< Previous£20m deal signals greenlight for Derby studentschemeProsperity Student Living Derby – a joint venture between Prosperity Capital Partners Ltdand London and UK Property – has agreed a £20.3m forward funding deal with AvivaInvestors REaLM for a new student accommodation development in Derby city centre, whichhas been pre-let to the University of Derby for a term of 30 years.The development will comprise 350 ensuite bedrooms, arranged in cluster flats withcommunal living areas, as well as a laundry, management office and bike storage and will beoperated by the University’s own brand, 'Derby Student Living'. It was granted planningconsent in March this year. Gavin Barry, CEO of Prosperity Capital Partners, said: “This site is being developed firstand foremost with students in mind. It will be a sought after term-time base for studentsfrom the UK and abroad, offering well-specified, market-leading accommodation close to theheart of the city, with leisure and retail facilities within easy reach.”Mike Stares, CEO of London and UK Property, added: “London and UK Property sourceand develop high quality residential and commercial properties throughout the UK. We arepleased to be partnering with Prosperity Capital Partners in this exciting project in the Cityof Derby.The scheme has been designed by GT Architects and is being built by Leicester-based contractors, DW Hicks. Completion is planned for the start of the 2016/17academic year.PROPERTY NEWSEast Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk10Broadmarsh plansgiven the green lightPlans for the multi-million poundredevelopment of Intu Broadmarsh have beengiven the go-ahead by Nottingham City Council.The proposals include a new southerngateway into Nottingham from the train station.There is also a focus on delivering improvedpedestrian routes through the shopping centre -connecting more easily to the city andsurrounding streets.Adam Tamsett, general manager at IntuBroadmarsh, said: “We are pleased thatNottingham City Council has awarded planningpermission for what is undoubtedly a veryimportant scheme for the city. We will review thedecision of the planning committee and we lookforward to working with the city council to movethe project forward.“The decision is in keeping with the vastmajority of opinions expressed during the publicconsultation when 90 per cent of those whocompleted a questionnaire supported Intu’sproposals."Norfolk House sold in £3m dealNorfolk House, the Nottingham city centre building which is home tothe Post Office and See Tickets, has been sold in a £3m deal brokeredby NG Chartered Surveyors.The 25,577 sq ft building, which also includes a luxury penthouseapartment, has been sold to David Samuels Properties, based inManchester.Richard Sutton of NG Chartered Surveyors, said: "I'm delighted tohave secured the sale of such a prestigious address for our client."Norfolk House is one of Nottingham city centre's landmark buildings,and that is why is can attract long term tenants of the calibre of the PostOffice and Way Ahead Group. This, combined with a fantastic two-bedroom penthouse apartment, means we're very satisfied with theoutcome for both our client and the purchaser."The deal goes to show that Nottingham city centre mixed-useproperty is still a very attractive proposition for investors, and we wouldwelcome any similar enquiries."Norfolk House was originally developed in the late 1950s and early1960s. The ground floor and part of the first floor have been historicallybeen leased to the Post Office. Seetickets occupies the second, thirdand fourth floors. The penthouse suite is currently vacant.New owners David Samuels Properties has already re-geared the WayAhead Group's lease, and has big plans for the top-floor penthouse suite.Mark Johnson, director at MK2 Real Estate, said: "We picked up thedeal on behalf of our client David Samuel Properties from NG CharteredSurveyors following abortive negotiations with the previous purchaser."We intend to refurbish the penthouse and either let it out or sell on along leasehold interest.""I like to thank Richard and his team at NG Chartered Surveyors whowere very responsive throughout the process and responded toinquiries in an efficient and constructive manner."North Midland lands £15mstudent dealThe building division of North Midland Construction (NM Group), hasbeen awarded a £15.25m contract by Victoria Hall Management,the providerof student accommodation, to design and build 387 new student rooms atAllen House in Leicester city centre.NM Group is working with architects LE1 to develop the scheme whichincludes the refurbishment of Allen House, an historic 1920s local landmark.Peter Stuart, head of construction for NM Group’s building division said: “Welook forward to working in partnership with Victoria Hall and the team to deliverthis significant student accommodation project which will further enhance thestudent living experience in Leicester.”Work is just starting on site and the project is due for completion during summer2016.Chevin snaps up Derby officeportfolio in seven-figure dealDerby property development company Chevin Homes has bought threeoffice buildings on Friar Gate, along with a development site on AgardStreet.The seven figure deal includes 42, 44 and 45 Friar Gate, three listedGeorgian buildings fronting Friar Gate which are currently in use as offices,together with 18 Agard Street, a stand-alone two-storey property and carpark at the rear of the buildings.The deal follows the announcement that the University of Derby istaking a new lease on One Friar Gate Square, which sits at the foot ofAgard Street, to house its new Law School.Chevin Homes says it is keen to enhance the current office offer inan area that was traditionally Derby's professional services quarter, butwill convert the Agard Street buildings for residential use.The deal was brokered by Pride Park-based commercial propertyspecialists Rigby & Co.John Fearnehough, director of Chevin Homes, said: “We aredelighted to have acquired the properties on Friar Gate andAgard Street and look forward to working with Rigby and Co tolet this diverse range of accommodation.“We have plans to develop the land and buildings onAgard Street to create a residential scheme, whichcomplements the existing University Quarter.”PROPERTY NEWSwww.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 11CSA Group moves to Pride ParkA product evaluation and certification business has expanded onto Pride Parkin Derby, in a deal brokered by commercial property agents NG CharteredSurveyors.The CSA Group has relocated from Bakewell in Derbyshire to the 2,022 sq 43Brunel Parkway.Sunny Landa of NG said: "Pride Park is a highly successful location, and sowe're delighted to complete this deal for our clients - and find a new home forthe CSA Group, which is growing quickly."We know 43 Brunel Parkway as we've managed the building for several yearsnow, and this knowledge was key in finding a tenant for our client. Once again,our hands-on approach and clear, sensible advice has meant a quick turnaroundon a deal."We'd urge more companies looking to move in to Derby to get in touch withus at NG."Ian Rippin, managing director at the CSA Group, said: "It's great to be in ournew home. Having closed our Bakewell offices, we needed more fit-for-purposeaccommodation for our satellite office staff. We chose Pride Park because of itslocation close to Derby Railway Station, on a prestigious business park."We're looking to expand our team in Derby, and being located in an area of Derbyshire synonymous withengineering excellence will provide access to the local talent pool."Oliver Harding, landlord of 43 Brunel Parkway, added: We were impressed with Sunny's knowledge anddetermination in letting the property, as opposed to using a more local estate agent."Dealings with Sunny and the NG team have always been great, they are friendly and approachable anddedicated in looking for a potential tenant. In respect of price achieved, I am most satisfied." New tax director forGrant Thornton EastMidlandsBusiness and financial advisers Grant Thornton hasappointed Tom Moore as director in its tax team in theEast Midlands.Moore who lives in Leicester, joins from HainesWatts in London where he has been a partner for fiveyears.The move to Grant Thornton’s main East Midlandsoffice represents a return to the firm for Moore as hepreviously worked in the tax team at its Sheffield office.Chris Frostwick, partner and practice leader of GrantThornton, Leicester, said: “Tom is a heavyweight addition tothe tax team and the East Midlands regional office inLeicester. He has a strong and proven track record ofworking with both corporates and individuals, and thisexperience means he is ideally placed to provide the broad-based advice that our entrepreneurial, dynamic clientsrequire.”APPOINTMENT NEWSEast Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk12Debenham takes onmanagement roleat Thorn Baker Recruitment consultancy ThornBaker has appointed MelonieDebenham as operations managerto drive the expansion of itsNottingham office.Debenham's remit at Thorn Bakerwill be to support the growth of thebusiness via operations andbusiness development across theindustrial, commercial andengineering sectors.She said: “I wanted to join ThornBaker as I felt the way they workedwould really suit me. I love theprofessionalism and their open and honestapproach to recruitment.“The company already has a great vision and it is allabout maximising those ideas. It’s great that I am able to contribute towardsthese ideas and their current growth plans.”Debenham has previously worked for Tate Recruitment, ConceptRecruitment and Randstad.KPMG adds cyber specialist to EastMidlands teamKPMG has appointed cyber security expert Ed Parsons to its East Midlands practice, coveringLeicester and Nottingham.He joins the nine-strong Midlands cyber team from KPMG’s London office, where he advisedfinancial services and energy sector clients on the latest threats.Prior to joining KPMG, Parsons worked in public sector for seven years in investigation andcyber security roles, advising both the UK and Australian governments.Ian Borley, East Midlands senior partner at KPMG, said: "I am delighted to welcome Ed to theEast Midlands team. Cyber security is already a big issue for many businesses and,unfortunately, is going to become ever more critical over time. It’s fantastic to have somebodywith Ed’s experience on the ground to help protect local businesses and to help them respondin the event of an attack. Ed’s appointment represents further investment in KPMG’s team in theEast Midlands and adds to the broad range of services we can offer to local companies and public sector institutions.”Streets poach duo from BDOLincoln-based accountancy firm, Streets Chartered Accountants, has made two new appointments,with Helen Hancock and Kerrie Banks joining from BDO.At BDO Hancock was head of business services in Lincoln where she held the position of seniormanager, whilst Banks was a seniorbusiness adviser.Paul Tutin, chairman andmanaging partner, said: “We aredelighted to have Helen Hancock andKerrie Banks joining our firm. Helen’sprofessional experience to datecertainly will be a significant asset toour team looking after healthcaresector clients, especially GPs and GPpractices. “We see her taking a key role notonly in looking after such clients, butalso being instrumental in thedevelopment of new clients, givenher well established reputation in thesector. With the charity sector tooHelen will be working with ourpartners who look after registeredcharities, third sector and not forprofit organisations.“With continued growth in ourfirm’s client base, Kerrie Banks’appointment is particularly important to us in that it ensures we have appropriately qualified and experiencedprofessional staff to look after our clients’ needs, both now and in the future. Kerrie will not only support Helen, butalso the partners involved in accountancy and audit work associated with our growing portfolio of Academy clients aswell as those in the healthcare and not for profit sectors.”Osborn takesover atWeightmans inLeicesterRichard Osborn, real estatepartner in Weightmans Leicesteroffice, has taken over the role ofregional office head in Leicesterafter Jane Cox left the firm topursue a career outside of thelegal profession.Osborn joined Weightmansfrom Freeths in January 2014,together with partner SophiePhilippon-Thomas, to establisha new real estate team basedin Leicester.He said: “I am extremelyexcited about my new role,and I will be looking tocontinue the great work thatJane has done in raising theprofile of Weightmans inLeicester over the last year and to continue our growth and ongoing commitment to the businesscommunity in Leicester."Dan Cutts, senior partner at Weightmans, said: “We would like to congratulate Richard on his newappointment. We are extremely proud to have strong regional bases across the UK, which has helpedus to grow, develop and become a true national player. Richard is best placed to take the Leicesteroffice to the next level, a key member of the business community and we wish him every success inthis new role.”Bartley takes onnew role at EBSttingham marketing professionalLouren Bartley has joined accountancyfirm EBS as marketing and PR assistant.Bartley joins EBS after four years atDollar Financial based at Nottingham’sCastle Marina.She said: “This is a great opportunityto apply my experience at EBS, todevelop the new role and the firm’smarketing activities and overall strategy.There are many synergies with themarketing tools utilised and activitiesundertaken in my previous role, and Iam looking forward to the opportunityto shape and evolve the marketingprogramme at EBS, working with Jilland the rest of the team.”Jill Evenden, managing director ofEBS, added: “The creation of this newmarketing role is a significant step forEBS and I am looking forward tofurthering our business developmentprogramme and marketing strategythrough on and offline channels withthe aid of Louren’s impressive,hands-on and practical marketingexperience.”www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 13APPOINTMENT NEWSINTERVIEW...East Midlands Business Link www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk14Jenna Frudd Building on solidfoundationsFirst into a recession and first out of it - that’s what they say about housebuilders. But how didFC7 Construction survive the downturn, and where is the money coming from to build the newhouses the UK needs? Sam Metcalf spoke to director Jenna Frudd.How did your company survive thedownturn, how did it change, andhow has it emerged?We knuckled down with lowoverheads, no perks and good oldfashioned hard work – we had to acceptjobs with low margins (but never nomargins) and we fished in every pool –jobs from £5,000 to £1m to hedge ourbets.Sadly this last downturn wiped outmuch of our competition leaving small tomedium sized contractors in a strongposition now going forwards.What is the state of the constructionindustry in the East Midlands?The East Midlands constructionindustry woke up 18 months ago and isgetting stronger day by day. Our newchallenges are the rising price ofmaterials, availability of labour and brickwars.How do you position your company?Are you different? If so, how?We positioned our company in thehigh end residential sector over thedownturn but have moved into thecommercial sector in the last 12 months,as we felt we had too many eggs in onebasket.I like to think FC7 is a cool, innovativecontracting company run by a woman –there aren’t many out there. We thinkfast, move fast and produce an amazingproduct. If I’m being picky we could bebetter at our after sales service and Iwould like to see more women employedin the company – I will be employingfour apprentices this year and I reallyhope to get some ladies applying.Tell me about your managementstyle - how do you think your staffwould describe it - and you.I’d like to think I’m a bit like MargaretThatcher when it comes to running mybusiness – tough and focussed, but inactual fact I’m a big believer indelegation, employing people moreknowledgeable, creative and ambitiousthan myself and ensuring they work in asafe and secure environment conduciveto meeting their needs and ultimatelythe needs of the customer. Throughoutthe downturn I’ve felt like it’s all beenabout managing cashflow, the bank andkeeping the men in work – not verydynamic but hey we are still here.What is the funding situation like forboth housebuilding and commercialproperty? Still tough?Funding is still really tough. Havinggone through a refinance with ourdevelopment company which took fromlast August until March this year (and wehad started building), I have to say thatis the closest we got to losing it all. Theprocess was so onerous and so lengthybut we had to do it as Yorkshire Bankhad “no appetite for speculativebuilding”. I think finance might beeasier to get now; there are two fundsthrough the Housing CommunitiesAgency - a Custom Build Serviced Plotsloan fund and a Builders Finance Fundwhich aims to help accelerate andunlock housing developments that haveslowed down or stalled completely.We also had Lloyds Bank CommercialProperty team come to see us ready forour next deal. I haven’t seen hide norhair of a bank lending team for overseven years! Fingers crossed finance forspeculative building will be more readilyavailable... it needs to be.Who has been your biggest businessinspiration, and why?My stock answer is usually that KarrenBrady is my biggest business inspiration;CEO, married to a footballer, manages afamily and a career...great hair, but inactual fact my mother was a massivieinspiration as she was the matriach ofthe family business until her 60s and shemade me work every holiday growingup – work hard and play hard is hermantra. My father David and his businesspartner, John Brydon, who is a propertydeveloper, have also had massiveinfluences on me and my need toachieve and succeed. JB taught me tomake sure I learnt something on everyjourney – spot great brickwork, envisagethe land with buildings on, and see whatpeople are building elsewhere -it reallygives you a thirst for building and theenvironment. My latest business crush is on AdrianSwann of Swann homes - he’s living myhigh end residential dream and winningawards for it - and building housesnearly as good as ours!INTERVIEW..www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link15How can the East Midlands sparkspeculative building again?There were two occasions in the downturnwhere my company was on its knees and Ireached out for help for funding and support.One was a Local Authority fund and theother was the growth fund for high growthcompanies. After spending £2,000 that Icould ill afford with the accountants on fancyprojections and spread sheets I was denied a£50,000 loan as we were considered toorisky.Despite my positive attitude towards theconstruction industry I could not persuadethe High Growth people that I had a highgrowth potential company, perhaps buildingjust wasn’t sexy enough? I am a 50 per cent shareholder and MDthat is female – I asked for help but gotnothing - this is what is wrong. UK PLCneeds help and support. All constructioncompanies need help as we are building ourway out of this last recession. Everypolitician speaks about the need to buildmore houses – its easy: if you wantspeculative development in the EastMidlands again we need to simplify theplanning process and make funding morefreely accessible.What’s next for FC7?FC7 is high growth; our turnover willdouble this year. We are taking on morecommercial work to mix with the high endresidential. We are employing fourapprentices and will need to add to ourdirect labour workforce. We are buildingBritain again, and it would be nice to a havea bit of fun along the way... it’s been awhile... ǁĞŶ ĞƌĨĞƌĂŽƌƉƉĂǁ ŐŶŝŚƐĞŽƚŚĐĂ ǀůĞƐƌƵŽĞĚŝƌƉĞtŚƐŶŽƟĂůĞƌĞŚƚƚƵƉŶĮůů͛ƵŽLJŬŶŝŚƚĞt ƐƐůůĂĂŐŐĞĞůůƌƵŽŶŽƐĞǀĞŶĞƌƉĞƌƚŶĞĞLJǁĂůĞŚƚŶĞĞǁƚĞďƉŝŚƐƵĚŶīŝĚLJůŐŶŝŚƐĞƌĨĞƌ ƐƐĞĞĐĐŝŝǀǀƌƌĞĞƐƐŝŝŚĐĂŽƌƉƉĂůĂŝƌƵĞŽƐŽƚĞŚƚƚĂƚŶĞŝůĐĞŚƚĚŶĂƌĞƚŶĞƌĞī ƉŶƉŶŝŝŶŶƫƫŽŽEEůĂŐĞůƐ͛ƚŶĞŝůĐƌƵŽŐŶŝǀůǁŐŶŝŚƚLJƌĞǀĞĨŽƚƌĂĞŚĞ ŵŵĂĂŚŚŐŐĞt͘ƐŵĞůďŽƌƉ͘ŽĚĞǁ ŶĮůůƵŽLJŬŶŝŚƚĞtŵŽĐLJŶĂƉŵŽƉůĂŝĐƌĞŵŵŽΘŶŽƟĐƵƌƚƐŶŽĚů ƐƵĚŶīŝĚLJůŐŶŝŚƐĞƌĨĞƌůĂŝĐƌĞŵŵLJƚƌĞƉŽƌŐŶŝƌĞĞŶŝŐŶĞΘĚŚůĚĚ ƚŶĞƌĞī͘ĂůŐŶŝŶŶĂůWĞŵLJŽůƉŵĞƌĞƚƵƉƐŝŚ ǁĂƚŶĞŶŽƟƵůŽƐĚůīů ůů ĐŝůŽ^ƐĞůŬĐƵϰϳϰϵϱϭϭϬ͗dĞĚŝǀŽƌƉŽƐůĂĞtŝƌĞŚŶŝΘŐŶŝŶŶĂůƉ ĂůƌĞďŵƵW>>ƐƌŽƚŝƐĞŝƌŝƵƋŶĞ͗ϬϬϱϰǀĚĂŚƚŝǁƐůĂƵĚŝǀŝĚŶŝŝŵĂĨ͕ĞĐŝǀĚĂdžĂƚĞĐŶĂƚ ŬƌĂWϱϯĞƐƵŽ,ĚŶĂƐĞůŬĐƵďΛƐ-Ƶ͘ŽĐ͘ǁĂůĂŶŽƐƌĞƉƌŝĞŚƚŶŽĞĐŝǀƟŶĞĚŝƐĞƌ͕ĞĐƌŽǀŝĚΘLJůŝ ŵĂŚŐŶƫŽEǁŽZƐĞůŬĐƵď͘ǁǁǁŬƵ-tŐŶŝĚƵůĐŶŝƐƌŝĂīĂůĂƉĚŶĂŐŶŝĐŶĂLJĞǀŶŽĐůĂƟ ϲϭ'EŬƵ͘ŽĐ͘ǁĂůŶŽŝƐƐĞĐĐƵƐ͕Ɛůůŝ͘LJƌƵũŶŝůĂŶŽƐƌĞƉBRICKS AWARDS 2015www.eastmidlandsbusinesslink.co.uk East Midlands Business Link 17Blueprint double upat The Bricks AwardsDevelopment company Blueprint weredouble winners at East MidlandsBusiness Link's Bricks Awards andNetworking Evening, held at SmithCooper's offices in Derby last month.The firm walked off with the Developer of the Year andSustainable Development of the Year Awards, whilst InnesEngland took the Deak of the Year crown for brokering PKFCooper Parry's move to their new 'super office' at East MidlandsAirport.An audience of around 100 commercial property professionalsalso heard from Neil Malik of Gleeds on the improving climate forthe sector, and from Ian Hodgkinson of Hogkinson Builders on theneed to address to the skills gap in the construction industry. 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