Building Briefs: OXO House; City Park; Buccleuch; Wainwright and Co
GLOBAL telematics systems developer The Floow has taken the top floor of OXO House in Sheffield.
Relocating at the end of the month, The Floow joins existing tenants Swanke Hayden Connell Architects on the third floor and online brand communications specialist, Side by Side creative, based on the ground floor.
Matthew Barnsdale, business space consultant at Lambert Smith Hampton, the agency that brokered the deal, said: “We are very pleased to have secured another prestigious tenant for the stunning OXO House building. I am sure The Floow will be happy in their unique, high quality space. The finish of the property is exceptional and the open plan style with beautiful features lends itself well to creative industries.”
Built in 1936 by George Longden & Son, the building was originally a storage and administration facility for OXO. The building owner, Thorndale, was given permission by Premier Foods to rename the building OXO House following an extensive £1.5m refurbishment and redevelopment of the building.
:::
AVIVA Investors Pensions has instructed the building consultancy team at CBRE’s Leeds office as project manager on the refurbishment for re-launch of two prominent Leeds industrial units which total 55,438 sq ft.
Units 3 and 5 at City Park Industrial Estate, which offer 11,129 sq ft and 44,309 sq ft of accommodation respectively, front onto Gelderd Road near Leeds City Centre with direct access to the M1 and M62 motorway networks via the M621.
A full internal and external refurbishment programme will be undertaken by CBRE in order for Aviva to secure new tenants for the upgraded properties.
Ben Rennocks, director of building consultancy at CBRE’s Leeds office, said: “The units at City Park Industrial Estate occupy one of the most coveted locations in Leeds due to their proximity to the major motorway networks and also the city centre.
“On behalf of Aviva we are transforming the units to meet the requirements of potential occupiers. We are scheduled to commence a 14 week contract of works in September 2013 with completion before the end of the year.”
Savills and GVA will be marketing the units.
:::
ELLBEE, the uPVC window and door manufacturer, has sold its former premises in Leeds following a relocation to Barnsley.
Industrial property specialists Gent Visick together and the Leeds office of DTZ acted for Ellbee in the sale of the two detached properties extending to 133,478 sq ft and 52,426 sq ft respectively.
The larger of the two properties was sold to Prospect Estates, with WW Group acquiring the ground leasehold interest in the second of the buildings.
John Lund from Prospect Estates said “We saw the opportunity to acquire a significant amount of floorpsace in a popular location and are in the process of sub-dividing the property to better suit local demand.”
Gidon Amar from Gent Visick added: “Following the sale of the larger unit to Prospect Estates we were delighted to conclude the sale of the second unit to WW Group the Pudsey based supplier of finished garments to wholesalers and retailers.”
Mike Baugh from DTZ said: “Ellbee relocated their operations to a 205,000 sq ft factory in Barnsley in February this year and to have achieved the sale of both units within this short period of time is clear evidence of the pent up occupier demand within the West Yorkshire market.”
:::
BUCCLEUCH Property has completed a number of high-profile deals in Yorkshire including a retail unit in Wakefield city centre to national retailer Sports Direct.
Sports Direct has bought an £875,000 long leasehold interest in the 23,335 sq ft ground and basement property in Wakefield city centre after former tenant Argos moved to the new Trinity Centre.
Scottish-based Buccleuch worked with agents Barker Proudlove and Central Retail to sell the prominent city centre site at 43-45 Westgate to the retail chain.
Cameron MacKay, associate director of Buccleuch Property, said. “Sports Direct will be a welcome addition to Wakefield’s Westgate shopping area. Its prime position will help boost footfall to the shopping area as well as complement the existing retail offering in Wakefield.”
Elsewhere in the region Buccleuch has let 20,000 sq feet at Quaypoint, Lakeside Boulevard in Doncaster on a 15 year lease to the Direct Group. Staff moved into the company’s new headquarters at the end of May after an extensive fit-out. Buccleuch was advised by Steven Gibbins & Co and the building is now fully let.
In Leeds, Buccleuch has leased a 10,000 sq ft retail warehouse in Regent Street on a 10 year term to Nisbetts. The company joins other tenants Maplin, Get Geared and Hein Gericke at the fully let property. Buccleuch Property was advised by Pudney Shuttleworth and Rees Denton. The latter company is also advising on the units at Market Street in Barnsley where only one of the 12 units remains vacant as two are currently under offer to local retailers.
The firm sold its freehold interest in a 25 acre site at Scotch Corner Commerce Park to Newton Nottingham for in excess of £1m.
:::
WAINWRIGHT and Co. Chartered Surveyors were appointed to complete the design and contract administration for the refurbishment and fit out works of a 16,000 sq ft office space in Leeds.
The work at Hetton Court in Hunslet comprised ceiling replacements, decorations, carpet replacements, new partitioning, new kitchens and the refurbishment of communal areas and toilets.
The contractor was BIB projects and the project was delivered in six weeks, with sectional completion for the first floor office accommodation being delivered in three weeks.
Gavin Wainwright said: “The project design period and contract phase were very tight as the client needed to move into the property as soon as possible to facilitate their business requirements.
“Using our in house expertise we were able to deliver the project on time and on budget through proactive management and working closely with the contractor BIB Projects. We were able to build into the design of this project materials and products that would outlast the tenant’s lease term, therefore minimising the potential terminal dilapidations claim at the end of their lease. The finished product was very well received by the client and further instructions have been received following the success of this project.”
Wainwright and Co. is based in Leeds.
:::
SPECIALIST healthcare property consultant HPC, based in York, has acted on behalf of YMCA London South West in the sale of a care home in Surrey.
The Summers in West Molesey was previously registered to accommodate adults with physical disabilities, and has been sold as part of a strategic review to enable the organisation to focus on its range of other services and accommodation.
YMCA London South West is one of the largest YMCAs in Europe, with services ranging from supported housing to student accommodation, health and fitness and children’s services. The home has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by Surrey operator CHD Living.
Ian Wilkie, director of HPC, said: “The sale is the culmination of a much longer consultancy process we have been involved in over a number of years. We are pleased to have delivered a successful outcome and to have enabled the property to continue to provide valuable care services.”
:::
RESIDENTS in the first phase of the Milliners Wharf apartment scheme in Ancoats in Manchester are objecting to a second phase proposed by Kevin McCabe’s Scarborough Group.
They say Scarborough’s intention to build 144 flats in two blocks of eight and nine storeys will block views and light, and add to parking problems. Many say they did not know the land was earmarked for further development and now want to sell up.
An online petition has attracted 80 signatures and 13 protest letters have been sent to Manchester City Council.
Scarborough, which is based in Scarborough, bought the site from Santander in 2009 a year after the bank took control of a half-built site when developer City Lofts went into administration.
City Lofts originally had planning permission for a 22-storey tower on the corner of Pollard Street and Carruthers Street, and a seven-storey block. Despite the protests planning officers are weighing up the new plan against the previous one and do not believe the additional impact is significant enough to justify a refusal. They have given councillors a “minded to approve” recommendation.
It will be considered by the planning committee on July 25.
:::
THE Sheffield office of property agents Knight Frank has been celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Established in 1988, the office in Sheffield has developed into a market leader focused on commercial property agency, investment and development, residential development, building consultancy and professional advisory services.
The Sheffield office’s recent deal highlights include St Paul’s Place in the city centre, the Home Office moving into J1 at Riverside Place and Sky’s move to Ventana House. In 2011 the team also procured the biggest office letting within Sheffield when Plusnet took up more than 53,000 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation at The Balance.
