Property briefs: Muse gets started on Talbot Gateway, Peel picks architect and more…
A GROUNDBREAKING ceremony has been held in Blackpool to mark the start of construction on the Talbot Gateway scheme.
The £220m office and retail development is being delivered by Salford-based Muse Developments in partnership with Blackpool Council.
Muse Developments’ regional director, Mike Horner was joined by Cllr Gary Coleman, cabinet member for regeneration and development at the council and John Wilson, managing director, Eric Wright Construction.
Mr Horner said: “Today is the first step towards realising the transformation of this part of central Blackpool into a vibrant commercial district.
“This is the first phase of a comprehensive scheme which will revitalise this important gateway to the town’s Blackpool North Station.
“We are looking forward to working closely with our partners at Blackpool Council to bring about this much needed change for the benefit of all visitors but particularly local residents and businesses.”
Planning consent for phase one, which includes the new council office building, remodelled multi-storey car park and Sainsbury’s store was granted in October 2011.
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LONDON architect Allies & Morrison has won Peel Group’s RIBA competition to design a lucury hotel on the site of the former Worsley New Hall in Greater Manchester.
It was picked over Edward Cullinan Architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley, Henning Larsen Architects, Hopkins and Ian Simpson Architects.
Peter Nears, strategic planning director at Peel, said: “I would like to thank the RIBA and David Morley, their architectural advisor, for running an excellent competition, which has delivered a worthy winner in Allies & Morrison.
“We look forward to working with them to produce an exceptional hotel building for the site of the former Worsley New Hall. We were impressed with the quality of all the shortlisted schemes, their respect for the setting and the manner in which they complemented the landscape features of the location and thank all the architectural practices for taking part.”
Bob Allies, partner at Allies & Morrison, said: “Allies and Morrison are really delighted to have been selected for this project, an ambitious building on a very important site, an opportunity to integrate a modern hotel into the surviving fragments of a significant Victorian landscape.”
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EDUCATIONAL group BPP has taken an additional 5,200 sq ft at its base at Boulton House in Manchester.
The business started out offering accountancy qualifications and has since expanded to cover undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in a range of subjects.
It has taken a five-year lease to add to the 15,000 sq ft it already has at the Chorlton Street building where it runs accountancy and tax courses.
It struck the deal with agent CBRE acting for landlord Regional Properties.
CBRE senior surveyor Kirsty Littleford said: “Boulton House offers high quality office space located within a well established office district, and provides tenants with convenient access to transport links.
“Current availability within the building is circa 25,000 sq ft, with suites available from 952 sq ft through to full floors of 9,889 sq ft.”
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LIVERPOOL developer Neptune has announced the latest attraction at its £60m Marine Point development in New Brighton.
A new family entertainment centre, Bubbles’ World of Play, operated by Gloplay, will occupy 21,000 sq ft in the Lido Building.
It represents a further £1.8m of private investment into the area. Gloplay has taken a 25-year lease on the site at an annual rent of £125,000. The development is set to create more than 35 jobs.
Daniel Hynd, project director at Neptune, said: “The face of New Brighton is changing, and Bubbles’ World of Play will add an extra attraction to the estate, which the operators are hoping will draw more than 200,000 visits from across the North West.”
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MANCHESTER’S How Planning has been appointed on two new Aldi schemes throughout the North West.
The new 15,000 sq ft stores are located in Prestwich and Offerton, Stockport. Extensions are also planned to the retailer’s Didsbury and Burnley stores to increase their size by some 20%.
Dan Brown, principal planner at HOW, said: “It is an exciting time for Aldi as their national expansion programme is progressing at a pace.
“We have already submitted three planning applications for new stores since our appointment earlier in the year, as well as applications for extensions and a range of other works to existing stores in their portfolio.
“We are appraising a number of other sites for the retailer across the Northwest of England and anticipate that further applications for new stores will be submitted before the end of the year.”
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THE Manchester-based office agency team of Jones Lang LaSalle has sold two commercial units, totalling 10,197 sq ft, at Stockport’s Rhino Court.
Employee training provider Link Training Solutions is expanding with the acquisition of 6,560 sq ft at the site, while law firm Beeley & Co will relocate to a 4,141 sq ft unit, from its current base in Cheadle.
The deals mean that more than half of the scheme’s nine speculatively-built office buildings have now been sold or let. A further 8,000 sq ft unit is currently under offer.
Paul Smith, associate director at Jones Lang LaSalle, said: “Rhino Court’s setting in an affluent part of town means it’s proving particularly appealing for owner-managed businesses looking to upgrade to better facilities. Stockport doesn’t have a glut of quality new build office space and we’re expecting the remaining units to do well.”
Located off Bramhall Moor Lane, Rhino Court consists of nine stand-alone, self-contained office buildings ranging from 4,000-10,500 sq ft. JLL acted for the administrators of the former owners of the business park. CBRE are joint-agents for Rhino Court.
