In Brief: MJ Gleeson Group; EEF; LBIA; Connect Gazelles; World Trade Centers General Assembly
URBAN regeneration specialist MJ Gleeson Group today said it remains confident there will be further substantial improvements in the group’s trading performance in both the current year and beyond.
The business, which was founded in Sheffield more than 100 years ago and operates two divisions – Gleeson Homes and Gleeson Strategic Land – said although planning delays have created some uncertainty with respect to the exact number of land sales that will be achieved within the current financial year, the group’s profit for the full year is expected to be in line with, or possibly better than, current market expectations.
In an interim management statement, covering the period from January 1 to March 31, the group said Gleeson Homes has continued to perform well with reservations taken in the period significantly higher than the prior period. The business currently has 37 active sites, compared with 29 in the corresponding period last year and expects to record more than 540 completions in the year to June 30, a 33% increase on the 406 units completed in the prior year. Total sales year to date, comprising reserved, contracted and completed homes, are up 63% on last year, meaning that the group will enter the next financial year with a strong forward order book.
The group said its Strategic Land division continued to perform in line with expectations, enhancing its portfolio and progressing sites through the planning system. The business currently has eight sites with planning permission. Six of these sites, comprising 706 plots, are being progressed for sale in the current financial year. If all of these sales are achieved, the division will contribute a higher level of profit than in any financial year since 2007, it said.
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EEF, the Manufacturers Organisation, has moved into a new South Yorkshire office.
BNP Paribas Real Estate has leased 6,878 sq ft of office accommodation at Advantage House, in Rotherham, to the group, which has secured the second floor on the doorstep of the Advanced Manufacturing Park.
BNP Paribas Real Estate’s Stuart Waite said: “Advantage House is located in a prominent position next to the Sheffield Parkway and in close proximity to the M1 motorway, which is one of the reasons why EEF chose this building. The deal itself is positive for the local market, as it is one of the largest deals to complete so far this year.”
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A TRANSPORTATION study to examine options for improving connectivity to Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBIA) is underway.
A Treasury report Investing in Britain’s Future published in June last year identified six ‘notorious and longstanding road congestion hotspots’ that required further feasibility studies, one of which was the links to LBIA. The Aviation Policy Framework, published in March 2013, affirmed the Government’s commitment to work with airport operators, transport operators, local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to improve surface access to airports across the country, whilst taking into account the associated environmental impacts.
WSP, an engineering and design consultancy, has been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) , in partnership with Parsons Brinckerhoff, to undertake the study.
The study team will be undertaking research to identify and appraise potential interventions that will substantially improve the connectivity of LBIA to surrounding areas. The study will take account of the aspiration of the airport to grow and will identify the surface access improvements that would be required to facilitate and serve this growth, including highway , public transport and other sustainable modes. Consultation and liaison with local authorities and key stakeholders will underpin and run through the study.
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LAW firm Clarion is the latest partner to join Connect Gazelles for West and North Yorkshire, taking a place alongside Baker Tilly Beaumonts and CooperVance Recruitment.
Connect Gazelles is a members only, not for profit business support group.
Roger Hutton, senior partner at Clarion, said: “We understand owner managed businesses – we are one. There are so many exciting entrepreneurial businesses in Yorkshire and we are passionate about working with them and helping them grow. Whether it’s building value in the brand, identifying alternative funding arrangements for growth or getting the house in order to plan effectively for a secure future we get under the skin of their businesses. These businesses are the future of our region so we are of course delighted to be on board as a partner with Connect Gazelles, providing support and advice where we can.”
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HULL businessman Philip Tighe will represent the Humber at a global trade conference in Romania this month.
The three-day World Trade Centers General Assembly in Bucharest will bring together nearly 400 business leaders, property developers, economists, trade experts and policymakers from more than 80 countries to discuss innovation and new opportunities for international business and relationships.
It will be an opportunity for Tighe, who is head of sales at Hull packaging firm Garthwest, to promote the Humber’s bid to host the 48th assembly in Hull during City of Culture 2017.
The intention to host the conference in 2017 formed part of Hull’s successful City of Culture bid, and since then, work has been going on behind the scenes to assess the potential costs and viability. Hull’s bid will be submitted at the end of this year.
