Property round up: Aldi store gets go-ahead in Burnley & more

PLANNING permission has been granted for a new Aldi foodstore in Burnley, creating 40 new jobs.

The store will be built at Todmorden Road after representation from HOW Planning secured the decision – the company’s 25th such success for Aldi in a little under three years acting for the retailer.

The scheme involves provision of a 19,100sqft discount foodstore on an underutilised site to the south-east of the town centre.

It will be served by 90 car parking spaces and will provide soft and hard landscaping as well as local public realm improvements.

The permission follows HOW’s recent success in securing planning permission for a 19,000sqft Aldi foodstore and five flexible-use retail units totalling 25,910sqft in Breightmet, Bolton.

HOW Planning associate Dan Brown said: “We are delighted to have secured permission having worked hard to convince the Local Authority of the merits of our planning case and look forward to seeing this important site being redeveloped. There are significant benefits to the wider economy with the proposals delivering a range of new jobs and providing enhanced choice for local consumers”.

The architect on the scheme was The Harris Partnership whilst Cameron Rose Associates acted as transport consultants. Lamb & Swift are the commercial agents.

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HOUSING and regeneration specialist Galliford Try Partnerships, which markets its homes under the Linden Homes banner, has submitted a planning application for 54 high quality new homes in Oldham.

The vacant 1.8 hectare site on the former St Augustine’s School site is at the junction of Grange Avenue and Chamber Road, around a mile south of Oldham town centre.

Plans outlined to Oldham Council will see Linden Homes North West deliver a mixture of high-quality three bedroom detached/semi-detached and four bedroom detached homes.

Darren Leary, development director of Galliford Try Partnerships, said: “This scheme is a  positive reflection of the continued growth Galliford Try Partnerships and Linden Homes are currently experiencing across the North West.”

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TECH-firm Citrus-Lime has moved into new premises in Ulverston on the edge of The Lake District.

The company, which specialises in the cycle, equestrian and outdoor sectors, has moved from its the premises it shared in the town with Barclays Bank to Lantern House, which has been renovated while keeping its iconic features.

Citrus Lime provides ecommerce and retail services for more than 400 independent retailers, with offerings which include in store retail systems, prestigious website building and design, online shopping services and marketing.

It was founded in 1999 by friends Neil McQuillan and Kevin Bigland, later joined by James Steel. The three run Citrus-Lime as working directors employing 21 staff who operate the offices in Ulverston and Manchester.

Citrus-Lime started out as a pure tech company but the years it developed and tailored its expertise  techy skills to meet the needs of the independent retailer within the industries the owners love.

Managing director Neil McQuillan said: “This new move will allow us to expand as a local business and therefore supply our retail solutions to more independent retailers.”

“We feel the experience of shopping at your local independent is something to protect and build upon. We aim to provide the tools and the ‘know how’ that enables independents to take on the big boys of retail.”

To help fund the move Citrus-Lime secured a loan from NatWest.

Quillan added: “We are very thankful to NatWest and, in particular Dave Howarth, for guiding us through the process and allowing us to achieve our objective. We look forward to continuing our happy working relationship with them.”

Howarth said: “I was delighted to support Citrus-Lime on its move to new offices which will assist the business in its delivery of their IT platforms and services. I wish the business every success for the future.”

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A NEW 115-bed Holiday Inn Express will be opened at Stockport Exchange after Muse Developments and Stockport Council completed agreements with InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

Due to open in 2017, Holiday Inn Express Stockport forms a key part of the second phase of the mixed-use Stockport Exchange development which is currently under construction, creating a new gateway for Stockport town centre.

The hotel’s contemporary design will reflect the town’s rich history, featuring vertical fins which reference the town’s Grade II-listed Victorian covered market hall nearby. Amenities will include a bar, restaurant, wi-fi and meeting facilities.

As well as the hotel, the second phase of work will deliver a new 50,000sq ft, five-storey office building and pedestrianised public space, which will create an attractive gateway from the train station into the town.

Muse development director Wes Erlam said: “This agreement is a major milestone in the delivery of an exciting new mixed-use business district for Stockport. To have attracted an internationally-renowned hotel brand like Holiday Inn Express is great news for the town and for Stockport Exchange.”

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MANCHESTER-based Urban Splash and joint venture partner Places for People have been selected for one of the must significant brown field regeneration schemes in the UK in Birmingham.

Birmingham City Council and the Canal & River Trust, advised by Savills, appointed them as the preferred partner for the development of Icknield Port Loop.

Their selection followed a marketing process which attracted strong interest and high quality proposals from a broad range of developers, house builders, property companies and funds.

Urban Splash and Places for People will enter into a period of exclusivity, prior to taking a 50% share in a limited liability partnership with the landowners, to bring forward a mixed-use scheme at the 43-acre (17-hectare) site. 

This will include 1,150 new homes plus commercial uses and community facilities. The joint venture will also provide development management services.  

Icknield Port Loop sits within the area covered by the Greater Icknield Masterplan, part of the draft Birmingham Development Plan, which includes the delivery of 3,000 new homes and 1,000 new jobs by 2031.

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MANCHESTER Science Partnership’s Salford Innovation Park has welcomed four new companies on to its campus.

The arrival of Novus Property Solutions, Confident 3D, Safeway Contractors and Working IT Solutions brings the campus closer to maximum capacity and is a sign of the rising upturn for Salford commercial businesses.

National property maintenance firm Novus has taken the largest amount of space at approximately 2,000sq ft to increase its national coverage, followed by fast-growing commercial IT service provider, Working IT Solutions, taking on 1,350sq ft.

Safeway Contractors (930sq ft) and Confident 3D (570 sq ft) have also taken on units to support the next stage of their respective business development.

Since MSP took on the management in 2012, occupancy at the campus site has steadily risen as the private sector in Salford has regained momentum following the UK recession.

The location of the site on Frederick Road is close to the major road and public transport links, as well as Salford’s cultural centre, and has made Salford Innovation Park a desirable location for many businesses.