Property briefs: Ratio Residential; Specsavers; Costa Coffee & more
MANCHESTER-headquartered property law firm Ratio Law LLP (Ratio) is expanding its residential property service with the launch of specialist arm Ratio Residential.
The move follows an impressive increase in turnover across the firm’s residential portfolio over the course of the previous 12 months from £225,563 to £300,000.
Ratio Residential managing director Rachel Haymes said: “Ratio Law has been providing residential conveyancing services since 2010 and in this period we have experienced huge growth, driven in part by a number of exclusive arrangements with some of the region’s leading estate agents – including Thornley Groves, Medlock Failsworth, Medlock Droylsden and Ascot Mortgages Limited.
“There is a definite strengthening of the market across the north-west, due to increased availability of mortgage finance for buyers across the spectrum. Ratio Residential will support that renewed confidence from the existing Ratio offices here in Manchester city centre.”
Ratio Law partner Gisella Alberici added: “As a specialist property law firm it made sense for us to separate the business service from the residential side of things.
“My partners and I are excited about this latest development, which comes hot on the heels of our expansion into Yorkshire, with our new offices in Harrogate.”
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OPTICIAN Specsavers has invested £450,000 in its new Allerton store, recruiting two new staff and installation of state-of-the-art technology.
After almost 10 years on Smithdown Place, Specsavers will officially open its new bigger and more prominent premises at 160 Allerton Road, on Thursday August 20.
Specsavers has made the investment following growth of the business which required expansion into larger premises in order to strengthen its offering to customers from across Allerton and South Liverpool.
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COSTA Coffee has opened a new branch in Old Swan, Liverpool and created 15 new jobs.
The 2,000 sq ft outlet is located in what was formerly The Red House pub, a landmark building dating back to 1892 on the corner of Broadgreen Road and Prescot Road in the heart of Old Swan’s Shopping district.
Optimum, one of the UK’s top five Costa franchisees, and Yorkshire Bank jointly invested £750,000 in the new branch, including the purchase of the building, a complete refit and the development of three flats above the shop.
The deal was delivered by Mike Scott, relationship manager at the bank’s Business and Private Banking Centre on Merseyside.
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THE site of a five-bedroom bungalow in Bowdon, Cheshire has been bought and is set to be developed for a residential scheme.
Real Estate Investment Partnerships and Hardy Mill Properties have completed the purchase of Hollycroft on the corner of South Downs Road and Langham Road.
Real Estate is now looking to submit a planning application for a high quality, new build scheme on the site, which will be brought forward by the end of the year.
Investment director at Real Estate Steve Slater said: “Hollycroft is a fantastic site. It is located on one of the most desirable roads in Bowdon and I am looking forward to seeing designs from award winning architects Ollier Smurthwaite in the coming weeks.”
Hibbert Homes acted for Real Estate on the purchase.
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PLANNERS approved moves by Burnley Football Club to transform its Gawthorpe training complex.
Burnley Borough Council’s planning committee gave the go ahead after the club sought permission to refurbish the facility to meet the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) Category 1 and 2 standard of infrastructure.
At Gawthorpe, the club now plans to develop a 800,000 sq ft area across the River Calder from the existing facility and build a dedicated new training centre to bring first class facilities for the first team, development squad and youth team players under one roof for the first time.
The build will also include an indoor all-weather area with a small spectator gallery to meet the requirements of EPPP.
Outside, plans include the development of three full-sized training pitches, each measuring 68m x 105m. For youth team players, in addition to the current match pitch and four mini-pitches, we will add further two three-quarter size pitches.
A new car park built north of the river, accessed via a refurbished bridge over the River Calder, will ease the pressure on the National Trust Car park close to Gawthorpe Hall, especially at peak times.
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HALTON Borough Council’s £2m scheme to create a community sports facility at Widnes Recreation Ground has been completed.
The single-storey scheme, incorporating building services includes changing facilities for the existing sports fields along with social spaces for community activities and storage areas for sports equipment.
The building services design by Steven Hunt & Associates, based in Liverpool, included new incoming gas and water supplies, along with low pressure hot water (LPHW), heating, drinking water, ventilation, sprinkler systems, lighting, electrical services and controls.
Architects IBI Taylor Young designed the project with sustainability in mind and Steven Hunt & Associates incorporated a heat pump heating and cooling system for the foyer, social room and meeting room.
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A TRADITIONAL turf-cutting ceremony has taken place to mark the start of the work on the A574 Birchwood Pinch Point project.
The ceremony was attended by Warrington Council leader Terry O’Neill, Howard Hopwood, Deputy Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP, representatives from Warrington & Co and contractor, Balfour Beatty.
The ambitious £5.23m Birchwood Pinch Point scheme in Warrington East, aims to tackle congestion and improve road safety around Birchwood Park, with improvements being made at three of the junctions along Birchwood Way (A574).
Works will reduce journey times for road users and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
The plans include improvements to the Oakwood Gate ‘Dog bone’, converting the Moss Gate roundabout to signals, as well as the introduction of a bus only link from Faraday Street roundabout to Ordnance Avenue reducing journey times for passengers.
The project has been made possible thanks to funding secured as part of the Growth Deal for Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), together with contributions from Warrington Borough Council and Birchwood Park.
The Cheshire and Warrington LEP has contributed more than £2m of Local Growth Deal funding to the total cost of this project, with Warrington Borough Council providing £2m from the Council’s capital programme. The project will use local suppliers, putting money back into the community.
Cllr O’Neill said: “This funding is vital to keep business on the move and ensure that our growth ambitions for Warrington East and Warrington are achieved. We plan to start works on improvements to Junction 8 of the M62 and the link bridge from Chester Road into Centre Park next year.”
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THE design team at the Frank Whittle Partnership (FWP) has successfully delivered the acclaimed refurbishment of one of the Lake District’s best known hotels.
The Inn on the Square in Keswick, formerly The Queens Hotel, has opened its doors to guests following the major renovation and renewal project.
FWP created the complete new look for the hotel after it became the latest member of the Lake District Hotels family in April last year.
The refurbishment, which has taken 12 months to complete, combines strong elements of Scandinavian design with Cumbrian culture.
The hotel has 34 modern bedrooms, a redesigned lounge bar, and its new Brossen steakhouse and it is set to be the first four-star property in Keswick.
And guests can choose from two different room types created by the FWP team – Herdwick and Town View.
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PROPERTY developer Amerdale has completed the remodeling of Hollywood, a 9,500 sq ft building within MediaCity in Salford Quays.
Located on Missouri Avenue, overlooking the junction of South Langworthy Road and Eccles New Road, the self-contained building has been stripped back to a shell making it ready for an internal fit out to meet an occupier’s precise style and specification.
Mark Hancock of Amerdale, said: “This three-story building has great potential. Its location within walking of the BBC and next to Langworthy Metrolink station, plus the added advantage of a self-contained car park for at least 48 cars, makes it a very attractive proposition in the current market.”
