COTSWOLD HOTELS GO UP FOR SALE

Dumbleton Hall Hotel, a beautiful and historic property close to Cheltenham and within the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is being marketed by global real estate adviser Colliers International for offers in excess of £6 million.

Colliers is acting on behalf of Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance, which is seeking offers for the freehold hotel in a private setting of nearly 16 acres of parkland, complete with ornamental lake.

The house dates from the mid-1880s and has 38 en-suite bedrooms.

Peter Brunt, Director of Hotels Agency at Colliers International, said: “In my opinion, this is the most significant single asset hotel opportunity to become available in the Cotswolds for a generation.

But Colliers has yet to find a buyer for another beautiful hotel near Bicester.

The 32-bedroom Manor Hotel at Weston-on-the-Green is now being offered at the reduced price of £4.8 million. Colliers is acting on behalf of administrators at Moorfields Advisory, which is continuing to trade the hotel fully.

Construction Innovation Hub will drive new ideas and technology in the sector

Coventry’s Manufacturing Technology Centre(MTC) has joined an alliance of experts in manufacturing, digital, building performance standards and construction technology. The alliance has been awarded leadership of a new national Construction Innovation Hub to drive innovation and technological advances in the construction and infrastructure sectors.

Innovate UK awarded £72 million to the Transforming Construction Alliance to deliver a national innovation hub, which is a key element of the Transforming Construction programme.

Turnoverup after challenging year in construction

A Warwickshire construction company has reported a 12 per cent increase in turnover from £146 million in 201718 to £164 million. The firm has also seen a four per cent rise in gross profit.

Stepnell, a 151-year-old family-owned firm which operates across central and southern England, has attributed its robust performance to a range of successful projects during the year.

It also has a strategy of competing in diverse markets including healthcare, retirement and education, extending to commercial business, retail and leisure premises, and also civil engineering works.

The alliance brings together the specialist expertise of the MTC, Building Research Establishment and the University of Cambridge Centre for Digital Built Britain.

Construction Innovation Hub Programme Director, Keith Waller, said: “The Construction Innovation Hub and Constructing Excellence will be working closely to harness the energy and enthusiasm which is already out there in the sector, so we can drive the large-scale transformation we so badly need, delivering better outcomes not just for the sector, but for wider society and the environment.”

Tom Wakeford, Joint Managing Director, said: “We welcome these results after a challenging year for the construction industry. The market remains mixed with a number of our competitors struggling, and as such a few projects had their challenges, particularly through terms and conditions that proved to be more onerous that expected and subcontractors going out of business.

“We remain cautiously optimistic that our revised business model, with a focus on lower risk terms and conditions, will hold us in good stead. Stepnell has a more diversified range of projects than ever before and this will position us to withstand market risks.