Property round up: Cotton Exchange; CBRE; Agecroft Commerce Park & more

TWO new companies have been installed at Bruntwood’s co-working facility at The Loft in Liverpool’s Cotton Exchange.

REK Publications, which produces titles such as Good News Liverpool and Seen Liverpool, has been joined by PR and content marketing firm Story Communications at the fully refurbished sixth floor space.

The co-working facility is designed to support the growth of young, entrepreneurial businesses and includes ultra-fast broadband connectivity, unlimited hot drinks, secure lockers and flexible contracts.

Businesses using the space also have access to the building’s wider amenities, including its roof garden, The Old Hall event space and newly-installed bike and shower area.

Colin Sinclair, director of workspace development at Bruntwood, said: “Co-working at The Loft is all about making work social; encouraging collaboration and creativity between ambitious businesses and maybe also sharing a beer on a Friday afternoon.”

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A DEVELOPMENT site in Didsbury, Greater Manchester has been brought to the market by CBRE Manchester on behalf of CircleHealth.

The site is The Avenue, a  prominent 5.25-acre area fronting Princess Road. Due to its key positioning and surrounding residential community, the site is likely to attract substantial interest from both residential and retirement village developers seeking to deliver a mixed density residential scheme.

CBRE senior director of specialist markets Shaun Skidmore said: “The Avenue offers a rare opportunity to acquire a well-located development site in one of Greater Manchester’s most popular residential areas.

“We expect a high level of interest in this site and look forward to entering into discussions with interested parties.”

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AGECROFT Commerce Park in Salford, which could see more than 200,000sq ft of new employment space developed, has been launched by Barnfield Construction.

The site, named Evolution, offers four development plots totalling 11.4 acres where the contractor and developer can deliver bespoke design and build industrial and warehouse units to occupiers.
 
Units can be accommodated from 10,000 to 100,000sq ft on either a leasehold or freehold basis.
 
The scheme is a joint venture with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and brings forward the last plots at Agecroft which has seen notable success since its creation, securing occupiers such as PZ Cussons, Securicor, Bunzl and Nimans.
 
Dan Symonds, head of development at Barnfield Construction said: “This is a key employment site for Salford and one that we are keen to see brought forward.

“Occupier interest received to date has been encouraging with plot 1 now under offer for 20,000 sq ft of industrial space.  Construction is expected to start later this year.”

Tony O’Keefe, director at LM6, which is marketing agent alongside Nolan Redshaw, said: “Evolution  is well placed to capitalise on an improving economy and against a backdrop of restricted supply of quality industrial accommodation in the Greater Manchester conurbation.

“Barnfield has a proven track record of delivering a quality product on time and to cost and we are already receiving significant occupier interest.”

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LOWRY Outlet (MediaCityUK) has posted its highest Christmas trading figures ever, with year-on-year footfall up 4% and sales up 18%.

Over the Christmas period, the outlet saw a greater conversion of footfall to spend and £PSF increased by 9.4%, a result of securing the right brands for each centre’s audience demographic, and strong, targeted marketing.

Key performing sectors, year on year, were footwear up 59%; mixed fashion  up 31% and home and gifts up 16%.

The Outlet’s seasonal programme of family events and food and craft markets bolstered Christmas trading.

Its Enchanted Christmas Market attracted footfall in excess of 100,000 and its 65-show Frozen Experience was a complete sell-out.

In a year of record growth, Lowry Outlet welcomed six new openings into its fashion, food and leisure portfolio, including a 11,000sq ft Next Outlet, the Post Office, and a £4.5m investment in the Virgin Active Health Club.

Centre manager Helen Anderton said: “Lowry Outlet has enjoyed rapid growth in 2015 and record sales over the crucial Christmas period.

“We believe that our unique business model, which is dedicated to researching and understanding who our customers are, what brands they want and then delivering this in real terms, has enabled this continued growth.
 
“We are looking forward to welcoming many more exciting new brands in 2016.”

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A PLANNING application for the conversion of a former warehouse at Huyton Business Park on Merseyside into a high-spec industrial unit has been submitted.

The proposal by db symmetry to transform the 175,000sq ft factory into a modern 120,000sq ft unit has been submitted to Knowsley Borough Council.

A comprehensive refurbishment programme has been put forward which will include the demolition of a about 25,000sq ft office building to significantly improve the loading and yard areas on the 9.4-acre site.

In addition, a large proportion of mezzanine offices will be removed from within the warehouse itself, greatly improving the overall efficiency of the unit as well as provision of level access and dock level loading.

Db symmetry says the work will result in a high quality, extensive facility which will be a welcome addition to the North West industrial market which is experiencing extremely low supply levels.

Darren Hill at CBRE and Andrew Lynn from JLL have been appointed to market the unit, branded as Aquila 120, and work will commence on-site in April, with completion scheduled for September 2016. The refurbished unit will be available to lease or purchase.

Huyton Business Park is located at the well-connected Tarbock Island interchange at J6 of the M62 and J1 of the M57. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is just 7 miles to the South.  Local occupiers include Parcel Force, Olympic Oils and Halewood International Holdings PLC.

Simon Dixon, associate development Director at db symmetry, said: “With the severe shortage of top specification second hand units of 100,000 sq ft plus, we are expecting a strong level of demand for what will be a unique proposition.

“With its strategic location adjacent to the major motorway networks, Aquila 120 is likely to appeal to owner occupiers, warehousing and distribution occupiers and, with the added USP of 4MW of power, we anticipate interest from manufacturers.”

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SEVERAL housing associations across Greater Manchester have secured a contract worth a minimum of £353,000 to deliver accredited employment, training and placement opportunities.
 
The Skills for Employment programme will be delivered through a supply chain, administered by the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and funded by the Local Growth Fund and European Social Fund (ESF).

The contract will be managed by The Manchester Growth Company (MGC) on behalf of the SFA, following MGC’s successful bid for the contract.

The skills and placement offer within the contract has been prepared by a strategic alliance of housing providers known as ‘Manchester Athena’, and will be led by One Manchester.

It is the first time that Greater Manchester housing providers have come together to deliver such a programme.
 
This particular contract involves the following Greater Manchester Housing Providers and is led by One Manchester: One Manchester; Bolton at Home; First Choice Homes Oldham; ForViva (City West Housing Trust & Villages Housing Association) ; New Charter Housing Trust; Northwards Housing; Stockport Homes; Symphony Housing; Wigan and Leigh Homes and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.

Dave Power, chief executive of One Manchester, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for Manchester Athena and One Manchester to demonstrate that the term ‘housing association’ can be fairly deceptive.
 
“Manchester Athena deliverS much more than housing alone and we’re absolutely delighted that our quality, consistency and ability to deliver, has been recognised by MGC and the Skills Funding Agency through this bid.
   
“The work placements and skills accreditations that will take place as a result of this programme will help to improve the chances of employment for more than 800 people.

“The wider contract of the Growth Company and other partners will reach thousands of Greater Manchester residents.  It is therefore a unique chance to really transform people’s lives and we will be working tirelessly to ensure this is the case and that the best outcomes are achieved.”
 
MGC managing director for Employment, Jerry Stokes said:  “We expect up to 12,000 local people in total to benefit from the support that it will provide over the next three years, and that will have a real impact on their ability to gain employment and to stay in work.”

One Manchester will oversee the operational activity and coordination of the Manchester Athena delivery within the project, dealing with reporting requirements and ensuring quality outcomes for customers.

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COMMERCIAL property consultant Legat Owen has been instructed to dispose of a prime employment development site on University Way in Crewe with a guide price of £2.5m.

The 12.78-acre-site is situated on the eastern side of University Way (A5020) and lies in close proximity to Crewe Railway Station, Crewe Business Park and Orion Park, a modern development of manufacturing / distribution units.

The prominently situated site benefits from 360-metre frontage to University Way. A vehicular access and an internal distributor road has already been constructed off University Way to allow for development and potential sub division.

Legat Owen director Stephen Wade said: “Quality development opportunities of this nature rarely come to the market in Crewe.

“The town is thriving on the back a strong local economy. Investment activity has definitely been spurred by the Government’s announcement in November that the northern section of HS2 to Crewe is to be completed by 2027, six years earlier than originally thought.”

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SPACEINVADER, the multi award-winning commercial interior design practice with its head office in Manchester, has opened a London studio following a record year for the business and the appointment of a fourth director.

Diana Monkhouse, previously Interior Principal at Aukett Swanke, has joined the company with more than  20 years’ experience of leading projects for the likes of SMBC NIKKO Capital Markets (One New Change, London), JPM Chase (Frankfurt) and Symantec (in London and Europe), and will spearhead operations in the capital.

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