Property round-up: Exemplar Health Care; Bond Wolfe; Ascendancy Fitness Gym; Leo Group
A new unit at Exemplar Health Care’s Wallasey site has created 30 jobs.
The nursing care provider for adults living with complex needs has opened the new 10-bed unit at its Edgewater home, which expands on its existing two units, supporting adults with a range of needs including neuro-disabilities, brain injuries, and physical disabilities.
Upon opening of the final unit, Edgewater will be split into three, 10-bed communities. Each of the 30 bedrooms has its own en suite wet room. The home also features spacious communal and activity rooms, sensory and therapy rooms, and landscaped gardens for residents and visitors to enjoy.
The home has already created 80 healthcare jobs, prior to the latest 30-strong intake.
Home manager, Sarah McKee, said: “As we open this new chapter, we proudly continue to foster a homely and responsive environment through small group living, offering the care and empowerment our residents deserve.”
Paul Hughes, regional director of operations at Exemplar Health Care, said: “The addition of the new unit at Edgewater exemplifies our unwavering commitment to supporting our NHS and council partners to meet the diverse needs of people with complex needs in the local area.”
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Lowther Street Methodist Church
A Grade II-listed former church in Cumbria with planning permission for conversion into a luxury home is coming up at Bond Wolfe’s next livestreamed auction on Thursday, September 14.
The former Lowther Street Methodist Church, in the coastal town of Whitehaven, will go into the auction with a guide price of just £60,000+.
Built to seat 800 people and opened in 1878, the Wesleyan church was still a vibrant place of worship 100 years later, but by 1996 a dwindling congregation and the need for expensive repairs led to the decision to close the church.
The landmark building has been empty and disused since 1996 but secured planning permission from Cumberland Council in July for conversion to a single luxury dwelling.
Ian Tudor, commercial auction director at Bond Wolfe, said: “This is a substantial property, constructed in a Gothic style, with many attractive features.
“While permission has been granted for conversion to a residential dwelling, it could also be suitable for a variety of alternative uses including a bar, restaurant, community uses, a dance or fitness studio, all subject to planning.”
The former church occupies a prominent position on the corner of Lowther Street and Scotch Street in Whitehaven town centre, conveniently located for shops and amenities, and just a short walk from Whitehaven Marina.
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Penketh Business Park
Ascendancy Fitness Gym, an independent fitness facility in Warrington, is expanding its operations by taking an additional 5,500 sq ft ground floor unit located at Penketh Business Park.
The gym has been operating from its current 5,000 sq ft unit located in Unit 3b First since 2020, and is now taking a 10-year lease on both units, combining them into a single more than 10,000 sq ft facility.
Director, Jack Bramhall, said: “We are so excited to announce the expansion of our gym. In effect, this doubles the size of our gym floor and allows us to add brand new equipment that our members have been asking for. We are so grateful for the support we have had from the community and can’t wait for the work to be completed and share the next stage of Ascendancy with our members.”
The expansion is expected to be completed for member use in 2024.
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Port of Sunderland plant
Leo Group, the specialist in animal by-products and renewable energy, which owns Omega Protein in Penrith, has completed the construction of its new maritime storage terminal at the Port of Sunderland.
The storage tanks will hold the oil recycled from Leo Group’s Omega Protein plants across the UK and allows the company to load some of the largest tankers in operation today.
This oil, a highly valuable cargo, is shipped to world renowned energy companies and is used to generate renewable energy as well as being processed into high-tech ‘green’ SAF and HVO fuel.
The oil, a natural by-product derived from animal waste that the company collects across the UK, is a key component in the process of producing an advanced form of biofuel.
The company said it sees this important multimillion-pound investment at the port as a crucial building block for the future, as the Sunderland terminal will play a pivotal role in the global export of its oil.
Danny Sawrij, CEO of The Leo Group, said: “Our terminal in Sunderland will serve as our main distribution centre for oil and secure our future exports to the EU and other markets around the world, which we expect to increase over time.
“As one of the UK’s leading animal by-products and renewable energy specialists, it is great that we are able to recycle 100% of all animal by-products at our sites and help reduce CO2 emissions with our products.
“A decade ago, you would have buried a dead sheep in the ground with the risk of contamination. Now we can convert the sheep into sustainable aviation fuel and electricity. That’s how far we’ve come.”
