing business operations.
This approach ensures a seamless transition while leveraging Nene Capital’s resources and expertise to support Serene Stone’s expansion plans.
“We are thrilled to welcome Serene Stone into our portfolio,” said Stephen Bayliss, Managing Director of Nene Capital. “We believe in the tremendous potential of Serene Stone and are committed to supporting their growth trajectory.
“Creating value on a risk adjusted basis remains core to our investment philosophy. Together, we aim to unlock market opportunities, enhance customer value, and drive sustainable long-term success.”
Simon Stringer, finance director of Nene Capital, said: “The historic focus of Serene Stone on quality and delivery has allowed it to establish strong underlying financial and trading performance. These characteristics make it an exciting addition to our growing portfolio of SME businesses.”
Pendragon COO steps down
Pendragon’s Chief Operating Officer Martin Casha, who has held the role since 2001, is standing down from the company to take up a position as CEO of Marshall Motor Group.
In order to “simplify the company’s organisational structure,” Pendragon says Martin’s role will not be replaced and his reporting lines will be re-distributed across the senior leadership team.
Martin will continue in his role as Chief Operating Officer and as a director until 7 November 2023.
Bill Berman, Chief Executive Officer, said: “On behalf of the Board and all our associates, I would like to thank Martin for his contribution to Pendragon.
“He has been instrumental to the growth of the business and more recently, he has played an important role in implementing our strategy to transform automotive retail through digital innovation and operational excellence. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours.”
Martin Casha, Chief Operating Officer, said: “I have been very fortunate to have enjoyed a fantastic career at Pendragon. It has been a privilege to be part of a first-class organisation and I would like to thank the team that I have had the pleasure of working with. I wish them every success for the future.”
The news comes after Casha, who has been with Pendragon for 42 years, was voted back into his position by a margin of 59.86% to 40.14% at an AGM last week.Leicestershire firm shares in multi-million pound grant to develop ‘world-first’ boiler
Syston-based off-grid energy supplier Flogas Britain and Cardiff University have been awarded £3.4m by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to develop a world-first ammonia steam boiler to help decarbonise off-grid businesses across the UK.
Over the next two years, Flogas and the academics at Cardiff University’s Net Zero Innovation Institute will prove that ammonia is a viable, cost-effective renewable fuel for large energy users off the mains gas grid, helping contribute to legally binding net zero targets.
Using the funding from the UK Government’s £55m Industrial Fuel Switching Competition, as part of the £1bn Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), they will develop a first-of-its-kind, 1MW ammonia-fuelled steam boiler. This will undergo trial at an active commercial manufacturing site, proving its advantages over other low-carbon solutions.
James Rudman, Business Development Director at Flogas, said: “The off-mains industry in the UK is notoriously hard to decarbonise, and a lot of it is still powered by carbon-heavy oil, so finding cleaner, greener alternatives is a significant, pressing challenge.
“Whilst LPG is an excellent transition fuel for oil users, cutting carbon by 20% as well as other polluting emissions – to help off-grid businesses get all the way to net zero, we’re expanding our portfolio of renewables, including a range of green gases.
“Ammonia is a key part of this; we believe it’s a compelling, highly effective renewable option for off-grid industry, and an extremely cost effective one too. Plus, businesses currently running on LPG will be able to switch to ammonia in the future with modification to equipment.”
Dr Syed Mashruk of the Net Zero Innovation Institute and School of Engineering adds, “In a net zero world, the oil used by businesses and industry must be replaced by a fuel that is cost-effective and zero carbon, and green ammonia is a promising alternative fuel. It can be distributed easily and stored inexpensively using infrastructure that has been well established already in the fertiliser sector.
“Over the course of this project, we will bring to life our conceptual design for a 1 MW ammonia-fed steam boiler, creating a prototype and rigorously testing and improving it. At the end of the project, we aim to have a boiler that’s fit for commercialisation, and fuelled only by clean ammonia, which Flogas will then supply to customers as an off-grid industrial heating option.”
Alstom engineers show well in international competition
Chamber event highlights business benefits of community engagement
Businesses and charities were brought together by East Midlands Chamber for an event that aimed to get firms engaging with their communities.
More than 20 charities set up stalls at the East Midlands CSR Summit, held at the University of Derby’s Kedleston Road campus yesterday (6 July), where they connected with 100 business leaders.
At the event Richard Collins, founder of corporate social responsibility accreditation provider CSR-A, discussed how companies can gain a return on investment in community activities, and HS2 Ltd’s senior CSR manager Graham Frankland explained the importance of proving social and environmental impact for SMEs when bidding for the 400,000 supply chain contract opportunities from the high-speed rail project.
Chris Hobson, Director of Policy and Insight at East Midlands Chamber, also presented research in partnership with the University of Derby and Loughborough University showing that while six in 10 East Midlands businesses run community-based activities, there remain gaps in engagement due to reasons such as a lack of resource or it not being deemed a strategic priority.
He said: “Our goal at the Chamber is to get more businesses to do more community-based activities in a more impactful way. There remains an education piece around why this isn’t just a ‘nice to do’ but actually can be an essential part of a growth strategy. Members told us that one of the best ways to support this understanding is through creating opportunities for businesses to speak directly to organisations that are operating in their local area and learn about what they do, why they do it and what opportunities exist for two-way learning.
“There are some great drivers to CSR that will speak clearly to businesses, whether it’s as simple as having a passion for a particular cause, helping to engage and develop employees, grow brand reputation, or to be more competitive in tendering opportunities.
“By integrating community engagement within a wider business strategy, it becomes more sustainable and leads to a greater impact – not just for the charity, but the business too as it can take learnings into its own organisation.”
Approval tipped for major Derby business park plans
Plans for a major new business park, delivering over 1.6 million sq ft of floorspace and forming part of the Infinity Park Derby site, have been tipped for approval by Derby City Council ahead of a planning meeting next week.
Outline planning permission for the development is sought by Infinity Park Derby LLP.
The scheme’s uses would include storage and distribution, general industrial and light industrial, research and development, office, hotel, pub, and drive thru cafe use.
The construction costs for the development are estimated to be approximately £150 million over a seven-year build programme. An estimated 318 temporary direct and indirect jobs could be supported per annum.
Once fully developed and occupied, the development is expected to support 2,731 gross full-time equivalent jobs on site and it is estimated that the wages paid to the on-site workers would be around £80 million per annum. The GVA to economic output is estimated to be around £138 million per annum.
Outline planning permission for a business park of this nature was already agreed in principle on the site, but this has now expired.
An opportunity to applaud the region’s property and construction industry – enter the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023!
With nominations OPEN for Business Link’s annual East Midlands Bricks Awards, showcase your business, team and projects by submitting an entry for the prestigious event.
Celebrating the region’s property and construction industry, 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 28 September, at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground – an evening also offering an opportunity to establish new connections with property and construction professionals from across the region, and featuring Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, as keynote speaker.
To be held at:
After winning two awards at the 2022 event, William Crooks, Managing Director of Cawarden, said: “It was fantastic for Cawarden to be presented with not one but two prestigious awards at this year’s Bricks Awards. We received the Contractor of the Year title for the second year in a row, which is absolutely fantastic to be recognised again for our project and service delivery expertise.
“Despite the challenging landscape, we’ve had an exceptional year, achieving sustainable growth whilst delivering a diverse range of projects for some of the UK’s leading clients. To then pick up the Responsible Business of the Year title was the icing on the cake. We’re committed to improving the image of the industry, and we strive to raise the bar for our people, the planet, and the community. To receive an award for our recent achievements is wonderful.
“A big thank you to the judges and congratulations must also go to all the other award finalists and winners. The event was a real showcase for the regional property and construction sector, and we are more than proud to be part of it!”
To nominate your (or another) business/development for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023, 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)
Nominations close Thursday 31 August.
Find out who last year’s winners were here.
Book your tickets now
Tickets can now be booked for the East Midlands Bricks Awards 2023 – click here to secure yours. The special awards evening and networking event will be held on Thursday 28 September 2023 in the Derek Randall Suite at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground 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, and hear from Mike Denby, Director of Inward Investment and Place Marketing at Leicester City Council, our keynote speaker. Dress code is standard business attire. Thanks to our sponsors:
To be held at:
