Property round-up: Royal Toby; Seddon; Trevors Foodservice; Peel Ports; Plus Dane Housing; Forbes Solicitors; Bruntwood
The Royal Toby hotel, restaurant and wedding venue, in Rochdale, has put the final touches to its £1m refurb this week.
Renovations are true to what the building could have looked like when it was first built and decorated, with a touch of modern elegance throughout.
The Deckers Group, which has owned the property for more than 30 years, has invested in a total refit of The Royal Toby’s hotel rooms, including its bridal suites, the Rhyddings function suite for weddings and conferences for up to 150 people and its 200-seat restaurant.
It has reported that the refresh has already helped attract new audiences to The Royal Toby.
Retail Director at The Deckers Group, Rob Walker, said: “Since transforming The Royal Toby we’ve noticed a younger demographic, as well as our core family audience, enjoying our venue.
“Our schedule might have been interrupted by the pandemic, but we’re now very proud to show off what this investment has led to and we’re sure all of our guests will agree it was worth the wait.”
In the hotel, 50 of The Royal Toby’s 53 rooms were stripped completely and replaced with modern, high spec furniture, carpets, curtains and bathrooms.
The Royal Toby’s restaurant and bar has also undergone a complete refurbishment in the style of Victorian grandeur, but with a modern luxe feel. Its stunning chandeliers were taken down so each crystal could be polished by hand.
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Bolton-based Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP) specialists, Seddon Engineering Services, has been appointed to retrofit the college building in Hulme following a successful competitive tender.
Loreto College, a Roman Catholic sixth form college in Hulme, Manchester, brought Seddon on board to help improve the environmental performance of its iconic Ball Building, home to its science labs, as well as the History, Economics and Theology, Philosophy and Ethics departments.
The project, which will cost close to £1m, will improve the building’s sustainability, and efficiency through the replacement of all existing gas sources with state-of-the-art air source heat pumps.
The project will see the implementation of a new innovative cutting-edge Building Management System that will optimise the operational efficiency of the entire facility.
Karl Barraclough, Head of Commercial Energy Services at Seddon Engineering Services, said: “Working on a building as recognisable and culturally important as Loreto College’s Ball Building, is both a huge responsibility and opportunity. We will demonstrate how new technologies can work at scale, but also how seamless the transition can be within buildings of scale.”
Seddon will install significant electrical upgrades to the local substation to fortify the building’s power infrastructure and meet the demands of modern amenities and future developments.
Tracy Livesey, Vice Principal at Loreto College, said: “The upgrade to our college’s heating systems is a crucial next step for our long held sustainability and technological ambitions. We hope that this project will set the bar for energy efficient and environmentally conscious educational buildings.”
Seddon Engineering Services is part of the Seddon family of companies and operates throughout the North West and the Midlands.
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The Trevors team celebrates the opening
Family-run Blackpool business, Trevors Foodservice, officially opened its new state-of-the-art premises in the historic former home of the Fylde Ice Co. on Dock Avenue in Fleetwood last Thursday (June 13).
Celebrating 60 years in business last November, the company’s Hitchen family was joined by team members, customers and stakeholders for a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the £5m relocation and refurb.
Aiming to regenerate Fleetwood’s historic dock area and make it a northern powerhouse for quality food and drink, the new Trevors Foodservice HQ will provide the foundations, space, facilities and resources for the independent foodservice supplier’s ambitious plans for future growth and job creation in the region.
Managing Director, Gary Hitchen, said: “It’s great to finally be in and have everything up and running. It’s an iconic and historic building in the town of Fleetwood, especially when it comes to food, so it’s a privilege to have been able to bring the building back to life.”
Purchasing Director, Matthew Hitchen, said: “It’s been an incredible journey and a real team effort so we’re all ecstatic to officially open our new HQ and celebrate with our team, friends and family. I’m confident our new home provides us with concrete foundations for our ambitious growth plans.”
The new 58,000 sq ft headquarters is nearly twice the size of the company’s previous warehouse. This includes ambient, chilled and frozen storage, stylish new offices and modern amenities.
A high-spec freezer has been installed providing nearly 10 times more capacity than previously, alongside a new chiller, ambient storage and an investment property. Six extra ‘Goods In & Out’ bays have also been added and the site has an additional 1.4 acres of yard space.
Trevors has welcomed 10 new starters to the business this year including new drivers, pickers, buyers and business development personnel.
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Cavendish Quay
Dudleys Consulting Engineers has completed works on a highly complex new service yard project at Cavendish Quay in Birkenhead for Peel Ports and occupier NW Trading.
Cavendish Quay is situated at The Port of Liverpool, an enclosed 7.5-mile dock system. It is the UK’s fourth busiest container port, handling around 30 million tonnes of freight per annum. It is the most important port in the UK for transatlantic trade with significant links to North America and Europe and is also home to the largest cruise terminals in the UK.
Working alongside principal contractor, Kiernan Construction, Dudleys has advised on the £1.3m redevelopment of a 77,500 sq ft area of former dock transport lines to deliver an extensive new service yard to support expansion of the quayside operations.
The project presented considerable engineering challenges due to inconsistent ground and ingress of water in isolated areas. Andy Walker, Managing Director at Leeds-based Dudleys Consulting Engineers, said: “This was a challenging project but certainly not beyond our expertise.
“This large area of deep made ground adjacent the dock wall had softened over time due to water ingress leaving very poor ground conditions. We advised a method of improving the ground bearing capacity through the use of combined geogrids, land drainage and controlled methods of placement. This has delivered a crust of ground capable of withstanding heavy dockside transport and storage loading combined with the restrictions of site levels and end user working tolerances.
“Provision of an extensive surface water drainage system was also incorporated to withstand climate change challenges on the site and manage any flooding of the existing drainage system. During the works, the port and quayside remained operational with minimal disruptions.”
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Arncliffe Gardens
Mayor of Knowsley, Cllr Ken McGlashan, joined pupils from Holy Family Catholic Primary School and Plus Dane Housing to open a new, much needed, supported
ousing development in Knowsley.
The scheme, in Halewood, called Arncliffe Gardens, was designed by JDA Architects and includes a total of 77 affordable apartments, including 58 aimed at over-55’s with a housing and support need, as well as 19 homes for younger people with additional needs, learning disabilities, autism or mental ill health.
The development includes a guest suite, modern lounge, hair salon, access to on-site security system and maintenance, on-site care team, as well as a therapeutic sensory garden.
Knowsley Council supported this initiative by providing the land for the development following the demolition of a former primary school in 2018. Homes England also supported the development with grant funding and the FRC group supported the development with high quality, socially ethical, furnishings.
Ian Reed, Chief Executive of Plus Dane, said: “We know how important quality supported housing is. It changes lives. It allows people to live safely and independently for as long as possible. The provision of supported homes in England is now falling, at a time when demand for these vital services is increasing.
“We need more developments like Arncliffe Gardens, with its high quality finish and fantastic facilities. It will be a lovely place to live and we are really proud of what we have built, in partnership, here in Knowsley.”
Gemma Hardy, Managing Director, Vistry Merseyside and Cheshire West, said: “As a mixed-tenure developer, we recognise the vital importance of providing homes for all needs and we know that these extra care apartments will really enhance the supported living offer in Knowsley.”
The first residents are due to move in during the summer.
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Catherine Kennedy
Forbes Solicitors has further strengthened its position in the social housing sector after being appointed to two different panels of approved suppliers for legal services.
Following rounds of national tendering, not-for-profit organisation the Communities and Housing Investment Consortium (CHIC) and Ongo Homes, a Community Benefit Society, have both awarded contracts to Forbes Solicitors.
CHIC is a consortium of Registered Providers of social housing and has around 240 members nationwide. The organisation first created its legal services framework in 2016, which brings together the country’s leading experts in housing law to support and protect members’ interests. As part of the framework, Forbes will provide legal services covering corporate, governance and finance, housing and asset management, development and property.
Ongo Homes is a Registered Provider of social housing and currently owns and manages approximately 11,000 homes across North Lincolnshire and neighbouring areas. The organisation has appointed Forbes Solicitors for the provision of legal services including property management, development, employment, housing and tenancy management, commercial contracts and procurement, and governance.
Catherine Kennedy, Partner and Head of Housing and Regeneration at Forbes Solicitors, said: “Both organisations are well regarded for delivering high quality services and standards. This is reflected in extremely robust and highly competitive tendering processes, which prioritise legal expertise, innovation, breadth of service and experience, and value.
“Our housing team were able to combine their in-depth knowledge of the social housing sector with insights from across a wide range of legal specialisms and match this to each of the organisation’s specific goals. The provision of exceptional legal services form part of CHIC and Ongo Homes’ stakeholder-focused approach and we’re very much looking forward to being part of this.”
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Manchester property group, Bruntwood, Trafford Council and Altrincham Business Improvement District (BID), launched Cargo Bikeshare Altrincham, at a Netwalking event in the town on June 10.
Organised by Altrincham BID, with guest speakers Dr Richard Nickson, Network Director Active Travel, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and Gareth Wilkins, Head of Retail Operations, Bruntwood, the event was also attended by local businesses.
Altrincham Cargo Bikeshare is the first shared bike scheme of its kind in Greater Manchester and is designed to encourage local businesses to switch to making more sustainable deliveries via cargo bike. The scheme has been made possible through a joint application by Altrincham BID and Bruntwood to Transport for Greater Manchester’s Community Access Grant.
The bike will be operated by Manchester Bikes and is initially available for Altrincham BID businesses, who will be given a number of free sessions. The bike will then be available for them to book and will be rolled out to other businesses and the community after an initial trial period.
It is designed to carry up to 180 kgs, including the rider, and is available for hire on a daily basis. Further information about the bike, how to hire and book it can be found on the Manchester Bikes website.
A spokesperson from Bruntwood and Trafford Council, said: “The launch of the Cargo Bikeshare scheme in the Stamford Quarter marks the beginning of a new era for delivery transport in the town. We are encouraging businesses who are part of the BID to use the bike to help cut emissions and road traffic collisions in the local area. It’s economical to use and will hopefully increase the use of the local cycle infrastructure.”
Mandy White, Director Altrincham BID, said: “The scheme has come out of a pilot project we worked on with the support of MP Smarter Travel and Manchester Bikes, which introduced the concept of cargo bike deliveries to Altrincham’s businesses.
“We are grateful to have received funding from Transport for Greater Manchester to set the scheme up and we look forward to supporting our businesses to make the switch, where possible, to this more sustainable delivery method.”
