Property round-up: Henry Bros Construction; Haslingden Market; Wain Estates; Blacks Business Brokers; Cheshire College; Livv Homes

Henry Brothers Construction has been appointed to a £12m project to refurbish levels two and three of the Chemistry Building at the University of Manchester.

The Northern Ireland-based contractor is growing its presence in the North West.

The contract follows successful completion of phase one at the Chemistry Building, where Henry Brothers undertook the complete refurbishment of floors four and five, along with work to the level eight plantroom, roof and external ductwork and services.

The company has also recently completed brick recladding at University Place in Oxford Road – a 1,000-capacity university venue which is also used for conferences and high profile events.

Success in the region has led to Henry Brothers relocating to a larger space in the offices it opened in Manchester in 2022. The company has also taken on five new members of staff – a senior quantity surveyor, a senior design manager and three additional site-based staff.

Henry Brothers Construction MD, Ian Taylor, said: “We are very pleased to be partnering with The University of Manchester on our third project together, supporting the university with its plans to improve facilities for students and staff.”

Housing one of the largest chemistry departments in the UK, the building is situated at the junction of Brunswick Park and Upper Brook Street.

The design team for the refurb includes Gardiner and Theobold as NEC project manager, RLB as quantity surveyor, Halliday Meecham Architects, structural engineers Curtins and EDPI for M&E services.

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CGI of Haslingden Market plans

A £500,000 refurbishment of Haslingden Market has been given the green light by Rossendale Borough Council’s planning committee.

Work is planned to start by the end of March 2024, and hopefully will be completed for a big launch on Bank Holiday Monday, May 27.

The market is to become a vibrant meeting place as a new sheltered seating area is to be created covering half of the market space. An open air ‘flexible area’ is to be constructed which is hoped will be used for music and theatre performances with temporary seating, mini festivals and one-off artisan markets.

To make way for these two areas the fix-table-top stalls will be demolished. New fixed canopies will be erected on the 12 market cabins to help shelter customers from the weather. A major part of the work will be providing new paving throughout the market to address issues such as the inaccessible gradients – which will be made softer – that visitors have complained about around the site.

While the renovation work is being carried out it is likely that the market will be closed for an eight-week period.

Rossendale BC is controlling the whole of the project in collaboration with architects Wilson Mason and quantity surveyors Gosling Consulting. Contractors for the main tender are invited to make applications.

Cllr Adrian Lythgoe said: “The renovation work will bring new life and energy to an area which has become dowdy and dull over the years. It will be a focus to all of the work that we are carrying out in the centre of Haslingden.”

The work – for which £300,000 will be provided by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £200,000 by Rossendale B -– will go out to tender for the main contractor later this month.

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Bramhall Village Square

Popular cycling company, Trek Bicycles, is relocating its Wilmslow store to a new site at the Village Square in Bramhall.

Known for its extensive range of bikes, clothing and accessories, Trek will occupy the former Sainsbury’s unit, giving easy access for cyclists.

With a focus on after-care and customer service the new store will also offer servicing and repairs on bikes of all makes and models. A fit-out of the 3,800 sq ft unit is now under way, with an opening date pencilled in for the end of January.

Mike Jacklin, the future store manager at Trek Bramhall, said: “Having lived and worked in the area for a number of years, I am very excited to be part of the new Trek Bramhall store. The Bramhall area offers great variety for cyclists of all disciplines, and the team are really excited to open the doors to the community in January.”

Paul Wrigglesworth, property director at Wain Estates, which owns and manages the Square, said: “Since Sainsbury’s relocated elsewhere in the village there has been strong interest in the unit from a range of businesses. It was really important for us to secure an occupier who would complement the other traders and bring something new to Bramhall.

“The Square continues to evolve and, with the opening of Trek and the brand new Banking Hub, early next year, all units are now occupied. This is testament to the close ties we have with local business and resident community.”

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The proprietor of a fish and chip shop that has been serving the residents of Rawtenstall for more than 90 years is looking for a new owner to take over the business.

Antony Greenwood has appointed Blacks Business Brokers to market Old Man Greenwood’s Traditional Fish and Chips, with a guide price of £74,950 to take over the business and leasehold premises, which also incur rent of just over £5,000 per year.

Old Man Greenwood’s is located on Bank Street, next-door to Rawtenstall’s famous temperance bar, Mr Fitzpatrick’s. The premises have housed a fish and chip shop since 1932.

Mr Greenwood took the business over from former owner Ray Simpson in 2000, having previously worked there cleaning potatoes as a schoolboy. His mother also worked at the chip shop during Mr Simpson’s 34-year tenure.

During Mr Greenwood’s more than two decades behind the fryer, the business has established a glowing reputation and counts local celebrities including comedian Ted Robbins and actor Sam Aston, who plays Chesney Winter-Brown in Coronation Street, among its regular customers.

As well as operating as a takeaway, Old Man Greenwood’s also acts as a fishmonger, selling a wide range of fresh Fleetwood fish and shellfish.

The business, which will continue to operate as normal until a new owner is in place, turned over just under £83,000 in its last financial year, based on opening from 11.30 to 2.00 and 4.30 to 6.15 Tuesday to Thursday, and all day from 11.30 to 6.15 on Fridays. It employs three part-time members of staff in addition to Mr Greenwood.

John Gaskell, director of Bury-based Blacks Business Brokers, said: “Everyone loves a good chippy, particularly in Lancashire, and Old Man Greenwood’s is one of the best. Antony’s will be big shoes to fill, but he has laid amazing foundations for the next owner to take this Rawtenstall institution onward to its centenary and beyond.

“With its busy town centre location, there would certainly be scope for a new owner to increase revenues by extending the shop’s opening hours. There is also a growing trend for fish and chip shops to offer a delivery service, which could potentially prove to be very popular in a relatively densely populated area like Rawtenstall.”

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A new sustainable house aimed at giving students hands-on experience with sustainable technologies has opened at Cheshire College’s Ellesmere Port campus.

The £680,000 project addresses the ever-increasing demand for environmentally-friendly properties as well as the skills gap in sustainable construction methods.

The college’s fully functioning sustainable house was built by local specialist, WUDL, and has been fitted with the latest sustainable technologies, such as ground source heat pumps, photovoltaic solar panels and green walls from partner businesses, all within a 50-mile radius of the college.

A sustainable house is a voluntary set of building standards that aim to create houses and other structures that are comfortable and healthy yet consume very little energy.

The idea behind the project is that students will get to work on the new house in a real life setting without the risk associated with it being someone’s home. This hands-on approach will help students of all ages develop new skills and tackle the UK’s current skills shortage.

Mark Parsons, Assistant Principal of Curriculum, has overseen the project and said: “Learning is very different when you can use your senses – to see and touch the house is a change from looking at an image on screen or in the classroom. As a T Level provider, we understand the importance of this kind of on-the-job experience which is why we are excited to see our students use this new house to learn new skills that will have a positive impact on not only them as individuals but the planet.”

The house will allow students to work on the maintenance, as well as installation of sustainable features, for example looking at the servicing of ground source heat pumps and how they work. They will also get to examine the analytics of the home on the courses at levels 2, 3 and 4, to see what savings can be achieved, both financial and environmental, through the seasons.

However, the project is not just for school leavers but for the wider community and adult students, too, to upskill the issue of the ageing work force both nationally and locally.

Courses will be offered to businesses whose employees may not be familiar with more modern technologies, allowing them to upskill and take their learning to projects across the country. The project also addresses the issue of ageing housing stock in the UK, future-proofing those homes by giving students the knowledge and skills to upgrade those homes.

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Canterbury Park homes

Livv Homes has acquired an additional 21 affordable homes at the thriving Canterbury Park development in Huyton, Merseyside.

These new homes, offering options for Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy, will open up greater opportunities for aspiring homeowners to get onto the property ladder.

The new collection of affordable homes comprises a mix of semi-detached and detached two-, three- and four-bedroom houses.

Rental prices start at £680 per month, with Shared Ownership plots available from £85,600, based on a 40% share.

The £3.7m investment into the addition of new homes strengthens Livv’s affordable housing portfolio at Canterbury Park, where it already owns 94 properties – including 29 for Rent to Buy and 38 for Shared Ownership.

Howard Roberts, Executive Director of Finance, Risk & Performance at Livv Housing Group, said: “Canterbury Park is a popular development that’s creating a vibrant community in North Huyton.

“After the success of our initial launch of homes last year, we’re proud to be able to increase access to affordable homes there and give more future homeowners the opportunity to join this thriving community.”