Green light given for £8.6m education centre in Mansfield

Tess Egginton
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Green light given for £8.6m education centre in Mansfield

Mansfield District Council has given the go-ahead for £4.3m to be allocated from its £12.3m Towns Fund pot to a major education, skills and business development project in the district.

The Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange will create new teaching and innovation space at the Chesterfield Road Campus of West Nottinghamshire College which aims to address high-value employment opportunities in priority sectors. This state-of-the-art education facility will deliver qualifications at level 3 and above, with a strong focus on innovation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects, offering local people the opportunity to meet future labour market needs and ultimately helping to create well-paid jobs in Mansfield and the wider district. Executive Mayor Andy Abrahams said: “This partnership with the college will see one of the biggest expansions in educational and skills provision in the district for decades. “It will aim to address a consistent labour shortage issue that local employers have in this area – finding workers with the right level and type of technological skills required in the 21st Century. “Additionally, it will encourage new employers to start up or come to Mansfield, knowing that high level, industry-relevant skills are being developed right here. “This forms a key part of the council Aspiration’s priorities for the district which are centred on our ambition for Mansfield to be a place where people can achieve and succeed. “We want students to gain the kind of qualifications in Mansfield that enable them to gain good, well paid jobs here, and not feel that they have to leave the area in order to do well in life. “I’d also stress that this project is seeking the active involvement of local businesses. The world of business is constantly changing and evolving. “The new facility will facilitate collaboration between high-achieving students, aspirational local businesses and the expertise within our further and higher education partners.” Funding from the council was given the green light on 9 January 2023, followed by the Mansfield Place Board’s endorsement at its meeting on the 24 January. Andrew Cropley, principal and Chief Executive of West Nottinghamshire College and chair of the Place Board, said: “I am delighted we’ve reached this important milestone of securing the remaining funding needed to progress with this exciting scheme. “The Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange will be hugely important in creating a highly-skilled workforce in priority sectors by increasing the number of people qualified at level 3 and above in STEM-related subjects. “It will provide a space where education and business can work together on projects that maximise the benefits of the emerging technologies that will be so critical to Mansfield’s economic prosperity. “Crucially, it will enable students to gain the skills and knowledge to secure well-paid employment while helping businesses to grow their talent pool and adopt the new technology that will make them more competitive and profitable. “We have engaged positively with the planning authority and have finalised the design for the building. I am really looking forward to the project taking shape and moving a step closer to this bold ambition becoming reality.” The Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange will offer opportunities for businesses to benefit from the technological expertise of both the college and Nottingham Trent University (NTU), and their networks of industrial partnerships. It will also provide a space where students of the college and NTU will work collaboratively with businesses on projects to support greater use of evolving technology. The centre will be a focal delivery point for T-Levels – new qualifications developed in collaboration with employers – being introduced by the college in September 2024, and will incorporate facilities to support construction, engineering and digital technologies. It will also serve as a knowledge-exchange between the college and NTU and employers – giving businesses a greater understanding of future trends and the opportunities technology will bring, plus support with product and process innovation. The centre will allow students to gain significant work experience with local businesses on technology-driven projects, giving them a valuable insight into how businesses work and support their progression to higher education or employment. Meanwhile, businesses will gain access to support and a future workforce, helping them improve their competitiveness and efficiency through the use of new technology. In addition to collaboration between students from the college and NTU on employer-based projects, the centre will promote the adoption of new technologies through a number of business engagement events. Funding for the £8.86m facility is being met by the following contributions: £4.3m from Mansfield’s Towns Fund allocation, £3.827m from the Education and Skills Funding Agency as part of the second phase of its Further Education Capital Transformation Fund, and £734,000 from the college and NTU. It is hoped on-site works will commence in July 2023, ready for a planned opening date of September 2024. The Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange centre is the final scheme to be given the green light of the six projects included in the council’s £12.3m Towns Fund allocation. The others, which have already been approved by Mansfield Place Board, are: – Warsop Health Hub. This £8.2m project (with £3m from the Towns Fund) will see a 15m x 8m swimming pool, a changing village, fitness suite, a multi-purpose hall and a new and improved multi-use games area created in the community and is now at the planning application stage. – Berry Hill Park – a £3.27m plan (of which £2.94m is from the Towns Fund) to redevelop the park and make it more accessible, including a new visitor centre, café, new adventure play area and event performance space along with improvements to paths. Designers have now been appointed. – Mansfield Woodhouse Station Gateway scheme. This is a £506,000 project to build 290 sqm of commercial floor space in three business units on a brownfield site adjacent to the railway station. Works are expected to be begin in spring 2023. – Destination Mansfield, a £715,000 project (of which £500,000 is from the Towns Fund) to redefine and rebrand the district as a place of choice in which to live, work and visit. The new strategy will see improved event and cultural activities over three years including recreational trails and festivals to celebrate the history and heritage of the town. The extra £215,000 needed will come from Mansfield District Council. Work has commenced on procuring a Place strategy. – Smart Mansfield, a £1m scheme to install a Long Range Wide Area Network, enabling Mansfield to become a pioneering community on the “Internet of Things” supporting efficiencies and new service delivery for residents and business across a range of partners. One of the early projects being developed is a Smart Parking solution, offering users better access to parking facilities, improved ticketing that is easy to use, making best use of modern technology. It will be key in increasing access to the town for work, shopping, leisure and tourism. Procurement has begun for this project.

McLaren Construction appointed to industry-leading £1bn public sector framework

Tess Egginton
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McLaren Construction appointed to industry-leading £1bn public sector framework
McLaren Construction has been appointed to Pagabo’s National Framework for Medium Works, as part of a select collaboration of contractors working towards improving the future of the UK construction industry. Valued at a total of £1billion, the new iteration of the framework, which is the second instalment of the original framework launched by Pagabo in 2019, will run from January 2023 until January 2027 – bringing together 94 contractors across the country. The Medium Works Framework is a compliant and collaborative route to market for the public sector, which has seen over 160 projects procured through it to date. Aligned with all of the gold standard principles of procurement, the framework ensures suppliers work to the highest standard of industry practice for all built environment projects. As part of the partnership, McLaren Construction will deliver works ranging from £5million to £10million as part of Lot 4, in the regions of the Midlands, North East and Yorkshire, North West, East Anglia, London and the South East. Using the latest measurement software created by the UK’s leading social value business – Loop, for every project procured through the Pagabo framework, McLaren Construction will be able to demonstrate and report back on the social value generated through its activity. In order to be successful, McLaren needed to demonstrate the firm’s commitment to social value, providing evidence of value for money and delivering quality builds on time and to budget, alongside the digitalisation of its practices with the adoption of new technologies. Gary Cramp, Managing Director of McLaren Construction Midlands and North, said: “While nationally, we have delivered many public sector works, our appointment to such an industry-leading framework is a prestigious win for McLaren, and a testament to our expertise and commitment to delivering high-quality works that maximise social value within the communities in which we operate. “The next generation framework is at the forefront of the construction sector, in terms of collaborative procurement and as a provider of innovative industry technologies, we are looking forward to playing a pivotal role in supporting the significant regeneration of communities, not just in the Midlands, but across the rest of the UK too.” Public sector schemes recently completed by the McLaren Group include the West Midlands Ambulance Service site – home of the UK’s first electric ambulance fleet in Brierley Hill, Castle Quay Waterfront CQ2 development in Banbury – a mixed-use leisure, entertainment and retail development, delivered on behalf of Cherwill District Council, and Crown House – an affordable housing scheme in Barking, delivered through the Be First London Development Framework. Other public sector projects which are currently in the construction phase include Industria – a multi-storey industrial development in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, also being delivered through the Be First framework, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich – where McLaren will be delivering vital mechanical and engineering upgrades on behalf of the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. Tom Retallick, framework manager at Pagabo, said: “We’re delighted to welcome McLaren Construction and a further 93 suppliers to the newest iteration of our Medium Works Framework. It will provide a compliant and collaborative route to market for public sector clients on all of their medium-sized construction projects and we’re glad that McLaren Construction could be a part of this.”

Floodgates open as business insolvencies hit 13-year high

Tess Egginton
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Floodgates open as business insolvencies hit 13-year high
2022 was the year the corporate insolvency dam burst, with numbers of insolvent businesses hitting a 13-year high. This is according to the Midlands branch of insolvency and restructuring body R3 and follows statistics published by the Insolvency Service which show that corporate insolvencies in England and Wales increased by 57.3% last year [2022] to 22,109 compared to 2021’s figure of 14,059, and by 75% in comparison to 12,632 in 2020. The statistics also show an increase of 28.8% on 2019’s pre-pandemic figure of 17,164. R3 Midlands chair Eddie Williams, a partner at PwC in the East Midlands, said: “2022 was the year the business insolvency floodgates opened. After two years of being supressed by Government support programmes, annual corporate insolvency numbers hit a 13-year peak. This was mainly due to Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidations reaching their highest level in 62 years as more and more directors turned to this process to close down their businesses. “After nearly three years of trading through a pandemic, and in the face of the end of Government support, rising costs and a cost-of-living crisis, many directors simply ran out of road last year and chose to close their businesses before the choice was taken away from them. “Alongside this, the end of the Government’s temporary legislation on winding-up orders has left creditors free to pursue unpaid debts, which is why Compulsory Liquidation numbers are at their highest in three years. “With the entire supply chain under pressure from increased costs, the debtor flexibility we saw from creditors during, and immediately after, the pandemic has disappeared. Many are now taking action to recover monies owed to them in an attempt to balance their own books. “Inflation is still high, supply chains remain squeezed, and people are still worried about the cost of living, so it’s likely we’ll see insolvencies continue to rise this year, unless the trading climate takes a drastic turn for the better. “We urge directors to be aware of signs that their business is financially distressed and act as soon as they see them. Rising stock, problems paying staff or suppliers and cashflow issues are all indications a business is struggling. Seeking advice as soon as they arise gives directors more options, more time to make a decision and a better outcome than if they’d waited until the situation had become more severe.”

Rolls-Royce shares in £113m Government cash to develop ‘guilt-free’ flying

Stuart Pearcey
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Rolls-Royce shares in £113m Government cash to develop ‘guilt-free’ flying
A project by Rolls-Royce to develop the building blocks of a liquid hydrogen-fuelled jet engine capable of making flights free from carbon emissions has been given a boost thanks to funding of £113m from the Government. The money is being shared amongst several producers to develop cutting edge new technologies that could enable electric flying taxis and hydrogen-powered aircraft. Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer at Rolls-Royce plc, said: “Rolls-Royce welcomes this announcement from the UK government. Aerospace Technology Institute funding enables us and our partners to deliver these exciting projects that are critical to the delivery of the zero carbon element of our net zero road map, and will help position the UK as a leader on the pathway to more sustainable flight. Business Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Guilt-free flying is within our reach, and we are backing the world-leading UK firms whose skills and ingenuity are going to make that dream a reality.

“As the whole world moves to greener forms of aviation, there is a massive opportunity for the UK’s aerospace industry to secure clean, green jobs and growth for decades to come. Together with the companies that share our ambitions, we are determined to seize this moment.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “The Jet Zero Council is helping to define the future of flying – one that’s more optimistic about the sector’s environmental impact while putting UK innovation at the forefront of international aviation.

“As well as developing the next generation of aircraft, it’s also crucial we make the sector greener on the ground, and the call for evidence we’re launching today will help us gather evidence on how airports can reach zero emissions by 2040.”

 

Final unit sold at Glenfield business start-up development

Tess Egginton
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Final unit sold at Glenfield business start-up development
The final unit in a development of seven commercial buildings within Glenborough Court, Glenfield, Leicester has been sold by specialist land development and property consultancy Mather Jamie on behalf of Lagan Homes. The units have been designed and marketed as suitable for new business start-ups in order to meet a gap in the market for small, high quality owner occupier investment opportunities. Occupation of the seven units has also created several new employment opportunities in Glenfield. The site was originally occupied by Glenborough Engineering. When this business closed, having built an adjacent business park, Cawrey Homes purchased the land and self-funded part of the build. Construction was completed in 2021 and Cawrey Homes was subsequently acquired by Lagan Homes. The seven two storey units vary in size from 1,238 sq ft to 1,560 sq ft and the businesses occupying the units include professional advisers, electricians, distributors and a wholesales trading business, whilst one of the units is being fitted out to let as an office. Adrian Regan, land director, Lagan Homes, said: “The units have been expertly marketed over the past year with strong demand from buyers who want to purchase property as an investment within their pension portfolio. Working together as a team we have achieved a great outcome on this exciting new development which complements other business start-up units we have available on Pear Tree Office Park in Ratby.” Alex Reid, head of commercial, Mather Jamie, said: “High quality units of this size and location are highly sought after and we have worked hard to create the right interest and ensure each sale has completed quickly so that our client can continue to re-invest and create other similar developments.” Other advisers on the deal included Emma Ali from Shakepeare Martineau who provided legal advice to Lagan Homes.

Fibre infrastructure installation business enters administration

Tess Egginton
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Fibre infrastructure installation business enters administration
Nottingham-headquartered Light Source Design Limited has entered administration. Founded 20 years ago, the company provides installation services for Fibre to the Premises infrastructures for a number of blue chip communication companies including Openreach, Virgin Media, UPP and KCOMM. Turnover had grown to £48.5m in the latest finalised accounts period, with the company employing 220 people as of the appointment of Tom Straw and Chris Lewis of RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP as joint administrators on 31 January 2023. The business was impacted by delays in payment from customers and challenges in converting work in progress. The position further deteriorated due to a large bad debt, adverse customer credit terms and a reduction in customer budget spend, leading to further cash flow pressures which meant that the company was unable to meet its liabilities as they fell due, resulting in the appointment of administrators. Trading has been suspended whilst the administrators are seeking to sell the business and its assets in order to try and protect jobs and achieve an orderly handover of contracts to maximise realisations for the benefit of creditors. Tom Straw, partner at RSM UK and joint administrator, said: “Cash flow issues meant that despite working with stakeholders to look to find an alternative solution, the company became the subject of a winding-up petition, culminating in the appointment of administrators. The administrators are exploring all options including a sale of the business in an accelerated timeframe.”

Digital workflow specialist expands the team at Intoware

Tess Egginton
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Digital workflow specialist expands the team at Intoware
A Nottingham-based workflow automation firm has expanded its team with the appointment of a new senior software engineer from Ukraine. Intoware, which is headquartered at The University of Nottingham’s Innovation Lab, has appointed Vasyl Solovei to the role. Vasyl currently lives in Birmingham and will be working remotely to further enhance Intoware’s flagship product – WorkfloPlus – developing new microservices, web dashboards and web features. Vasyl said: “I’m very excited to be starting as senior software engineer with Intoware, working on WorkfloPlus to further enhance the software and in turn, help our clients get the most out of their digital workflow experience. I’m looking forward to a new challenge and to furthering my professional growth within the team.” WorkfloPlus is a mobile technology platform created by Intoware to enable businesses to digitise processes and tasks across industrial operations, converting them from paper to be accessible via mobile, wearable technology and desktop devices. Keith Tilley, CEO at Intoware, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Vasyl on board. As more and more companies around the globe take advantage of our technology, our team continues to grow. “We look forward to continuing our success with WorkfloPlus and Vasyl’s role will help us to stay ahead of the curve and keep flourishing in our target markets.” Based in Nottingham, Intoware, which operates a hybrid-working model, currently employs 20 people across the UK.

Land deal to bring forward new Nottinghamshire light industrial scheme

Tess Egginton
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Land deal to bring forward new Nottinghamshire light industrial scheme
Nottingham developer Decorum Estates has completed a deal to buy a prime site on Tulip Lane on the Hollygate 46 industrial park in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, which will bring forward 11 high quality light industrial units targeting the owner occupier and investor market.The well-located site on an established trading park is perfect for a starter unit scheme.A planning application has been submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council, with Decorum targeting a start on-site date of late Spring, with the units ready for occupation by tenants towards the end of the year.Decorum bought the site from Wilson Bowden/Homes England, who were represented on the deal by Mark Tomlinson at FHP. NG acted for Decorum Estates.Richard Sutton, Managing Director at NG is marketing the project and has already reported strong interest at this preliminary stage. He said: “It’s so rare that units like this are built to be sold as opposed to let. They are perfect for small businesses or SIPP investors, and the quality of this project will be ahead of anything else in the Rushcliffe area.”Chris Carlisle, director at Decorum Estates, added: “We are delighted to have secured this opportunity to deliver a further quality scheme, addressing the on-going demand for accommodation of this nature.”

WBR Group expands senior leadership team

Tess Egginton
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WBR Group expands senior leadership team
WBR Group (WBR), the independent provider of SSAS services and tax experts, has made two senior appointments to its leadership team. David Downie joins as Managing Director of SSAS & Actuarial and Peter Collier as Director of Marketing and Distribution. The Group has offices in Leicester, Bolton and Salisbury. David has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services sector, with most of those years spent working within the pension and SSAS industry. He is a fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, Chairman of the ACA Individual and Penson Savings Committee and was most recently Chief Actuary at Rowanmoor where he has worked for over 29 years. In his role David will lead the SSAS and Actuarial division of the business, further strengthening the technical knowledge and expertise within the Group. As a fast growing business that is acquisitive for the right books of business, he will also support the future expansion plans of WBR. Peter Collier has over 25 years’ experience in the pensions industry. He has held a number of senior roles across marketing, business development and strategy functions within the pensions and wealth management industry. Previously, he was Head of Marketing Strategy at Brown Shipley, most recently Peter was Business Development Director at Hurley Partners (latterly Mattioli Woods).
Peter Collier
In his role at WBR Group Peter will be developing a clear brand identity and proposition for the newly named WBR Group and lead the strategy to build on the already strong relationships with financial advisers and other professional advisers such as accountants and solicitors. The news follows the recent completion of Rowanmoor Executive Pensions Limited’s book of 3,500 SSASs. The firm has also taken the opportunity to rebrand the business to WBR Group to reflect the larger organisation. David Downie, Managing Director of SSAS & Actuarial, WBR Group, said: “I very much look forward to my next challenge as MD of our SSAS and Actuarial propositions at WBR Group. Having seen the developments WBR Group have made in becoming a well-respected and entrusted provider in the pensions industry I can say that I am genuinely excited to be joining the team to help drive them further forward.” Peter Collier, Director of Marketing and Distribution, WBR Group, said: “I am pleased to be joining WBR Group at such an exciting time for the business. WBR has a unique and highly relevant proposition and whilst we are already well-known for our traditional SSAS offering there is so much more to attract the attention of clients and their advisers. For example, our DB SSAS is particularly noteworthy given the imminent rise in Corporation Tax rates. We will look forward to increasing market awareness of this opportunity.” Martin Tilley, Chief Operating Officer, WBR Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome David and Peter to the WBR Group. Due to our rapid growth and particularly acquisitions that include the SSAS books of James Hay and Rowanmoor, it is important to have a strong leadership team and to expand this to meet the firm’s changing needs. “That is why we are pleased to welcome David and Peter to the business. Both David and Peter have experience, expertise and with previous connections to the Board, we have shared values and the same vision for our service offering.”

Partnership and polarisation key themes for UK real estate in 2023

Tess Egginton
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Partnership and polarisation key themes for UK real estate in 2023
As part of its forecasts for the year ahead, JLL has highlighted that the stabilisation of inflation and interest rates will prompt more investment activity in H2 2023. Investment volumes for 2022 reached £48.6bn in 2022, a 22% decline on 2021 volumes of £62.7bn, and 8% below the 10-year average of £53.1bn according to JLL. Looking towards capital flows for the year ahead, JLL has predicted that activity will improve in the second half of the year and that the focus will gradually move from yield shifts to income resilience – in particular occupational risks and the divergent potential for rental growth. It is expected that activity will be orientated towards core assets where rental income is regarded as most secure. Regarding sources of capital targeting UK real estate, Asia-Pacific buyers, particularly those from Singapore and Hong Kong are anticipated to represent an elevated proportion of buyers in 2023 compared to recent years. German buyers will also re-emerge as opportunities arise. The huge, energy-driven flows of capital into Middle Eastern Sovereign Wealth Funds could mean they become major players as the year progresses. JLL cited that occupiers are set to seek partnerships with landlords in order to achieve their goals and reconcile increasing costs with their ambitions to transform and upgrade their real estate in 2023. There will also be an increasing appetite in areas such as life sciences for partnerships with investors, developers, local authorities and educational and research institutions – which will help drive forward regeneration. Leasing markets will see polarisation and pockets of rental growth according to JLL, with rents most buoyant in the ‘super-prime’ segments. Occupier demand for offices will focus on high quality space with superb sustainability and design credentials – which means investors will too. This is expected to highlight major obsolescence problem in the secondary market as rental growth continues to polarise. Whilst in industrial it will remain a landlord’s market; the imbalance of supply and demand, particularly in the mid-box and urban logistics sectors, will mean we will see relatively resilient rents. The only complication in this picture is the business rates revaluation which will bring instant benefits for the winners – mostly those in the retail sector – and a slower ratcheting of costs for subsectors that have seen recent rental growth. Jon Neale, head of UK research at JLL, said: “2023 is going be a difficult year for many businesses, but there will be some tentative evidence of green shoots in the second half, particularly in the core investment market. But if companies solely focus on survival, rather than on longer-term trends, they will struggle; the pressures that have begun to emerge during the last cycle – sustainability, urbanisation, greater occupier selectivity and more demanding requirements – will only intensify in the next one. The polarisation that has been seen over the past few years will intensify over 2023, but that may just be the start.” Stuart Smith, director, JLL in the Midlands, said: “Make no bones about it, 2023 will be challenging for the Midlands’ real estate market. But it will also present some fantastic opportunities and it is more than able to bounce back convincingly – a mix of great transport links, proximity to London and thriving business and student communities make it an attractive place for foreign direct investment, which will prove a catalyst for recovery. “A renewed focus on the Midlands across all sectors in the region’s major cities and their surrounding areas, make it ripe for a fast recovery when inflation eases and interest rates return to normal.” Stephanie Hyde, Chief Executive, JLL UK, added: “Despite the ongoing headwinds, the majority of investors and corporates alike have set clear objectives and targets for decarbonising buildings, and 2023 will be the year in which these ambitions turn into actions. Small and medium sized businesses will also start to develop and implement sustainability strategies en masse, spurred by the mounting evidence of the financial, social and environmental returns. However, given cost pressures it will become clear that increased tenant and landlord collaboration – through engagement as well as financing – is imperative to making progress possible. “Reinvention and repurposing will be a major theme of development in 2023, even if immediate activity is constrained by economic conditions. Investors have been watching the retail sector for some time, and values have now reached a point where large-scale reimagining is possible. There will be generational opportunities in this sector. “The levelling up agenda may falter given economic conditions but the underlying drivers behind it will intensify. The significant role that private sector partners play in delivering regeneration projects will be all the clearer as local councils see revenues fall and look to maximise the economic and regenerative potential of the assets that they own.”
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