Property round-up: Warden Construction; Tesco; Future; IoT Horizon; Arc & Co; FWP; Paragon Development Finance; Voicescape
Work has begun on a project to breathe new life into a row of Victorian-era shops in Runcorn and turn part of them into an inspirational new creative and digital skills centre.
Warden Construction has started building work to convert part of the Camden Buildings, in High Street, into a new learning and workspace on behalf of Halton Borough Council and community learning organisation Power in Partnership.
The project involves refurbishing No.59 High Street by replacing the building’s existing timber structure with a new steel structure, enabling the creation of a three-storey ‘winter garden’ style space that will act as a lobby, break-out area, and small events space.
A second part of the project involves the creation of a new-build, two-storey extension on the site of the adjacent former post office at No.57. This space will be linked to No.59 and provide an internet café, games area, learning kitchen and access to a rear garden, with a first-floor space for group activities.
The £2m project is part of Runcorn’s wider £23.6m Town Deal, which is delivering eight town centre regeneration projects overall.
Ian Williams, managing director of Warden Construction, said: “This is a project that’s delivering so many benefits for Runcorn – supporting skills development for local people, regenerating the town centre, and also enabling heritage buildings to be preserved for future generations.”
The project at 57-59 High Street is expected to be complete in Autumn 2025. The project team includes K2 as architects, Arcadis as client’s agent and AKS Ward as structural engineers.
Jack Manners, project architect at K2 Architects, said: “This development will bring together Runcorn’s digital and skills initiatives and create a collaborative space for community-driven businesses to thrive.”
Future work at the Camden Buildings will also see 63-65 High Street restored as a space for digital skills training and performing arts. A Georgian-era building at 71 High Street has already been restored by Warden Construction as a studio and exhibition space for artists.
::
A new Tesco Express is set to open its doors at Merseyway Shopping Centre today (November 8).
The opening of the spacious 3,367 sq ft store marks another exciting new chapter for Merseyway, which has recently welcomed a brand-new JD store which opened at the centre earlier this month and Poundland which opened
in September.
Merseyway is central to Stockport’s £1bn regeneration plans, playing a key role in the town’s vision of a thriving and vibrant town centre.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We are extremely excited to be opening our new store and providing great service to our customers. We’ve got new colleagues joining the team from the local area and through our community programmes we hope to make an impact locally and play a key role in the local community.”
Cllr Colin Macalister, Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Housing at Stockport Council, said: “It’s great to welcome back Tesco as the newest addition to Merseyway, joining JD Sports and Poundland as part of the exciting growth here and showing real confidence from nationally renowned retailers.”
::
Gilbanks, St Michael’s
Future, the corporate PR and reputation management consultancy, will open a new office at the prestigious No.1 St Michael’s development in Manchester.
The consultancy will take space at Gilbanks, a provider of premium serviced offices, which has taken a floor and a half at the highly-anticipated development set to open in spring 2025.
St Michael’s is being delivered by Gary Neville’s Relentless Developments in a joint venture with developer Salboy, and in partnership with investor KKR. The development’s second phase, No. 2 St Michael’s, comprises a 41-storey tower featuring W branded apartments and a five-star hotel.
Nina Sawetz, Managing Director at Future, said: “We have been looking for a space that is aligned with the premium, high-calibre service we provide to our clients and the exceptional design and first-class approach that Gilbanks provides made this an easy decision.”
::
From left: Deyrick Allen, Niamh Allen, Derek Horrocks, Tom Allen
Two North West organisations creating healthier homes and buildings have teamed up – with Sustainable Investments (SI) making a strategic investment in smart building technology organisation, IoT Horizon.
SI, which is based in Skelmersdale and includes retrofit decarbonisation contractor Sustainable Building Services (SBS) and energy retrofit service provider and consultancy Sustainable Energy Services (SES), has acquired a 76% stake in family-owned, Rawtenstall-based IoT Horizon.
IoT Horizon helps clients collect data and gain insights on their buildings, people, processes, and assets to make better and more-informed decisions.
Derek Horrocks, owner and chair at SI, said: “There are real synergies between our two businesses, with a shared vision for delivering real and positive social impact on society. Founder Deyrick, Niamh and the wider IoT Horizon team have been doing fantastic things over the past seven years in the smart building space, all informed by Deyrick’s previous experience working for household names like Hewlett Packard.”
He added: “The ethical alignment of our businesses is what makes this such a significant moment for everyone involved, and having the backing of SI is only going to help us make our vision a reality in a faster fashion.”
The new chapter will see IoT Horizon rebranded as Sustainable Smart Technologies, bringing its new name and visual identity in line with other SI businesses.
::
Sam Beaumont
Sam Beaumont, advisor at specialist capital advisory firm Arc & Co, has recently closed a £4.7m development loan for a ground-up development in Macclesfield.
The award-nominated scheme is a 2.5-acre development “designed with sustainability at its heart” and comprises 15 new homes that will sit alongside a unique, flexible workspace, with both private offices and co-working space.
A farm shop providing stalls for local, independent vendors will also form part of the project – a welcome addition to Henbury, according to residents at the public consultation.
The 70% LTGDV facility is for a term of 20 months, priced at 5.65% plus base rate.
The developer – a family business which has an impressive track record in the North West and which carries out all construction in-house – had not worked with a broker before engaging with Arc & Co, having previously dealt directly with lenders.
Sam proposed and secured a stretched senior option which suited the client better than a senior facility combined with a mezzanine loan. This structure meant fewer fees and one less party involved in the transaction.
Sam said: “The deal structure underwent several changes throughout the process, but the lender took a pragmatic approach and worked well with all parties to achieve this outcome.”
::
York racecourse
Architecture, design and masterplanning practice, FWP, has overseen a multimillion-pound redevelopment project at York racecourse.
Preston-based FWP provided its project management, cost consultancy and principal design expertise to transform the Bustardthorpe Development to the historic racecourse, one of the sport’s most famous venues.
The completed work, carried out by principal contractor Lindum, has elevated York’s place as one of the world’s leading racecourses.
The redevelopment has incorporated solar panels, rainwater harvesting, living roofs and extensive Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)-approved planting to futureproof York as a premier venue for racing enthusiasts.
Kate Shuttleworth, partner at FWP, who led on the project for the practice, said: “This latest transformational plan has delivered a host of improvements for racegoers and is truly outstanding. The work was all about enhancing the racegoer experience.”
FWP, which also has offices in Manchester and London, is well known for its sports stadia and healthcare design work, though its portfolio is much wider and ranges from heritage projects to leisure developments.
::
New homes
Salford, Tameside and Stockport were the fastest growing areas for new home completions in the North West last year, data analysed by Paragon Bank’s Development Finance division has revealed.
Paragon analysed local authority data to reveal the most popular towns and cities for new homes in the North West for the year to the end of March 2024, compared with the same period last year.
Overall, 17,910 new homes were completed across the region during the period, a fall of 5.3% compared with the previous year.
Salford topped the table with an 84% increase in homes being built, with 700 new dwellings constructed in the past year. This was closely followed by Tameside, which saw an 82% increase in properties being built, with 510 new homes.
Stockport and Pendle were not far behind. Stockport saw a 61% increase in new home completions, with 530 built, and Pendle adding another 240 homes to the area – a 50% increase from the previous year.
At the opposite end of the scale, Liverpool recorded a 69% fall in completions to 170 for the year, followed by Halton (-53%), Warrington (-44%), Hyndburn (-42%) and Bury (-48%).
Overall, 20 local authorities across the North West recorded a decline in the number of new homes completed, compared with 13 that experienced an increase.
In terms of the highest number of homes built in the past year, Cheshire East leads the way with an impressive 1,900 homes built, closely followed by Manchester, with 1,630 homes and Preston with 1,060.
Karl Kent, Relationship Director at Paragon Development Finance, said: “It’s great to see Salford, Tameside and Stockport topping the tables of fastest growing areas in the North West, all areas in Greater Manchester – a thriving part of the North West, thanks to its great transport links, proximity to Manchester city centre and affordable house prices.
“We expect to see Greater Manchester and the surrounding areas continue to grow in popularity and we’re certainly seeing more developers looking to build in the North West, particularly in the residential space, with market demand increasing.”
::
Victoria Noble
Voicescape has extended its footprint across the public sector, after being appointed by Rugby Borough Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council and Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
The UK provider of resident engagement solutions for social landlords and local authorities will work alongside the three organisations to help manage income collection.
Each local authority will implement Voicescape’s Collections technology solution. By leveraging advanced automation and data-driven insights, councils will be able to enhance efficiency in managing the Council Tax collections process, ensuring more timely and consistent engagement with residents to negotiate payment arrangements, while providing welfare support.
Richard Moore, Revenues Manager at Rugby Borough Council, said: “One of the biggest challenges for collections teams is finding innovative, customer-focused approaches to managing arrears, in a way that strengthens relationships and fosters long-term financial stability.
“Our aim is to drive operational efficiencies and empower residents to ‘self-serve’ at the early intervention stage. We’re confident that working with Voicescape will allow us to tackle these challenges effectively and engage more meaningfully with those customers in greatest need.”
Utilising digital technology, data science and behavioural insights, Voicescape Collections for Revenues and Benefits teams identifies the right people to contact at the best time, automating time-intensive activity required to reach customers.
Victoria Noble, Local Authority Sector Lead at Voicescape, said: “Local authorities have a number of complex challenges when it comes to income collection, which have been exacerbated by the economic and social challenges of the last five years.
“Our local authority clients want to offer support and prevent people falling deeper into debt, and the Collections solution is a powerful technology in their engagement toolbox – driving more effective, ethical and efficient interactions with residents.”
