LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESHIRE MANCHESTER
JUNE 2014
FREE
move CommerCial The north-west’s guide to property and business
Issue 38
European Glory The Champion’s League effect
Cash Collective The rise of crowdfunding
REGEN 2014 Your guide to the IFB event
Benefits of BIDS Our experts discuss
COMPETITIVE, EFFICIENT, QUALITY
OUR LIVERPOOL FLEXI-OFFICE REVOLUTION IS GATHERING PACE... MORE AND MORE BUSINESSES ARE ENJOYING THE FLEXIBILITY OF A SERVICED OFFICE WITH NONE OF THE ADD-ON COSTS.
CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THIS SPACE?
Our Flexi-Offices are letting as quickly as we can create them. A range of new suites at Graeme House and No.1 Old Hall Street – from 140sqft upwards – will be ready for occupation in the next few weeks. So, if you have an office requirement for one person or more – just tell us what you’re looking for. WE’RE READY WHEN YOU ARE.
T: 0151 707 2666 E: offices@downing.com www.downing.com/flexi-offices
Issue thirty-eight Move Commercial
Contents News
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Welcome to Move Commercial It’s an exciting time for the North West. After much anticipation, the International Festival for Business has arrived in the host city of Liverpool, attracting key delegates from around the world as well as high profile speakers and a packed events schedule. In this issue, we bring you the latest on the festivities and a look ahead to one of the programme’s key fixtures –
Regen 2014. Check out our preview feature to find out how Move Commercial will be on hand at the event and launching an exciting new venture. Plus our latest lunch debate looks at the economic benefits that Champions League football can bring, and we take a closer look at the growing use of crowdfunding to bring projects to fruition.
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26 move publishing ltd Advertising Director Fiona Barnet. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Advertising Manager Catherine McCarthy. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editor Christine Toner. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editorial Team Natasha Young and Stephen Hurrell. Tel: 0151 709 3871 post@movepublishing.co.uk
36 Design The Design Foundry. Email: mail@design-foundry.co.uk Published by Move Publishing Ltd Directors David O’Brien, Kim O’Brien, Fiona Barnet Printed by Precision Colour Printers Ltd Distribution Liaison Manager Barbara Troughton Tel: 0151 733 5492 Mobile: 077148 14662 Credits: Peter Kelly – Rising Star, Mover and Shaker, CISI key event, Lunch Date Tom Murphy – Lunch Debate
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Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Move Publishing can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.
06 Round-up of the region’s news 07 MStar acquires Manchester industrial units 08 IFB 2014 gets underway 09 Praise for Bolton regeneration 10 Work Solutions signs Graeme House lease 12 Shipping firm takes space at Peel’s Britannia House 13 Oldham Council shares Heritage Centre plans 14 Plans submitted for Wirral Waters 15 Liverpool FC seeks approval for extension 16 Apprenticeship awards shortlist announced 21 Balfour Beatty sells stake in Knowsley project
Features 18 Bitesize thinking Food for thought 20 Appointments The industry’s latest movers 22 Ready for Regen A look ahead to the UK’s regeneration conference and exhibition 26 Mover and shaker John Fowler of VINCI talks about the St John Bosco build 29 Key event CISI hosts VIP annual dinner 30 Lunch debate The economic impact of Liverpool’s Champion’s League return 36 Rising Star Ian Ford of Arup focuses on Liverpool Waters 39 Key event Breakfast tour of M6EPIC 40 Lunch date Neil Kirkham of CBRE Liverpool meets Move Commercial for lunch 41 Secrets to success Bootle Glass reveals all 43 Business diary What’s on around the region 44 Cash collective The rise of crowdfunding 47 Ask the panel Should every town centre have a BID?
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News in brief Around the region
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In the new issue of Move Commercial we have the latest round-up of commercial property and business news from across the North West, covering everything from the largest sales and lettings deals to the newest developments and construction projects in the Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire areas.
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PRESTON BLACKBURN
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SOUTHPORT
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ROCHDALE
BOLTON ORMSKIRK
SKELMERSDALE WIGAN
OLDHAM
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We also bring you dedicated pages looking at the biggest developments in leisure, retail, finance and training industries.
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MANCHESTER
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KNOWSLEY
ST HELENS
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LIVERPOOL STOCKPORT BIRKENHEAD
WARRINGTON
ALTRINCHAM
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> WIRRAL
> PRESTON
> BOLTON
> LIVERPOOL
Plans submitted for Wirral Waters
Preston tram plans
Bolton shopping success
Anfield redevelopment revealed
Peel Group lodges two applications for the £4.6bn scheme.
A new tramline in Preston has been proposed.
Bolton shopping centre praised as £15m refurbishment gets underway.
Plans for expansion to Anfield and the surrounding area.
>> Read More on Page 14
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>> Read More on Page 13
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>> Read More on Page 15
Latest News
MStar completes Manchester acquisition Southmoor Park
MSTAR HAS acquired seven industrial units at Southmoor Park in Manchester for £1.74 million from CBRE Global Investors, it has announced. The units comprise 57,910 sq ft of industrial space and represent a Net Initial Yield of 9.46% for MStar, a joint venture between Londonbased M7 Real Estates and Starwood Capital. The units are located in Roundthorn Industrial Estate, whose existing occupiers include Europcar, Arriva North West and Air Cargo Services Ltd. Robert Woods, director of capital markets at CBRE’s Manchester office, says: “Southmoor Park presented an excellent opportunity for the purchaser to acquire a tenanted industrial scheme situated within an established and wellconnected logistics hub in South Manchester.
The deal signifies investor appetite for well positioned stock with strong covenants.” The acquisition is one of two announced by MStar in recent weeks. The other, at Canyon Road, Wishaw, comprises four industrial units and brings the total floor space to 80,000 sq ft across both deals. David Ebbrell, M7’s head of acquisitions, says: “These acquisitions continue the expansion of the MStar portfolio and provide further geographical and occupier diversification for MStar as the UK light industrial market continues to improve. We have already identified a number of early asset management opportunities for these acquisitions.” GVA acted on behalf of MStar in the transaction.
New offence for landlords A LIVERPOOL law firm is warning commercial landlords against “turning a blind eye” to criminal activity, following new legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech. Both commercial and residential landlords could face prosecution if they fail to report any suspicions that their properties are being used for illegal practices. Lawyers and other professionals who close their eyes to suspicious activity will also be prosecuted. The new offence was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 4 June. Joe Davison, trainee solicitor at Paul Crowley & Co Solicitors, says: “Under this new rule landlords are not expected to have eyes at the back of their heads when it comes to the happenings taking place at their leased properties. “However, if it can be proven that the landlord had some concerns and did nothing about them he could face up to five years in prison. “If you have any concerns about your commercial tenants or what activity may be taking place at your premises it is vital that you report them to the authorities to exonerate yourself from any responsibility.”
Joe Davison
News Latest
The launch of the IFB Hub
Regeneration leaders to be awarded honorary fellowships KEY FIGURES who have helped to transform Liverpool city centre will be awarded honorary fellowships by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) this summer. Jonathan Falkingham, the creative director and co-founder of award-winning property company Urban Splash, and Rodney Holmes, who was responsible for the £1 billion Liverpool ONE regeneration project, are among the list of prominent people being recognised during graduation ceremonies in July. Falkingham, who has previously received an MBE, is being honoured for services to entrepreneurship and regeneration having led projects including Concert Square and the Tea Factory as well as the former Bryant and May factory in Speke, alongside fellow Urban Splash founder Tom Bloxham. Meanwhile Holmes, who is being recognised for services to the regeneration of the Liverpool City Region, also went on to chair the economic development agency, the Mersey Partnership, where he oversaw its merger into the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). LJMU’s vice-chancellor, Professor Nigel Weatherill, says: “A modern civic university translates into supporting people, communities and causes, while addressing the issues that matter most. The honorary fellows of 2014 are exemplary role models in these areas and I am delighted that we will welcome such inspirational individuals to the university during our summer graduation ceremonies.”
International Festival for Business gets underway THE UK’S biggest trade fair for 60 years has kicked off in Liverpool, and is expected to generate £100m of deals for the economy. The highly anticipated 50-day International Festival for Business (IFB) is bringing more than 200 events to the city as it lasts until late July, attracting delegates from across the country and around the world. Prime Minister David Cameron officially launched the IFB and took a tour of the Port of Liverpool before addressing the festival.
MOVE COMMERCIAL
The IFB Hub at No 1 Mann Island was opened to kickstart the 50-day programme, and is set to be the ‘nerve centre’ of the festival as it takes place at venues around the city. The hub includes an international trading floor, exhibition space, events room, meeting rooms and networking space, an IT suite, media centre and a rooftop terrace for networking and events. For more information about the festival visit www.ifb2014.com
GOVERNMENT DECLARES WARRINGTON’S LOCAL PLAN AS ‘SOUND’
Councillor Terry O’Neill
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He said: “One of the things I love about Britain is that we are a nation of geniuses. Almost every invention worth inventing, we’ve had a hand in it. Almost every type of industry there has been, we’ve excelled at it. I’m proud that we’ve always been at the centre of the world for enterprise and business; at the top of the tree when it comes to innovation and creativity. That is what has provided us with jobs, revenue and economic security – and a platform to extend our power and global reach.”
WARRINGTON has taken a “landmark step forward” towards finalising a 15-year Local Plan Core Strategy, as a government appointed planning advisor declared the latest version as ‘sound’. The plan, set to guide development in the borough over the coming years, is said to be of relevance to every business in the town and was originally submitted to the government for independent examination in September 2012. However, hearing sessions in 2013 and earlier this year prompted further clarification within the plans, policies and supporting text. Following the government’s approval of the final version, the
plan will now go before the council for formal approval and endorsement on 21 July. Councillor Terry O’Neill, leader of Warrington Borough Council, says: “This is great news for our town and another landmark step forward. This document provides a robust plan that will shape and protect the way in which our town evolves and develops over the coming decades. Importantly it will also support our ambitions for the growth of our town set out in our growth framework Warrington Means Business.” The final version of the plan is available to view online at www.warrington.gov.uk
Retail News
Praise for Bolton shopping centre regeneration MARKET PLACE Shopping Centre in Bolton has received praise from the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC) as a major refurbishment gets underway. Main contractors Wates Construction recently began work on a £15 million refurbishment programme which includes creating new restaurants, bars and shops in the historic vaults below the former market halls. A 30,000 sq ft cinema operated by Light Cinemas is also planned for the Market Street site. Edward Cooke, BCSC head of policy and public affairs, visited the centre and says: “I was very enthused by the vision at Market Place Shopping Centre
Work has started on the scheme
and encouraged by the positive working relationship the team has with a proactive council (Bolton Council). “This shows investment can be delivered with vision, partnership and an appetite to get things done. I'd certainly be keen to return, and will also recommend others at BCSC do the same.” The shopping centre is owned by Moorgarth, which purchased the centre in 2013. Tim Vaughan, chief executive of UK manager group says: “I wrote to Mr Cooke when we first bought Market Place and asked him to come and have a look. Recently he did and loved it and shared the vision we have for the future of the centre."
WORK BEGINS ON WHITE CITY RETAIL PARK
One of the vacant retail units
The refurbishment is underway
A £6.5 MILLION refurbishment at White City Retail Park in Trafford is underway after Russells Construction was appointed to complete the work. Derwent Holdings plans to build five new retail units and refurbish 10 existing units to expand floor space by 59,000 sq ft to 148,000 sq ft in total. The work, which is expected to take 52 weeks, also involves improving pedestrian walkways at the park in time for new occupiers to open their doors in spring 2015. Russells Construction director, Gareth Russell, says: “The redevelopment of White City is our third retail park project for Derwent Holdings and we’re delighted to
have been appointed to deliver it over the coming year. Building on our experience of similar projects in Hull and Walkden, we have planned a phased programme which will allow the park to remain fully operational throughout the build and existing businesses to continue trading.” Improvements include new glass facades for the existing units, glass canopies and ceramic rain screen cladding. Manchester-based AEW Architects was responsible for the planning and design of the project. Current tenants at the park include Pizza Hut, Currys, SCS, Dreams, Furniture Village and Halfords. They will remain open during the refurbishment project.
School pop-up shop initiative to ‘engage with potential tenants’ SCHOOLS ARE lined up to help commercial surveyors Hitchcock Wright and Partners highlight the potential of vacant Merseyside properties next month, when a pop-up shop initiative gets underway. Acting on behalf of supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, which owns a number of empty units on Moor Lane in Crosby, the Liverpool agent recently appealed to local schools to bring the units to life by creating and running their own shops on 5 July. Merchant Taylors’ Boys and Girls Schools and Holy Family Catholic High School from the Crosby area, along with Southport’s Bishop David Sheppard Church of England Primary School, will
each be allocated a shop for their takeover as the scheme aims to celebrate the community and engage with potential tenants. The units are currently being refurbished in preparation. Matt Kerrigan, partner and retail specialist at Hitchcock Wright and Partners, says: “We hope the venture will provide students with a unique opportunity to promote their talents, whilst helping them gain practical workplace skills, such as book keeping and customer service. “Furthermore, by showcasing the units as functioning shops, it is our hope that we will ignite interest in businesses or retailers who will be inspired to take on one of the units long term.” MOVE COMMERCIAL
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News Sales & Lettings
Eddisons appointed to handle commercial investment opportunity EDDISONS HAS been instructed to handle the sale of a “rare” commercial investment opportunity in Greater Manchester. The high specification three-storey office building, 1 Henry Square in Ashton-under-Lyne, extends to approximately 49,000 sq ft and currently 93% of space is let to three tenants, including anchor tenant Pennine Care NHS Trust who occupy 36,122 sq ft, producing a gross annual income of £573, 072. Heads of terms have also been agreed for the trust to take an additional 3,337 sq ft, raising occupancy levels to 100%. The building, located in the St Petersfield regeneration area of Ashton town centre, has a gross rental income of around £600,000 when the building is fully occupied, with further increases due in March 2015. James Cole of Eddisons’ Manchester office, says: “This is a major investment opportunity producing significant income from established occupiers, which rarely come to market. “It forms part of the first phase of the St. Petersfield regeneration scheme. The wider development will ultimately consist of 400,000 sq ft of offices, shops, restaurants and apartments, creating a diverse and thriving extension to Ashton.” Other neighbouring occupiers include Tameside Magistrates Court, Tameside College and Tameside and Glossop Primary Care Trust.
Employment organisation signs four-year lease at Graeme House WELFARE TO WORK provider, Work Solutions has taken 2,450 sq ft of space at Downing’s Graeme House building in Liverpool. The not-for-profit organisation, which delivers skills, employment and recruitment services to employers and individuals, has agreed a four-year lease for the newly created Flexi-Office suite within the Derby Square property. Downing created a custom sized office complete with a communal kitchen for the business, which joins fellow occupiers including Ingeus, Blue Arrow and Remploy. Grace Watson from Work Solutions says: “Robin Ellis and the team at Downing have been remarkable in accommodating our requirements and helping us get the office up and running as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to working in our new office space at Graeme House." Robin Ellis, senior agency surveyor at Downing, adds: “It’s great to
Robin Ellis with Grace Watson and the Work Solutions team in their new office
welcome Work Solutions to Graeme House and we wish them all the best in their new suite. This is the perfect location for the business; transport hubs and amenities are within a short walk from this prominent position right in the heart of the city, nestled between the commercial
district, Liverpool ONE and the waterfront.” Downing is said to be witnessing strong demand for the site and is currently in advanced talks with a number of other occupiers which is expected to result in over 10,000 sq ft of additional space being let.
Refurbishment complete at Montell House
Montell House 1 Henry Square
MONTELL HOUSE in Chester Business Park has opened its doors to occupiers after Prospect GB completed a refurbishment programme on the vacant building. Improvements have been made to 9,658 sq ft of office space, which is air conditioned and features an open plan design to allow prospective tenants to modify the space as they see fit. The refurbishment work was completed after previous tenants Deutsche Bank Mortgages vacated 10 MOVE COMMERCIAL
the office last year. Chris Walker of Prospect GB says: “We are delighted with the refurbishment and are in early discussions with a number of potential occupiers. The building and its new state of the art, efficient M&E have been designed flexibly with the ability for an occupier to let part of the building or to let the whole and sublet surplus space in the short term thus allowing for future expansion in the medium to long
term” Montell House is part of the Kingsfield Court Development at Chester Business Park. The park boasts 1.4 million sq ft of commercial space and houses 5,000 workers. Current occupiers at the park include Bank of America, Natwest Bank, Marks and Spencer Money, Bristol Myers Squibb, Next Gear Capital and Regus. For more information visit www.prospectgb.com.
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MOVE COMMERCIAL 11
News Sales & Lettings
Shipping company signs up at Britannia House
Britannia House
A SPECIALIST boat manufacturer has signed a deal to take 15,000 sq ft at the Peel Group’s Britannia House in Wallasey, where it plans to create new employment opportunities. Alucatz Catamarans, a specialist builder of high-speed patrol boats for coast guards, will use the shipyard as its new base. The company also designs and builds yachts, passenger boats, fishing boats and other vessels. Founded in 2010, it secured a £16 million deal to supply high-speed patrol boats to the Pakistan Coast Guard and plans to create 30 skilled jobs and hire 10 apprentices at the Wirral base. Owner and managing director of Alucatz
Catamarans, Andrew Reyland, says: “Alucatz Catamarans is a specialist in groundbreaking technology making us world leaders in our field. "We are delighted to have moved to Britannia House, the location and property serves our business needs perfectly. We intend to offer employment to 30 skilled workers and 10 apprentices." Legat Owen and Dunlop Heywood acted on behalf of Peel Land and Property during the deal. Other tenants at Peel’s Britannia House, situated in Britannia Business Centre, include The Carpet Company, RL Plastics and Combined Harvesters.
IT storage company secures 10-year Manchester lease The Royals
An Old Swan unit being offered by Tesco
Tesco auctions retail units with nil reserve COMPUTER DATA storage company EMC has agreed to take 9,000 sq ft at The Royals in Sharston, South Manchester on a 10-year lease. Cushman & Wakefield acted on behalf of owner Standard Life for the deal, which means 71% of the 55,000 sq ft building is now occupied. Other tenants at the fivestory building include Altus Edwin Hill, The Danwood Group and Wates Construction, and Cushman & Wakefield says it expects the remaining space to be filled quickly. Jonathan Baucher of Cushman & Wakefield says: “We are delighted to 12 MOVE COMMERCIAL
have attracted EMC to The Royals. The office market in the North West is experiencing an upturn in activity and we are confident the building will be fully let in the near future given the level of existing interest we have in the remainder.” The Royals, situated on Junction 3a of the M56, has Grade A office suites from 1,000 sq ft available complete with air conditioning, a reception area, two 10 person passenger lifts, 24 hour security and on-site car parking. Cushman & Wakefield acted as joint agents with JLL on the deal, while CBRE acted on behalf of EMC.
TWO COMMERCIAL properties are going under the hammer with a nil reserve, after being entered for auction by supermarket giant Tesco. The adjacent retail units on Prescot Road in Old Swan, Liverpool, are among a number of opportunities being offered at Pugh & Co’s latest sale in the city on 11 June. Former council office building Transporter Bridge House, on Mersey Road in Widnes, is also being sold on behalf of Halton Borough Council at the Aintree Racecourse event with a guide price of £75,000 plus. A number of residential properties
are also up for sale alongside the numerous commercial lots being offered at the event. Paul Thompson, auctioneer and director at Pugh & Co, says: “Our auctions have seen a growing number of first time investors, with 53% of attendees to our latest auctions entering an auction room for the very first time. Both buyers and sellers are seeing significant benefits from the fast paced, affordable sales route opting for a chain-free process under the hammer.” For more information on Pugh & Co auctions visit the website at www.pugh-auctions.com
Development News
Oldham Council ‘ready to share’ heritage centre plans
The proposed Heritage Centre
THE LAUNCH of an Oldham exhibition is said to mark an important stage in plans for a new Coliseum Theatre and Heritage Centre. ‘Designs on our Future’ has gone on display at Gallery Oldham to show visitors how proposals, which include bringing the town’s old library back into use and creating a surrounding cultural hub, are developing. The project has been in the pipeline
since 2012, when it was awarded development funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England. According to Councillor Jean Stretton, Oldham Council’s cabinet member for cooperatives and neighbourhoods, the exhibition is the chance for people to find out about the progress of the scheme, have their say and help “shape plans for the future”. She adds: “Since 2012 we've been
busy developing our concept for a new theatre and heritage centre with the aim of applying for further funding later this year. “Initial conversations with a range of people - from architects to artists through to quantity surveyors and local teenagers - have brought us a long way and now we are ready to share our plans.” Meanwhile, a consultation survey about the plans closed on 9 June.
Work begins on Future Tech Studio
Future Tech Studio
WORK HAS started on the Future Tech Studio school in Warrington after planning for the development was secured earlier this year. GB Group has started work on the Winwick Road Campus on behalf of Warrington Collegiate Education Trust and the doors to the new school will open in September 2014. The Future Tech Studio will teach 14 – 19 year olds skills in IT and telecommunications, business and finance, and engineering.
Martin Smout, executive chairman at GB Group, says: “We are looking forward to working with our local supply chain to build this new studio school for the community. Our team has worked hard to ensure the construction process will deliver a cost-effective and sustainable modern studio, equipped with the latest technologies that will integrate with the wider learning campus.” The 16,000 sq ft, three-storey building was designed by Liverpool-
based K2 Architects and will include science labs and workshops for technology and engineering classes. Kevin Horton, director at K2 Architects, says: “We are expanding our schools portfolio, so the development of the Future Tech Studio is a significant step for us. "The school already has over 30 employers signed up to support the school and its students with work placement opportunities, master classes and real life projects.”
Tram plan for Preston city centre
Proposed new platform
PLANS TO introduce a tramline to Preston city centre have been revived, as an operator seeks approval for a new tram shed and platform. Trampower Limited wants to build a tram shed and storage facility on a former coal yard in the Deepdale area and re-open nearly half a kilometre of the disused Preston to Longridge line between Deepdale Street and the rear of St Chad’s Road. The plans also include an ecofriendly tram station on Deepdale Street, complete with photovoltaic panels to reduce energy consumption. According to an application submitted to Preston City Council: “The development will re-open an abandoned 10,500 sq m corridor of land, with no current purpose, for tram running and public use. The scheme layout creates tracks to allow trams to move towards and out of Preston city centre, with additional sidings for tram storage.” The plans represent the first stage of a proposed tram network in the city. The scheme was originally introduced in 2012 and included 15 stops across six tramlines, including one running through Church Street and Fishergate in the city centre. However, the £23 million scheme stalled when major road works to Fishergate were announced by Preston City Council and did not include provisions for tram use.
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News Development
Start date for Wirral Waters
The proposed office at Tower Wharf
A 60,000 SQ FT office block and a new campus for Wirral Metropolitan College will be the first new buildings in the Wirral Waters project, as planning applications were submitted for both developments. Peel Group, the firm behind the £4.6 billion Wirral Waters regeneration project, has submitted an application for an £8 million campus on Tower Road South. The building will be 90% funded by the Skills Development Agency and could be completed by September 2015 if planning is approved. A second application will see an £8.5m office built at nearby Tower Wharf, which will provide 60,000 sq ft
of office space across four storeys. The office is based in Wirral’s Enterprise Zone, one of 24 across the country, and benefits from 100% business rates relief for five years. Developer Longmeadow Estate is seeking an occupier to take the majority of space at the building and has applied for more than £4m funding from the European Regional Development Fund. Wirral Waters is a £4.6bn scheme to transform 500 acres of Birkenhead docks into offices, hotels, restaurants, residential space and public realms over 30 years. It mirrors a similar, £5.5bn mixed-use scheme on the opposite bank of the River Mersey, known as Liverpool Waters.
Approval for Watson Building development
One New Bailey
The Watson Building site
DEMOLITION BEGINS AT ONE NEW BAILEY DEMOLITION WORK is underway at the Ralli Courts building in Salford to make way for a new 125,000 sq ft Grade A office development. English Cities Fund (ECf), a joint venture between Muse Developments, Legal and General, and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has received planning permission to demolish the building and develop the eight-storey One New Bailey building. The development will be BREEAM Excellent and offer floorplates of up to 17,212 sq ft once it is complete in autumn 2016. The plans for the site include space for cafes, bars and restaurants on the ground floor of the development as well as a new public square 14 MOVE COMMERCIAL
and an outdoor events space linked to Spinningfields by the existing pedestrian bridge. ECf has recently celebrated the topping out of a 143-bedroom Premier Inn at the New Bailey development and the hotel will open its doors in September 2014. A new 615-space car park, on adjacent land will be completed in November 2014. Phil Mayall, development director at Muse, says: "This is a significant step forward in New Bailey's journey. We have made excellent progress on site to date with the car park and hotel but we are delighted that we are now in a position to move forward with One New Bailey.”
WORK IS SET to begin on a part of the ambitious Liverpool Central Village scheme, after planning permission was granted for the redevelopment of a section of the Lewis’s Building. West Nile Developments will create office space and basement parking in the Grade II-listed Watson Building, including an extension to the building along Renshaw Street, alongside the former Rapid Hardware retail unit. The application to Liverpool City Council says it will be a component part of the mixed-use Central Village scheme. According to the document: “Redevelopment will create a new high-quality building of a scale in keeping with the monumental Lewis’ Department Store, the Watson Building and the new Central Village development. A new scheme to replace the low-quality 1960’s “Rapid” paint shop on the corner of Newington and Renshaw Street will complete a modern appearance. “The completion of the development of the three sites between Ranelagh Street and Newington will significantly improve this redundant part of the city and act as a catalyst for further regeneration along Renshaw Street.” Part financed by the North West European Regional Development Fund Programme, the vacant building has most recently been used as a contractor’s office during work to convert part of the Lewis’s Building into a hotel.
Leisure News
Liverpool FC seeks Anfield planning permission The proposed stadium expansion
LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB has submitted a planning application for the expansion of its Anfield stadium and the surrounding area. The application outlines plans to build a new three-tier Main Stand capable of seating 21,000 fans and expand the capacity of the Anfield Road Stand by
4,800 seats. The proposals, designed by KSS Architects, also include new conferencing facilities, extra car parking space and public space outside the stadium including an ‘Anfield Square’ that will house the Hillsborough memorial and link the stadium to
nearby Stanley Park. The scheme, which involves buying and demolishing homes near to the current Main Stand, will deliver an estimated £260 million to the area and includes a training hotel and business conferencing facilities. If the plans are approved, the club hopes to complete the work in time for the 2016/2017 Premier League season. Managing director, Ian Ayre, says: “Over the past 18 months and as part of this approach, we have worked closely with the community, local residents, Liverpool City Council and Your Housing Group and we are delighted to be able to bring forward a planning application at this stage.” Liverpool revealed proposals to redevelop Anfield in 2012 after previous plans to relocate to another site in Stanley Park were deemed to be unfeasible.
Consultation underway for Belle Vue Sports Village scheme
Arial view of Belle Vue Sports Village
A PUBLIC consultation has been launched over plans to create a sports village in East Manchester. The major redevelopment of part of the Gorton area would create the Belle Vue Sports Village, a move which Manchester City Council says would “revive the area’s reputation as a major destination in the city – and add to the impressive sport and leisure credentials of East Manchester”. The local authority is now seeking the views of local residents and businesses on the proposed scheme, prior to a planning application being submitted later this month. If given the go ahead the new sports village will become home to significant national centres for both speedway and basketball, offering world class facilities for community and elite users, along with the modernisation of the existing local leisure centre. Plans for the scheme were initially announced last year,
and new proposals for Belle Vue include a brand new speedway stadium for the historic Belle Vue Aces club with a 1,800 seat grandstand, a national performance centre for basketball – including a 2,000 seat central match court - two new 3G (all-weather) pitches and high quality improvements to the existing fitness and leisure facilities. David Gordon, Belle Vue speedway's chief executive officer, says: “It’s terrific for Manchester and Gorton in particular, as well as the sport of speedway, that the council has decided the time is right to take this initiative. It’s the massive step forward we have been working towards.” A number of drop-in sessions are being held in the coming weeks as part of the consultation, which remains open until 20 June and can be completed online at www.manchester.gov.uk/consultations
Record turnover for Spinningfields’ leisure offering LEISURE AND retail businesses based in Manchester’s Spinningfields district have announced a record year, after combined turnover has risen significantly over the past 12 months. Developer Allied London has reported turnover in excess of £50 million for the first time since the estates’ opening in 2007, The news comes as Thaikhun, a new casual dining concept from the team behind Chaophraya, Palm Sugar, ChaoBaby and Yee Rah, becomes the latest restaurant to be added to the Spinningfields portfolio. Michael Ingall, Allied London’s CEO, says: “We opened the estate seven years ago with just a smattering of chain restaurants but a huge ambition to establish a real leisure and retail destination for Manchester. “Few believed we’d be able to deliver against this goal but we’ve been quietly building our unique offering. “There’s still a lot to do but a rise in retail and leisure turnover from £10m in 2008 to £50m in 2014 is a phenomenal achievement and shows we’re delivering what people want. “Footfall is constantly increasing and Spinningfields is now home to four of the highest turnover restaurants in the city. We shall continue to drive this part of the estate’s offering. “We expect to see annual double-digit turnover increases as we bring in more new operators during this exciting time in the evolution of Spinningfields.”
MOVE COMMERCIAL 15
News Training
Search underway for new hospitality apprentices
Apprenticeship awards shortlist announced
The new venture will be in the Hope Street Quarter
A NEW Art School Restaurant is set to open in Liverpool city centre later this year, prompting opportunities for apprenticeships. Liverpool chef Paul Askew, who already runs the city’s acclaimed London Carriage Works restaurant, is looking for six 16 and 17-yearolds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) to be part of the venture, which will be launched in the Hope Street Quarter. The Mayoral Youth Contract Apprenticeship Business Grant Initiative in the city is proving funding for three commis chef and three waiting staff positions in the new hospitality training scheme. Paul Askew, who was set to speak at an information session about the initiative as this issue of Move Commercial went to press, says: “I am looking for raw talent that are enthusiastic, eager to learn with an excellent attitude to be part of my new restaurant team and play a key role in its success.” This latest round of apprenticeships comes after more than 100 young people have been employed across a range of sectors through the Mayoral Youth Contract over the past 12 months. The scheme forms part of Liverpool’s City Deal and the area is one of only three places allowed to allocate its own pot of money to the initiative.
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Richard Else of Jaguar Land Rover, which is among shortlisted employers
A HOST of employers are in the running for top accolades as the shortlist for the Liverpool City Region Apprenticeship Awards 2014 has been announced. Companies across the region, along with the area’s most promising apprentices, will be recognised during a glittering ceremony on 20 June, which will be held within an exquisite marquee in Lord Derby’s Knowsley estate. Organisers have now Caption revealed that Daisy and Jake, Evolve and Rockbourne Group have been shortlisted for the Apprentice Employer of the Year (SME) category at the awards, which coincide with the International Festival for Business. Meanwhile Aintree University Hospital Trust, Cammell Laird and Glen Dimplex make up the Large Apprentice Employer of the Year category, and Jaguar Land Rover
and Unilver are shortlisted for the Apprentice Employer of the Year (Macro) award.
APH Accountants, Sarah Noonan and HMS will be contenders for the New Apprentice Employer of the Year accolade on the night.
Ahead of the event, which is being sponsored by Greater Merseyside Learning Providers Federation (GMLPF) for the second year running, the organisation’s chair, Debbie Tagoe says: “The awards are a very important event for our region as they bring the local community together and allow us to celebrate the hardworking, high achieving individuals in our area. “The awards, which are driven by local providers and employers, also recognise the dedicated employers who train our region’s talented apprentices.” Liverpool-based facilities management company and social enterprise Vivark is also sponsoring the 2014 awards and, along with GMPLF, continues to help establish the Liverpool City Region Apprenticeship Awards as a key date in Liverpool’s commercial calendar.
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Bitesize thinking
Lesley Martin-Wright chief executive, Knowsley Chamber
In my crystal ball... It is probable, although not absolutely certain, that HS2 will go ahead. Whatever happens, Liverpool will not be impacted until about 2030. However, my crystal ball would show the North of 2024 as a conurbation stretching from Liverpool to Leeds, linked by Manchester, with fast and efficient rail links, vastly improved road infrastructure, and expanded airports with enhanced international connections. A powerhouse of commercial and industrial activity, drawing inward investment and energetically addressing the north/south divide with a confidence not seen for decades. I see the further development of the visitor economy, with the city region as ‘the gateway’ to the North, building on our culture and heritage, a newly built Shakespearean theatre, and access to the dramatic countryside from the Welsh hills to the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District to the Peak District. Vibrant and self-confident, an example of how a clear vision and determined effort can lead to prosperity, years before HS2 arrives.
If only I’d known… Members of Knowsley Chamber contribute to the British Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey. Put simply, it’s a barometer for measuring North West business confidence in the manufacturing, construction and service sectors; the same data is collated nationally to act as an economic indicator and, of course, to lobby government. The data is a good benchmark for me to speak with the business community to find out how they are performing, and it’s during these conversations that owner-managers quite frequently refer to their ‘if only I had known’ moment. More often than not they pause to reflect on just how deep the recession cut into the bones of their business, finances and plans. They go on to use the phrase in the context of how they wished that they had ‘modified’ or ‘taken action earlier’ than they actually did. These companies are now flourishing; proof that by having a strategy that responds to change and “finding a better way” is a formula that works.
My favourite building with... Jennifer Bamber manager, Soapworks
It’s so important that any building feels welcoming and inclusive, whatever its purpose, yet so few do. The Angel Building gets it just right for me. The use of exposed concrete in modern buildings is nothing new, but I was satisfyingly surprised by how the clever use of natural and artificial light has created such a warm and fresh atmosphere. I’m a big advocate of using lighting to create ambiance and mood but to get this right is an art in itself and highly underestimated. Sometimes the simplest detail has the biggest effect; the right lux level and warmth of the bulb changes the way an area feels and is used. The Angel Building’s clever use of light against its well thought out palette of hard and soft materials gives the endless supply of smooth concrete an almost organic appearance, as opposed to its often harsh and cold form. The Angel Building changed my view on a material I never thought I would warm to - concrete! 18 MOVE COMMERCIAL
Photo: MattFromLondon
Angel Building, London
“I was satisfyingly surprised by how the clever use of natural and artificial light has created such a warm and fresh atmosphere.”
Bitesize thinking
Chris Walker commercial property manager, Prospect GB
Curriculum VITAE Main duties: Heading up the commercial property element of the business, reporting to the MD. I oversee everything and drive performance through the portfolio, minimising cost and maximising revenues, acquisitions, disposals, refurbishment programmes, management, development, marketing and PR engaging external agents, consultants and lawyers. Education: The Grange Grammar School, Hartford. I then did a land management degree and a Masters in Business Administration before joining Weatherall Green and Smith’s graduate surveying programme in London. First job: Bagging and selling horse manure at my parents’ gate for 20p per bag with my brothers; good teamwork, we saved up and saved up and 600 bags later we bought our first stereo for £120!
Commercial
STATS 3.5
The number of acres Chester’s City Place development site is covering. The office building scheme, which has recently received a £4.8m boost from the North West Evergreen Fund, will form the city’s new Central Business District as part of the wider Central Business Quarter.
£1.7bn The value of business expected to be generated during the 50-day International Festival for Business (IFB), which has launched in Liverpool this month and is set to attract firms from across the UK and around the world.
Shortest job: Driving trucks in the summer holidays at university to save up to go to Australia. What’s the secret to your success? Hard work and tenacity, having an eye on the bigger picture at all times - it’s not just about property. Eyes wide open, questioning things and continuous learning, and always saying yes to opportunities even when they scare you. What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? Always leave something in a deal for the next person. What advice would you give to somebody starting out in the industry? Enthusiasm is infectious. Deliver way more in your role than you are rewarded for. Set the bar high for yourself; rise to the challenge and do whatever needs to be done to complete work remembering every role has its tedious parts. Seek a breadth of experience and say yes to opportunities when they arise. What makes Prospect GB different? Prospect GB has diversified its risk by having three elements to its business - commercial and residential investment portfolios and building houses for sale. This has helped weather the recession and put Prospect in a good position going forward. Tell us a little about Prospect GB’s plans for the next 12 months: Further expansion in house building through the continued acquisition of sites. Maintenance of the very high occupancy levels in the residential investment portfolio, and driving rental growth and active management within the commercial portfolio to further increase in the already high occupancy levels driving revenue, rental growth and value.
Tweet all about it The 5 best commercial tweets
1 2 3 4 5
@RIBANorthWest Hurrah! Our @RIBA Liverpool City Tours have just been awarded a Certificate of Excellence from @TripAdvisorUK @TushinghamMoore Hermes finalises £800m NOMA JV with Co-op. Great news for Manchester with TM retained on the retail and leisure. @ChrisHeyes_LV #Liverpool is waiting for YOU! Businesses from all over the world are waiting for YOU! #IFB2014 is waiting for YOU! Ifb2014.com @Matwansborough Great to see a major piece of #ChapelStreet regeneration coming forward. Topping-out ceremony for Vimto Gardens. @PamWilsher Great news - Liverpool is now the 5th most visited destination for domestic visitors - up from 8th place in 2012
2015 Warrington’s £52m Bridge Street regeneration scheme is due to get underway in January of this year, subject to consultation, ratification and planning approvals. It’s when the first construction phases are expected to get started for the project, which will aim to “revitalise” the town’s retail area with a new market hall, cinema, restaurants, council office building and public square.
24,578 sq ft The amount of space Countrywide has committed to for a further seven years within Manchester’s Churchgate & Lee buildings. The deal follows Helical Bar’s acquisition of the Oxford Street buildings earlier this year.
80 The number of regional business leaders who attended a North West trade breakfast hosted by Airport City Manchester. The breakfast meeting took place ahead of a three-city China Roadshow to promote the £800m scheme in June, and provided more information about opportunities.
45,000 The number of visitors expected to pass through the doors of ACC Liverpool throughout June, as the arena and convention centre host 15 events in total. The IFB’s Accelerate 2014 and Undersea Defence Technology (UDT) events are among those taking place.
p17-34_Move Commercial 09/06/2014 18:06 Page 20
Appointments New head of office at Cushman & Wakefield Ben Roberts has been appointed as partner and head of Cushman & Wakefield’s Manchester office. He brings 20 Ben Roberts years of experience to the role, having previously worked at CB Richard Ellis, Knight Frank and EP2. Roberts was also founding director of Kenmore Property Group’s Manchester office and founding partner of Torran Property Management, an asset management business. Digby Flower, UK chief executive of Cushman & Wakefield, says: “Ben has an exceptional track record in the North West and brings the skills, connections and experience required to spearhead the growth of our business in the region.” Roberts says: “This is a fantastic opportunity and I am delighted to be joining Cushman & Wakefield. I am looking forward to leading and expanding the Manchester team and confirming Cushman & Wakefield as a major commercial property advisor in the North West.” CBRE expands Liverpool team CBRE has expanded its Liverpool property and asset management team with the appointment of David Tyson as senior surveyor. Tyson joins the team from Texas Group after three years as commercial David Tyson property manager and will focus on CBRE’s client base across the North West. He will work as part of the team appointment by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) to manage 398,000 sq ft of space at Liverpool Innovation Park on Edge Lane. CBRE is also working with the HCA on the 193,000 sq ft Exchange Station redevelopment and the 35acre mixed-use development at Kings Dock, which is under construction and includes the new Exhibition Centre, hotels, apartments and a new car park. Tyson, who has previously worked at United Utilities, will work under John Lea, head of North West property management at CBRE. 20 MOVE COMMERCIAL
Three new members join law firm Liverpool property law firm, JB Leitch has appointed a trio of new team members. Experienced solicitor Kate Passley has joined the FTT and forfeiture team at the firm, having spent the past five years at Lees Solicitors LLP. She says: “I decided to apply to JB Leitch to do property litigation as I have previous property experience and thought I would be a perfect fit.
Michael Drapala & Kate Passley
“I enjoy litigation and I have a love of property.” Meanwhile, former barrister Michael Drapala has joined from Farleys Solicitors, taking up a position in the defended and complex claims team, and litigation paralegal Julia Baden brings three years of experience at Hill Dickinson as she looks to develop her knowledge and understanding of property law. Eddisons promotes team members Four members of Eddisons’ Manchester office team have been promoted to associate director positions, the chartered surveyors firm has announced.
David Cran, James Cole and James Worthington
James Cole, Tom Parker and David Cran, all from the valuation services department, and James Worthington who deals with property auctions, have all been recognised for their contributions to the business. They are amongst 10 promotions across Eddisons’ various offices and business divisions. Richard Roe, managing director at Eddisons, says: “The quality and expertise of our staff is a major factor in our continued success. “The promotions are very well deserved and recognise the significant contribution of these individuals to the business.”
Financial News
Balfour Beatty sells Knowsley project stake BALFOUR BEATTY has sold its interest in the Knowsley Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project for £97 million, it has announced. The project has been acquired by funds managed by Dalmore Capital Limited. The firm will pay cash to complete the deal in the next few weeks and will generate total gains of £51m for Balfour Beattie, helping the company invest in new projects and ‘generate value’ for shareholders, it says. The infrastructure group joined forces with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council to build seven new centres for learning by 2010 under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. During construction 10% of the workforce was make up of trainees from an industry-approved scheme, such as an apprenticeship, and the project was an accredited National Skills Academy for Construction scheme. Balfour Beatty has also sold 50% of its interest in the University Hospital of North Durham project. Balfour Beatty executive chairman, Steve Marshall, says: "These disposals are in line with our strategy to generate income from our infrastructure investments business through disposals, thereby releasing cash for future investments and delivering value for our shareholders. The transactions demonstrate the quality and liquidity of our portfolio, and show again a substantial premium to the directors’ valuation.”
Robert Mee
Steve Marshall
£6m grant for Manchester’s healthcare hub A £6 MILLION grant will be used to improve the energy infrastructure near Manchester Airport and create a hub of medical and healthcare technology businesses by 2024, Manchester City Council has revealed. The government’s Enterprise Zone Capital Grant scheme has pledged £6m to fund electricity reinforcement works at the 24,000 sq m ‘MediPark’ and create up to 500 new jobs at the site. The plans will deliver 10,000 sq m of commercial floor space by 2017/18 during the first stage of investment, which is hoped will attract technology firms in the medical and healthcare industry. The investment is part of a wider
Sir Richard Leese
Ellesmere Port granted Assisted Area status
scheme to expand the Enterprise Zone around the airport and create up to 4,500 new jobs across a quarter of a million square metres of floor space by 2026. Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, says: “This funding, which will help open up key development sites and support the creation of hundreds of jobs, is hugely welcome. “The Enterprise Zone is an important initiative for the whole of the Greater Manchester economy and progress on MediPark, together with the announcements we've already seen at Airport City, underlines the contribution it is going to make.”
ELLESMERE PORT businesses will be able to apply for extra financial support after the area was granted Assisted Area status. The status means greater access to EU Regional Aid will be made available to help businesses grow and attract investment to the area after a successful application from Cheshire & Warrington Enterprise Partnership, Ellesmere Port Development Board and Cheshire West and Cheshire Council. The bid was successful because of the area’s manufacturing infrastructure, and its success in creating jobs over the past few years, says Robert Mee, chairman of Ellesmere Port Development Board. He says: “I am delighted that our application for Assisted Area status has been successful and it will definitely help to secure continual economic growth for both our existing businesses and those looking to locate to the area. “We have demonstrated our ability to attract inward investment and we will be working in partnership with businesses to ensure they understand the opportunities that Assisted Area status brings.” The bid to become an Assisted Area took six months and will come into effect in July 2014 when the government introduces new guidelines to UK legislation.
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Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk
Liverpool’s 2008 Capital of Culture status prompted a huge transformation of the city, with the arrival of the Liverpool ONE retail and leisure complex and new additions to the iconic waterfront featuring amongst the prominent developments. And with the likes of Peel’s prestigious 60-hectare Liverpool Waters scheme now on the horizon, the city is maintaining its position as a hub of regeneration. It’s no wonder then that Liverpool is the location for Regen 2014, an exhibition and conference for the UK regeneration industry.
Ready for Regen REGEN 2014 forms part of the current packed International Festival for Business (IFB) schedule when it takes place at The Rum Warehouse on 25-26 June, therefore being held at a time when Liverpool is taking centre stage in front of a global business audience. Around 250,000 professionals are expected to have descended on the city by the time the 50-day events programme, which is now underway, comes to a close towards the end of July. While the festival as a whole is setting out to attract business delegates and trade intermediaries with themes ranging from maritime and logistics to science and technology and digital industries, Regen 2014 will place urban regeneration and economic development under the spotlight for two days, bringing industry experts together under one roof. Move Commercial will join a line-up of exhibitors including the Institute for Economic
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Development, Liverpool Vision, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) North West, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and URS Infrastructure & Environment to name a few. Meanwhile a conference will bring more than 20 regeneration leaders and professionals together as it sets out to address urban regeneration policy and implementation to city centre redevelopment and the tourist industry. Professor Walter Menzies, board member of the North West’s Atlantic Gateway - which has a huge vision to bring numerous priority projects such as Liverpool Waters to fruition in the area, involving a total of £14 billion of new investment and paving the way for 250,000 new jobs to be created – will be among the conference speakers. He will be joined at the event by a host of other high profile names including Sir Bob Kerslake, Secretary for the Department for Communities and Local Government and head of the civil
service; Andrew Carter, deputy chief executive of Centre for Cities; Mark Kitts, assistant director for regeneration at Liverpool City Council; David Rudlin, director of URBED Trust, Urbanism Environment and Design; and Professor Cathy Parker, director of the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. Ahead of the event Andrew Clark, founder and organiser of Regen 2014, says: “This is a unique opportunity for professionals and organisations from the regeneration industry to come together to speak about their projects and to share ideas and contacts. “The two-day conference is shaping up really well and we are very pleased with both the quality of the speaker programme that we have put together and the number and high calibre of exhibitors who have taken stands at the exhibition.”
Regen 2014
Venue:
The Rum Warehouse
The Rum Warehouse Forming part of the wider development of Liverpool’s historic Stanley Dock, The Rum Warehouse will provide a fitting venue for the two-day Regen 2014 exhibition and conference. Launching in June exclusively for the highly anticipated IFB, this new 1,000-capacity events space is being accompanied by the brand new adjoining Titanic Hotel Liverpool following a £36 million transformation of the dock’s North Warehouse. The opening of the hotel and event space,
which will later be launched to the public in July, marks the first part of a multi-staged redevelopment of the wider Stanley Dock Village area, which will also see the iconic former Tobacco Warehouse and the South Warehouse gain a new lease of life as an innovative residential, business, retail and leisure complex. Said to be a “blank canvas” for events, The Rum Warehouse retains original features of the Grade II, 19th Century dock, including floor-to-ceiling windows.
Speaking about the regeneration of the dock ahead of the venues’ launch, heritage consultant John Hinchcliffe, the former World Heritage Site officer for Liverpool City Council, says: “This is probably the last major collection of historic waterfront buildings in the UK, if not Europe, to undergo reinvention for the 21st Century. “It is an absolutely integral part of the city’s World Heritage Site status and can certainly be described as globally significant.”
Move Commercial at Regen 2014 Talk of regeneration naturally brings a focus on opportunity and looking to the future, so what better platform for Move Commercial to launch its fantastic new website. As the North West’s commercial property and business magazine continues to go from strength to strength, the team will be showcasing www.movecommercial.com - its new online hub of news, features and industry insight from across the region - throughout the two days. The Move Commercial Media Lounge will be setting up in The Rum Warehouse for the whole of
Regen 2014, allowing delegates the opportunity to stop off and check out the latest issue of the magazine and find out more about keeping up with the region’s commercial property and business sectors online. Prominent industry experts will also be attending the Move Commercial Media Lounge for a live debate on regeneration during the event. Christine Toner, editor of Move Commercial, says: “As the International Festival for Business shines a light on the wealth of opportunity the North West has to offer in terms of business and development,
we’re looking forward to being a part of this all important event. “Regen 2014 also provides us with a brilliant platform to celebrate the success of Move Commercial, following its recent well-received monthly launch, as well as looking towards an optimistic future with our latest online venture.” For all the latest news and updates live from Regen 2014, follow Move Commercial on Twitter @MoveCommercial and keep and eye on the brand new website at www.movecommercial.com
For more information about Regen 2014, visit www.regen2014.com
MOVE COMMERCIAL 23
p17-34_Move Commercial 06/06/2014 09:34 Page 24
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MOVE COMMERCIAL 25
By Christine Toner christine@movepublishing.co.uk
After making a name for itself in the world of education with the construction and design of a new art, design and media building at Middlesex University and the design and build of a new 1,200 pupil secondary school in Sheffield, VINCI Construction was chosen to construct an £18 million building for Liverpool’s St John Bosco Arts College. As the first phase of the project nears completion Move Commercial caught up with project manager John Fowler to find out what makes this build special.
Building futures New school building
Learning Resource Centre
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BACK IN 2010 pupils at St John Bosco were left devastated when the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme was scrapped just one day after the school finalised its new building proposals. The build was one of 100 that were shelved when the coalition government called time on BSF. Fast forward four years and this September will see St John Bosco students step inside their brand new school building after Joe Anderson and Liverpool City Council stepped in. VINCI Construction was awarded the contract for the build by developer Neptune which is working in partnership with Regeneration Liverpool, a joint venture between Liverpool City Council and Sigma Inpartnership. St John Bosco was one of the schools named in Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson’s ‘12 new schools’ pledge, made during his election campaign. Project manager John Fowler says the importance of the school to the students, staff and local community, given their struggle to secure it, has not been lost on him. “Anne Pontifex (headteacher) and Heather Duggan (deputy headteacher) have been at the forefront of fighting for this since BSF was shelved, they’ve been really pushing for this and maintained close contact with Liverpool City
Council throughout that period to get to this sort of result,” he says. Fowler’s background is primarily in healthcare construction. Coming from a trade background and moving through the ranks, his CV includes long stints at Costain and Taylor Woodrow. His most notable project with VINCI to date is St Helens Hospital. Part of the St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust £100m project involved design and construction of a new Diagnostic Treatment Centre, replacing the existing hospital on adjacent land allowing the two facilities’ double run, minimising any disruption through the decant process With St John Bosco being his first project in the education sector Fowler says the logistics of the scheme have proved to be the biggest challenge. “That’s the biggest issue we’re facing,” he says. “The logistics dictate the project. You’ve got to keep the school operational and in this particular project the new building is 100 yards away from the current site. The trick is keeping the school operational on a day-today basis and getting the pupils in and out safely. We have a robust traffic management plan to make that go smoothly.” Construction began in June 2013 and the first phase finishes on 26 August, when Fowler and his
John Fowler, project manager, VINCI UK Mover & Shaker
team will hand over the new building to the school so it will be operational for the new school term. “We then go on to phase two which is demolishing the existing school and landscaping the sports pitches.” The sports pitches are a key part of the new school and will include a 3G all-weather, floodlit pitch something that has caught the eye of Liverpool Football Club. The school is currently in talks with the club about using the pitch for the development of womens’ football. The design of the school building itself was born out of an idea that allows maximum use of the spaces available. “If there is a change in the demographic in the next 10-15 years the use could change,” explains Fowler. “It’s adaptable and makes efficient use of each space”. The school is based around a central heart space and the design features several nods towards its arts specialism. “Within the heart space there is a learning resource centre which provides a traditional library along with the opportunity for learning in a variety of forms such as study booths. They will sit individual students and also groups of six so that they can use flat screen technology to work through tutorials. The space includes a big hill terrace structure which will accommodate full year groups so they can hold assemblies, view performances and attend lectures,” says Fowler. There are two double height dance studios, two drama studios and a fitness suite as well as a super physics lab that will completely black out. A prayer room is also provided. Headteacher Anne Pontifex says the plan is to open as much of the new building’s facilities to the community as possible. Like many new schools, sustainability is key. “It’s aided by solar power, there are huge photovoltaic (PV) cells on the roof so it is very sustainable in that respect,” says Fowler. With 140 men on site at peak including 12 VINCI staff the project is a big one. And Fowler already knows what he plans to do when it is complete. “I’m having a hard earned rest!” he laughs. MOVE COMMERCIAL 27
CISI Annual Dinner Key events
Photos by Peter Kelly
Investment sector attends VIP dinner The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) hosted its VIP annual dinner reception in Liverpool, welcoming professionals from across the sectors. Guests at the black tie event, which took place at the city’s Crowne Plaza venue on the Pier Head, enjoyed an opportunity to network with fellow industry insiders over pre-dinner drinks. Dinner on the night was followed by a special guest appearance from speaker and former footballer, Kevin Keegan. CISI chairman, Alderman Alan Yarrow and the organisation’s board were also in attendance at the event, along with guests including the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Gary Millar. 1
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1. Kevin Keegan and Lord Mayor, Cllr Gary Millar with the CISI board members 2. Simon Welsby, Caroline Eagles and Robert Hodson (all of Pershing) 3. Dr. Robert Barnes, (Anopolis), John Nolan (Charles Stanley) and Rob Adams (Institute of Tax) 4. Mark Campbell and Ellie Quirk (both of Elliot Fletcher) with Timos Timotheou (Quilter Cheviot) 5. Kevin Keegan (guest speaker) 6. Tony Webster, Lisa Williams, Amy See and Joe McLaughlin (all of Rathbones) 7. Richard France, Catherine Jones, Rachel Wilson, Natalie O’Leary, David Littler and Andrew Grimes (all of Investec) 8. Jon Walker (regional president, CISI), Cllr Gary Millar, Lord Mayor of Liverpool, and Kevin Keegan 9. Guests were welcomed with Champagne 10. Nicola Duggan, Joanne Sumner, Jennifer Cookson, Tricia Lucey, Amy Kinsella, Katie Wright and Siobhan Downs (all of Deutsche Bank)
Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk
The Money League
Kieran Maguire university teacher in accountancy at the Football Industry Group, Liverpool University
Colin Manning co-owner, 60 Hope Street Restaurant Group
Bill Addy chief executive, Liverpool BID Company
The Money League Lunch debate
For several years Manchester has benefited from an influx of visitors to see the city’s two football clubs compete in the Champions League competition. With up to 3,000 away fans and several thousand more visitors boosting the city’s coffers each game, sparking new developments such as Gary Neville’s Hotel Football at Old Trafford and Manchester City’s ambitious football village at Eastlands, we ask experts whether Liverpool can replicate this success with a team in the European competition next year. What is the financial impact of Liverpool’s Champions League qualification? KM: In terms of the benefit to the club, qualifying is probably worth around £30 million and that’s just for the group games. You’ve got TV rights money, gate receipts and you’ve got the ancillary benefits of selling shirts and other merchandise. In terms of the benefit to the city, there was a report that was done by Manchester City Council about two or three years ago that estimated each home game delivers a benefit of £1.5m to £2m for the local community. CM: That midweek trade makes such a huge difference. It was almost taken for granted that it would be there. When Liverpool last qualified and played the big European teams it generated fantastic business for the city. KM: The average away fan is spending around £700 on a trip – it’s not just flying in and flying back out again. They’re staying for a couple of days and going back and telling their family and friends they’ve been to Liverpool, that they’ve seen the Albert Dock and other places. They’re saying positive things and that is free
marketing for the city. CM: You cannot underestimate how important it is to the city when both Liverpool and Everton are playing well. It’s been a fantastic season for both teams and it’s coincided with a turn in the economy and a much more positive feel and vibrancy in the city. That increases people’s spending. They want to enjoy themselves and it creates a feel good factor. Which industries will benefit most from football success? CM: Because we’re talking about Europe we’re talking about different cultures. The Europeans expect something different. They want to have a decent plate of food, they want comfortable surroundings and they want to enjoy themselves. BA: People go for day trips and weekends into Europe more often and they expect that bit more. For the city, to have the added bonus of having midweek games, it’s going to be a tremendous boost. KM: The minimum benefit is around £6m in terms of the extra spend during the group stage games. In the context of a city over a year that’s not a huge amount but we will see little spikes in the
downtime in the winter so that’s going to be beneficial. The people who will benefit are the people who struggle a bit more in midweek – taxis, restaurants, bars and hotels – it’s helping those businesses during that time of the year. BA: You will see more foreign fans bringing their families and taking a walk around the city. They will go to Liverpool ONE and the heritage sites. It’s important that people come in and want to come and see the city. If they’re going to go to the game they may stay in a hotel and shop in the facilities near to the ground but they’re going to come into Liverpool because Liverpool has so much to offer. KM: You do see people going to Liverpool ONE. You need all of those ancillary issues to make the football work. Does the city centre economy rely on football for success? BA: Football is just one portion of what we have on offer. At the moment we’ve got the International Festival for Business (IFB) with 200 events across June and July and there are thousands of people coming into the city. Then we’ve got the Giants bringing
a potential £32m income to the city’s economy. At Royal Liverpool Golf Club we’ve got the Open, which is an international event. The city has such a great offer right across the spectrum. We don’t want to be focusing too much on football but football is an important part of it. It really is pulling people into Liverpool. KM: A football club is open around 20 days a year. The Champions League extends that to 25 days a year. We’ve still got the rest of the time and that’s where everything else comes in. The thing about football is it’s not back page news anymore. It’s now front page news; you see it in the nationals and locals. It is generating interest in the city but it’s not going to do it by itself. The city itself is a brand that perhaps we don’t exploit enough. BA: Because we’re such a diverse economy we don’t have to rely on just football. We’re a little bit blasé sometimes because we’ve had so much investment in the city. From a retail perspective if you think about what’s happened over the past 10 years it’s incredible. We’ve had £1 billion spent on Liverpool ONE. During this recession we’ve had £250m spent just in Church
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Geographically we’re fortunate that both grounds are so close. It would be fantastic to strengthen the links and the bonds to keep people in the city before and after the games.
Street alone. This is inward investment just in retail. We’re continuing to see that investment at shopping centres such as the Metquarter, St John’s and Clayton Square. Liverpool is now number five in retail in the UK and we want to see it getting higher. CM: The next few weeks should be great for the city with the IFB and the Open golf, a few festivals on the waterfront, the Giants, but roll on the start of the new season. I think there’s going to be a buzz around the city and it bodes well. It means increased revenue all round for everybody, particularly if the teams do well. BA: The difference is now we’ve
got both teams in European competitions. The Champions League is financially far better for the clubs and the city but it’s important both teams are in so we have games on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It comes at a time when the city’s renaissance is turning it into a completely different place than it was 10 years ago. Will success on the field boost regeneration off it? KM: I’ve been in Liverpool for 12 months and before that I was based in Manchester. If you look at Manchester United, they’re one of the biggest private sector employers in Manchester. With
the expansion of Anfield, Liverpool has the potential to do something similar. BA: And there is the potential for expansion at Goodison as well. KM: It’s not really just jobs in construction, it’s about ongoing construction and jobs in these places. What they’re doing in East Manchester is absolutely fantastic. They’re putting money into youth
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clubs and developments and community issues as well as the football side of things. So if we follow that here, and I think the owners of Liverpool appear to have some sort of social conscience, it will be a big boost. BA: To have the added bonus of having midweek games, it’s going to be a tremendous boost. At the moment in Liverpool we
The people who will benefit are the people who struggle a bit more in midweek – taxis, restaurants, bars and hotels – it’s helping those businesses during that time of the year.
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The Money League Lunch debate
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The city has such a great offer right across the spectrum. We don’t want to be focusing too much on football but football is an important part of it.
have such a rocket in the number of hotel beds that have opened over the past 10 years, and high quality hotels. At weekends it’s difficult to find a room in Liverpool but midweek it’s still easy to find space. Having both teams back in Europe, and hopefully not just as a one off this year, will be a boost to that industry. CM: There are more hotels to come. We’ve got the Exhibition Centre and the Doubletree by Hilton on Dale Street. There’s a lot going on. BA: From the retail side of things, we’re already very successful. The difference between Liverpool and the rest of the UK in terms of void premises rates is significant. Some of the figures on London high streets are as high as 20% while Liverpool is now running between 10 and 11%. For example, Bold Street’s occupancy void rate is about 2%. The reason for that is the fact we’ve got so many independent businesses. CM: Bold Street is fantastic. BA: In Bold Street, 13 new businesses opened last year and across the city we had 77 closures but 83 retail businesses that opened so our occupancy rates are high. People want to come to Liverpool to shop because it’s such a good experience. Some of the busier shops are places like Primark and Forever 21. CM: Geographically, it’s a much smaller city. I chat to a lot of tourists and they’re gobsmacked
by how small Liverpool is and how easy it is to get around. Whereas Manchester is a much larger city and is much more spread out and disjointed. You have to do a lot more travelling to go from one shop to another. Can Liverpool do anything to take advantage of the football teams’ success? BA: Can anything be done? Generally improving the areas in and around Anfield and Goodison to encourage people to come in and to encourage dwell time around stadiums will be a massive boost. We also have to help the clubs connect back to the city centre. For me, I want to see how we can get the clubs connected more. We have to look at how we improve the profiles in the cities. CM: Geographically we’re fortunate that both grounds are so close. It would be fantastic to strengthen the links and the bonds to keep people in the city before and after the games. BA: I want to see how we can work that and how it can improve the businesses in the city and have that reciprocal aspect to it. When match day is happening having something that’s happening inside the city centre during the day, a sort of fan zone in town, to have fans in Liverpool before they go to the ground. That’s something we’re working on.
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p17-34_Move Commercial 09/06/2014 09:14 Page 34
DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED FINANCE? We have already supported more than 270 businesses with over £90 million of funding and we’re looking for more businesses like yours. So whether you are just starting up or seeking funding to help take your company to the next level, investment of between £50,000 and £2 million from The North West Fund could be what you need to help your business flourish.
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Could you be our next investment? T: 01925 418 232 E: enquiries@thenorthwestfund.co.uk The North West Fund is a £155m investment fund, established to provide debt and equity funding from £50,000 to £2m to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) based in, or relocating to, the North West of England. All of our Fund Managers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are unable to invest in retail businesses. Please check the website for a full breakdown of eligibility.
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By Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk
With Arup’s involvement in the £5.5 billion Liverpool Waters scheme, planner Ian Ford is set for one of the biggest challenges of his career – and it’s a challenge he’s relishing, as Stephen Hurrell finds out.
Planning for success Ian Ford’s appointment as a planner at Arup just four years into his planning career is a significant one. Having gained experience working on the Exhibition Centre at Kings Dock, he has recently joined Arup’s planning team to work on the vast Liverpool Waters project, one of the largest regeneration schemes in the UK. Ford spent three years at university studying Geography, then a one-year Masters ‘crash course’ in civic design, where a love of travel encouraged him to focus his studies on the built environment. He says: “I decided to go in more of a built environment route instead of a physical one just because I had that interest in tourism and going abroad, where you can think about 36 MOVE COMMERCIAL
the built environment wherever you go. I had a passion for it because I found it interesting.” After qualifying, Ford joined IBI Taylor Young as a planner and over three years he worked on a number of Liverpool projects, including developments at Hugh Baird College, the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Alder Hey Hospital, where he spent time shadowing colleagues to learn the ropes. However, the biggest challenge came when he worked with the team delivering the £66 million Exhibition Centre at Kings Dock. “It gained planning permission this time last year but there’s a lot more to do after that,” he explains. “You’ve got to discharge all the conditions. Sometimes it’s harder
and more challenging once you’ve got the permission because you want to get going and you’ve got the demands of trying to discharge all these conditions and trying to pull all this information together.” The building will make up part of Liverpool’s iconic waterfront and this means building within a UNESCO world heritage site, something that provided additional challenges once the application was granted. “Luckily, it’s on the outskirts near a buffer area but it did play a part.” says Ford. “I learned a lot and it was very interesting because it wasn’t just a standard exhibition centre. The views were one of the big things. For example, the hotel was potentially blocking the views of the cathedral from the Wirral, so
there’s a lot to consider.” After gaining experience on a major project on Liverpool’s waterfront, Ian was appointed by Arup to work on an even larger one. Peel Group’s Liverpool Waters scheme will cost £5.5 billion and comprises offices, homes, hotels and cultural buildings across over 150 acres to the north of the ‘Three Graces’ on the waterfront. His links to the city and experience on the Exhibition Centre was important for those already involved in the project, he says. “Although Peel didn’t employ me they wanted the whole team to have a Liverpool focus. So that’s why Arup were looking for somebody who had worked in Merseyside and knew the waterfront and I think the
Ian Ford, planner, Arup Rising Star
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A century ago the waterfront was what made Liverpool Liverpool, and I think using that to our advantage and using that history to build back the waterfront is vital for the city.
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development at the Exhibition Centre that I worked on, although smaller, helped give me a lot of skills and information and that will carry over to Liverpool Waters.” The fact Arup has announced Ford’s appointment is a good sign for those who may be sceptical about when the project will begin to take shape. He adds: “My employment won’t act as a catalyst, but the fact I have been employed more or less to work towards Liverpool Waters means it is obviously going to get going soon. We want to show we are doing work. There is a lot of scepticism, so we are very excited and keen to start straight away.” Looking ahead, Ford says Liverpool Waters will take up a large amount of his time, but it is a
challenge he is looking forward to. “It is exciting and daunting. It’s something that gives me motivation. Everybody would like to work on massive projects. We got outline planning permission last year which I wasn’t a part of, but now I’ll be working with my colleague Paul Grover on pulling the reserved matters from the outline and putting in full applications.” The Liverpool Waters application has been made in five stages and although the planning team at Arup will be working on all five at once, a small number of projects will take precedence over the next five years to get the scheme started. Ford says: “That includes organising it all and making sure that it isn’t just about putting a
building there, it’s making sure the quality of place is there. It’s about making sure that we are working on the master planning, making sure the client is aware of good place making, good planning and making sure that a legacy is left for now and for the future.” Liverpool Waters is essential for the city’s long term prosperity, something Arup will be focusing on as a sponsor of the upcoming International Festival for Business (IFB) 2014, insists Ford. “I’ve always thought that if this was in Manchester it would be a great project but I feel I am more passionate because it is in Liverpool. A century ago the waterfront was what made Liverpool Liverpool, and I think using that to our advantage and
using that history to build back the waterfront is vital for the city. I feel that is coming already with the IFB in June. It will promote Liverpool Waters as well as the city.” As the Liverpool Waters project nears, Ford also has ambitions to work abroad in future, combining the love of travel with his experience of the built environment. When asked about his future plans, he says: “I’d be happy to work within the UK but it adds that little bit more excitement if you’re in a new country, with new cultures and with Arup there are opportunities for that. I do want to travel the world, work the world, and make my mark on a new country.”
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M6EPIC tour Key events
Breakfast tour of new M6EPIC unit Commercial property agents from across the North West were invited on a breakfast tour of one of the region’s current warehouse construction sites. Work on the 61,233 sq ft purpose built unit at M6EPIC for Dole Fresh UK Ltd, which is being constructed to fit the occupier’s requirements as a banana ripening facility, is nearing completion with occupation expected later this month. To showcase the high specification
development and the potential for other distribution and manufacturing buildings on the Ashton-in-Makerfield site, guests at the event looked around M6EPIC and also enjoyed food inside the unit, which is being designed to BREEAM ‘Very Good’ standards. CBRE, B8 and Moriarty and Co have acted on behalf of the landlord - Legal & General Property and development partner Barwood – to occupy the unit. 1
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1. Jon Atherton (Savills), Freddie Oakey (Barwood), Paul Cook (CBRE) and Carol Cavanagh (Alphabet Design) 2. The unit is nearing completion 3. North West agents toured the M6EPIC site 4. Fast food was served at the well-attended event 5. Andrew Dickman (Barwood), Natalie McCann (Barwood), Paul Nolan (Nolan Redshaw) and Mark Coulthurst (Mason Owen)
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breeam excellent / metro / salford quays / manchester MOVE COMMERCIAL 39
Lunch Date
By Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk
Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill 10 Chapel Street, L3
Located in the stylish boutique Hotel Indigo and set in an ideal location for Liverpool’s commercial district, key waterfront features and stunning historic buildings, this venue is the perfect place for a working lunch or business meeting. The fresh and flavoursome range of reasonably priced starters, mains and desserts on the lunch and dinner menus is complemented by the light, vibrant decor and relaxed atmosphere. For further information and to make a reservation, visit www.mpwsteakhouseliverpool.co.uk
LUNCH WITH
Neil Kirkham The much anticipated International Festival for Business (IFB) is underway in Liverpool and is being heralded as a golden opportunity for the city and its business offering to impress the world. As key delegates and investors from across the globe descend on the city for the 200-strong event programme the IFB is providing, one firm which is certainly not letting the festival pass it by is the Liverpool office of commercial property consultants CBRE. We met associate director Neil Kirkham at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill within Hotel Indigo. Situated in the heart of the commercial district, the venue is in easy reach of some key fixtures on CBRE’s extensive property portfolio in the area, including grade A office developments at 1 Mann Island and No. 4 and 5 St Paul’s Square – all of which are amongst the venues hosting IFB events. “We always advocate clients
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utilising their buildings when they’ve got vacant space for these types of uses because it’s showcasing your building and getting a considerable number of key decision makers into it. If you can get someone in so they can see, touch and feel it then it’s a fantastic opportunity,” says Kirkham, who originally started his career with CBRE as a graduate in 1999 and rejoined the firm around two years ago. Having worked in the industry for the past 15 years, Kirkham considers himself lucky to have witnessed the “true renaissance” of Liverpool as the city has been drastically changed by development. “You’ve had St Paul’s Square, the transformation of the Pier Head, the arena and convention centre, and Liverpool ONE has transformed the city centre. It’s connected the old city centre and the retail core to Albert Dock so the whole city works better now than it ever did,” he says, suggesting Liverpool needs to use
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We’ve got a great portfolio so you’d like to think that when things do start to upturn we’re well placed.
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associate director, CBRE
all of these selling points to attract more office tenants. “We don’t really attract a great number of inward investment occupiers and that’s one thing I’d like to see us improve on. Hopefully the IFB will go some way to start that process off because it’s about people understanding a location to relocate their business to. You need to be on a shortlist and do your sales pitch on how great Liverpool is. “Saying ‘our office rents are
cheaper than Manchester’ or ‘our salary costs are lower than Birmingham or London’ doesn’t cut it anymore, you’ve got to sell a bigger picture from the whole package.” Liverpool can also sell itself on the significant forthcoming regeneration that’s in the pipeline, such as the vast Liverpool Waters scheme which is sure to be a talking point throughout the IFB. Alongside GVA, CBRE won the pitch to market Peel’s major mixed-use regeneration project which also forms part of the North West’s wider Atlantic Gateway vision. “It’s an absolutely fantastic instruction and one that the managing director of CBRE UK to ourselves in the Liverpool office were involved in,” says Kirkham, pointing out that the marketing proper is due to begin around September. With such a prestigious scheme on CBRE’s books, Kirkham adds: “We’ve got a great portfolio so you’d like to think that when things do start to upturn we’re well placed from the quality of product that we get involved in, and we’ll hopefully be there to reap the benefits.”
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Martin Clarke Company director, Bootle Glass
SUCCESS After husband and wife team Sharon and Martin Clarke bought glazing firm Bootle Glass 11 years ago, it has become a North West success story despite tough economic times in the region. A growing number of commercial projects has led the firm to consider expansion to its current workshop and plans to invest in new staff and apprenticeships. We asked Martin Clarke what the secrets behind the firm’s success are, and what the future holds for the family-run business.
RE:NEW Construction has begun on a new theatre and leisure space as part of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s plans to regenerate large parts of the city centre under its One City Plan.
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Since buying the business, how have you managed to grow it to become what it is today? “We bought the business exactly 11 years ago this month and since then we have steadily grown the business and the workforce. We have tried to keep up with the latest developments in the glass industry and are always looking at innovating wherever we can. We have a loyal customer base and respond to the needs of our customers. Our philosophy has always been to go the extra mile. Our staff are important and we always look to invest in local labour. Our workforce are all fully qualified and all enhanced CRB checked, and their training is continuously updated. Finally, we are keen to support the local community and we are looking forward to sponsoring the 2013 Boofest in North Park.”
How do you expect your planned expansion to benefit the business? “We are trebling our current workspace and will have approximately 10,000 sq ft when it is complete. This allows us to branch into new areas by adding an aluminium arm to the business, enabling us to manufacture our own aluminium windows and doors onsite. The extra space will enable us to expand our trade counter and product list as well. We can also add to our current apprentice program and expand the current workforce to meet future demand.”
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What are your plans for the business? “The expansion will enable us to expand the manufacturing side, hold more stock and make us more efficient. This will reduce our overheads and help us to become even more competitive. We always use local suppliers where possible to help us to improve the local economy. “In terms of projects, we are currently doing a lot of restoration work and have just completed a £3.5 million refurbishment to the Victorian Conservatory at Wentworth Castle in South Yorkshire. This proved to be a fantastic use of our glaziers’ skills in glazing glass imported from Germany. In the future we would like to do more restoration work, and being involved in projects like the Florence Institute in Toxteth and the Castle at Wentworth have been very rewarding. “As well as restoration work we will be fitting our own aluminium systems in future, which will reduce our current lead times. Here at Bootle Glass we are very excited about the future and put our success down to our excellent team.”
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The Grade II-listed, 1,600-seat Odeon cinema on Northgate Street closes its doors and the council announces plans for a new venue on the site, funded by its capital budget and potential arts and culture grants.
The first images of the new venue are released by Bennetts Associates Architects on behalf of the council. The plans show a £37.5m, 800-seat auditorium, a studio theatre, a new city centre library and a café. It will cover the former Odeon and the site of the adjacent Commerce House.
The council grants planning permission for the scheme, which includes retaining the Odeon’s façade and entrance hall to be used as the entrance to the site.
Work begins on the ‘surgical deconstruction’ of Commerce House in Hunter Street. Vale Park Demolition Services move on site for £237,000 contract to remove the eight-floor block, which was built in the 1960s.
The council announces the new theatre and leisure complex will be called RE:NEW, and a banner is hung on the side of the building showcasing the new brand.
Building work will begin on the site. Kier Construction, which has previously refurbished the Bluecoat Arts Centre in Liverpool, will complete the project.
Work is expected to complete in 2016, when the doors of the new theatre will open for the first time.
Move Commercial Events Jun Jul
EVENT PLANNER Our pick of the best local events
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20 JUN
RICS Summer InterProfessional Networking Evening Palm Sugar, Liverpool ONE. 6pm - 9pm RICS matrics Merseyside and Cheshire committee are hosting this networking event over drinks and Thai nibbles. Dress code is smart casual. www.rics.org
Chester Property Investors Network meeting Mercure Chester 6pm – 9pm Hear talks about property insurance and getting started in property from industry experts. Networking opportunity from 6pm till 7pm. Tickets are £20 and can be booked at www.pinmeeting.co.uk
RICS Merseyside & Cheshire Networking Inter-Professional Lunch One Park West, Liverpool 12.30pm – 2.30pm A QS and Construction networking lunch open to professionals with surveying, property and construction backgrounds. Tickets £4.17 at www.rics.org
Chester Curry Club Zoo Update Siam Thai and Teppan-Yaki Restaurant, Chester 12.30pm Simon Mann, Chester Zoo's Development Director on the zoo’s £30m ‘Islands’ development. www.networkinginthecity.co.uk
Accelerate 2014 ACC, Liverpool 9am – 3.30pm The headline event at the International Festival for Business 2014 includes Karen Brady and other experts giving insights into their business success. www.ifb2014.com
25 JUN
25 JUN
25-26 JUN
1-2 JUL
8-10 JUL
Nuclear UK Park Royal Hotel, Warrington 10am
Construction, Finance and Property Networking – Manchester Curry Club Zaika, Great Northern Tower, Manchester 12pm – 2pm The flagship networking event returns to a top Manchester restaurant. A guest speaker will provide an insight into the property market after the meal. www.networkinginthecity.co.uk
Regen 2014 The Rum Warehouse, Stanley Dock 11am-5pm This exhibition and conference for the UK regeneration industry forms part of the International Festival for Business. www.regen2014.com
UK Property Forum Crowne Plaza Hotel, Princes Dock, Liverpool 2pm UK Property Forums is the official property conference of the IFB 2014 and will explore the business of property. www.ifb2014.com
Aerotropolis EMEA conference and exhibition Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester 9am Hosted in partnership with Airport City, 300 delegates will participate in debate and discussion at this networking event. www.airportcities.aero
A major event for the Nuclear Industry Association and part of the IFB 2014, experts from around the world will gather in the home of nuclear in the UK. www.ifb2014.com
PlaceEXPO pavilion to host programme of events
PlaceEXPO, No 4 St Paul’s Square
A regional property and construction pavilion has opened up in Liverpool’s commercial district, as part of the International Festival for Business (IFB). PlaceEXPO, launched by Place North West and event partner Active Profile in No 4 St Paul’s Square, will play host to a number of events featuring leading industry insiders throughout the coming weeks. On 12 June, Logistics 2020 will showcase key assets, companies and skills in the region, and on the morning of 17 June the Future Cities event will explore architectural and engineering knowledge around planning, designing and building central business districts. City Region Investment Strategies will then present an overview of
the public and private sector opportunities for built environment growth and investment in the North West later that day. Other events on the PlaceEXPO programme include Building for Education on 19 June, showcasing the UK’s best offering in the field of education; Manufacturing Growth on 26 June; the Private Sector Rented Sector Update in association with the Urban Land Institute and Winkworth Sherwood on 9 July; Hill Dickinson’s annual Developers Conference on 10 July; Place Tech UK on 15 July and the Low Carbon UK Summit on 17 July. PlaceEXPO is being sponsored by Hill Dickinson, Kier Construction (North), GVA, Muse Developments, Sigma Capital and a number of local authorities.
Wirral prepares for Open Golf boost Preparations are underway for the return of the Open Championship to Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake for the first time since 2006. The previous tournament attracted 230,000 visitors to the area and a study by tournament organisers R&A expects the 2014 Open to bring £75 million to the Merseyside economy. Preparations for the 13-20 July event, including road diversions and grants to clean the local area, are now underway a month before the tournament begins. Wirral Council has revealed a number of temporary traffic management restrictions throughout the event and set up an information service at the Town Hall Chambers office to provide support for residents affected by the event. Other plans include opening local public toilets for longer hours and offering £36,000 in grants to 80 schools, groups, individuals and businesses to improve and maintain the local area. The council’s Visit Wirral website has been relaunched in time for the tournament and is now accessible via tablet and smartphone. The council says 400,000 people have visited the site in the past 12 months, a 42% increase on the previous year. The Open Championship is expected to bring £35m spending in the local economy and a further £45m from global exposure, according to R&A, boosting Wirral’s £350m visitor economy in the process.
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Christine Toner christine@movepublishing.co.uk
Back in the heady pre-credit crunch days, if you needed to secure some funding for a start-upor your burgeoning business needed a cash boost your bank was usually your first port of call. And, as the UK’s lenders were experiencing something of a credit boom, you’d probably have no difficulty securing a loan.
Cash Collective £ £ £ £ £
Back in the heady pre-credit crunch days, if you needed to secure some funding for a start-up or your burgeoning business needed a cash boost your bank was usually your first port of call. And, as the UK’s lenders were experiencing something of a credit boom, you’d probably have no difficulty securing a loan. All that changed of course when the economic crisis hit. As banks battened down the hatches and restricted their lending only the safest of bets were able to access funding. This usually meant those with a lot of collateral and not, unfortunately, SMEs and
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start-ups who were deemed too high a risk. Six years on from the collapse of Lehman Brothers, often cited as the start of the credit crunch, and while lenders are beginning to loosen their criteria when it comes to residential mortgages and other areas of finance, business loans are still hard to come by. As such many small businesses and entrepreneurial projects have been forced to look elsewhere for finance and one alternative solution that has proved particularly popular is crowdfunding, in other words, sourcing finance from a group of financial ‘backers’.
“Crowdfunding is a fundraising tool - asking lots of people to come together pledging small amounts of money to make something they want to see happen,” explains Anne Strachan, founder of CrowdFundUK. “Anyone can crowdfund anything - all you need to do is make the crowd and inspire them to pledge money to your project, business or cause,” she says. “People crowdfund charitable projects, films and theatre, business start-ups and growth”. Strachan says there are three primary models for crowdfunding; donations pledged for rewards/perks, loans – (“Something which works best for a business
Crowdfunding
which does not want to give away equity”) and equity offers, which work best for exciting start-ups or growth business with the potential for large returns. Of course crowdfunding as a concept is not new. “Crowdfunding is community fundraising - which is as old as people needing money and asking people they know for gifts or investment,” says Strachan. “The base of the Statue of Liberty was crowdfunded. Barrack Obama was said to be the first crowdfunded president when the majority of his donors were from middle and low-income families - rather than the super-rich. “But the model we know now first came with the interactivity of the internet allowing for wide social networking, cash transfers online and the posting of videos”, says Strachan. Indie GoGo is thought to be the oldest platform (2007) with Kick-starter the second oldest and now the biggest (2009) but in the last two years there has been a huge surge in the number of platforms. Indeed, according to charity Nesta the number of crowdfunding platforms operating in the UK rose by over 50% in 2013. Of course crowdfunding does not only take place in the digital world. In Liverpool a project to turn two flyover structures into a pedestrian and cycle-friendly ‘promenade in the sky’ has been funded through seeking donations and pledges from the community. “It was really important to us that The Flyover is a community led project and that community is bigger than the three of us who started it off, so going to 'the crowd' was the natural choice,” explains Kate Stewart of Friends of the Flyover. “We also wanted to demonstrate to both the council and to the public in general that we recognise times are different now and that projects like this can only be achieved in partnership; we simply can't expect the local authority to fund things on their own anymore. “I've pledged to a number of projects recently, one was a public space project in Detroit, one a new LP and another was a technology start-up when I wanted to be one of the first to purchase the product, so I know personally that it’s a great way to feel involved in something.” The project was launched by Stewart, founder of retailer Made-here, Mark Bennett, director of mbed Architects and Steve Threlfall, creative director of Different, in January 2014. “About half of the funding came from us approaching businesses or making applications to their publicised funding rounds (some of this was donations in kind) and the rest simply came from 'the crowd' as the public responded to the many press and media features as well as our own online campaigns through social media,” says Stewart. But raising thousands of pounds from financial backers is not easy. More than anything else it takes time and dedication. “As we have been running this project on a voluntary basis, the volume of conversations has sometimes been hard to keep up with - especially on social media and email - but this is a good problem
Crowdfunding is an interesting concept and, whilst by no means new, is something that growing in popularity
People crowdfund charitable projects, films and theatre, business start-ups and growth
to have as it shows the depth of feeling that people have for the project,” says Stewart. “As we are moving forward now, post crowdfunding, it has enabled us to broaden our team and this will mean we can maintain our pace of work and move forward quickly. “We were right to do it too as the results show not just that we reached our target, but that the process of the crowdfunding enabled people to express their love for the project and to feel like they had joined a cause.” Projects like this show that alternative forms of finance like crowdfunding can be successful but can it really offer a viable solution to the dearth in bank funding? “It can and does,” says Strachan. “Banks are not lending to small businesses and there are people who are looking for a good return on their money. If the product is right and the story well told then start-ups and creative businesses could raise funds and pre-sell products through the donations/rewards model. Chagford Community Farm raised £15,685 from 226 backers on Crowdfunder. Bonnie Bling Jewellery raised over £8,000 on Bloom VC to buy specialist equipment.” However, John Barker, partner at commercial agent Hitchcock Wright & Partners, says the type of sector the business or project is based in has an impact on whether or not such funding vehicles can work. “Crowdfunding is an interesting concept and, whilst by no means new, is something that is growing in popularity,” he says. “I’ve no doubt this is a result of banks clamping down on their commercial lending leaving businesses with very little choice other than to try and raise the funds themselves. However I do believe that this type of initiative is more suited to certain sectors than others.” Barker says many of the big success stories of crowdfunding have involved creative industries – an area where it is easier to get public support. “For SMEs struggling to secure funding for premises, for example, I suspect it would be a bit more difficult as complexities surrounding Tenure and Liquidity of assets make multi-ownership unattractive,” he says. “Short-term commitments are catered for by flexible lease terms so perhaps crowdfunding as part of their investment in the SME could fund the rent.” Continuous calls for the government to encourage banks to lend more money to businesses resulted in the Funding for Lending Scheme, which was created in July 2012 and offered banks access to cheaper funding if they upped their commercial lending. However there are many in the business world who will argue it wasn’t as effective as one might have hoped. “More certainly needs to be done to encourage banks to lend to businesses,” says Barker. “One possible solution could be for the government to ‘guarantee’ business loans in the way they guarantee mortgages as part of the Help to Buy scheme. This would give banks the reassurance they need to lend and businesses the funds they need to grow.”
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Expert views Ask the panel
Does every town or city centre need a Business Improvement District (BID)? Commercial areas adopting the BID concept see committed businesses paying an additional levy to help improve the defined area. BIDs have long been up and running in North West destinations including Liverpool and Manchester, meanwhile Southport has recently set up a BID and a ballot is due to take place in Chester this month. We ask four experts whether BIDs would be beneficial across all areas of the region.
The potential benefits for landlords and occupiers of being in a Business Improvement District are multiple and my answer to the question in a nutshell would be ‘yes’. BID status offers a unique opportunity for meaningful improvements in an area, tailored to the particular needs of that area and led by those most affected, in return for an additional levy equivalent to a small fraction of business rates. Its success in Liverpool can be measured easily in terms of public realm enhancements, an improved inward investment offer and greater continuity between the local authority and the growth needs of businesses. The only caveat is that a BID arrangement might not suit every town or city, particularly where a raft of public or private sector investment is already scheduled or has recently been made, thus reducing the appetite for further change and expense. Donal Bannon commercial law partner, Morecrofts Solicitors
In short, yes. BIDs allow businesses to have a louder voice and greater impact in how the city centre is managed and promoted, resulting in potentially more effective improvements where necessary, and a more unique retail and leisure environment specific to the city in question. For example, Liverpool’s BID has created a vacant unit strategy, which encourages larger units to be subdivided. This provides smaller businesses and retailers the opportunity to occupy a property within a property; which is a cheaper option than struggling with the rent and rates of a larger unit. It furthermore creates resourceful hubs like the Baltic Creative, which has encouraged a spread of the city centre, bringing inward investment in to a previously struggling area on the periphery. No two cities are the same and BIDs
Investors are looking to acquire assets where they can add value, and if being within a BID means increased footfall, a safer, more attractive environment and a buzz of excitement about a place, then this is a benefit they’re likely to consider. BIDs see businesses working together
allow experts, who have a greater understanding of the specific needs of a city’s businesses, to positively influence its shaping. Matt Kerrigan Partner, Hitchcock Wright & Partners
to tackle problems and enhance commercial opportunities, so the benefits of that are fairly clear. The BID’s activity could help to make the building more appealing to prospective tenants, which should help push up rents and increase yield, and would serve to increase its value as the wider area improves. So generally yes, but it does raise the question of who should pay the levy, the landlord or the tenant, and that of ROI. No one wants yet more charges levied on businesses, without strong statistical confirmation that BIDs provide a real return on investment, and not simply rely on pleasing but commercially unproven anecdotal evidence. Andy Williams partner, Powell Williams in Chester
Legislation was passed in 2003 that enabled the formation of BIDs in England and Wales, which now total 147 in the UK for town centres. The UK is witnessing a promising trend in consumer confidence and ballots for BIDs are popping up all over the country from Southport to Canterbury. Town centres need to address issues of attractiveness as a destination for both business and tourism through schemes like a BID. As Chester in particular currently sits outside the CACI Retail Dimensions Report’s top 50 destinations, which is a useful barometer for investors to gauge the perceived value/potential of a destination, something has to be done to improve its ranking. Whether a BID is the solution for Chester is yet to be seen and it is vital that the city’s CH1 team outlines how it will measure and report performance to ensure the levy payers clearly benefit from the improvements it makes to the town. Euan Blake, account director, Innesco