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LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER

Nov-Dec 2010

MOVE COMMERCIAL The north-west’s guide to property and business

Issue 20

A NOBLE CONCEPT An interview with Peter Linford THE RISE AHEAD Retail in the city THE LEGACY OF NWDA + The future plans

At the 4front of Excellence

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Available May 2011

Liverpool’s fab office building St Paul’s Square is Liverpool's first speculatively constructed BREEAM "EXCELLENT" office building and when completed in May 2011 will comprise an 8 storey Grade A office building extending to a net internal floor area of 109,000 sq ft with floorplates ranging from 10,800 sq ft 14,155 sq ft in the heart of Liverpool’s new Commercial District.

A development by

4 more information

Ian.Steele@gvagrimley.co.uk

Supported By

mark.worthington@cbre.com

BREEAM “EXCELLENT”

www.no4stpaulssquare.com

p01-12:p03-12 1/11/10 16:53 Page 3 School Lane Move Advert:Layout 1 02/09/2010 17:25 Page 1

TO LET OFFICES Third and Fourth Floor Offices -

2,194 to 4,614 sq ft Brand new purpose built accommodation ready for immediate occupation.

RETAIL Ground Floor Retail Unit -

1,372 sq ft Basement storage also available.

Iconic landmark building 135 Hanover Street /24 School Lane, Liverpool L1 RETAIL

Contact: Matt Vercell Email: matthewvercell@masonpartners.com

OFFICES

Contact: Jon Swain Email: jonswain@masonpartners.com

Mason & Partners The Corn Exchange, Brunswick Street, Liverpool L2 0PJ

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Liverpool in a building Suites available from 2,000 sq ft • Open-plan, flexible and efficient floor-plates • Generous finished floor to ceiling height of 2.9m • High level of natural light • VRV/VRF heating and cooling system • Suspended ceiling • Fully accessible raised floors (150mm clear void) • PIR sensored LG7 lighting (400 lux)

The place to do business, the place to be seen...

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Issue twenty Move Commercial

Contents News 06 07 08 09 13 14 15 16 17 19

08

Welcome to Move Commercial With the announcement of further budget cuts from Whitehall in the October Spending Review and with the VAT rise just around the corner we considered the issue of retail health in the Northwest as part of our lunch debate.

We also interview Peter Linford, of Nobles Construction, who talks us through the refurbishment process of Neptune Theatre. Ken Martin, a true founding father of the city, shares his thoughts on the regeneration of Liverpool

as well as his love for art. Fittingly, the budget focus looks at the legacy of the North West Development Agency and our Rising Star looks at the new regional player Local Enterprise Partnerships. Our focus looks at the growing number of supermarkets opening up. Despite the hard economic times our roundup of commercial news, developments, business expansions and growth show the commercial market is still flourishing in the North West.

A roundup of government cuts Ethel Austin secures funding Liverpool Waters update Ellesmere Port regeneration Jennor secured Cunard contract China Champion Floral Pavilion award Marantomark moves to Wales Merseyside’s largest sale Prestigious V7

Features 11 Bitesize Thinking Food for thought 24 Entrepreneur Andy Dockerty’s passion for sound engineering 28 Rising Star Local Enterprise Partnerships 30 Budget Focus The end of Quangos 32 Mover and Shaker Peter Linford of Nobles Construction 35 Lunch debate Retail health and VAT 42 Focus Supermarket regeneration 44 Founding Father Architect Ken Martin and the city 46 Ask the Panel The effects of the budget cuts

Key Events 21 Knowsley Chamber The Environment Network Launch

11

24 move publishing ltd Advertising Director Fiona Barnet Tel 0151 709 3871 Account Manager Jo Tait Tel 0151 709 3871 Editorial Team Dina Karim. Email: dina@movepublishing.co.uk Tel: 0151 709 3871 Contributor: Lucy Oliver

30 Designer Rob Whyte. Email: rob@movepublishing.co.uk Published by Move Publishing Ltd Directors David O’Brien, Kim O’Brien, Fiona Barnet Printed by Precision Colour Printers Ltd Distribution Liaison Manager Barbara Troughton Tel: 0151 733 5492 Mobile: 077148 14662

27 Chartered surveyors’ soiree Guinness and oysters

Careers 40 Appointments Property movers and shakers

Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission.

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Move Publishing can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

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News Move Commercial

Comprehensive Spending Review

George Osbourne

WITH THE Government announcing further budget cuts through the Comprehensive

Spending Review the property and housing sector in the North West were dealt a mixed bag. Merseyside

fared well as plans to build a second £431m bridge between Runcorn and Widnes were given the green light to go ahead. The Mersey Gateway project had been put on hold pending the outcome of the Treasury's Spending Review. This will increase the transport links between the region, decreasing congestion and encouraging commuting between Manchester and Liverpool, and other surrounding regional areas.

However, no financial package has been agreed for the project, and the Government says its own contribution must be significantly reduced. Further mixed news was delivered in the Chancellor’s speech when George Osbourne announced the £100 million electrification of train lines between Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Blackpool is to go ahead – but with no clear timeline. The cuts to public sector

construction spend are expected to be £3.5bn less than was announced at the time of the Emergency Budget. Although, only 150,000 new affordable houses are to be delivered over the next four years. New tenants will now pay 80 per cent of market rate rent although the terms for existing social housing tenants remains unchanged. Council budgets are to be cut by 7.1 per cent a year for four years, in total 28 per cent, and notably the review confirmed the introduction of tax increment finance, borrowing against future business rates to pay for major developments. The NHS and education fared better as they were ‘protected’ departments, with spending rising in line with inflation. The October Spending Review has now set a clear framework for growth and highlights a clear strategy to move forward without uncertainty.

Sponsors announced for Commercial Awards THIS YEAR’S Your Move Property Awards is already a big success with all commercial sponsorship sold in record time. The awards, which will be held at Hilton Hotel, on November 18, contain 12 categories with five of them specifically handing out trophies to the commercial sector. MSB solicitors is sponsoring Best Office/Workspace environment, Skyline Property Solutions is sponsoring Best Commercial Landlord of the Year, The Design Foundry is sponsoring Best Your Move Entrepreneur award and Kingston Shaw is sponsoring Property

Business of the Decade. Downing will also be sponsoring Best Property Law Firm. The awards are attended by hundreds of residential and commercial property professionals and is an evening celebrating the success of people and businesses in the property sector as well as a great networking event. This year’s title sponsor is the Riverside Group. Nominations have been flooding in for this year’s awards with all categories receiving dozens of nominations and tables nearly sold out. To book your table call Joanne on 0151 709 3871.

Hilton Hotel, Liverpool

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Lime Street Gateway project

Lime Street Gateway officially opens LIVERPOOL’S Lime Street Gateway project was finally finished after being formally opened by the leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Joe Anderson. This key gateway project has included the removal of an obsolete office building and a row of shops which had obscured the station’s listed Victorian arched gable end since the 1960s, creating an impressive new area of public space.

The space – designed by the awardwinning Glenn Howells Architects – provides a transformed approach to one of the city’s most important visitor gateways with a new accessible main entrance to the station, seating areas, gentle slopes

and feature lighting. It also links more effectively with the city’s cultural and retail quarters.

Distinguished artist Simon Faithful was commissioned to design a series of etchings which have been incorporated in the glazing to the station arches and in the surrounding paving. Cllr Joe Anderson said: “It has been a real partnership effort and I feel Lime Street is again something that the city will be proud of for many years to come. This is a key gateway to the city and many visitors’ first sight of Liverpool and now we have a station that befits a city of Liverpool’s status which I’m sure will leave a lasting impression.”

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Move Commercial News

Birkenhead Asda store underway

Ethel Austin secures £100m refinancing EAPH restructures board

Artist’s impression of new Asda store, Birkenhead

WORK has got underway on the long awaited new Asda store in Birkenhead, a development which will result in a £30 million investment in the town centre. The new store which will be built on land at Grange Road/Oliver Street will be nearly 90,000 square feet when completed and will front onto Grange Road so as to maximise the regeneration benefits to the town centre as a whole.

Work is now underway preparing the site for demolition of the

existing buildings situated between Grange Road and Oliver Street before construction of the new store starts next year. Councillor Simon Holbrook, Deputy Leader for Wirral Council and Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources, said: “It is great to see Asda back in Birkenhead. Asda have a track record, through their commitment to Local Employment Partnerships, of creating employment opportunities for local people and I know this

development will provide a major boost in an unemployment hotspot in Wirral.” Asda has set out a date of November 2011 for the opening of the store, and during construction significant additional highway improvements will be undertaken. The finished store will contain a reataurant, deli, pharmacy and George clothing store as well as 629 car park spaces. It is expected £2.9 million will be injected into the local economy through post tax salaries.

A vibrant city centre PROPERTY AGENTS Mason Owen have signed up two retailers to take up premises on Whitechapel in Liverpool city centre. Wongs, a high class Merseyside jeweller has taken a new retail location at 19 Whitechapel, occupying the ground floor and basement. The 10-year lease will relocate Wongs from their existing Rainford Square shop, to a prime retail position in the popular shopping area between The Met Quarter and Church Street.

National outdoor retailer Blacks Leisure has also re-leased a fivefloor building after it went into administration earlier this year. The Liverpool opening is part of its corporate plan to turn Blacks Leisure around as part of its Company Voluntary Arrangement deal (CVA) to pay back creditors.

Whitechapel, Liverpool city centre

Rob Markland, of Mason Owen’s retail team, commented: “These two lettings are positive news for city centre retail. The new tenants will

strengthen the link between Church Street, Whitechapel and Queen Square and position this area as a key retail district.”

LIVERPOOL-BASED Ethel Austin Properties Holdings (EAPH) has secured its future after agreeing a new £100 million funding facility with long-standing banking partners, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking group. Alongside the refinancing, EAPH has also completed a restructuring of its board, with deputy finance director, Richard Crocker, assuming the joint role of managing director and chief financial officer. Crocker, a chartered accountant, has been with the group for five years, prior to which he spent 11 years at MBNA Europe (now Bank of America) as executive vice president. He commented: “The deal enables us to move forward with a consolidated portfolio of quality investments. While the outlook for the commercial property market remains challenging, we are now on a solid financial footing and in a position to capitalise on improvements in conditions as they gradually begin to emerge.” Barry Owens remains as executive chairman of EAPH, while former finance director, Andrew Lovelady, has moved to the role of nonexecutive director alongside longstanding non-executive directors, Peter Bullivant and Stephen Laing. EAPH was established more than 30 years ago and its portfolio comprises investments in retail, office premises, industrial estates and business parks.

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News Move Commercial

Liverpool Waters planning

Liverpool Waters

THE LARGEST planning application in the UK named Liverpool Waters was submitted last month by Peel.

Liverpool Waters proposes the regeneration of over 14 million square feet of former and currently disused dockland in North Liverpool

to create a city central world-class, high-quality waterfront quarter.

Liverpool Waters will be a mix of including offices, over 9000 new homes, a cultural building and a new cruise terminal as well as supporting local shops and restaurants. The

Centre for Construction Innovation in Liverpool

Grade A Switch House on market

THE CENTRE for Construction Innovation North West (CCINW) is to have a physical presence in Liverpool, to ensure it is better placed to serve the construction industry on Merseyside.

CCINW will be hosted by the RIBA at the Tea Factory, an organisation with which CCNW has forged closed links. The building is already home to a cluster of built environment organisations including numerous architectural practices and design professionals.

CCINW is an Academic Enterprise Centre, which provides knowledge capital to the construction, sector through research, advice, consultancy and grant funded projects. Its main aim is to support those working in the construction industry to help them deliver the highest possible value to end-users. Andrew Thomas, Director, Constructing Excellence in the North West, commented: “Our remit was originally to support the Government’s Construction Change Agenda, for which we developed our ‘Rethinking Construction’ agenda across the North West. Since then however, CCINW has expanded to support wider issues relating to the built environment such as sustainability, design, procurement, skills as well as KPI processes.”

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scheme will also include the 55storey Shanghai Tower – the tallest building in the UK outside of London. The Peel Waters scheme combines this project with the sister scheme of Wirral Waters located on the opposite edge of the River

Mersey. It is the largest and most ambitious regeneration project of its kind in the UK, and represents an overall investment of £10 billion which will transform the fortunes of the Northwest, creating tens of thousands of jobs spanning 30 years.

Lindsey Ashworth, Development Director at Peel, said: “It is a fantastic and almost unbelievable achievement to get a scheme of this scale and nature to a point where a planning application can be submitted.” This planning application comes on the back of the approval in August by Wirral Council of the East Float part of the Wirral Waters scheme, the regeneration of Birkenhead Docks.

Global Infrastructure Consultancy WYG has been leading the planning application under direction of the Peel Group. A consultation will now be carried out before a decision is made as part of the normal planning procedure.

Switch House

LIVERPOOL commercial agents Mason Owen have been instructed jointly with CBRE to market the 10,000 sq ft of grade A office space at Switch House in Netherton. The space is located in a highly prominent position fronting Dunnings Bridge Road just 200 meters away from Switch Island, the gateway to the M57 and M58 motorways. The attractive office development is split over two floors and benefits from air conditioning,

full access raised floors and generous levels of car parking (12 spaces per suite), all set in mature landscaped grounds. Mason Owen’s head of business space, Andrew Owen, said: “Switch House offers excellent quality grade A accommodation in a highly prominent and accessible location. We are confident of securing occupiers for the remaining accommodation within the building given its prime position within the area.” Existing occupiers of the

building include Merseycare NHS Trust and Saving Faces. Switch House is owned by Urban Generation (Sefton) Ltd with suites available on fully repairing and insuring terms to be agreed.

For further information telephone Mason Owen on 0151 242 3000 or email andrew.owen@masonowen.com or Mark Worthington at CBRE on 0151 224 7666 or email mark.worthington@cbre.com

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Move Commercial News

Festival Gardens Managers search

Louise Morrisey

Regeneration plans for Ellesmere Port

Festival Gardens

THE LAND TRUST has received an overwhelming number of applications for managing the new waterfront park on the iconic former Liverpool International Garden Festival site. The Land Trust, who will take ownership of the Festival gardens when restoration is complete, was looking for an organisation to manage the restored park on a day to day basis for the community benefit. Over the past few years, the current landowner of the site – property investment and development company Langtree – has pieced together a partnership

of organisations which will fund, oversee, deliver and provide for the future management of the formal gardens and return them to public use. Alan Carter, the Trust’s Head of Portfolio Management, commented: “The appointment of an appropriate management represents the next key milestone in the bringing the gardens back into meaningful public use. We are looking for an organisation that can help us achieve our aims of providing a valuable asset for local people as well as a World Class visitor destination.” The International Garden Festival took

place in 1984 and attracted 3.8 million visitors, although part of the site was developed into residential housing a large section of the site remained unused. Key aspects of the restoration include two pagodas in the oriental gardens, restoration of the Moon Wall and restoration of lakes and waterways. Any organisations still interested in applying for the role of the Festival gardens managing agent should email alancarter@thelandtrust.org.uk for the response pro-forma which needs to be submitted before noon, November 9.

£4.7 million expansion for Sefton’s Atlantic Park REGENERATION of Atlantic Park in Sefton is set to go ahead following a £4.7 million investment from the Northwest European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA). The investment will support the delivery of the fourth phase of Atlantic Park, located on Dunningsbridge Road, creating 1,500 jobs. The project will involve site preparation and infrastructure works to bring forward 22 hectares of land with the potential to develop approx. 75,000 square metres of office and industrial accommodation, attracting £40 million of private sector investment. Caspian House office building will undergo a comprehensive refurbishment and remodelling to provide grade A

Atlantic Park

office accommodation. Gareth Dickinson, of Royal London Asset Management, the owners of the site, said: “A 36-week programme of works can now begin and will see us bring additional high quality space

and much needed choice to the office market in the north of Liverpool. Caspian House will be completed by the end of the year and the site wide infrastructure will be in place by March 2011.”

PLANS for an employment and residential development at Ellesmere Port have been unveiled by Peel Investments (North). The planning application plans were submitted last month to Cheshire West and Chester Council and will be looked at the earliest in December. The application seeks outline planning consent for employment and residential development on 26.8 acres of land located off Rossmore Road East, North Road and Poole Hall Road to the north of Ellesmere Port’s Town Centre. The scheme, known as ‘Rossfield Park North’ will add to the successful new community of Rossfield Park, which is being created in the Rossmore Road East area, with the help of Persimmon and Wainhomes. The Rossfield Park North scheme plans include 300 new family homes with affordable housing as well as potential for modern, high quality employment development. They are hoping it will provide an important link between ongoing residential development at Rossfield Park (to the south) and employment development at Pioneer Business Park (to the north). Louise Morrissey, Director of Land and Planning at Peel said: “Key to Peel’s various developments and proposals is the aspiration to achieve a step change in the prosperity and image of Ellesmere Port as a great place to live and work. Providing new homes is a key issue for the Town of Ellesmere Port and for promoting and sustaining regeneration, creating a new community is key to this.” Peel has already invested significantly in the creation of Pioneer Business Park, Rossfield Park and in delivering landscape enhancements in the area. Peel proposes further new development in this area and at Telford’s Quay and Ellesmere Port Docks (through a scheme known as Ellesmere Quays) – all of which will add positively to progress already made.

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Move Commercial Bitesize thinking

&

Home Away

FAVOURITE BUILDINGS John Clegg, head of property management at Liverpool’s largest private commercial landlord Downing

Gary Turner (BSc FRICS ACIArb) Director, Mason Owen If only I'd known…

How important typing skills are.

Gary Turner

The Port of Liverpool Building

Though it may seem like I’m being biased, the Port of Liverpool Building is definitely my favourite. Even sitting next to two other iconic buildings and a range of new developments, it makes a huge impression. It’s impossible to walk through the atrium without craning your neck to read the inscriptions or look up at the sun shining through the magnificent glass dome.

I can’t think of anywhere else which captures Liverpool’s own story quite so well. Once a symbol of the city’s status as an international port, it went on to suffer from a lack of investment but it’s now been returned to its former glory and is once again successfully competing as a centre of commerce.

Away from home, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is stunning. At over 2,700 ft, it’s officially the world’s tallest building and its design is unlike anything else in the world - a fact which makes us

even more proud that Downing’s Broadcasting Place scheme in Leeds recently beat it to claim the title of best tall building in the world from a panel of global architects.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai

Buzzword ‘CROWDSOURCING’ A problem shared is a problem halved, as the old saying goes; along with if two heads are better than one make it hard to argue with the idea of crowdsourcing.

From the origins of the old suggestion box in the office the ability of companies to seek ideas and leverage mass collaboration is huge thanks to the phenomena of the internet. Examples of

businesses resolving issues, tapping people for their ideas, or delivering transparency are all around us. From Nick Clegg, various local councils and Greater Manchester Police to big brands such as Gap and Nike everyone appears to be exploring and exploiting the social network via twitter and enabling crowds to converge.

I suspect like most people, daily business life is dominated by emails. They can reach you anytime and anywhere thanks to inventions like the IPhone and Blackberry. Is this a blessing or a curse? Whatever your view, they are here to stay.

For speed of communication and the ability to move a wide variety and quantity of information around, they are fantastic tools. With the flexibility of modern technology, work can be done from the office, home, coffee shop, even the car!

But how impatient people have become! Are we under such pressure to respond to emails that we are losing the ability to stop and think?

The internet becomes an ever more valuable resource. Companies provide volumes of information on their websites; for Mason Owen, it’s ideal as property particulars can be downloaded at any hour of the day; databases can be searched for contacts and leads. I do worry we are losing the personal touch by actually talking with one another – but such is the path down which technology takes us.

The good news – I am getting faster!

Vital statistic

In my crystal ball…

Retailing in Liverpool city centre will Gary Turner go from strength to strength, with more national and international high street names being attracted, some through our work at Mason Owen.

Grosvenor’s Liverpool One development has been magnificent in restoring Liverpool to its rightful place as a significant shopping destination, drawing visitors from across the region and beyond. The city’s growing tourism industry and a reputation for successfully hosting major conferences and events can only help raise the profile further.

I look forward to seeing the Central Village development - an innovative scheme, which will help rejuvenate the previously declining top-end of town. The developers, Merepark, have quietly gone about their business and have already gathered an impressive line up of leisure and hotel operators.

With current government policies, consumer confidence may dip and there are uncertain times ahead, but Liverpool can now call upon its strengths as a major regional shopping centre.

55%

Chief executives of the FTSE 100 companies rise in earnings last year with their individual average total earnings during the year being £4.9m. The average UK salary increase for the same period, in comparison, is below the current rate of inflation.

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To Let / May Sell Industrial units from 5,550 - 6,273 sq ft

Lumina

£2 psf in your 1st years) (subject to

T&C

Wirral International Business Park, Bromborough

Lumina features 13 modern commercial buildings where particular attention has been paid to the circulation areas and the quality of the external landscaping and lighting.

Units benefit from the following specifications: • Electronically operated sectional up and over doors 4m x 5m • First floor offices (selected units)

• Good parking circulation areas • Heated by gas warm air blowers to warehouse and gas central heating to office

For more information on these sites please contact us on 01925 273000 or visit our website www.langtreegroupplc.co.uk

MSB Commercial • Corporate Property and Litigation Services • Commercial Contract Advice and Drafting • Company Formations and Structure • Acquisitions and Disposals • Shareholder Agreements • Director Service Contracts • Employment Law and Contracts Call MSB Solicitors on 0151 281 9040 paulbibby@msbsolicitors.co.uk MSB Solicitors, Liverpool city centre office, 13th Floor Silkhouse Court, Tithebarn Street, L2 2LZ www.msbsolicitors.co.uk

12 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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Move Commercial News

2012 boosts Northwest economy NORTHWEST businesses have won £100 million worth of contracts as a result of London hosting the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The latest business success for the region is that of Ticketmaster, the official ticketing services provider for the Games whose Manchester contact centre is handling calls and emails from the public. Chris Edmonds, Managing Director of Ticketmaster UK, said: “We opened our Manchester contact centre back in 2001 and since then we have gone from strength to strength, playing a fundamental role in our UK business.” As of September, 216

New JLA routes from easyJet

Olympics Northwest economy

firms in the region had won 348 Games-related contracts, either directly with the Olympic Delivery Authority of the London 2012 Organising Committee or in their

supply chains. Other Northwest businesses benefiting from the Games include Bolton-based Alan Hindle Transport, providing a range of vehicles to the main Olympic

sites, and Oldham-based Applied Language Solutions, who have been appointed as London 2012’s main supplier of translation services.

Jennor secures Cunard building contract JENNOR, the specialist contractor and office fit-out company, has won two contracts under competitive tender worth a combined seven figure sum to refurbish the common areas in the Cunard Building, a World Heritage site on Liverpool’s waterfront. St. Helens-based Jennor was appointed by Managing Agents CB Richard Ellis to restore the original interior of the historic Cunard Building, while at the same time giving the 93-year-old building a more contemporary edge. The extensive project involves bringing

all of the ornate ceilings and fluted columns, which were originally built with marble imported from Italy and Africa, back to their early 20th Century glory. Jennor will also restore the mahogany panelled doors and brass ironmongery throughout the six-storey building. Sean Artess, Managing Director of Jennor, said: “The Cunard Building has been a landmark on the Liverpool waterfront for almost a century and is one of the most prestigious projects that Jennor has won in our 31 year history. Our role will focus

on bringing the building into the 21st century while restoring the many original features to ensure that the Cunard Building is attractive and sustainable for the future.” The building, owned by the Merseyside Pension Fund, is occupied by a variety of public and privatelyowned organisations. Project manager for the contract, Neil Rogers at CB Richard Ellis, added: “The high-spec refurbishment of the Cunard Building will make it one of the most exciting office developments in Liverpool.”

John Lennon Airport

EASYJET is set to operate three new routes from Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) bringing its total destinations at the airport to 32.

Passengers can now book flights with easyJet from Liverpool to Salzburg in Austria, the Belgian capital Brussels and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. easyJet’s new six-times-weekly service to the ‘Capital of Europe’ Brussels is the airline’s first to the European capital from the UK and will commence on February 7, 2011, and will prove very popular with the region’s business community. Wintersport enthusiasts will welcome the addition of easyJet’s weekly flight to Salzburg, and the new link to Estonia with Liverpool brings another affordable destination for the region.

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News Move Commercial Environment Awards A NUMBER of North West business showed off their environmental credentials at this year’s Northwest Business Environment Awards. The awards is one of the UK's most prestigious celebrations of environmental business excellence.

The event, hosted by ENWORKS and the Northwest Regional Development Agency, is a celebration of the cream of the region’s environmentally conscious and commercially astute businesses.

Locally, the winner of the Combating Climate Change category was The Printroom UK, based in Bootle, which won for basing its whole business model around a strong commitment to the environment. This innovative firm, which supplies print products to the private and public sectors, is reaping the rewards of its commitment to environmental best practice, in healthy profits and growth. The judges said: “A real green champion - holding open days for school children and spreading best practice amongst its business park neighbours and competitors.”

Other winners included Chester Zoo manager, Ray Morrison, for his inspirational environmental leadership and Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Ltd in Oldham for Best Environmental Practice. A full list of winners is available at www.greenheroawards.co.uk

The Pier Head & Canal Link wins RIBA

The Pier Head

THE PIER HEAD and canal link in Liverpool has won the 2010 RIBA CABE Public Space Award. This award is presented to the architects and landscape architects in recognition of the valuable contribution that welldesigned space makes to the quality of the built environment. Pier Head and new canal link project forms a flexible multipurpose public space which encompasses waterway, performance space, and large capacity venue, whilst showcasing Liverpool’s

heritage and allowing for quiet contemplation of the city, taking in its buildings and views. This piece of public realm functions as an important bit of urbanism linking together the prominent landmarks such as the Liver Building, the new Liverpool Museum and the recent ferry terminal. It also creates a new point of entry to Liverpool through the extension of the canal. The project was commissioned

by Liverpool City Council and British Waterways, and was designed by

AECOM's Design and Planning practice.

The announcement was made at the RIBA Stirling Prize 2010 Dinner in association with The Architects' Journal and Benchmark. Sarah Gaventa, one of the judges, commented: ‘The Pier Head and Canal Link create an exciting new waterfront for Liverpool that elegantly complements its surroundings. The craftsmanship, quality and attention to detail encourage people to linger. This is placemaking at its best.”

China Business Champion to Drive Forward Investment LEADER of Liverpool City Council Joe Anderson has announced the appointment of a China Business Champion, Dr Lee Kai, to build upon the success of Liverpool's presence at World Expo in Shanghai.

Announcing his decision at the Expo, Councillor Anderson commented:

“Liverpool's friendship with our sister city Shanghai has always been close to our heart and important to us. We want to continue to develop even closer collaboration between Liverpool and China after the Expo, especially in the business sector.”

Councillor Nick Small, the city's

Cabinet member for Employment and Skills, is to take the lead on making sure the city capitalises on the contacts it has made in Shanghai.

Dr Lee Kai Hung is one of the region's most respected Chinese business leaders and currently chairs the North West Chinese Council. He

World Expo

14 MOVE COMMERCIAL

has an impressive business CV with extensive business and philanthropic interests in the UK, Hong Kong and mainland China. Massive development is now expected for Liverpool’s historic Chinatown, which include plans for a hotel complex, and a new Chinese Cultural Museum. A council spokesman said: “We can confirm that plans are being drawn up to regenerate the Chinatown area of the city, and hope to be in a position to release more details in the near future.” The Liverpool pavilion has (at time of print) has welcomed nearly 750,000 visitors. Liverpool’s aim for the Expo was to cement and progress further potential leads for Liverpool and the North West as well as introducing the region to companies and decision makers who had no knowledge of the city previously. Liverpool is now regarded in the top five of Shanghai’s 80 twin cities.

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Move Commercial News

Prestigious winner Award for Downing

The Floral Pavilion Theatre

Floral Pavilion scoops award

A 23-STOREY student tower, owned by Liverpool property group Downing, has beaten stiff competition to pick up the title of Best Building in the World.

Broadcasting Place in Leeds, beat competition from schemes in New York, Singapore and Dubai to clinch the award from the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) – a global panel of architects and engineers – at a prestigious awards ceremony in Chicago, USA. The building’s striking design is characterised by stepped, irregular elevations and is clad entirely in Cor-Ten – a steel alloy which oxidises over time to give a stunning deep-red colour. It was designed by Sterling Prize winning architects Feilden Clegg Bradley and built by Downing’s in-house contracting division George Downing Construction (GDC). The development features 241 student residences, owned and managed

by Downing and also new teaching and office space occupied

by Leeds Metropolitan University.

Broadcasting Place, Leeds

Awards hatrick for Austin-Smith:Lord

Austin-Smith:Lord

CGI of how the Central Village development will look

ARCHITECTS Austin-Smith:Lord are celebrating after two of their accolades at a prestigious UK-wide awards scheme, while the firm walked away with the overall title of Architecture Team of the Year.

Established to recognise the best in architecture and creative design outside of London, the Design Rose Awards were held at the Ramada Hotel in Manchester. The Liverpool studio received a silver award for the £20 million Tom Reilly Building at Liverpool John Moores University and a bronze in the

interior design category, for its work on the Maritime Dining Room s in the Albert Dock. Dominic Wilkinson at Austin-Smith:Lord commented: “to have received two awards in such different disciples is a testament to the depth and range of expertise we have in our Liverpool studio.” The Tom Reilly Building employs a creative use of light, translucency and colour to give its façade a continuously changing appearance as the building responds to its environmental conditions.

THE FLORAL PAVILION Theatre has won the Best New Building Award, in the Merseyside Civic Society’s relaunched awards scheme. By winning this prestigious award the venue beat off strong competition from Liverpool’s Echo Arena, Herbert’s Building in Liverpool One and Birkenhead YMCA. Designed for Neptune Developments by Liverpool architect Ken Martin, the Floral Pavilion is already being hailed as one of the region’s finest new structure. Using strict criteria the judging panel of Rod Holmes (Mersey partnership), Roger Phillips (BBC Radio Merseyside), Trevor Skempton (Design Commission for Wales) and Peter Brown (Chairman of Merseyside Civic Society) applauded the perfect partnership between client and architect. They commented: “It really represents unbelievably good value and has been able to stand on its own in an extraordinary period of development activity in Merseyside.” The multimillion pound seafront regeneration scheme at New Brighton was funded by the Mersey Waterfront Regional Park, ERDF Object One and Wirral Borough Council and was an ambitious development that has returned the majestic venue to her former glory. Rob Mason, development director at Neptune, commented: “The judging criteria to win the award was that the new building should by virtue of its form, features and function be of evident merit and make a substantial contribution to the place around it. It is very much a building to be well utilised by the community of New Brighton and its visitors.”

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News Move Commercial

Marantomark moves to Wales

North Wales Business Park

A HEALTHCARE development is set to open at North Wales Business Park as Oldham-based specialist healthcare provider Marantomark prepares to move in. Marantomark

are expecting to begin construction next summer, following submission and approval of their planning application to Conwy County Council. The development includes a

unit for the rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injuries, an early onset dementia facility, a surgical unit and a crèche. The exchange was secured by surveyor and valuer

Edward Symmons and the move is expected to create 350 jobs in a wide variety of disciplines. The business park is already home to the Gwrych Medical Centre housing seven GPs with plans for a dispensing pharmacy in the near future. The private hospital chain Spire Health Care is also a tenant at the park, which offers consulting rooms, physiotherapy and X-ray facilities from the Abergele base on site.

Steve West, Managing Director of the business park, commented: “The health theme developing at North Wales Business Park is most welcome - we need to secure well paid jobs in the locality and the 350 jobs in the pipeline will provide a big boost for the town.”

For further information on available accommodation at North Wales Business Park telephone Joint Agents, Robert Diggle and Edward Symmons on 0151 236 8454, or Will Sadler at Legat Owen on 01244 408200.

Powell Bateson move to Pier Head COMMERCIAL INSURANCE broker Powell Bateson has moved offices in Liverpool opening its new doors on the first floor of the Port of Liverpool Building.

Downing were in charge of letting the 3,000 sq ft to the newly-established business set up by directors Eliott Powell and Karen Bateson. The firm have agreed to a 10-year lease, for an undisclosed sum, for the Grade-II listed

building which was recently refurbished as part of a £15 million restoration programme of the building. Karen Batesom, of Powell Bateson, commented: “Having our company in such a historic and striking building was a real dealmaker for us. The office environment is exceptional and includes all of the facilities we would expect to provide for staff and clients.”

Synapse new offices

Synapse expands to Stockport

Port of Liverpool Building

16 MOVE COMMERCIAL

NATIONAL TRAINING provider Synapse has opened up new offices in Stockport taking a wing at Kingsgate. Property developers Langtree announced the company, which has academies throughout the country offering formal training and experience for the customer service industry, would be taking out a 10year lease at Kingsgate. Head of academies for Synapse, Travis Scholes, commented: “Following the

success of our academies around the country a name need was identified for expansion for expansion into the Greater Manchester area. The location of Kingsgate with its excellent transportation links provided the ideal solution.”

Kingsgate is a seven-storey office building that has been completely refurbished and offers offices with floor plates suitable for all spaces and expansion needs.

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Move Commercial News

Letting success THE LIVERPOOL International Language Academy has moved offices taking over two floors in New Barratt House, North John Street. The institutional client of Threadneedle Property let the offices on a 10-year lease. The property is now 75 per cent let, with a single floor of 6,750 sq ft remaining. Connect Business Solutions also took a whole floor in the building earlier this year. Hitchcock Wright & Partners act jointly with Matthews & Goodman as letting agents.

Manchester Uni sell off

University of Manchester

Queensgate Building

Merseyside’s largest sale this year KNIGHT FRANK has secured the largest sale in Merseyside this year by disposing of the Queensgate Building on Grange Road, in Birkenhead on behalf of LPA Receivers. The Contact Company, an outsourced customer management company, has acquired the entire building for £3.1 million and will relocate its entire

staff to the 29,582 sq ft building comprising six-storeys of Grade A office. Asif Hamand, CEO of The Contact Company, commented: “The purchase of Queensgate will enable us to keep growing at pace whilst continuing to provide our clients with the best quality service available. We are installing a state of the art telephony system and will

continue to invest in our IT infrastructure and our brilliant staff to make sure this investment leads to further growth” On the sale, Paul Kelly, of Knight Frank, commented: “Queensgate offers fantastic office accommodation at a very high specification, so it will make a fantastic headquarters for The Contact Company.”

THE UNIVERSITY of Manchester plans to sell off land and buildings on the northern half of the campus as part of its development programme for the next ten years. The academic activity on the north campus will gradually be moved to the south as they consolidate their estate on Oxford Road. The Estates Strategy sets out a development framework for the University. The University is using this opportunity to create a place of fine urban architecture and civilised urban spaces that integrate them with the surrounding city. The University will concentrate development to the south of the Mancunian Way bypass on land already owned by the university off Oxford Road. They are planning to sell off part of the large area to private student accommodation, creating a new student village near to the city centre and the major transport interchanges. The next phase will see a number of buildings become vacant including Faraday and Faraday UG – to allow the construction of 1900 student bedrooms, the Maths & Social Sciences departments, Moffat and Morton buildings.

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FOR SALE/TO LET V7, KINGS BUSINESS PARK, KNOWSLEY PRESTIGIOUS GRADE A OFFICE BUILDING

FROM UP TO 7,000 SQ FT 34,055 SQ FT

Further details are available through the joint agents:Mark Worthington CBRE E: Mark.worthington@cbre.com T: 0151 471 4971

Andrew Owen Mason Owen E: andrew.owen@masonowen.com T: 0151 242 3120

188 CAR PARKING SPACES

Switch House Dunnings Bridge Road Liverpool L30 7PT

TO LET

Grade A ofďŹ ce accommodation from 3,360sqft to 6,794sqft 18 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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Move Commercial News

Prestigious V7 building on market V7 Building, Kings Business Park

LIVERPOOL-based property agents Mason Owen and CBRE have been instructed to market the prestigious 35,000sq ft V7 building in Kings Business Park. Completed in 2003, V7 is a highly specified and modern Head Quarters office building just eight miles from Liverpool city centre and

was formerly occupied by CSC Computers. It is located immediately adjacent to junction 2 of the M57 which links with the A580 East Lancashire Road and the M62. Mason Owen head of Business Premises Andrew Owen, said: “We are pleased to announce that V7 is now available for

sale or let and will provide a unique opportunity. Kings Business Park is also the base for some other high profile organisations such as Balfour Beatty, Knowsley Primary Care Trust and Vertex.” V7 is owned by Urban Generation (Sefton) Ltd and is available by way of a lease on fully

repairing and insuring terms either as a whole or in part or alternative consideration may be given to the disposal of the freehold interest in the whole. For more details please call Andrew Owen of Mason Owen on 0151 242 3120 or Mark Worthington of CBRE on 0151 471 4971.

Recession-proof Skyline

Skyline Property Solutions

Rather than stand still during a recession, Skyline Property Solutions has seen the poor economy over the last couple of years as an opportunity to refocus on developing its business to ensure that it survives through the worst recession in 70 years and also stands it in a very strong position for when the country finally comes out of these difficult times. To ensure the business continued to grow during these times, the client base has been dramatically increased with work being secured across all sectors including, commercial, educational, industrial and healthcare. With the vast in house experience starting from the directors of the company, being able to offer a broad range of services has benefitted the business as it is securing various types of work from space planning

and office fit out, through to commercial construction, M&E projects and building refurbishments. In addition, the companies latest instruction see’s the construction of a number of luxury detached houses for one of its clients. Ellis Hill, director of Skyline Property Solutions, commented: “It’s this diversity that is ensuring the long term stability and continued structured grow of the business. Some of our recent projects include refurbishment of a university lecture theatre in Liverpool and a fourstorey commercial office refurbishment including space planning and design in St Helens. We have increased staffing levels in last two years from eight to 19 to provide greater level of service to clients and to cope with increased levels of work.”

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CHRISTMAS

MENU £25.00 Akadashi

Red miso soup with Tofu, spring onion & wakame

Q&A With Brian Lawlor partner and property legal expert at Morecrofts Solicitors

****

Yaki yaki shrimp Teppan griddled sweet shrimp with lime and garlic

****

Teppan yasai Teppan sauteed vegetables with Yakimeshi sauce

**** Choice of main course from below

Australian Sirloin Sirloin of beef sukiyaki with garlic and sweet potato

Move Commercial with Brian Lawlor, partner and property legal expert with Morecrofts Solicitors.

Q

1, When should landlords and tenants active in the leisure industry be thinking about rent reviews for 2011?

Chicken teriyaki Corn fed chicken fillets with Teriyaki and sesame

Scottish Salmon Scottish salmon with teriyaki and schichimi

Duke of Barkshire porkbelly Duke of barkshire pork belly with garlic and Wafu

In some senses, constantly. A problem that this sector faces is that rent for restaurants and cafés mostly are fixed for a fiveyear period and are then subject to a review based upon "openmarket value". Hotels and related operators usually have rent review provisions based e.g. on the Retail Prices Index or occupancy measured by bed nights. The open-market rent review is usually only upwards regardless of the fact that the rent payable in the open market is less. The landlord basically needs to ascertain what a tenant will pay in rent for a hypothetical lease of the property that is the same as the existing lease.

A

****

MIXED FRIED RICE ****

JAPANESE DESSERT SELECTION Green tea, Ume & caramel sponge Chocolate Fondant , pineapple & "Red bean" Pear, Lemon & kinome yuzu sorbet

SAKURA Restaurant & Bar Walker House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool, L2 3YL Tel: (0151) 236-2113

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Liverpool Town Hall

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Back entrance from Old Hall St

2, Are there many complications in relation to rent reviews?

Retail is detail and of course, so is the law and there are complications…break clauses providing one of many. Also, where a tenant has a rent-free period at the beginning of any lease/another benefit to encourage the tenant to take the lease (maybe the landlord made a contribution to fit-out costs), these benefits are ignored at a rent review. Nevertheless, any inducements offered to tenants looking for properties at the review date need to be taken into account. Also, the tenant's works are often ignored when looking at a new rent. However, where the landlord has paid for any alterations, it is usually the case that they are taken into account in the new rent.

A

Q

3, How can both parties avoid nasty surprises?

Avoiding nasty surprises in either expenditure for the tenant or income streams for the landlord can be avoided by adhering to the usual rules…check the review clause and lease details in fine print. Landlords should always instruct a surveyor with substantial experience when advising on comparable rents in this sector. Many leisure properties are unique and there are wellrecorded cases where for example, unusual properties were classified as a warehouse but were later decided by court that they were retail attracting a higher rent. It follows too then that seeking the correct legal advice on the effect of the lease wording is paramount.

A

The Hub is a new business support facility based at the University of Liverpool. The Hub at Foresight delivers a new concept in meeting and networking space complementing the existing award winning facilities.

Brian Lawlor is a partner and property legal expert at Morecrofts Solicitors.

Key to the success of the Hub is the technology that allows it to be used as a multi-purpose space for informal meetings, networking and virtual meetings.

Full business support facilities provide an 'office-from-office' environment and a gateway to the expertise of the University of Liverpool.

Tel: 0151 236 8871 for further information.

Website: www.morecroft.co.uk

For details of membership, contact the Foresight Centre on 0151 794 8060 or foresight@liv.ac.uk

---

Issued on behalf of Morecroft Solicitors by Ubiquity pr.

Further information from Joel Jelen on 0151 703 0917 or 07710 436 125.

20 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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Knowsley Chamber Key events

By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

The Environment Network Launch The Environment Network was launched on 22 September 2010. The event was held at Newsprinters (Knowsley) Ltd, who are members of Knowsley Chamber of Commerce.

Councillor Dave Lonergan, Knowsley’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills, welcomed around 60 companies and outlined how TEN will be taking the lead as the environmental business network in Knowsley. The companies and organisations that are already involved are following a pathway to improving environmental business performance, and, at the same time, making a difference to their “bottom line”. TEN’s remit is to help businesses cut waste, use resources more efficiently, to access funding, and improve the chances and opportunities for winning business by gaining environmental credentials.

1

3

2

4

7

5

6

8

9

1. Debbie Williams (Tender Management), Martin Newton (Huyton Churches), Rob Ellis (Envirolink North West) and Rachael Scarisbrick (Groundwork Merseyside).

2. John Rafferty (News Printers), Lesley Martin-Wright (Knowsley Chamb Commerce), Cllr Dave Lonergan (Knowsley Council) and Alan Ogilve (Yorkshire Copper Tubes).

3. Ian Hann (South Liverpool Commerce), July Byrne (Knowsley Community College) and Frank Oichowski (Denovo Design). 4. Andy Squelch (O’Connell & Squelch) and Barry Fawcett (Head of Business investment for Knowsley Council). 5. Keith Stanton (NQA), Paul Wyatt, (White Moss Horticulture). 6. Ian Black, Ian Wildeman and Alan Stevenson, (all Knowsley Housing Trust). 7. Lavinia Cooke (Groundworks Merseyside) and David Hunt (ECO Enviroments Ltd). 8. Cllr Dave Lonergan (Knowsley Council) and Dave Harwood (H&H Industrial Training). 9. Steve Kirk (New Horizons Global) and Steve Pullen (Knowsley Council).

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corn exchange CONTACT:

Email: jonswain@masonpartners.com

www.keppiemassie.com Email: tonyreed@keppiemassie.com

TO LET - REFURBISHED OFFICES FROM 150 SQ FT (13.9 SQ M) - 18,000 SQ FT (1,672 SQ M)

OFFICES AT 42 CASTLE STREET, L2 AFFORDABLE INCLUSIVE RENTS FROM £150 per week (exc VAT) for 500 sq ft (4-8 desks)

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22 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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big

on support

If you are considering relocation for your business, or expanding your company, Wirral offers accessible, user-friendly information that saves you time and enables faster, better informed decision-making.

You will find specialist advice and assistance from finding sites and development partners, through to recruiting and training quality staff and developing new supply chains.

A full package of location advice and business support is available designed to give your company a competitive advantage.

For more information and advice about investing in Wirral

Call 0151 650 6915 Visit www.investwirral.com

417JUN08PJ

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By Lucy Oliver

Local businessman Andy Dockerty turned his redundancy from an electrical firm aged 23 into an international enterprise based on his hobby as a sound engineer. His passion for the industry, immense drive and boundless energy has seen the business expand to last year enjoy a turnover of £4million. A reluctant head of the success story he’s created, Andy is nonetheless as talented at exploiting gaps in the marketplace as he is mixing sound on the desk.

Under The Radar

24 MOVE COMMERCIAL

With regular work for the band Texas since 1993, including when Sharleen Spiteri supported Paul McCartney at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Adlib has built up a valuable clientele and respect for its operation.

The investment earlier this year of €1.8m in new equipment for the business was a shrewd move to maintain Adlib’s position in the UK’s top two/three companies as a sound/lighting sales, manufacturer and installing business by expanding to invest in kit and people to stay in the race. “The industry is getting

“

We got that gig because Bowie’s sound engineers liked how we work

“

When Andy Dockerty and I meet for lunch at his local, The Bubble Room in Woolton, Village, he immediately sets me straight about his entrepreneurial credentials; “I made my hobby make money, but I didn’t set out with a business plan.

‘Entrepreneur’ is not a label I’m comfortable with”. Nevertheless, the common sense and sound engineering experience he will admit to, saw him set up Adlib Audio 26 years ago and grow the business from a one man band to an operation now with 65 full time staff, around 15 additional freelances, and 12 apprentices on both Adlib’s own apprenticeship scheme and the government-run programme. Andy singles out designer Dave Fletcher, and directors Mark Roberts and Dave Kay, as well as a number of other key players he terms the nuclei of the team, for their talent, long service and loyalty. A boost for the business’s growth came in 2003 when Adlib landed the David Bowie tour, despite tough competition internationally. That tour saw Adlib invest £300,000 in the business and take £80,000 but the reputation of the firm soared and has gone a long way to securing contracts in recent years. “That was a proud moment, because we were a smaller firm in Liverpool and we won something which everyone in the industry was after. We got that gig because Bowie’s sound engineers liked how we work – our standards of service are what we strive to maintain.”

tighter, as the mid-sized touring market in the UK is disappearing.

The 02 Academy Group’s expansion has recently upped the production values of their venues up and down the country, resulting in less requirement for touring production.

Although the touring club market is now more limited Adlib has won the

contracts to fit out these national sites. He adds, “This means the work in the theatre has become more competitive. They don’t tend to operate their own systems because they need to be a blank canvas, and Adlib continues to compete in this market. Adlib also made the decision to invest in new speakers and amplification to access the arena and stadium marketplace, the larger venues, and compete in that field. We’re working with The Script in March 2011 and the books are looking pretty busy already, with some more high profile acts to be confirmed. We’re supplying the audio for the BBC ‘The Monsters Are Coming’ Dr Who tour from September, which comes to Liverpool at the beginning of November, and in the same week we’re also working at a business fair at St George’s Hall and I’ll be giving a talk at Blackburne House on creative apprenticeships. It’s a diverse business, and no two days are the same.”

For Andy, his role is perhaps the most changed in recent years as the business has expanded and, inevitably, the management side has taken his time. Still, he makes sure he keeps up to date and will work as a sound engineer for particular gigs where he feels most comfortable with the kit. He recently stepped in to work on the Scissor Sisters last UK tour for fellow director Dave Kay and for Chris Leckie on The Kaiser Chiefs’ European tour. “As technology’s progressed, we’ve seen

massive improvements in the quality of speakers and amplifiers which have, overall, lifted the quality of the sound. However, I prefer the old analogue equipment to digital sound – the latter just hasn’t quite caught up yet. I much prefer to use the old mixing desks to a computer – sound is live, and in the moment, and you need access to everything at all times to be able to work with it properly. When you’re on a digital mixer and you’re searching through menus, you can’t do that. But digital sound is catching up in quality, and it’s an exciting time.”

In 1984, when Andy set up Adlib with £40 a week Enterprise Allowance from the government, he’d been made redundant from a local electrics company where he worked as an electrician after leaving school. The money he’d earned he’d invested in kit to use when assisting bands one or two evenings a week, earning £40 a night, and the redundancy propelled him to turn his hobby into a business, building up slowly to buy more kit and recruit staff. When he bought some more kit from a mate, he installed the system at The Bier Keller at the bottom of Mount Pleasant in Liverpool, where Groundpig would regularly play.

With no formal business training, everything Andy’s learned he puts down to common sense, and learning from his mistakes. As he comments, “I didn’t go into this business looking to make money in itself, and I’ve been pleasantly

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Andy Dockerty Entrepreneur

surprised by how it’s taken off. I don’t sit there working out strategies, everything has happened as it has from fear. The desire to do it right and try to keep ahead has been the motivation for me, not a desire to stand around striking deals. My biggest regret really is that the business side of the company has taken me away from what I love – sound engineering – although it’s obviously also been a real privilege to work with the people I do and to achieve what we have. ” Day to day, Andy has found himself the past two years spending more time on the numbers than he’d choose, but in overseeing the growth of the business’s move into the arena and stadium marketplace, he’s also occupied with site visits in preparation for live events, and installations working with the architects, and overseeing the procedures in place at the Speke warehouse. The company’s plans for physical expansion are also in the offing. “We’re looking to purchase the site next doors to ours at Speke, where we currently have approximately 25,000 sq ft over a number of floors and mezzanines.

This would more than double the space we occupy and lead the way for further investments in kit.” Owned

by Adlib Developments and leased to Adlib Audio, the property industry is an area Andy has seen the potential and the opportunity, but is not a core area for his business; “I’ve been fortunate enough to afford a place in Ambleside where we can take holidays – from touring so much years ago, I don’t enjoy going abroad as much any more – and that’s been an investment we enjoy. I would say though, all of that side of it comes secondary to the business.”

Education for future sound engineers and young people wanting to work in the industry is a passion

Three Challenges for 2011 • The recent Capital Gains Allowance changes: This impedes investment in new kit and equipment, and inhibits a company’s ability to expand.

• To grow our corporate side and enhance our standing in that market.

• To build on our reputation in America.

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By Lucy Oliver

26 MOVE COMMERCIAL

beautiful live vocal - and absolutely loves mixing live sound. Andy is also proud of his local roots; “Being from Liverpool is something I’m proud of, as the city’s musical heritage is so strong. Due to Adlib’s own success in the past 20 years

“

the business works because it’s run “like an open book.

“

for Andy. “The creative and cultural skills sector is the second largest employer in the UK, but the system is not good at training people up for it, or identifying where the work is. I can be critical of the courses which are sold to young people who want to work in the industry, and which leave them completely unprepared for it. To save being hypocritical, Adlib runs training days at schools and colleges, actually getting the students to run a sort of mini festival with bands playing – looking at everything from the venue to tickets, merchandise over to sound and the running of a live event – and taking on apprentices to begin by working in our warehouse and see how everything comes together.

We also supply extensive work experience opportunities to school pupils.” It’s paid off for Andy by building up a loyal, committed and talent team of staff, the majority of whom have either stayed with the company and become directors and shareholders, or who’ve gone freelance to work with various artists and used Adlib when sourcing crew and kit for tours.

“This industry is all about the people. It demands unsociable hours, long days, and you have to be very sociable to get on with people.

We’re all likeminded types. We have loads of success stories at Adlib; people who joined us from school and have worked their way up to be now front of house sound engineers touring with bands across the world.

The job isn’t glamorous, though, and when I go into schools I spend most of my time talking up the downsides because you need to be passionate and determined to succeed in this industry. There is a lot of pressure because, despite people’s preconceptions of the industry, there are about eight other people working in the crew for very band member on stage. If the job’s done properly, you won’t even notice the crew at the back of the hall; 90% of the job is setting it all up before the band head in for a sound check.”

Despite his passion for music, Andy doesn’t have a favourite band and admits he can’t stand listening to music anymore – he finds himself analyzing the components of the sound. That said, he thrives on the atmosphere at a live event, and will admit to the hairs on his neck standing up when he hears a

there are loads of Liverpool people who’ve gone on to work in the music business across the world – so we’re a part of continuing that heritage.

There’s a tendency in this industry for businesses to be overlooked on their own doorstep. Yes, we’re a local firm, based in Speke, but we operate globally. When we go to London, we set the rate, and up here you find people wanting to get a discount – but people have got to stop thinking that something should be cheaper because it’s local. We’re not the cheapest, but we believe we’re the best value. It’s been a project of mine the past year to get back to basics and look at the discipline and procedures we have in place to ensure that we have the right equipment and the best equipment for the job, and that we’re operating as efficiently as we can. I’ll always start out our apprentices on the warehouse floor, to ensure they get the right foundation information at the beginning of their career – because that’s where you’ve got to get it right.”

On his weaknesses, Andy admits that he finds selling Adlib as a business uncomfortable; “In sound and lighting, people get work because they’re recommended and it’s not the done thing to go around like a salesperson, saying how great you are, but since we’ve been expanding our AV and corporate arm we’ve had to do this, and

fortunately we have John Hughes in charge of the sales team and a very capable team member Triss Bryant, a trained sound engineer, who took over this side of things three years ago and really grew that area. Now, we’re looking to grow our corporate side to the business, catering for Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, the Everton F.C. Awards and working on business fairs, etc, and that’s our next challenge, along with expanding our reputation on the US.” The past three years saw this arm to the firm increase its turnover from £60,000 to £120,000 to £220,000, without taking account of other business generated in its wake. “There aren’t that many opportunities to make money that come our way, “ says Andy, “So when they do, you need to take advantage of them.” Having retained 75% of the business, and given away 25% in shares to directors, Andy is adamant that the business works because it’s run “like an open book.” He adds,

“What would I say is the hardest part of running the business? As we have to work together like friends, when it comes to disciplining someone, that’s not pleasant because the relationship isn’t the usual boss-employee dynamic. On the plus side, the people are the best thing about this job. Perhaps I would have liked to work as a sound engineer for longer without setting up Adlib, to have seen how far I could take my career, but I’ve travelled the world and worked with so many bands that I’ve had an amazing experience. I’d say I most enjoy the process of training up others on the job, and I do my best to get through the red tape and not let it bother me – I don’t have enough energy to be negative, so I always try to be positive. I’m proud that we’ve become a massive firm and that we’re based in Liverpool – now I just want to keep taking it further on a global scale, whilst raising out profile locally as to who we are, and what we do.”

Dockerty File DOB: 19/07/1961 Education: Gateacre Comprehensive, left aged 17 Tours and festivals (not exclusive list): Dr Who / Bob Dylan / Crowded House / Kaiser Chiefs / Scissor Sisters / Texas / Jimmy Carr / The Script / The Fray / Scouting For Girls / David Bowie / AFI / Steely Dan / The Wombats / The Courteeners / Motley Crue / Fun Lovin' Criminals / Royksopp / V festival / The Black Crowes / Dreamtheater / Frankie Boyle / Russell Howard / WWE Wrestling / Reading & Leeds Festival / Latitude / Ellie Goulding Corporate clients: BBC / ITV / Channel 4 / Everton FC Player Awards / Jaguar / Virgin / Bibby Line / NFRC / FACT / LIPA / Radio City / Key 103 / Juice Fm / Gaymers / Anglican Cathedral / Metropolitan Cathedral / ACC Liverpool.

Top tip: Be passionate and determined

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Chartered surveyors’ soiree Key events

By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

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Guinness and oysters On October 21st, the region's Chartered Surveyors enjoyed Guinness and Oysters at the exclusive Racquets Club in Liverpool City Centre. There was an unprecedented turnout as surveyors bustled shoulder-to-shoulder catching up with old colleagues and new deals. King Sturge's Shannon Conway, part of the committee who organised the evening comments "the positive feedback we received was overwhelming and the high turnout shows just how much the profession needs this type of event". The self titled 'property soiree' celebrated the relaunch of the RICS Merseyside and Cheshire Local Association which aims to build on this success and host more events throughout the calendar.

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1. Committee Members Shannon Conway (King Sturge), Will Rees (Rees Straw) Nick Rice (CBRE) Pippa Page (CBRE) and Jon Swain (Mason & Partners). 2. Johnjo Roberts (Roston) Sam Cutting (Roston) Andrew Chandler (Frank Marshall&Co) Gemma Marsden (Smiths Gore). 3. Pippa Page (CBRE) Andrew Kellaway (Todd&Ledson) and Nick Rice (CBRE). 4. Louise Bardsley (King Sturge) Alex Morgan (Atkins) Kevin Lee (Hill Dickinson) and Tony Bostock (King Sturge). 5. Sarah Stanley (Savills) Villona Murray (Redrow) Will Heath (Redrow). 6. Brett-Marie Henshaw (Edward Symmonds) Katie Roper (Redrow Homes) Richard Kirk (Edward Symmonds). 7. Tony Reed (Keppie Massie), Darren Hill (CBRE), Andrew Byrne (Keppie Massie), Jonathan Lowe (GVA Grimley), Nick Edwards (Keppie Massie). 8. Thomas Jameson (Mason Owen) Eleanor Mercer (Hill Dickinson) and Alan Pugh (Hill Dickinson). 9. James McGivern (Liberty Properties), Leonard Gunning (King Sturge) and Andy Martin (Bellway). 10. Mark Diaper (Legat Owen) Dave Legat (Mason Owen) James Lutton (Legat Owen) and Roberta Blackwood (Mason Owen).

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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

The Northwest region will stay at the forefront of UK regeneration and economic drive after the announcement that four Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) bids in the area were successful. With Regional Development Agencies being wrapped up, counties throughout the country were left to quickly submit proposals for an LEP in their area – and with only 24 of the 62 bids put forward approved, the Northwest stands firm to lead the way in bucking the recession.

The new RDA

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culture. Significantly, the structure of LEPs including their powers and role is undefined as of yet. Jack Stopforth, Chief Executive of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, and key driver behind the winning bid, commented: “The LEPs give access to funding and more flexibility but there will be less resources although it will free up the constraints on things like planning. The framework is fluid right now, the government are saying what do you want it to be, so we’re in discussion and it’s all about collaboration. We are hoping to put forward proposals in January to continue services like business support.” The proposed board is expected to be approved before the new year and the government is already welcoming proposals from the LEPs in January to access part of the £300 million regional growth fund. Local enterprise partnerships will be expected to fund their own day-to-day running costs and will also want to consider how they can obtain the best value for public money by leveraging in private sector investment. With the European

Regional Development Fund, previously under the directive from RDAs, it remains unclear if responsibility will move to Whitehall. The RDAs are expected to cease activity by March 2012 and are already winding down

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The aim of LEPs is to rely less on public sector funding

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Local Enterprise Partnerships will be taking over some of the roles the Regional Development Agencies used to provide, and are part of a new plan for local economic growth. The winning bids are Liverpool City Region, Cheshire and Warrington, Greater Manchester and Cumbria; although notably a bid covering Lancashire was not approved. The aim of LEPs is to rely less on public sector funding and to set up partnerships with local businesses to drive forward economic growth. This curtailing of money from central government is evident in the serious drop of funding - prior to the handover collectively RDAs received £1.4 billion per year to spend on projects, now the region (four LEPS) will only have access to £1.4 billion spread over three years, of which bids must be put forward by each individual LEP to access the fund. Provisionally, dependent on local proposals, extensive freedom will be given to the LEP over the deployment of public sector resources, including enterprise and business development, skills, housing and transport as well as tourism and

their activities although current commitments of £1.2 billion worth of projects and programmes will go ahead.

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION The proposal committed to establish the region as a top international and national

investment location based upon global trade, science and innovation, manufacturing and tourism. The proposed LEP would cover the boroughs of Halton, Sefton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St.Helens and Wirral - an area with a population of 1.5 million and 49,000 businesses. It includes major projects such as Liverpool SuperPort, the MerseyGateway, Atlantic Gateway, Liverpool Waters and Wirral Waters and emphasises support for small firms and accelerating business development. The drive for collaboration between private and public finance is evident in its proposed shadow board which include Liverpool born Sir Terry Leahy, the Chief Executive of Tesco, Rod Holmes, Chair of The Mersey Partnership, Peter Nears, Peel Holdings and Chair of SuperPort and Michael Straghan, of Jaguar Land Rover.

Representatives from Liverpool University and other major companies in the city region will also be represented.

CHESHIRE AND WARRINGTON The LEP proposal sets out to create over 20,000 new jobs with

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Local Enterprise Partnership Rising Star

a key focus on manufacturing and exports and the growth targets envisages a £10b-plus increase in GVA (a measure of economic output) to around £30 billion through acceleration growth of new businesses and start-up’s.

Councillor Wesley Fitzgerald, Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: “I am delighted with the Government’s decision. This shows a clear confidence in Cheshire and Warrington to be at the forefront of economic recovery in the UK. We submitted a solid, business-led proposal; focusing on job creation, affordable homes and economic growth. Our strength lies in our wellestablished and recognised ability to work with local business – providing them with the support and guidance through the current financial climate.”

GREATER MANCHESTER The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) drew up the proposal for a business-led LEP which will help drive economic growth and ensure the region's residents can benefit from, and contribute to, success.

Lord Peter Smith, chair of AGMA, said: “Greater Manchester already has an outstanding record of public-private partnership to develop the economy. We believe these innovative proposals will take that to the next level, building on these strong foundations and enabling the private sector to play an even more active role in securing sustainable economic growth.”

CUMBRIA Although the county has a small population size it won the bid for LEP based on the strength of its proposal. The areas of activity the Cumbrian LEP will cover include championing the economic interests of Cumbria and stimulating job growth within the private, community and third sectors to compensate for job losses currently being experienced in the public sector and rebalancing the economy.

Sir Terry Leahy

Rod Holmes said: "LEPs offer a real opportunity for significant change and what we have proposed will determine how we go about building our economy here. This submission sets out the case for city regional delivery of tourism, inward investment, employment and skills, enterprise support and innovation together with asset management. The City Region's submission builds on the work of the existing Economy Board with continuing focus on the four areas of activity where we have identified potential for transformational change in economic performance led by the private sector - our Low Carbon, Knowledge and Visitor Economies and SuperPort."

Rod Holmes

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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

After a decade of investment, 220,000 jobs created and building a profit of £23 billion for the region, the North West Development Agency’s days are now numbered. By 2012 Regional Development Agencies will be replaced by Local Economic Partnerships.

In the wake of the end of RDAs Move Commercial looks at the legacy of the NWDA through five of its major projects. However, its most important legacy will be its quick intervention during the economic downturn which was crucial in keeping the region’s head above water.

In the wake of the NWDA

Arena and Convention Centre Liverpool Along Liverpool waterfront, a number of important infrastructure schemes have taken shape in the past 10 years, all of which wouldn’t have happened without NWDA support and leadership. The flagship development for ‘08, the £146 million ACC Liverpool, has generated a huge economic impact. During 2008 it contributed £200 million to the local economy and 700,000 visitors passed through its doors in the first 12 months alone. The development has already increased footfall to the Albert Dock by

MediaCityUK, Salford Quays project, led by Peel Media, and played a crucial role in influencing the BBC’s decision to relocate five key departments to the Northwest by 2011. The purpose-built creative and media development is now expected to bring over £1 billion to the region’s economy. A new footbridge linking

The Imperial War Museum and Irwell River Park to MediaCity was lowered over the Manchester City Canal last month. The innovative complex establishes an international hub for creative and digital media, incorporating studios, offices, apartments, retail and leisure.

Photo Credit - Peel Media

Arguably one of the most significant developments in the North West, the new media city decentralized the largely London-based BBC, bringing with it 15,000 jobs to the area as well as providing workspace for more than 1,100 related creative industries. The NWDA invested £30 million in the

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50 per cent. The building is also one of the 'greenest' venues of its kind in Europe.

Together with its own wind-farm and rainwater harvesting system, the building has been designed to produce half the C02 emissions of a traditional building.

The ACC Liverpool has attracted many top performers and is at the centre of many major national events including hosting the 2010 Liberal Democrats Spring Conference - in fact the party cited its green credentials as one of the key attractions. Phil Redmond, Chairman of National Museums Liverpool, commented: “The NWDA has been a hugely significant factor in the transformation of Liverpool in the past five years. Their influence and leadership cannot be underestimated.”

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Budget Focus Quango legacy

Liverpool Capital of Culture 2008 The Agency was a major supporter of Liverpool’s Capital of Culture bid and became an official partner in the 08 programme, playing a vital role in the planning and delivery of high profile events placing the city on the cultural map. The programme drove tourism to the city with 15 million people visiting Liverpool in 2008. In 2003 the Agency took strategic responsibility for tourism in the Northwest. Since then the Agency has led a number of highprofile marketing campaigns to promote the region as a location to visit. By 2009 the £16 million Regional Marketing Programme had generated £319 million in tourism revenue for the region. Working closely with Liverpool Vision, The Mersey Partnerhip and Liverpool City Council the NWDA created Liverpool Commercial District which helped improved the city’s commercial environment and encouraged private sector investment.

NWDA Chairman Robert Hough commented: “The most important achievement of the Agency is our track record in bringing people together from across the region. Without this common purpose, we might not have won European Capital of Culture for Liverpool and we might not have an enviable record for winning foreign and direct investment for the region.”

The Museum of Liverpool

Liverpool-Leeds Canal The new £20 million Liverpool Canal Link was completed in 2009. It re-connects the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to Liverpool's South Docks via Stanley Dock, allowing boats to travel past the world-famous Three Graces and into the Albert Dock. The link is expected to generate 200,000 extra visitors annually to Liverpool’s Docks, with an additional tourism spend of £1.9 million. The NWDA funded half the project. Re-establishing an historic connection between the city’s currently underused South Docks and the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, the £22million project opens up the city’s waterfront to the previously untapped leisure and tourism industry already thriving on Britain’s 2,200-mile UK canal system – echoing a time past when waterways brought economic prosperity to Liverpool.

The NWDA has invested £32.7 million towards the building of the Museum of Liverpool, expected to be completed by 2011, and is the world’s first national museum devoted to the history of a regional city. This brand new museum will build on the huge success of the former Museum of Liverpool Life. With a greater amount of space, the new museum will be able to better represent the history of

the city and can place Liverpool within a wider British urban context.

The Museum of Liverpool will be an exceptional learning and community resource as well as a high quality contemporary public building giving unprecedented access to over 10,000 objects from National Museums Liverpool’s collections. The family visitor attraction is expected to attract 750,000 visits a year.

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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

Following years of political wrangling between Liverpool City Council and the leaseholders of Neptune Theatre the horizon has finally cleared for work to begin on the historic building.

A noble construction

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one of our contract managers on site full time to look after the site manager. Normally the contract manager looks after four or five jobs at any one time, but because of the political sensitivities we’ve put one of our top men on it.”

With an impressive CV including work on The Liver Building, St Georges Hall and Speke Hall, Peter understands the extraordinary consideration needed for such a restoration. As construction director of Nobles Construction he looks after the operational side of the company and since joining five years

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THE THEATRE originally opened in 1913 as Crane’s Music hall and was renamed the Neptune Theatre in 1967 when it was purchased by the city council - but by 1993 it faced closure. Public outcry attracting stars like Dame Judy Dench kept it going until 2005 when it shut its doors for refurbishment. Since then its striking interior has gathered dust while the council and Hanover Estate Management, who were asking for a substantial increase in rent, battled it out. Thanks to a détente, work has now begun on the 400-seat, Grade II listed building; with the honour of restoring the iconic interior and exterior falling on local contractor Nobles Construction. With director Peter Linford at the forefront of all construction work, he maintains that keeping a certain level of sensitivity is key to the successful completion of the project. “We have to work very closely with the conservation architect and the conservation officer. The decorators have been peeling back the paint layer by layer to get down to the very first coat so we can match it accurately to the original colour scheme. All the mahogany panelling is being totally stripped back and refurbished; the doors have been sent away to a specialist local joinery company - all the panelling is being French polished on site. The chandeliers have gone away for a 12week restoration programme. I put so much importance on it I’ve put

I have never regretted joining a smaller company.

ago turnover has more than doubled. Within 15 years the company has come to the forefront of the local construction business in Liverpool winning essential education and healthcare work during one of the worst recorded recessions. “When I joined Nobles they were on the cusp of bigger things and I just pushed them over the edge. We improved our image quite considerably and put more emphasis on health and safety.

We’ve brought in a lot more procedures into the business which has streamlined everything we do.”

Following completion of his HND in General Construction at Wolverhampton Polytechnic Peter went straight into working for one of the biggest contractors of the day, Tarmac Construction. He spent his formative years as a planning engineer working on large projects such as the original refurbishment of The Albert Docks area and St Johns market refurbishment over 20 years ago. Prior to being headhunted for Nobles, Peter was Regional Director for Morgan Sindall, with a department turnover of £70 million and a team of 74 people. Although the construction business has been the hardest industry hit, first as the property bubble burst then during the recession that consequently followed and now through Government cutbacks, Peter keeps a smile when asked about the financial health of Nobles Construction. “I have never regretted joining a smaller company.

At least 70 per cent of our turnover (£15 million a year) is repeat business. We’ve held our nerve, there have been a lot of contractors who have been lowering their prices almost too much and suffering financial consequences of going in too tight. Our strike rate and tenders two years ago was 1 in 2.5. The market is now cut-throat and competitive; our strike rate is now 1 in 9, so our tender has had to

increase. This year we employed a Business Development Manager and whilst our turnover has amazingly gone up in the recession, net profit hasn’t necessarily increased in line with turnover which doesn’t concern us because we have achieved the net margins we have wanted to achieve and we haven’t taken unnecessary risks. As a result of not having to rely on borrowing to fund growth we have remained in a reasonably strong and robust position during the recession. We’re not a plc so we don’t have directors down in London telling us they want a certain level of turnover. Three of us own Nobles - we want to maximise our profits but because we’re not under pressure externally we don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

What really sets Nobles Construction apart is more its ethics than anything else, there will always be someone else to undercut their tender estimates especially as larger firms move into smaller markets as the bigger projects dry up. As a business it has grown with its suppliers maintaining the mutually dependent loyalty and trust. The construction business is renowned for the bad payers but with the company going the extra mile to keep its subcontractors (to the point of paying in advance in some cases) Nobles consequently benefits from economically advantageous quotations. Even with the Government healthcare and education cutbacks and stalling

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Peter Linford, Nobles Construction Mover & Shaker

Linford File DOB: 21 March 1964.

Education: St Francis Xaviers, in Woolton, then Wolverhampton Polytechnic.

Tip for success: Deliver on promises made, be honest be open, be transparent. Get culture in your business for being transparent for doing things safely, for achieving a quality product.

capital projects Peter is confident of the future. Waving aside concern, he said: “Our pipeline of opportunities is in the region of £45 million. Those size schemes will always be there irrespective of the Government If they haven’t got money for a million pound job the country is in serious problems.”

Healthcare remains Nobles strongest sector. Recently they completed a new build medical centre for a private healthcare provider, in the region of £4 million, and are currently on site at Aintree hospital refurbishing the outpatients

ward (£1.6 million). They’re also refurbishing Ward 11 at Arrowe Park Hospital and have a £900,000 contract in Southport extending an existing hospice for another private healthcare provider.

Peter sees no drying up of the proverbial well (at least not for another 12 months). Liverpool has been hit particularly hard by the shelving of the Building Schools for the Future, with 25 school rebuilding projects scrapped. For now they’ve got to refurbish more hospital wards, they’ll have to build more classrooms onto existing

schools and we do a massive amount of that so we’re looking at all these cutbacks as a positive.”

Nobles Construction has now turned its sights nationally, looking at expanding its civil construction arm after winning a contract from Arriva.

They have recently begun the construction of the new Arriva bus shelter in Speke. With Nobles Construction weathering the storm of the recession and seeing a rosy 12 months ahead, Peter is now looking at the future of the company through its investment in people, especially after winning the accolade

Investors in People.

“We’re employing more people because our turnover is increasing.

Our aspiration is not to be Laing O’Rourke, or Balfour Beattie, we want to build the business to £25 million in three to five years. To compete with those bigger players you’ve got to have high calibre people. There is a future in construction, and that’s why we have an active apprenticeship program.”

Dina Karim interviewed Peter Linford at Viva Brazil Restaurant, Castle Street.

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EI8HT WATER STREET

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Retail VAT Round Table

By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

Panelists Brian McCann, a board member of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce and managing director of Vanguard Corporate Finance, and Richard Mawdsley, managing director of Utility, met at the Hilton Hotel’s Pima Bar to discuss the state of city centre and the effect the VAT rise in January will have on retail in Liverpool.

Brian McCann Board member of the Chambers of Commerce

Richard Mawdsley Managing Director of Utility

Retail therapy How are Northwest businesses faring at the moment?

Richard Mawdsley: We've got four stores and an online business; this year has been particularly difficult, more than last year, to keep ongoing growth year on year. Liverpool is in a tricky position because we've got the impact of Liverpool One which has now manifested itself. It’s been here two years and we made the decision to open a store in Liverpool One because we saw it as a really prime pitch, the central shopping area of Liverpool is now completely changed and it is now having an impact on our stores in Bold Street. We predicted a decrease in business because of the scale of what happened in Liverpool One and it’s in line of what we anticipated - we’ve had a 35 per cent decrease in business since May 2008.

The flip side is now that we've opened in Liverpool One, which opened in July, it’s performing better than anticipated so we’re really pleased we did it. We've also got a store in Preston which isn’t affected

by a large regional shopping centre and that has performed better year on year, and our online sales are marginally up on last year. We've got two formats, one is a gift format which is Bold Street and Liverpool One with cards, wraps, watches, jewellery and the other format is furniture and lighting. The furniture has suffered more than the gift business and that’s down to the property market, until people move house it’s very flat that’s what prompts people to spend money on furnishing their homes. We’re probably at one of the lowest transactional times ever for property sales so that market drive has gone and it’s not going to change in the short term.

Brian McCann: I’m a board member of the chamber and I chair the finance committee as well as run my company Vanguard which is about corporate finance, so clients buy and sell business, and we are seeing some real changes in the businesses we work with and especially now with all the cuts

announced and the VAT rise it’s going to be a challenging few months ahead of us.

With the rise on VAT in January, how is it impacting retail in Liverpool?

Brian: Richard is right, it’s the housing market, the drive and everyone can see the housing market is pretty quiet and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon.

Richard: It’s not going to change in the short term, there’s been another 0.7 per cent drop in property prices, it has a long way to come down if you look at it, there’s a lack of first time buyers in the market and that dictates what happens.

We employ a lot of people under 30 and none of them can afford to buy a home because the price of even a onebedroom flat is way out of their price league. There’s still that differential between the top price and what you can now get as a mortgage, the multipliers have changed, the banks changed the rules with the recession and with the banking crisis so you can now only raise three times the salary and you know people can’t afford it.

Brian: There’s an adjustment going on people are going to have to adjust to the fact that they can’t forever keep taking liquidity out of their homes to fund large ticket purchases and the fact is that transactions are going to be slower. And we’re not at the end of that yet, so I think it’s going to be tough in the large ticket purchases for some time to come.

Are retailers going to absorb the VAT cost?

Brian: I think that’s interesting in some cases they will think they have to and I think if we’re talking about supermarkets and goods that have specific price points what will happen is they will pass the pain back down the supply chain to the poor old producers so there will be a real squeeze there and that will squeeze some businesses out.

Richard: That depends on the scale of the business on whether you can do that though, larger retailers have more power and are able to do that, we will absorb some of the increases but it depends on the product and the price MOVE COMMERCIAL 35

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point, 2.5 per cent isn’t a huge amount but there’s a psychological impact. I think it will definitely bring forward purchases towards December. A lot of retailers will go on sale early for the larger items, so the last couple of weeks will see a massive push in marketing and activity in terms of sale to try and capitalise and get people thinking now is a good time to buy but how much it will impact is an unknown.

The reverse happened when they cut VAT it didn't produce the massive stimulus that was anticipated so it’s quite a technical debate of whether it has worked, the economists would say it had but it doesn't feel like it’s worked from a retail perspective or a small retailer perspective.

Brian: The chamber does a quarterly economic survey and when you look at that survey about the middle of 2009 it hit the bottom, this year if you just look at the graph it looks fantastic but of course it’s coming from a very low place and interestingly in the last quarter it just began to slow. What we are concerned about is not just the VAT increase but of course the public sector cuts, because it will make an even bigger impact in Liverpool. We’re going to have a significant number of jobs squeezed out of the public sector and the government is saying don't worry the private sector will pick it up but in Liverpool that’s not the case because we've become very reliable on the public sector.

Richard: Yes, it’s quite an underdeveloped private sector. It’s not a very entrepreneurial city; we have very low level of business start ups all of the demographics are not particularly strong from that point of view and Liverpool relies too heavily on the public sector. Liverpool City Council is a huge employer, they’ve been downsizing for quite some time. There are a lot of new media and consultancy businesses that supply the public sector so it’s a huge knock on effect.

Will tourism bolster the city’s economy?

Richard: The impact of Liverpool One is enormous, because it’s pulling in people from across the region. We’ve noticed people coming in from north Wales for 36 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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example, Chester, Lancashire and Manchester and it’s a day out. Liverpool has always been a day out, but it’s now a much better day out than it was before, you can keep people here for longer and that’s the important bit because the spend goes up. Now we’ve got restaurants and mid-level dining which we didn't have before prior to that it was all high end, fine dining and scraping the barrel sort of stuff now there’s a bigger offer.

Brian: You're right it’s not just Liverpool One it’s the whole city, it’s the convention centre, the conferences, the hotels, offerings are much better. A few

“ ”

We’re probably at one of the lowest transactional times ever for property sales so that market drive has gone and it’s not going to change in the short term.

weeks ago we had the Liberal Democrats conference which brought thousands of people to the city , the football clubs still bring a significant amount of people from overseas, Scandinavian Liverpool fans take the city over on Saturdays so I think tourism is very important. But bigger than the VAT rises is going to be the public sector cuts – that’s the thing that will have a really big impact.

Richard: It feels like that there are lots more foreign tourists than there were and that's probably down to Capital of Culture and its increased visibility internationally, that’s anecdotal though following 2008. I know 2008 had a huge input into foreign investment and you've got quality tourists coming for the Biennial. It’s an intellectual tourism which is a positive thing, those kinds of events are huge in getting the right kind of people in, and in fact the football is really significant. You get lots of people from Ireland, Scandinavia we notice, Finland, Sweden and Denmark coming in droves and they

spend money - it’s great. The Liverpool One store we opened in July in prime summer time and the amount of Liverpool oriented product we sold was huge and that was to all external visitors. The spending power of tourists from abroad is enormous relative to what it was previously, in London it’s all the designer stores on Bond Street that are benefiting and that’s what’s missing from here. In Liverpool there are some great names here but it doesn't have that cache of international designer brands and I suspect they will continue to go to Manchester first outside of London.

Brian: But there are still some very strong traditional links between Liverpool and China, Shanghai in particular, there are a large amount of students in Liverpool that are Chinese so I think the city needs to work on what it’s offering to them.

What are private companies doing to create employment in the area?

Richard: We've got 30 staff, we’re trying to recruit but we’re struggling really badly. When we opened the store across the road we got 500 applications, but now we have two vacancies we can’t fill in our warehouse. Also there’s a web development role and we can’t get anybody. It’s quite frustrating; there are a lot of applications for retail staff but the dirty end and the more technological end we can’t find anyone.

Brian: It’s interesting because one of the questions we ask in our quarterly survey is whether companies are recruiting and are they having problems, and right across the depth of last year’s downturn there were still people recruiting and having trouble finding the right people. There are jobs people don't want to do.

Richard: You’re right the warehouse job is picking and packing and it’s not glamorous, the retail side, with a new shiny store, people want to do it. We had more applications for staff than Habitat did - it's phenomenal, the flip side of that is we have a warehouse full of stuff we need to get out and can’t get anybody to pack boxes and label them up for dispatches. The internet side is a major drive for our business and we need some web development people in-house and we can’t get them, people just aren't applying, they are either freelance or they’re on megabucks. It’s frustrating from our point of view - even in the depth of a recession there is a skills shortage.

Brian: Many companies are struggling, but there are a lot of companies still looking for skilled people. With apprenticeship programmes we can find plenty of companies who are keen to take apprentices on but can’t always find apprentices to do that type of job.

There are probably many parents who have a certain idea of apprentices, which is dated and old whereas an apprenticeship in web design would be a great way into a career.

Richard: I think there’s been too much emphasis on further education as the be all and end all, to degree level. It has gone from 5 per cent to 40 per cent of people having university qualifications but there’s an awful lot of people doing marketing, pr, mediabased jobs, psychology and sociology without some pure vocational discipline that could lead to something more, and there’s a lot of competition.

So maybe apprenticeships need a rebranding exercise.

How are businesses going to brace themselves for the VAT rise and public sector cuts?

Brian: I'm not sure there’s definitely going to be a double-dip.

Richard: It depends on this quarter really. The figures that were announced were better than expected than previous quarters so we don’t know, but for most businesses the key thing is cash flow. Most people have done the main thing of de-stocking, it’s just being cautious and micro managing, being able to spot what’s happening week on week, month on month so you can react.

Brian: You’re right cash is the crucial element over the next 12 months and if there’s a slow down of consumer spending in the early part of next year it will get very difficult for some retailers and it’s unlikely they will get any more help from the banks then they get now.

Inevitably the Chamber has lost some members as they are no longer businesses, we have a small number who have withdrawn their membership as part of their cost-cutting, but that's a very small number. We’ve also had a significant amount of new members which is great, as companies are working even harder to find new customers, especially through our networking events.

How will the rise in business rates affect retail businesses?

Brian: It’s another squeeze, it’s a further squeeze on profits and particularly cash flow and it’s not going to help.

Richard: But it’s a massive significant cost, the last government introduced really severe changes to the system of empty properties. Landlords now have to pay rates on them, the theory was to

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Retail VAT Round Table encourage regeneration and landlords to aggressively market the buildings more and not allow vacant buildings. It’s had the opposite effect with more derelict buildings. So if a building is coming to the end of its natural life, its a tired building with only five years left what’s happening is people are taking it out of the rates system by taking out the windows, the roof, etc. So not only does the government not get the tax revenue but you’re left with a physical eyesore. The Bold Street stores’ business rates are a lot less but it all hinges on what the valuation office thinks the building is worth.

Should the government reduce rates in places like Bold Street to encourage businesses to stay in the area?

there’s going to be a negative impact for a period of time but there’s a massive amount of stuff going on in the private sector, it’s stronger than it was three years ago. Vanguard works with clients who want to buy or sell businesses or raise finance, interestingly we've got more people looking to raise equity finance than bank finance because it’s so difficult to get. There’s a lot of medium to long term ambitions and more people looking for equity finance, and more people with private monies to invest looking for that too, because their alternative uses for that money such as investments in property are not as attractive as they used to be. There’s also new venture capitalist organisations coming to life, we still have MSIF, we also have a new

Richard: There have been some reductions already but it’s nominal I think we had a 5 per cent decrease which quite a few businesses appealed for due to loss of trade to Liverpool One, but it’s by no means enough. If it was fair we would get a 35 per cent reduction in rates due to loss of footfall to Liverpool One. Are the budget cuts and VAT rise fair?

Brian: It’s probably impossible to make cuts fairly; the general principle is that there needed to be significant cuts which most businesses will support. The chamber of commerce members and

regional northwest fund being launched very soon. There will be more money available to help businesses grow but new businesses will have to accept that they will have to sell some equity and as that begins to happen it will become easier for banks to lend money out for businesses to grow and develop. There’s an awful lot going on and people are working much harder at raising finance.

Richard: The bank’s story is an interesting one because we've expanded this year and we’re looking to expand again next year, even though financially as a company we’re in a better position we've got a better balance sheet but we've borrowed money for the shop fit and the banks have given us two percentage points worse rates than previously despite being in a stronger financial positions and that’s really annoying. They want more blood from you; the terms are very different we just have to wait a lot longer than we’ve had to before for a decision. It just feels that if you’ve been prudent and ran your business well you’re being penalised and it was banks that created the problem in the first place encouraging people to borrow like crazy.

Brian: The real problem, what the banks would say, is that you may well have become a less risky business but the market as a whole is riskier and so they’ve re-priced. And we’re finding that slowly but surely that there are more bank funded deals beginning to happen

“ ”

But bigger than the VAT rises is going to be the public sector cuts – that’s the thing that will have a really big impact.

clients are saying we’ve already made the cuts; it’s about time the public sector did the same. So there’s no argument that it had to be done. It’s fair in the sense that the public sector are doing what the private sector have already done and it’s bringing things back into balance. In Merseyside it is going to be very hard for private sector to take up the slack immediately, so

but they are costing more and they are requiring more in the ways of guarantees from the directors, and more equity coming in from the directors.

What could Liverpool do to attract more visitors?

Richard: Were Liverpool a little more progressive rather than just thinking oh my god we just need to get some revenue in from parking, if they took a different view on parking it would impact immediately on businesses expanding. You may find fewer empty businesses and get more business rates income; you would get more money and it could be quite a significant increase by having more relaxed view on parking. Sundays could be free parking, I don't think it should be free all the time in most city centres you have to pay to park, but like Trafford centre it’s free parking that is its biggest pull and on a weekend you can see the people there. It’s no coincidence Selfridges have two stores in Manchester, one in the city centre, one in Trafford. Trafford outperforms the city centre by a huge margin and I guarantee a simple thing like parking can make a change. The model for Liverpool One depends on a huge amount of revenue for it to work so they have to charge for parking, I'm not going to call it a shopping centre because it’s not, but a huge area of the city that they’re responsible for maintaining so they've got to get revenue to pay for that. The car parking helps generate enough money to keep it looking as good as it does and brings people in. But I think the surrounding areas for example Bold Street is a really obvious place to offer free parking, it has been hit by Liverpool One and the revenue the city council makes is minuscule but the impact it would have by allowing free parking is huge. The new development, central village is not going to have a very big car park anyway only about 400 spaces.

Brian: It’s not so much the parking that are run by private operators that are going to be influenced and we understand the need to make a return. There was a proposal to extend the hours the council can charge for parking and the chamber led a vigorous campaign to drop the idea, because that really would slow down economy of the city in the evening.

What positive things is Liverpool City Council doing to encourage people to the city centre?

Brian: What the city council are doing through open markets is a continuation of a trend that’s been going on since before the Capital of Culture year it has seen more visitors coming to town, we need to keep schemes like that going.

The spiders in 2008 were fantastic it drew so many people in to the city.

Richard: Liverpool should be more progressive in trying to improve on street activity to make it fun especially with free

activities. I think anything that encourages people to visit the city centre and engage is a good thing.

Markets are good, people want the open-markets, and people love all the other activities going on in the city like the ice rink and by having it here it helps attract people and we need to continue providing that.

“ ”

Many companies are struggling, but there a lot of companies still looking for skilled people.

PIMA BAR Hilton Hotel, 3 Thomas Steers Way, Liverpool, L1 8LW Our panel enjoyed the fresh ingredients of the express lunch menu at the Hilton’s contemporary Pima Bar. Built on the site of the Old Custom House, the Pima Bar has been named after American cotton - and is the ideal place to unwind during a business lunch. Our panel enjoyed the Hilton-signature Caesar Salad with Chicken, priced at a reasonable £9.50, and the classic Club Sandwich, priced at £10. The main course dishes on the menu include favourites like the Griddled Steak Sandwich and Fish and Chips with Mushy Peas. For a touch of glamour the afternoon teas are very popular, starting at £12 per person to £55 per person when including champagne.

To book a table call 0151 7084200 or visit www.hilton.co.uk

MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

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Appointments New Chief Executive at Liverpool City Council

Ged Fitzgerald

The former Chief Executive of Lancashire City Council, Ged Fitzgerald, has been appointed the new Chief Executive of Liverpool City Council. He worked for the city council between 1996 and 1998 as head of Economic Development and European Affairs and then as Director of City Challenge. He commented: “I’m delighted to be offered the post of one of the most exciting and dynamic cities in the world. A lot has been achieved, but I truly believe Liverpool’s best days lie ahead.” He will take up his his post on Monday 7 February 2011. He takes over from Colin Hilton who retired from the authority in May this year.

New CBRE promotions CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) has strengthened its management team in the North of England with three new senior promotions. Christine Hanson has become Chair of CBRE for the North, with John Ogden appointed as Managing Director CBRE for Manchester and Richard Sunderland appointed Managing Director in Leeds. Christine was previously Managing Director for CBRE in the North West and John was previously Managing Director of CBRE’s Leeds office. Tom Davis and Howard George, currently Senior Directors in CBRE’s Industrial teams in Manchester and Liverpool respectively, will be leaving the business in November.

Christine Hanson

40 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Mason Owen expands team Liverpool-based commercial property company Mason Owen has strengthened its team with the appointment of regional industrial surveyor, Mark Coulthurst.

Coulthurst is a key player in regional commercial property and he brings 20 years experience. He joins Mason Owen from fellow property agents CB Richard Ellis (CBRE) in Liverpool, where he was a director.

Coulthurst will work with Mason Owen’s business premises department alongside head of department Andrew Owen and Paul Thorne, with an emphasis on industrial agency.

NWDA Chief Exec steps down

Steven Broomhead

Steve Broomhead has stepped down from his position as Chief Executive of the North West Development Agency.

Speaking at the NWDA AGM last month, he said: “I have enjoyed my time in this role immensely and it has been a privilege to work with so many committed partners and talented staff. The achievements of the Agency are there for all to see. However, I feel the time is now right for me to step down and get a better work/life balance after seven and a half years in a very busy and demanding role. The Agency has a strong executive team which will continue to ensure a smooth transition and closure.”

Former planning officers new business Sefton’s MBC’s former Principal Planning Officer, Phil Hardwicke, is to head up a new planning consultancy for Merseyside and West Lancashire. Consilium, based in Southport, will draw on Phil’s 35 years experience in planning to offer a full range of consultancy services, as well as general planning advice on maximising the present and future potential of a project for developers.

Consilium will also provide technical advice to architects on local projects.

Phil was responsible for delivering a range of private and public sector planning applications with Sefton, Wirral and West Lancashire councils.

A s

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By Lucy Oliver

Superstores at the checkout In years past, supermarket giants have come under fire in the national press as their growth has coincided with the demise of many suburban high streets and the collapse of communities. However, dramatic changes in the economic climate of recent years have seen a new trend emerge, with supermarkets operating as keystones in the regeneration of local communities.

THE BACKGROUND Ask Developments, the Manchesterbased commercial and mixed-use property developer, has worked in partnership with supermarket giants to deliver a number of regeneration-led mixed-use schemes. In Gorton, off the A57, the district centre had seen its foodstore closed and the community was suffering from a lack of quality services in the area. Manchester Council held a competition for developers to propose their plans for the area, and Ask won the contract with their vision of refurbishing the closed Co-op in partnership with Tesco and attracting market stall-holders to join the site to create a community indoor market. As a commercial venture, the scheme proved successful and was the impetus for Ask’s venture into redeveloping Urmston town shopping centre with Sainsbury’s as the major anchor. On the back of this project, the town attracted a number of national chains, regional retailers and local businesses to open up and Ask was also able to build and deliver a residential project, with plans for a further phase to start in 2011 with more retail and a number of residential units. Where town centres in the region have seen decline – due to the economic difficulties experienced by smaller business owners and communities – successful retail anchors with capital have been able and willing to step in and exploit the market, with the obvious longterm benefits for their own business.

In Grosvenor’s £1billion investment in 42 MOVE COMMERCIAL

the city centre of Liverpool, the developers were clear from the very beginning that providing high quality premises for retailers to occupy was to come at the forefront of the masterplan. Informed by a comprehensive vision of commuter traffic and the linking up of the city’s retail, tourist, and business centres, the aim to regenerate the ‘heart’ of Liverpool took into account the need for new businesses to locate to the city, supported by and attracting further investment that was long overdue for the city’s successful growth and the local community.

Extensive consultation and a prolonged process was necessary to effectively CPO the required sites for development, but key to ongoing plans for the regeneration of the Ropewalks district must be attributed to the diversity on offer in the Hanover Street and Paradise Street areas which are still reaching fruition. Selecting the appropriate retailer to occupy the spaces on Hanover Street opposite Church House took considerable energy and resilience on the part of the Grosvenor team, and Tesco’s two storey building occupying 25,000 sq ft was a key win to anchor development of the site and secure movement of people along that thoroughfare, from the Bold Street and Ropewalks areas and from Central Station in the other direction, towards Liverpool One, and onto Albert Dock. The supermarket giant has placed itself on the edge of the retail district, where high street chains operate in

smaller in high spec units, to benefit from the consumer traffic in the city centre and the added benefit of sufficient space, local transport links, and parking facilities, whilst enlivening an area of the city which has, in recent years, not exploited its potential in proximity to the city centre’s nucleus.

The boost to local landlords letting properties in that area has also increased since Tesco’s arrival, with increased demand reported at some of the city’s major estate agents. Indeed, where that area can, generally, offer apartments with parking for significantly less than the waterfront area, landlords have found that the improved local amenities in recent months has increased the appeal of their residences.

STATE OF PLAY The ongoing consultation for the future regeneration on Kirkby in Merseyside has moved forwards of late with plans for the town’s redevelopment. An application submitted by Spenhill, the regeneration subsidiary of Tesco, has reached outline stages to include a new Tesco superstore new retail units, food and drink outlets, offices, new public buildings including a health centre and a library, and a new petrol station. The proposal also includes improvements to highways, pedestrian and cycle routes, and enhanced landscaping in the town centre. At the end of October this year, the public were invited to visit the One Stop Shop in Kirkby, or go online, to

view the plans and give their feedback; indeed, Nick Kavanagh, executive director of regeneration, economy and skills, asserted that the public’s views were crucial to the area’s regeneration while adding that he was pleased to see commitment from the superstore giant to investing in Knowlsey during the current climate. He said, “We have always been committed to the regeneration of Kirkby and in the current economic climate we are really encouraged to see companies like Tesco keen to invest in Knowlsey.”

THE FUTURE Across the river, it’s been announced that Birkenhead is to see £30m of investment from the ASDA supermarket chain, a subsidiary of the American retail giant Wal-mart. It seems that the world’s largest retailer has spied the potential in the Wirral waterfront location. It may be no coincidence that the proposed superstore for Wirral should choose to locate itself in the vicinity of transformational regeneration; proposals by north-west developing company Peel to regenerate the area are currently in discussion and hope to see £4.5bn of investment over the next three decades, across 18m sq ft.

Asda’s plans for a 90,000 sq ft superstore on land at Grange Road and Oliver Street will front Grange Road in the town centre, creating 95 construction jobs, 320 jobs by its third year and the plans allow for 692 more parking spaces. The store will comprise

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Supermarket Regeneration Focus

a restaurant, deli, bakery, pharmacy and George clothing department. The proposals for the town centre were welcomed by Wirral Council, with deputy leader Cllr Simon Holbrook calling the plans an, “ambitious project (that) will completely transform this part of Birkenhead.” The reliability of the superstore and its proven track record have clearly proven attractive to the planning committee, who see the retail giant’s investment as a pull for other investors to locate their businesses. For the council’s own part, Asda’s investment has provided “this unique opportunity to arrange for significant additional highway improvements to be made to the surrounding roads during the project” – a much needed investment in the public realm and the fabric of the town which

might not otherwise have been prioritized in these economic conditions.

The greatest advantage for superstores to develop in recent months, when other stores have struggled and development companies have had to sit tight on projects has been their earlier investment in land.

Purchases of key sites across the UK, both in out of town areas and, crucially, in suburban and city centre high streets have created the potential for current and future development. Where, previously, resistance to some sites being developed for use by a superstore may have sounded the knell for a plan, dissenters have feared that should the culture of caution towards investment continue in other sectors (with less interest shown in developing

land from developers, landowners and other businesses) then a proposed superstore begins to look more attractive to planners. In some areas, of course, a superstore’s investment in a struggling suburban high street may be welcomed in this climate. The former Woolworths store on Allerton Road in south Liverpool has been bought by Tesco, although another Tesco store exists barely ten minutes’ drive away on the same stretch of thoroughfare.

This store’s reception by local residents remains to be seen. On Hope Street in Liverpool city centre’s Georgian Quarter, the plans for a Tesco were defeated and appeals for diversity in the store/superstore offer in the city centre were heard; the city centre alone already boasts a Tesco Metro, an Express store in the student area, and

the Hanover Street superstore to name but a few, and the retailer recently opened another branch in the Bootle area, just outside the city. Yet, the reputation of the superstore’s quality and service and the competition between superstores which assists in the maintaining of standards (for financial gain if not moral superiority) has made the supermarket ‘monopoly’ in the groceries and homeware seem less worrying as their development continues in local areas, with the hope that their success will breed success for other businesses in that area and ensure some continuation of jobs in the construction sector as the stores expand. Let us hope, then, that the planners are right, and that the continuing ‘local global’ trend offers the diversity it promises.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 43

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By Dina Karim dina@movepublishing.co.uk

Ken Martin is an architect who has not only made a name for himself as one of Liverpool’s premier architects but also as a patron of the arts through the View Two art gallery.

Pioneering architecture

44 MOVE COMMERCIAL

or one influence, you have to find your own influence your own direction, and enthusiasm, your own ideas and be your own critic.

Other people criticise your buildings so you have to be one step ahead. You have to design for people and not for architecture with a big A, because if you do that often it’s fashionable and sometimes it doesn't succeed, and there are many buildings which sometimes aren't going to date very well. Everybody wants to be an artist, and artists who paint don't think much of architects, they don't see how much work goes into it. It is an artistic activity though, if you think of baroque cathedrals and palaces from centuries ago it was the architects who expressed themselves as artists, it sets the tone of the city. That’s what happened in Liverpool, the resurgence has been because of the new buildings not because we've got good art galleries, which we do like Tate Liverpool and the Walker Art Gallery. The resurgence in Liverpool has been about the investments in new buildings, that’s only a one-sided resurgence though because the buildings in the city centre are expensive flats and there is still a lot to do throughout Liverpool.”

After 20 years teaching Ken decided to return to private practice after being tempted back by Peter Hynd, founder of Neptune Wirral, and he was promptly commissioned to design the National Conservation Centre, on Whitechapel, which won the Museum of the Year Award. “It was very challenging because we had to respect the quality of the interior, and we got consent to build three floors inside which was very hi-tech and very enjoyable to do. Some

people asked why I didn’t make more of a modern intervention but I wanted to respect the building.”

It’s that deep founded respect for heritage which once again won him another accolade, the local Best New Building Award, for his design of the new Floral Pavilion Theatre in New Brighton. “It’s a big spacious building, it’s an easy building to understand, when you enter the cafe is on one side, the box office on the other and when you go up the stairs there is this big

“

Social housing is one area where architects can use their inventiveness to solve some social problems

“

With over four decades of experience watching styles come and go, buildings demolished and a city completely rebuilt Ken’s work is still commended and his designs for the New Brighton Floral Pavilion Theatre is the latest building to win him an architectural award. After graduating from the University of Liverpool School of Architecture in 1956, he worked for Hall, O’Donohue and Wilson, the leading architect firm at the time and was the job architect for the Liverpool Playhouse in Liverpool. Sitting in his beloved gallery View Two, on Mathew Street, we talked about his life as an architect, art patron and his views on the city’s regeneration.

“The Playhouse was a lovely opportunity for a young architect Liverpool was supposed to be this city of change and modern buildings. The Playhouse is very architectural, that was the work of a young man, saying look at this building with all its concrete lit at night but it wasn't very popular with everyone because it is so modern.”

Although, as a young gifted architect he was lucky enough to work on a number of projects that would mould the city into what it is now, he left private practice in 1968 to build up the nascent architecture department of Liverpool John Moores University, turning the course into the degree that it is today. The department spawned a number of notable figures including Ian Simpson, who designed the tallest building in Manchester, the Beetham Tower, and Terry Davenport who created the master plan for Liverpool One. “I’m enthusiastic about architecture. I used to say to my students it’s not one style of architecture that’s right

plaza, the front of house, and then you go up another level to the panoramic lounge and that has views across Liverpool bay, where you can see the ships coming in. It’s a place to have a coffee in the morning so it’s not just a theatre at night you can use it all during the day. We worked with the people who had ran the theatre before and so we’ve kept the spirit of the old floral hall. The auditorium, at 400 seats, is just about the maximum size for a single level theatre and because it was single level it was much less expensive than the other

model theaters of two levels. We built the theatre by using a traditional form and which has very good acoustics without needing to install hi-tech gear. The emphasis was on value for money. I was very pleased with the award and was pleasantly surprised by it as we were up against the Arena. The theatre is a building that is used by a lot of the public and it is a building for them. So architecture can be very enjoyable, it has had its up and downs but I've enjoyed working with builders and people who are enthusiastic of the project.

But I can say this in a very relaxed way now, because I'm 72 and I've had a practice for 45 years. So when I say the Floral Pavilion is the best I've done, it may not be the most architectural but it’s the most successful building.”

Interestingly enough it is the design of affordable housing, which wins no awards, that not only pleases Ken the most, but is also his future.

“One of the jobs I did which I really enjoyed was some housing alongside Liverpool Football Club in Anfield. I renovated a row of houses which was totally derelict now they’re jobs that don't win any prizes, but the people I was working for were really pleased with them. I will be doing housing for the next couple of years; I think there’s a real need for affordable, economic houses people can buy.

To do that we shouldn't be knocking down as many houses as we do. There’s a running battle with some of the political ideas from the last 10 years clearing areas to build new houses and some properties could have been repaired. The houses I did in Anfield were properties structurally sound and when they were renovated internally with new

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Ken Martin Founding Father

Martin File Born: Preston, 1938 Education: Clytheroe Primary School and University of Liverpool First Job: Shepherd Construction in York Hobbies: Sketching, travelling and listening to good music at the View Two Art Gallery

kitchens and bathrooms they were very affordable and like a new building. You don't have to build the infrastructure like the roads, the density is kept high as they are in terraces and people who live in them want to stay in them. We haven't got a good record at present in providing houses for people who don't have the money to spend so much. Social housing is one area where architects can use their inventiveness to solve some social problems.”

A man of many talents, Ken bought a derelict banana warehouse on Mathew Street 10 years ago and repaired it creating the respected View Two Art Gallery. The gallery, which spreads over two floors not only exhibits the works of local artists but also work from abroad, and has a bar with a grand piano which covers the costs of running the gallery.

“This organisation is run with minimal overheads, and is very approachable I mean I'm the committee it’s not like going to the big arts organisations, and people use it in a good way. It’s an unfunded arts centre, the gallery is only as good as the people who want to come here, and because it’s got a good reputation they come looking for me to put something on. The gallery has steady sales and holds music nights to help with costs, but I am surprised there’s not a lot of art buying in Liverpool, especially in the corporate market which isn’t that adventurous. We have helped build the reputation of some of the artists as well, we had the Stuckists in 2008 and it was a fantastic exhibition with the walls lined with paintings.” His current exhibitions include the hypnotic paintings of Chiz Turnross and hosts the very popular music-night Lost Voices on the last Thursday of each month. In the end it’s this juxtaposition of teacher, architect and art lover that still makes Ken so essential to the city’s growth. “I think I would still be an architect if I was starting out now, it’s a very good job and the work is selective.

I've had three recessions in my working life and they last two to three years and this one will be a hard one to come out of but there will be work in the future, and as long as I enjoy it I will continue doing it.”

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Expert views Ask the panel

How will the government cuts affect you?

“With the spending review now behind us, both buyers and sellers will have a clearer picture of their personal financial situation and be able to move forward with property decisions.

Unfortunately, the obstacle for many remains financing. Until the banks regain a more rational attitude towards lending, many worthy buyers face difficulties. At St Paul's Square we work closely with Savills Private Finance to make sure buyers get the advice they need when choosing a mortgage. The good news is that interest rates are likely to remain low, which means mortgages may now be more affordable."

Pauline Sangster, Sales and Marketing Manager for St Paul's Square Apartments

“While regrettable, the cuts were not unexpected, and at least the spending review has given us a clear strategy to move forward without uncertainty. Based on the emergency budget, the construction industry has received £3.5bn more than we expected. Investment in transport and infrastructure will create particular growth opportunities for the north-west, and it was pleasing to learn of the funding being placed in education and health. Going forward we will have to wait and see how this will filter down to us locally and regionally. Additionally, apprenticeships are vital to the future growth of our industry and we’re pleased to hear extra funds will be dedicated to apprentices.”

Peter Linford, director at Nobles Construction “There has been a mixed response to the recent spending review in the tourism & leisure industry. Although VisitBritain has seen some ‘tough challenges’ with budget cuts that will inevitably have a knock-on effect to all of us, the strength of other currencies against the pound means that we’ve seen a rise in the number of international tourists visiting the hotel.

Our USP of the Beatles combined with a quality offer are key to attracting more customers and help differentiate us.”

Andrew Moss, partner at DSG chartered accountants 46 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Matt Newing, chief executive of business telecoms provider, Elite Telecom

Jonathan Davies, director at the Hard Days Night Hotel

“As expected, many small businesses and not-forprofit organisations which rely on public sector contracts for significant parts of their income will be looking over their shoulders from now on. The government’s first act must be to ensure that the promised increase in bank lending, at affordable rates of credit, becomes a tangible reality to allow small businesses to invest and fill the vacuum left by public spending cuts. The 7% reduction in council spending is also likely to have a negative impact on the profitability of businesses in the form of increased business rates, council tax and parking charges, all of which will squeeze their bottom line.”

“The reality is that the previous government bequeathed a massive budget deficit that the coalition must address quickly or risk plunging the county into further, more toxic debt. The private sector has been hammered for almost two years and, unfortunately, it’s now the turn of the public sector to suffer job losses and cutbacks. Public sector cuts are never popular, whatever the climate, and this time is no different. In the vacuum of a smaller public purse, it will be left to business to drive the country away from recession and the early signs are positive that we have a platform to do just that over the coming years.”

“

With the spending review now behind us, both buyers and sellers will have a clearer picture of their personal financial situation and be able to move forward with property decisions.

”

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