Property round-up: Partners Foundation; High Class Paving Supplies; Conlon Construction; Fairytale Endings; Yard Atelier; Haslingden Market; Stafforce
National law firm, Stephensons, has advised Partners Foundation on a new development of 26 supported living apartments in Lower Ince, Wigan.
Partners Foundation, based in Wigan, is a not-for-profit, Registered Social Housing Landlord. With more than 250 properties nationwide, it provides tailored tenancy support services for people with a wide range of disabilities who require care and support based on their needs.
The ‘Eastdale’ development, which was officially opened on February 14, has been built in partnership with Eastdale Securities, Alpha Fund and Wigan Council.
The scheme offers tenants modern, purpose-built accommodation designed for independent living.
Stephensons acted on behalf of Partners Foundation in carrying out due diligence on the transaction as well as negotiating and agreeing the conditional contracts and lease arrangements.
Chris Graves, partner in the commercial property team at Stephensons said: “The Eastdale scheme provides much needed, high quality, supported living accommodation for the local community. We’re pleased to have been able to support our long term client with this important development.”
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New Leigh premises
Husband and wife team, Paul and Alicia Fletcher, founders of High Class Paving Supplies, have expanded their business by moving into a new 4,300 sq ft unit at Moss Industrial Estate in Leigh.
Their new unit enables them to sell to the public as well as to their trade customers, and provides them with space to display their work and store a larger volume of stock. The couple, who started the business in 2021, now have their own office space and room to meet with customers and discuss projects.
Alicia Fletcher, said: “We love our new premises and we have lots of space here to invite customers in to see and discuss our products. Moss Industrial Estate is a great place to work, the access is great and the security is brilliant.”
Moss Industrial Estate is owned by GM Property Management and is home to around 100 local businesses of varying sizes and industries. It is currently working towards making the estate carbon-neutral through a range of sustainability initiatives, including the refurbishment of its older units.
Neill Wood, managing director of GM Property Management, said: “We are very pleased to welcome High Class Paving Supplies to Moss Industrial Estate. They have existing relationships with other tenants on Moss Industrial Estate so we are glad to allow them to create synergies in their supply chain.”
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Conlon Construction has handed over the newly expanded Springfield School site in Wilmslow, creating up to 80 much needed local school spaces for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Cheshire East Council awarded Conlon the contract as part of its commitment to increase the number of specialist school spaces within the borough and support young people with a range of needs.
The satellite site has been designed and built with special consideration for the access, safeguarding, and sensory requirements of pupils aged four to 18.
A handover ceremony was held on February 16, with pupils given the honour of formally opening their new school. Students, alongside other dignitaries, cut the ribbon to officially kickstart a new era of learning, focused on being healthy, safe, both enjoying and achieving, making a contribution, and entering the adult world with multiple life and education skills.
Darren Lee, commercial director at Conlon Construction, said: “Springfield School is a fitting showcase for our extensive education credentials. From early years to university, we have delivered modern, appealing, and sustainable education facilities across the region.”
Cllr Carol Bulman, lead member for children and families at Cheshire East Council, said: “A key priority for us has been to understand how many additional school places we will need for children and young people with SEND and for us to grow within that forecast. This will increase choice for families, reducing journey times and supporting pupils to be part of their local community.”
Head teacher, Lisa Hodgkinson, said: “We have been working closely with Cheshire East Council over a number of years to increase specialist places for children with cognition and learning difficulties at our site in Crewe. We understand how much the provision is needed within Cheshire East to support young people and their families.”
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Fairytale Endings, the bridal and destination occasion wear store at Liverpool’s Metquarter, is set to embark on the next chapter of its business adventure as it opens a second standalone store in the centre.
Since Fairytale Endings opened its flagship store in Metquarter in October 2020. The new bridal boutique, due to open this month, will sell dresses to cater all sizes and will also have the option to order dresses directly to the store.
Owner, Gill O’Neill, said: “It really is a dream come true to be able to announce the opening of our second store within Metquarter and to be able to offer a standalone bridal store to our customers.”
Jennina O’Neill, Metquarter Centre Manager, said: “The expansion of Fairytale Endings across two stores within the centre is testimony to the amazing offerings found within the existing Fairytale Endings store.”
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A new co-working and community space launched this week in Cheetham Hill to nurture the North West’s next generation of fashion designers.
The Yard Atelier says it is Manchester’s first non-profit fashion Atelier. It aims to support start-ups in a unique space, where the machinery and garment-making equipment needed to kick-start a fashion business is accessible under one roof, alongside expert mentoring.
The creative space – which aspires to re-establish ‘slow fashion’ in the city – was set up by Caroline Herz and Georgina Housley, two former Manchester Metropolitan University senior lecturers with a wealth of experience in the fashion industry.
Smart Works Greater Manchester, the charity that exists to give unemployed women the confidence and the skills they need to secure employment, is supporting the Atelier with a donation of several special designer pieces.
Caroline Herz, co-founder and director of The Yard Atelier, said: “Ultimately, we want to carve out a space for slow-made collections in today’s fashion industry and encourage production businesses to return to Manchester, especially given the city’s rich history.”
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CGI of Haslingden Market plans
A £500,000 refurbishment of Haslingden Market is set to get under way by the end of March and by early summer will provide a outside shopping experience for visitors.
Rossendale Borough Council – which is investing £200,000 in the project – has chosen Aura Heritage, of Cheadle, as contractor, while the architects are Wilson Mason, of Samlesbury.
The work, also financed by £300,000 the council has secured from the UK Shared Prosperity Funding, will make the market a vibrant meeting place with a new sheltered seating area covering half of the market space.
Haslingden will be the first of three Rossendale markets – the other two Bacup and Rawtenstall – to be extensively refurbished over the next two years.
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 and replaced with picnic-style tables where people can socialise while enjoying a variety of street food cabins sited down one side of the market.
Cllr Adrian Lythgoe, Lead Member for Environment and Corporate Services, said: “Refurbishing the market is a vital part of the regeneration of Haslingden Town Centre. It creates a valuable opportunity to grow the local economy and to provide affordable premises for new businesses as well as providing a much needed community area where people can meet and socialise.”
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Staff in the new office
Recruitment company, Stafforce, has relocated to a more spacious and strategically located office in Carlisle.
The new office, situated in Lowther Street, provides a much larger space and will facilitate increased efficiency in operations, allowing for more comprehensive support for candidates and improved collaboration with local businesses.
Tony Boorman, Stafforce MD, said: “Our decision to move (even though it isn’t far) to larger premises reflects our commitment to the community and our confidence in the growth potential of Carlisle. We are excited to continue supporting local people and businesses, fostering mutually beneficial partnerships, and contributing to the region’s economic development.”
The new office is in the same block as the previous base, but in a bigger floorplate on the lower floor.
