Derelict former swimming pool in Oadby to be sold in regeneration opportunity
A derelict former swimming pool in Oadby is to be sold, regenerating a prominent key site and bringing in funds ringfenced to improve community facilities in the town.
Oadby & Wigston Borough Council is planning a major refurbishment of the bowls pavilion next to the site which would make it the primary multi-use community facility in the town, as well as potentially using funds raised from the pool sale to improve Ellis Park as well.
Oadby pool became redundant in 2014 when the brand new replacement at Parklands Leisure Centre opened in Washbrook Lane.
The borough’s Local Plan already allocates most of the land, which includes the former pool and car parking at the front, as a prime opportunity for residential development, and this is the area that is now on the market for sale along with the tennis courts to the rear. All types of development offers though are being welcomed with any future use subject to gaining the relevant consents.
The adjacent land on which Ellis Park, the bowling green and the pavilion stand are not included in the sale, with these areas set for potential improvement using the money raised from the sale of the neighbouring land.
After a sale is agreed, the borough council will consult with local residents and groups to establish how a revamped community facility on the site of the current pavilion might look and what it could be used for. Regardless of how any revamped community facility shapes up, it will also remain available for use by the bowls club currently based there as well as other community groups. Improvements to Ellis Park itself will also form part of future consultation.
In the long term the council also expects to dispose of the Walter Charles Centre, the aging community building currently to the south of the town centre, which will be replaced by the larger, modern pavilion revamped as part of this project. This would only happen once the new community facility is nearing completion.
Councillor John Boyce, leader of Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, said: “Regeneration is key to maintaining a thriving local community and economy, and this land sale presents a huge opportunity for Oadby.
“It’s time for a developer to unlock the site’s potential. The money raised is ringfenced for community benefit – all of the proceeds will go towards creating a far superior community facility for the town as well as possible improvements to Ellis Park.
“We’re looking forward to talking to local residents, community groups and other key stakeholders to ensure the way the money is spent maximises the community offer in the town. Local voices are absolutely key to this project and people in Oadby can expect to hear much more about this in the coming months.”
Council awarded £2.58m to enhance North East Derbyshire
North East Derbyshire District Council has been awarded £2.5 million UK Shared Prosperity funding to spend on initiatives to improve the District’s parks, play areas, shop fronts, tourism offer and business support amongst other improvements over the coming years.
The funding will be used to level up across North East Derbyshire (along with the wider UK initiative), addressing geographical inequalities, and build pride in place across the whole district.
The Council will deliver initiatives across the District that meet the UKSPF programme investment priorities of Communities and Place, Local Business and People and Skills.
Over the next two years, the Council will invest in projects to make improvements to the public realm, shop fronts, parks, play areas, routeways, village halls and community hubs.
It will also promote the local tourism offer, provide support for businesses, social and financial inclusion activities, green skills training for local workers, and youth activities to address antisocial behaviour. Initiatives will include grant schemes, commissioned activities and focused financial support.
North East Derbyshire District Council cabinet member for leisure and communications, Cllr Alan Powell, said: “We are delighted to have received this money which we will use to make a visible difference to our district.
“We have already launched the first round of our Quality Parks and Play Areas grant scheme and we are now pleased to launch the second round as well as the Village Halls and Community Venues and Inclusive Communities schemes.”
North East Derbyshire District Council cabinet member for economy, transformation and climate, Cllr Jeremy Kenyon, said: “Other initiatives, including the Shop Front Enhancement grant scheme, will be announced over the coming months that will have a positive impact on our local communities and will include enhancements to shops and facilities and support to businesses and residents through access to advice and training.
“These activities support our vision of a district that is clean and attractive, where people are proud to live and work, where they will prosper and feel safe, happy and healthy and we look forward to reaping the benefits of our investment.”
Chatsworth House Trust appoints new director
Jane Marriott has been appointed to the new role of director of Chatsworth House Trust.
Jane has recently started in her new position following a successful six-year tenure as director of Harewood House Trust, during which time she oversaw a significant increase in charitable income and visitor engagement with this historic country house in West Yorkshire, driven by new and innovative programming such as the Harewood Biennial and an ongoing commitment to inclusion and diversity, working closely with contemporary artists and makers.
Jane joins Chatsworth at an important time. Her remit as the new director includes leading the development and delivery of a compelling creative programme to reach and engage new audiences in the UK and globally. She is also tasked with increasing the social impact of the Trust’s activities, overseeing the Devonshire Collections of art, artefacts and archives across its various sites, and building the Trust’s endowment to ensure an ever more secure future for the heritage assets under its stewardship.
Jane’s 25-year career has been spent predominantly in leadership roles in museums and galleries at times of major transformation. She started out as assistant curator at Art Gallery New South Wales, Sydney, before joining the team that launched Tate Modern in London in 2000 and then becoming the youngest female director of Royal Academy Trust and director of development at the Royal Academy of Arts.
Whilst at the RA she raised £36 million for the David Chipperfield-designed capital project and established an international fundraising operation in Hong Kong. Jane then moved to Yorkshire, firstly as deputy director and then Managing Director of The Hepworth Wakefield where she instigated the creation of the new Hepworth Gallery Garden designed by Tom Stuart Smith and launched the Hepworth Prize for Sculpture, which amongst other initiatives helped The Hepworth Wakefield win the Art Fund ‘Museum of the Year’ in 2017.
Jane Marriott, director of Chatsworth House Trust, said: “Chatsworth has a great reputation, with an outstanding collection of art, established learning programme and strong exhibitions that together represent a visitor offering to rival any national institution in the UK. Chatsworth also has an incredible reach with more than 600,000 annual visitors, meaning there is huge potential to engage with, and have a positive impact on, a wide and diverse audience.
“Through a shared commitment to learning and programme at the heart of the organisation, designed to maximise the incredible collections of art, decorative arts and gardens, we have the potential to reimagine Chatsworth’s role within the UK’s cultural economy.
“I look forward to working with the family and the team at Chatsworth to widen our reach and demonstrate value to our communities as a charitable trust, whilst protecting this vital piece of our national heritage for generations to come.”
Lord Burlington, chairman of the Chatsworth House Trust, said: “I am delighted to welcome Jane to Chatsworth as director of the Chatsworth House Trust. The Trust was set up by my grandfather in 1981 to look after the house, collections, garden, woodlands and park for the long-term benefit of everyone.
“Jane’s experience and achievements in the arts, culture and heritage arenas make her the perfect person to lead an ambitious new chapter of growth and development for the charity. There is a great deal of excitement around this appointment, we look forward to working closely with Jane and we wish her every success.”
Wilko distribution centre sold to private equity giant
A Wilko distribution centre has been sold to a private equity giant.
Canadian asset manager Brookfield has agreed to buy the lease on Wilko’s 1.1 million square foot distribution centre in Worksop, Nottinghamshire for £88 million.
Wilko originally sold the distribution centre to DHL for £48 million only months ago.
It comes after news broke earlier this week that the retailer is set to close its toy departments, focusing instead on selling garden and household goods, and follows the revelation that 95 Wilko staff in Worksop were at risk of being made redundant as the retailer looked to outsource its customer services.
The business agreed a £40m two-year revolving credit facility with Hilco at the start of the year, to allow it to increase financial flexibility as it accelerates plans for turnaround.
Wilko’s year-end results showed a drop in sales, while the firm slipped to a pre-tax loss, as the pandemic continued to bite.
Nadine Houghton, GMB national officer, said: “The sale of Wilko distribution centre to Canadian investment and private equity giant Brookfield and the recent Hilco revolving credit facility raises further concerns about the ever-growing influence of private equity investors in the UK high street.
“Highly debt leveraged models are being used to buy up the UK high street with little or no over sight from regulators.
“The GMB union, which represents workers on the high street and in logistics, is calling for the role of the CMA to be expanded – giving greater regulatory oversight in relation to private equity buyouts and ensuring greater protection of both consumers and workers.”
Logistics services provider moves into new Castle Donington premises
A fast growing provider of logistics services and value-added technology has moved into new premises in Castle Donington.CCL Logistics has moved into 2 Boundary Court on the Willow Farm Business Park, with NG acting for landlord Inzent on the deal.CCL helps manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers simplify their supply chain, improve productivity and significantly reduce their overall cost of doing business.The firm has moved into the 1,800 sq ft ground floor suite at Boundary Court.
Alicia Lewis of NG brokered the deal and said: “It’s always satisfying to help an ambitious company realise their expansion plans – and this is what we’ve done on this deal.“Boundary Court is a prime location in the centre of the East Midlands and provides CCL access to a wide range of new clients. This was a great deal for both our landlord client and the new tenant. We wish them all the best in the future.”Willow Farm Business Park is a 50-acre purpose-built business park at Castle Donington.
Harborough District Council offers leisure industry contractors chance to tender for new contract
Harborough District Council is offering a chance for leisure industry contractors to tender for a new contract after its Physical Activity Strategy identified the need to refurbish both Lutterworth Sports Centre and Market Harborough Leisure Centre.
The Council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy aims to promote health and wellbeing and encourage healthy life choices by increasing access and opportunities for residents to take part in physical activity. To deliver this a new 15-year management contract is being tendered set to be in place by 1 April 2024.
The Council has agreed a Capital funding pot of £9.75m million to cover Harborough Leisure Centre and Lutterworth Sports Centre which can be accessed by the successful tenderer to support the redevelopment. The final capital funding amount is to be repaid by the incumbent operator.
An FTS notice with details of the procurement, and access to procurement documentation was published on 16 January 2023.
Another key date for interested parties is 1 February 2023 when a Bidders Day will be held for potential operators.
Following Standard Selection Questions evaluations (SSQ), operators will be invited to submit initial bids in April 2023.
The Initial Tenders will show the cost of continuing the current leisure provision and the cost of the provision with bidders utilising the investment fund. At this time, a decision will be made on which is the best option to proceed and the requirements for the Final Tender can be set.
Through August 2023 bidders will produce their Final Tenders, for submission 15 September 2023, reflecting the Council’s preferred option. Then in October 2023 Council approval will be sought for the preferred partner with a new contract commencing on 1 April 2024.
Cllr Simon Whelband, Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, said: “As part of our Physical Activity Strategy, we identified a mutual aspiration to refurbish the two leisure centres to meet the high national standards. We’re aiming to contribute towards a reduction in carbon emissions, whilst increasing physical activity opportunities and participation to support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of residents across the Harborough district.”
Revenue significantly ahead of expectations at Team17 following strong year
Revenue is set to be significantly ahead of expectations at Team17 Group for 2022, according to a new trading update for the twelve months ended 31 December.
The video games label with offices in Nottingham, Manchester, and Wakefield has hailed strong trading in its second half, with multiple new first and third-party games released, extended games distribution to wider platforms and strong support across the portfolios with additional new content updates.
As a result, Team17 says revenue and adjusted EBITDA will be significantly ahead of market expectations and show strong growth compared with FY 2021, benefitting from the performance of a stronger, broader portfolio supported by acquisitions and investment in people made over the last two years.
Debbie Bestwick MBE, CEO of Team17, said: “2022 was a well-executed year delivering on our highly ambitious plans for the Group, specifically strong lifecycle management across a very diverse portfolio and on time delivery of astragon first party IPs launched in 2022.
“There will always be more work to do as a growth business, but last year’s performance is a testament to the significant investment that has been made over the last two years in people, diversifying portfolios and successful M&A, all of which put the Group in a very robust position for the future.
“We look forward to 2023 with an exciting pipeline of releases and updates as well as ongoing ROI from the investments we have made in people and products.”
2023 Business Predictions: Kate Coulson of Ena HR
It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Kate Coulson of Ena HR.
The employment and recruitment landscape has changed massively as a result of COVID-19.
Working from home was forced onto a lot of organisations and hybrid working has become the norm.
In 2023 I expect this arrangement to continue to grow, particularly now that employers are looking for new and alternative ways to recruit and retain staff. Roles that don’t offer the flexibility of remote/hybrid working will get harder to fill.
However, remote teams are harder to manage so businesses need to seriously consider investing more in leadership and management training. Leaders need to be more output focused to manage productivity and require additional skills for forward planning, communication and establishing efficient processes.
Culture will also be huge in 2023.
With everyone struggling to navigate the cost of living crisis, there is an expectation on businesses to offer pay rises. However, businesses are also seeing their costs rise and there will be many that can’t afford to. So, we will see businesses shift their focus to culture to retain top talent.
What are their USPs as employers? What is the vision and common purpose? What can you offer when it comes to growth or career progression? What are your values?
Lastly, there is still a shortage of workers in almost all industries. This isn’t going to change in 2023.
Developing the skills of current workers to grow with the business is going to be essential. This is not just about training but also focusing on leadership ability, resilience of employees and communication.
Major fashion brand expands into new standalone Nottingham store
Major fashion brand Universal Works are set to open a new standalone store in their hometown of Nottingham in a deal brokered by FHP Property Consultants.
Universal Works was founded in Nottingham by David Keyte and Stephanie Porritt in 2009. They have seen huge growth over recent years and the brand is now stocked across more than 300 stores globally.
The new standalone Nottingham shop comes after they outgrew their current space above Rough Trade in Nottingham’s Hockley. The shop is situated in a prominent position at 120-122 Derby Road and forms part of the Canning Chambers redevelopment. It has accommodation over ground floor and basement measuring approximately 1,126ft².
Canning Chambers is a period building at the top of Derby Road on the edge of Nottingham city centre. After standing derelict for many years the building was purchased by landlord Wollaton Nottingham Limited who have undertaken major refurbishment in and out to create a beautiful, sympathetic, mixed use building comprising residential upper floors and retail space at ground and basement levels.
David Keyte, co-founder of Universal Works, says: “We have outgrown our current space within Rough Trade so are really pleased to be opening the doors to a bigger and bolder, standalone store on Derby Road. We are not your typical ‘high street’ kind of operator and prefer alternative neighbourhood style locations with potential and community spirit. Derby Road has evolved over the last few years and we can’t wait to open the doors and become part of the community here.”
Oliver Marshall, director at FHP, says: “The letting to Universal Works is a major step forward for the location on Derby Road, but also for the city of Nottingham, showcasing the success of a homegrown business. This a really exciting brand with a massive following and hopefully it will encourage more brands to the area and Nottingham.
“This section of Derby Road has improved so much over the years and is now an exciting location on the edge of the city centre with a really eclectic mix of retail, leisure, offices and residential creating a community feel.
“We are also marketing the 2 units adjacent to Universal Works part of the same development and have some very good interest from more exciting businesses.”
FHP acted on behalf of private landlord Wollaton Nottingham Limited to secure the letting to Universal Works at 120-122 Derby Road. The property comprises a prominent double fronted retail unit with a ground floor area of 578ft² and basement ancillary of 548ft². Universal Works have committed to a long term lease of the property.
Gateley hails strong first half in a challenging market
Gateley, the legal and professional services group, has hailed a “strong financial performance” in its first half as the company continues to execute its diversification and growth strategy.
According to unaudited results for the six months ended 31 October 2022, revenue grew by 22.2% to £76.1m, up from £62.3m in the same period of the year prior.
Profit before tax, meanwhile, was up 9.6% to £8m, from £7.3m.
Looking ahead, Gateley said that it is “well-placed to navigate the more challenging economic environment that is beginning to emerge in the second half of the financial year” thanks to a “growing, diversified and resilient business model, combined with a strong H1 23 performance.”
Rod Waldie, Chief Executive Officer of Gateley, said: “We are delighted to report further growth derived from the increasing diversity of services on our Platforms, which now house over 1,000 fee earners. Our Group revenue and profit grew strongly, increasing by 22.2% and 9.6% respectively, within which revenue from our consultancy services grew, including by acquisition, by 104.5%.
“I thank our clients for the opportunity to work with them on a broad range of important mandates and our people for their hard work and dedication to deliver results.
“I’m proud of the progress that we are making against our Responsible Business strategy. In particular, supporting our communities is an important part of our purpose as a business and we will further connect our exceptionally talented people with organisations who provide community support in the regions in which we operate, recognising that business is a key engine of change.
“During the Period, we saw political and economic instability manifesting in uncertainty and temporary paralysis in a number of sectors. This is an ongoing situation and the economy is approaching a fork in the road where in all likelihood there is a wide range of possible outcomes across different sectors.
“In the meantime, we continue to invest in our offering and in our people so that our business remains fully equipped to deliver as positions settle in our target markets. The combined legal and consultancy offering on our Platforms, remains unique and the outlook on each of the Platforms is positive. We look forward to 2023 with a degree of cautious confidence.”
