Property round-up: Willmott Dixon; Pi Real Estate; AvA-V; ONP; Urban Splash; Regional Property Solutions
Oldham Council has appointed Willmott Dixon as the main contractor for the Spindles Town Square redevelopment.
It follows similar transformation work Willmott Dixon is delivering in the North West in Rochdale and Stockport, and will see the company demolish the former TJ Hughes unit as part of a wider masterplan to create a 450,000 sq ft development that will be home to a new market, flexible offices, event space and heritage archive.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Oldham Council leader, said Willmott Dixon is a hugely experienced company whose northern headquarters are based in the borough, and so knows first-hand the importance of the project and the positive change it is going to bring to the town.
He said: “They share our ambition to make Oldham a place we can all be proud of and have committed to delivering over £10m in social value – all of which will benefit local people and businesses.”
Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the North, said: “As an Oldham-based company, we are really proud to be appointed to continue to play our part in shaping the future of the town centre alongside Oldham Council. Our focus is all about how we can deliver brilliant buildings, transform lives, strengthen communities and enhance the environment so our towns are fit for future generations.”
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Amlwch Industrial Estate
Pi Real Estate – a sister company to Manchester-based property investment and development company, Hurstwood Holdings – has acquired a 60,108 sq ft industrial building on Amlwch Industrial Estate in Anglesey, North Wales.
Lambert Smith Hampton acted on behalf of the vendor and former occupier, the Rehau Group. King Street Commercial advised Hurstwood Holdings on the purchase.
The self-contained building is situated on a 7.67 acre site and has remained vacant following Rehau’s closure of the Anglesey factory in 2019. Pi Real Estate has appointed independent architectural practice, AXI to undertake a complete refurbishment of the existing property.
The proposed plans will see the buildings transformed to create new office, workshop and warehouse space that can accommodate requirements from 500 sq ft up to 60,000 sq ft and will appeal to a wide range of businesses from start-ups to those looking to expand.
Andy Park, managing director of Hurstwood Holdings and director of Pi Real Estate, said: “The closure of the Rehau factory was a huge loss to the island, which has an abundance of skilled workers providing a major resource for an incoming occupier. Working with the local council, we plan to make a significant investment to reconfigure the property to provide a state of the art, modern facility that will also have long term positive economic impact on the region.”
He added: “Amlwch Industrial Estate now sits in a recently designated Enterprise Zone meaning that new occupiers will be able to benefit from the associated incentives.”
Legat Owen is the retained letting agents. Together provided part of the funding for the deal.
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Brickfield Business Centre
Following the letting of 8,000 sq ft to Elpida Sciences Swinton, sales recruitment and training specialist AvA-V has chosen Brickfield Business Centre, Manchester Road as its new office location, signing a 10-year lease on 2,000 sq ft.
Having relocated from a rural setting in Lower Peover, Brickfield Business Centre was the ideal fit for AvA-V, who said: “As AvA-V grew in both employee headcount and client base, we knew that we needed to move to a larger office space that would be more accessible and allow us to continue to grow.
“Located a short walking distance from Northwich train station, situated on a main bus route and with a sizeable onsite car park, Brickfield Business Centre has provided us with a desirable office space to attract new employees due to its location and transport links – so much so that we’re on target to double our headcount this year as an organisation.”
This most recent deal leaves only 6,000 sq ft of vacant space on the complex, with 60% of the office space now let.
Simon Gardner, associate director of Williams Sillitoe, said: “AvA-V needed to find a modern office suitable for their business within a short space of time. Moorland Property Solutions were able to react to these short timescales, completing a highly specified schedule of fit out works within a short space of time, facilitating the move.”
Joint letting agents for the scheme, Roberts Vain Wilshaw, Matthews & Goodman and Williams Sillitoe, have strong interest in the remaining space.
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From left: Waseem Haq (ONP), Cllr Elise Wilson, James Argyle, Tom Webber
Stockport Town Centre is undergoing a £1bn transformation, including the transformation of Stockport Exchange, where Stockport Council and Muse Developments have welcomed law firm ONP to its new home.
ONP was keen to stay in the borough and moved from Hazel Grove, taking 22,901 sq ft of space on the second and third floors. ONP Group will join global chemical company BASF, who took up home at the development last year.
The striking 61,500 sq ft six-storey building completed last year and sits next to the successful 1 Stockport Exchange. The remaining space is also attracting strong interest.
Due to the success of the development, Stockport Council and Muse will be bringing forward the next phase of the development shortly, with work on site due to commence in the coming weeks. This will see the delivery of a further 64,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, which has also secured funding from the Government’s Getting Building Fund, which will see £54m investment for ‘shovel ready’ projects across Greater Manchester, to support the region’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Elise Wilson, said: “ONP are joining the town centre at a time of massive change to transform Stockport for the better, with work already started on the Transport Interchange and thousands of new homes in the pipeline, as well as improvements to Merseyway and the Underbanks.”
Tom Webber, senior development surveyor at Muse Developments, said: “It’s fantastic to see market confidence in what we’re achieving at Stockport Exchange and I’d like to welcome ONP to the community we’re creating here.”
James Argyle, group CFO at ONP, said: “The building is a key enabler for us to reach our growth ambitions, as we continue to recruit experienced conveyancers, candidates for our conveyancing training academy and growth in the wider business. The flexible working space we have created allows us to transform our business through effective collaboration and being so close to transport links means we are really well connected to our other offices in Stoke, and London.”
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Boat Shed, Salford Quays
Manchester regeneration company Urban Splash has made a series of commercial announcements, including completing deals on almost 15,000 sq ft of space across its portfolio and appointing, asset manager Carl Pilling to its team.
The deals have all been completed in the past two months – the majority of them at the Urban Splash Matchworks estate in South Liverpool, where construction company Crossfield Group has taken 8,853 sq ft of space, along with Dress 2 Party who will also move into the business park.
Other deals include at Waulk Mill in Ancoats where charity, Street League has taken 1,444 sq ft of space. The deal takes Waulk Mill to 91% let, with Urban Splash currently engaging in talks with independent operators to lease a rare ground floor, street front space at the building, providing an opportunity for a new café or deli to add to Ancoats’ diverse mix.
Emily Jones, commercial director at Urban Splash said: “We’ve hit the ground running this year amidst renewed demand from occupiers who are so keen to get safely back into bustling cities and workspaces.
“Our portfolio features 1.5m sq ft of brilliantly-designed commercial spaces that attract a range of occupiers and is now over 96% let – testament to the efforts of our incredibly skilled commercial team.”
Carl Pilling joins the growing team as asset manager, moving from MCR Property Group where he has spent the past four years. He said: “I look forward to collaborating with customers as they move into our newest workspaces – including Richmond Street in Manchester’s Gay Village, and Melville at Royal William Yard in Plymouth.”
The company has also unveiled images showing its newest spaces at Boat Shed in Salford Quays, with turnkey offices for businesses.
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156 Ashley Road
Two independent businesses are thriving in Hale, each taking additional space at 156 Ashley Road.
The Garden Eatery health food café at 154 Ashley Road, is one of the village’s most popular day time eateries. It has taken the adjoining 350 sq ft ground floor unit on a six-year lease to expand the business and opened ‘The Little Garden’, whose experienced floral designers will provide flowers for any occasion.
Elite Travel Boutique, already established on the first floor, has taken an additional 200 sq ft of accommodation on the second floor on a two-year lease.
Daniel Lee, managing director, Regional Property Solutions, who manage and let the building on behalf of the landlord, LMO Property, said: “The property is now fully let and we are delighted it has been taken by established and thriving businesses in the village, even more so after such a challenging period.”
