Move Commercial 40

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:26 Page 1

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESHIRE MANCHESTER

SEPTEMBER 2014

FREE

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

Developing Education Why school and university builds attract developers

Issue 40

Sim Cities The rise of virtual technology in construction

Rethinking Regeneration Atlantic Gateway’s Kate Willard talks passion and progress

www.movecommercial.com

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:29 Page 2

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:47 Page 3

MOVE COMMERCIAL

3

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:06 Page 4

OUR LIVERPOOL FLEXI-OFFICE REVOLUTION IS GATHERING PACE...

MORE AND MORE BUSINESSES ARE ENJOYING THE FLEXIBILITY OF A SERVICED OFFICE WITH NONE OF THE ADD-ON COSTS.

CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THIS SPACE?

Our Flexi-Offices are letting as quickly as we can create them.

A range of new suites are ready for occupation at No.1 Old Hall Street – from 140sqft upwards – with further Flexi-Offices on their way in the next few weeks at Graeme House. So, if you have an office requirement for one person or more – just tell us what you’re looking for. WE’RE READY WHEN YOU ARE.

T: 0151 707 2666 E: offices@downing.com www.downing.com/flexi-offices

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 17:16 Page 5

Issue forty Move Commercial

Contents News 06 The region’s news in brief 07 State of the City report reveals ‘positive’ outlook 08 Liverpool ONE bucks national trend 09 Sony Building sold 10 New tenant for Graeme House 11 Manchester mixed-use development revealed 12 Clarke Energy receives Queen’s Award for business

Features

20

Welcome to Move Commercial The summer months have brought some exciting developments for Move Commercial, from the successful launch of our website, www.movecommercial.com back in July, to a host of fresh new features in this latest issue.

We’ve got some vibrant new additions, jam-packed with expert insight from some of the biggest and brightest names in the commercial property and business sectors. Don’t miss our problem

solving Business Clinic filled with expert advice, and we caught up with Seddon’s managing director, Jonathan Seddon, to find out what’s caught his eye in the industry during the past month.

Plus, September’s Lunch Debate takes a timely look at investing in new buildings for the region’s schools and universities, and our mover and shaker, Kate Willard, talks about her role in the region’s Atlantic Gateway.

28

24

34

move publishing ltd Advertising Director Fiona Barnet. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Advertising Manager Catherine McCarthy. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editor Christine Toner. Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editorial Team Natasha Young and Stephen Hurrell.

Tel: 0151 709 3871 post@movepublishing.co.uk

Design Mark Iddon.

Email: mark@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 Credits: Hufton and Crow – cover.

Peter Kelly – Lunch Debate, Lunch Date, Mover & Shaker.

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.

14 My Month Seddon’s managing director, Jonathan Seddon, looks back at his month 16 Bitesize Thinking Food for thought 18 Appointments The industry’s movers 20 Sim Cities 3D technology in construction 24 Entreprenuer Sweet Mandarin’s global trade success 27 Opinion Is it time for developers to look up?

28 Lunch Debate Investing in education 34 Mover & Shaker The Atlantic Gateway’s Kate Willard 38 Lunch Date Lunch with Andrew Kingsley, director of Kingsley Associates 39 Secrets to Success Kirwans Solicitors reveals all 41 Event Planner What’s on around the region 42 BID for Progress The impact of the North West’s Business Improvement Districts 44 Business Clinic Advice from industry experts 47 Ask the Panel What should be at the top of the agenda for the new business minister?

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:46 Page 6

News in brief Around the region

M6

M65

BLACKPOOL

In the new issue of Move Commercial we have the latest commercial property and business news from across the North West. From the latest sales and lettings deals to insights into the region’s newest developments, we cover the biggest stories from Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire.

M65

PRESTON BLACKBURN

M65

SOUTHPORT

M6

M61

ROCHDALE

BOLTON ORMSKIRK

SKELMERSDALE WIGAN

OLDHAM

M58

M57 KNOWSLEY

MANCHESTER

M6 ST HELENS

M62

LIVERPOOL STOCKPORT BIRKENHEAD

WARRINGTON

ALTRINCHAM

M53

M6 ELLESMERE PORT

M56 MACCLESFIELD

CHESTER

> LIVERPOOL

> MANCHESTER

> KNOWSLEY

> WIRRAL

Sony Building sold

Bollywood studio invests in Manchester

Queen’s Award for Clarke Energy

Rise in bridging loans

The Sony Building in Wavertree has changed hands in a £4.4m deal.

A £13m investment includes postproduction facilities.

A Knowsley firm is recognised for its trade achievements.

Wirral-based company reveals rise in short-term finance use.

>> Read More on Page 9

>> Read More on Page 11

>> Read More on Page 12

>> Read More on Page 8

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:46 Page 7

Latest News

City report forecasts ‘positive’outlook on economic growth

Peel completes Princes Dock refurbishment

Manchester City Council has delivered the report

ASSESSMENTS OF Manchester’s economy have shown “increased optimism” during the last 12 months, according to the city council’s 2013/2014 State of the City report.

The annual study of growth, people and place, which looks at the city’s progress in terms of goals set by its Community Strategy and in comparison with the national outlook, suggests continued recovery and a “positive” forecast for the future.

According to the report: “Assessments of the city’s economy have demonstrated increased

optimism over the past year.

Manchester’s economy has continued to recover from the impacts of the recession and businesses are reporting increased levels of confidence.”

It adds: “Forecasts for the future economic growth are positive, with the Greater Manchester Forcecasting Model anticipating that the city region will generate an additional £17 billion GVA (Gross Value Added) per year over the next 10 years.

The report goes on to highlight Airport City, the Etihad Campus and Sharp Futures as projects which will

“underpin continued economic and employment growth,” along with current major projects such as NOMA, First Street, Citylabs, the National Graphene Institute, and the MMU Birley Fields campus.

Meanwhile, effective transport infrastructure is said to be a key driver of the city’s growth as it “enables business connectivity,” with large scale projects such as the Northern Hub and High Speed Rail stations at Piccadilly and the Airport expected to “become catalysts for regeneration as well as key transport connections”.

PEEL HAS completed a fourth-floor office refurbishment at Liverpool’s No 12 Princes Dock.

The 6,100 sq ft column –free space at the waterfront site has been fitted with features including new lighting, ceiling, carpeting and redecoration, as well as glazed doors which open up to a fully landscaped terrace overlooking Liverpool Bay. Liza Marco, asset manager for Peel, says: “This refurbishment demonstrates Peel’s vision to create impressive office space in Liverpool.”

The Princes Dock site, which is set within Peel’s major £7 billion Liverpool Waters redevelopment scheme, also benefits from on-site car parking, 24-hour security services, an on-site maintenance team, an on-site member health and leisure club, nursery, newsagents, ATM, Cruise Terminal coffee shop, bars and restaurants and numerous on-site events.

Meanwhile Peel’s wider Liverpool Waters vision, which received central government approval for the planning permission back in March 2013, involves the regeneration of 60 hectares of historic dockland to create a “world-class, high-quality, mixed use waterfront quarter” in the centre of the city.

Former hospital attracts interest for potential development A FORMER Victorian Memorial Hospital being marketed as a redevelopment opportunity is attracting interest in Cheshire, according to commercial property agent Mason Owen.

Victoria House in Runcorn was built in 1909 and has since been used as offices by the NHS, as it provides accommodation over three floors.

The site, with traditional features to the front and a modern 1960s link building to the rear providing further office space, is now being sold by NHS Property Services.

According to Paul Thorne from Mason

Owen, which has been instructed by NHS Property Services to find a buyer for the period property, the building’s location is already making it an attractive offering for potential buyers.

He says: “We are delighted to be acting on behalf of NHS Property Services on the disposal of this former NHS site.

“Located within close proximity to Runcorn station, the area benefits from excellent communication links which will be further enhanced by the new Mersey Gateway Project. Not surprisingly we have received a number of enquiries for what represents a unique development opportunity.”

Victoria House MOVE COMMERCIAL

7

News Latest

Visitor success at Liverpool ONE bucks national trends

Liverpool ONE

Liverpool ONE is bucking the national trend of declining high street footfall, after an increase of one million visitors in 2014 to date compared to the same period in 2013.

The complex recorded a 6.5% increase on visitors compared to 2013, despite new British Retail Consortium (BRC) statistics showing a 0.6% decline in city centre shopping visitors across the UK as a whole.

The BRC figures also show retail sales in July fell nationally by 0.8% but Liverpool ONE recorded an increase of 6.7% during the same month.

The success has been attributed to events such as the International Festival for Business 2014 and the Giant Spectacular, as

3 Hardman Square office opens after refurb

3 Hardman Square

TOWERGATE INSURANCE has opened the doors of its new office at 3 Hardman Square in the Spinningfields area of Manchester, after an extensive redevelopment of its interior.

The insurance intermediary business invited Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese to join Towergate Group CEO Mark Hodges in officially opening the new office, which has undergone a ‘cutting edge’ refurbishment. The new 36,000 sq ft office will be home to the company’s customer service teams and it plans to create up to 400 new jobs at the site.

Hodges says: “This new centre has been fitted out to a high standard in a short amount of time and I have been very impressed with the calibre of people we 8

MOVE COMMERCIAL

have attracted from across the region.

We made the right decision to come to Manchester and this new development shows the ambition and drive that will shape a very successful future for Towergate.”

Sir Richard Leese adds: “We welcome the faith and commitment large organisations have when they choose Manchester as a base for their operations.”

The move came as a result of talks with Manchester’s inward investment company MIDAS, which provided advice on relocating to Manchester and the Spinningfields area.

Trilogie CRE advised Towergate on the deal while CBRE advised the owner of 3 Hardman Square, Credit Suisse Asset Management.

well as new store openings including Argos’ first digital concept store, audio specialist Bose and restaurant chain Bill’s.

Chris Bliss, estate director at Liverpool ONE, says: “We’ve had a tremendously strong year so far and it is with great pleasure that we announce these incredible results.

“These figures demonstrate that, while the spotlight has been on the city, our retailers have been at the forefront in welcoming the thousands of guests we’ve seen. It’s fantastic to see that Liverpool’s retail offering is, once again, leading the way across the country.

We should all take a huge amount of pride in this achievement.”

Short-term lending boost for commercial schemes LENDING TO Merseyside customers has increased by nearly a third during the past six months, according to Wirral-based lender Bridging Finance Solutions.

Developers and individuals involved in commercial schemes are benefiting from bridging finance when traditional forms of credit are not available, according to the firm, which has recorded a 28% increase in lending to its customers since the beginning of the year.

Steve Barber, managing director of Bridging Finance Solutions, says: “Whilst UK-wide we’ve seen more movement within the property market during the past 12 months, we’ve experienced more enquiries and lending in Merseyside than ever before. Our figures speak for themselves – traditionally, we have worked with customers across the UK yet and continue to do so, however, the local market is particular buoyant.

“There is a lot of activity across Merseyside at the moment for both residential and commercial

Steve Barber

schemes. Many of the projects that have been on hold for several years are being picked up again and considered viable, yet bank lending can still be difficult to secure.”

Barber says bridging is now becoming a more ‘mainstream finance options’ and there is less scepticism around the form of financing. He says: “There are increasing numbers of professional advisors keen to partner with us and recommend BFS to their own clients.”

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:46 Page 9

Sales & Lettings News

Sony Building sold for £4.4m The Heath Business and Technical Park

Cheshire business park welcomes new tenants Sony Building

INVESTMENT FIRM Karlin Real Estate has completed a deal to buy the Sony Building in Liverpool for £4.4 million from previous owner Telereal Trillium.

The building, which has been occupied by gaming giant Sony since it was built in 1997, represents a net initial yield of 10.75% for Karlin Real Estate and has a passing rent of £500,000 per annum, which equates to £9.97 per sq ft. The Sony Building has 50,655 sq ft of space across 3.07 acres of land and is located in Wavertree Business Park.

After closing its games studio arm of the business at the site in 2012, Sony has retained its other business arms and

this year signed a ten-year deal to stay at the three-storey office, with a rent review scheduled for 2019.

Mark Kelly, director of disposals and development at Telereal Trillium, says: "This deal shows the value of a committed tenant. The recent lease renewal we negotiated with Sony meant we could offer the Sony Building as a strong investment in a buoyant market."

The building was originally marketed at £4.1 million, reflecting an initial yield of 11.5%. Finn and Company acted on behalf of Telereal Trillium during the deal.

TWO NEW TENANTS have taken space at The Heath Business and Technical Park in Cheshire.

Rail industry services provider, PPS Rail and creative firm Red Website Design have both become the latest occupants at the Runcorn site, which offers serviced office and laboratory space within the region accommodating large and small businesses.

The signings come after the recent news that two existing occupants at the park have experienced rapid growth.

IT company d3t says it has seen its export contracts grow from 5% to 25% of its business over the past three years, having welcomed a number of new European customers during 2013 and the first half of 2014.

Meanwhile, digital marketing agency Aqueous Digital has doubled its office space within The Heath Business and Technical Park after it doubled its turnover in 12 months attracting more than 30 new online marketing clients.

Having expanded into a larger office, with plans to also increase the company’s team of six full-time staff in the autumn, managing director Jonathan Guy says: “The new space will allow us to grow the team and hold meetings with customers with minimum disruption to colleagues.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL

9

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:47 Page 10

News Sales & Lettings

Prospect GB hails sales surge SALES AND LETTINGS at Prospect GB’s offices have ‘surged’ since the beginning of the year, the Liverpool-based developer has announced.

The firm’s commercial division, Prospect Commercial, has secured 16,741 sq ft in sales and 13,737 sq ft of lettings at properties across the North after strong demand in Merseyside and Cheshire, it has revealed.

The lettings figure was secured after the company’s most recent letting in the Meridian Business Village development in Hunts Cross, which means just three spaces are left at the site.

Chris Walker, head of Prospect Commercial, says: “We have seen a major reduction in total void space across commercial properties in the North West, Yorkshire and North Wales. We have just completed the sale of a building in Poynton and another letting at one of our most in-demand locations Meridian Business Village in Hunts Cross, South Liverpool, where sustained activity has left just three units available.”

The remaining units in Meridian Business Village are between 1,313 sq ft and 8,085 sq ft and can be part or fully let. Keppie Massie and Hitchcock Wright & Partners are acting as joint agents for Prospect GB. For more information visit www.prospectgb.com

Chris Walker 10 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Training firm moves in at Graeme House

Graeme House

A TRAINING and apprenticeship provider has let 4,555 sq ft of office space at Graeme House in Liverpool, after a bespoke fitout by owner Downing took place at the site.

Aspire Achieve Advance Ltd (3aaa) has taken a five-year lease at the office in Derby Square, which is near to Liverpool ONE and the Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts. Downing has fitted out the office to 3aaa’s specification in preparation for the move as part of its Flexi-Office scheme, which offers more flexible leases for smaller businesses.

Robin Ellis, senior agency surveyor at Downing, says: “We’re very pleased to welcome 3aaa to Graeme House. They’re a

great team and provide a really valuable service to young people. Graeme House is in an unbeatable, central location – which makes it perfect for a company like 3aaa.

“We’ve created a bespoke tailored space for the business which perfectly matches its requirements for a staff area, communal space, interview and training rooms – all ready to go the day they move in. We’re confident that their new suite will provide the company with a brilliant base from which to run their operations.”

Downing offers over 80 flexible offices in the Port of Liverpool Building and at No.1 Old Hall Street.

Commercial opportunities set to go under the hammer SUTTON KERSH is “optimistic” about its forthcoming property auction, as a number of commercial opportunities get set to go under the hammer.

Concorde House in Blackpool is said to be among the highlights of the 107 lots at the 11 September sale, taking place at Liverpool City Centre Marriott Hotel, as it comes with a guide price of £175,000 plus.

The former retail warehouse benefits from planning permission for three ground floor retail units and 15 self contained flats to the upper floors.

Meanwhile, a detached Wigan property which had previously been used as a health clinic with office accommodation provides a development opportunity at the auction, subject to planning, and has a guide price of £110,000 plus.

Mixed use properties in Liverpool’s Walton Village,

Concorde House, Blackpool

including a vacant retail unit with first floor ancillary accommodation, and a middle terraced property with a ground floor retail unit and a three-bedroom flat will also be available to potential buyers.

Auction manageress Cathy Holt says: “This is a strong catalogue to start the second half of our auction year, with a host of buying

opportunities at a range of guide prices.

“Proceeds from our first four sales of 2014 already stand at over £21 million so we have every reason to be optimistic.”

The full catalogue for the September auction is online at www.suttonkersh.co.uk/auctionsproperty

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:47 Page 11

Developments News

Creative firms drawn to commercial district schemes, says Bruntwood

The Loft

LIVERPOOL’S COMMERCIAL district is fast becoming a magnet for the city’s creative business community, according to property firm Bruntwood.

The commercial property owner, which includes the area’s Cotton Exchange, Oriel Chambers, The Plaza and Queen Insurance Building within its portfolio, says it has witnessed an influx of digital agencies, design consultancies and technology firms taking space in the district.

Colin Sinclair, director of property marketing at Bruntwood, says: “The commercial district has gone from strength to strength in recent months and one of the most notable things in its growth has been the number of innovative creative businesses that have been moving in.”

According to Sinclair, the area’s public

Major mixed-use development in Manchester revealed

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg

BOLLYWOOD STUDIO PLANS MANCHESTER FACILITY BOLLYWOOD PRODUCER Vistaar has revealed plans to create a new post-production facility in Manchester as part of a £13 million investment in the UK. The firm made the announcement during a visit by UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to a film set in Mumbai at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. He launched an Indian interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet named Veda, which will include £3.9 million investment in the UK portion of filming and will be released in 2015.

Vistaar managing director Sheetal Talwar says: “We are working with entertainment specialist chartered accountants Nyman Libson Paul and Goldfinch to explore and invest in

transport links, amenities, increase in networking events and activities of the Commercial BID team are proving attractive to such tenants, along with the “significant creative community” that is already based there.

His comments come after Bruntwood’s own creative office schemes, The Loft and Trading Rooms are said to have sold out within weeks of completion, attracting firms such as architects, web developers and digital media agencies.

Sinclair adds: “With continued investment into the commercial district underway, this trend of creative movement looks to be a feature of the coming months and years, which can only be good news for the area and the city’s overall economic growth.”

further projects in the UK. We feel that our British investments shall give us the opportunity to grow the business and help us achieve market leadership in our sector of socially responsible cinema.”

Vistaar will invest £7.2m in a second movie that will be part-filmed in the UK called Guru Dutt. To support the filming production facilities will be created in Manchester to edit the footage.

Nick Clegg says: “Indian producers will follow their counterparts in the US and take advantage of the UK’s facilities, expertise and glorious locations to create the next Indian Star Wars or Game of Thrones.”

MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL is in discussions with the Police Commissioner to buy the former police offices at Bootle Street and create a major mixed-used development in the city’s Civic Quarter.

As this issue of Move Commercial was going to press, a report was due to go before the city’s executive and was being recommended for approval. If accepted, a masterplan for a “comprehensive” mixed-use development will be developed and go before public consultation.

The report says the council plans to create an Agreement for Lease with Jackson’s Row Development Company (JRDC) to redevelop the building and nearby sites including the United Reform Synagogue and the Abercrombie, as well as the open land, known as ‘Rackind Land’, adjacent to the buildings.

JRDC, which is owned by former Manchester United footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, is in final negotiations to buy the third party land to enable the redevelopment and has entered into a contract with a major international four or five-star hotel operator for the site.

The report says: “The relocation of GMP (Greater Manchester Police) from Bootle Street Police Station provides a major opportunity to provide a major new mixed use development, in a strategic location in the heart of the Civic Quarter. The development has significant potential to add to the growth of the Civic Quarter and the regional centre.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL 11

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:47 Page 12

News Commercial

Expansion for Liverpool recruiter A NORTH WEST specialist recruitment company plans to take on six more staff after recording a 300% increase in sales.

Kingsley Associates, a company specialising in property, engineering, legal and business support recruitment, says sales for the first half of 2014 were three times higher than the same period in 2013, leading to ambitious expansion plans at its Liverpool office.

The company has already appointed two new members to the team, as Michael Lucas joins from Bromak as a construction recruitment consultant, while graduate Liz Ellis joins as a research and administration consultant within the Legal and Business Support teams.

Andrew Kingsley, director, says: “Kingsley Associates has a growing reputation within the North West recruitment industry and I have no doubt that our latest appointments will help to further serve both our new and existing clients, whilst continuing our remarkable growth.”

“We have worked hard in recent years to grow the business in some difficult times but I am glad to see that our efforts are now being realised through increased client-base and vastly improved sales.”

The company currently employs 14 staff at its office in St Paul’s Square, having been set up by husband and wife team Andrew and Caroline Kingsley in 2007. The firm recently won ‘Recruitment Business of the Year’ at the City of Liverpool Business Awards.

Energy firm receives Queen’s Award for international trade A KNOWSLEY-BASED energy firm has been awarded the UK’s highest accolade for business success in recognition of its trade achievements.

Clarke Energy, a gas engine specialist in the gas to power generation industry, received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade, and two employees attended a celebratory evening reception at Buckingham Palace.

The firm’s chief financial officer, Peter Holiday and managing director for the UK, Ireland and sub-Saharan Africa; Haydn Rees met with HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip at the event, which was followed by an official visit to Clarke Energy’s Knowsley Industrial Park head office by Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Dame Lorna Muirhead.

The Queen’s representative for the county was joined by other high profile guests from the North West, including representatives from UKTI, Knowsley Council, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce and

Clarke Energy employees receive the Queen’s Award

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

The visitors were given a presentation outlining Clarke Energy’s business and a tour around the facilities followed by the presentation of internal company awards and finally the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, signified by an engraved crystal bowl and certificate signed by the Queen and Prime

Minister David Cameron.

Peter Holliday says: “We are delighted to have received this recognition for our performance in international trade from the Queen.

This success is due to our focus on delivering high quality gas-fuelled combined heat and power plants, supported by local dedicated service teams.”

Law firm marks 10th year with move to Edward Pavilion

Edward Pavilion

Michael Lucas and Liz Ellis

12 MOVE COMMERCIAL

LIVERPOOL-BASED Parry & Company Solicitors is marking its 10th anniversary year by relocating to a new waterfront premises.

The firm has relocated from its Stanley Grange Business Village site in Knowsley to an office space at Albert Dock’s Edward Pavilion.

Managing partner Kate Parry says: “Our new premises will enable further growth and will place us at the heart of Liverpool’s business community. Our work is quite varied and not all within the region, which is why our new premises will be ideal, with easy access to main road networks, rail links - direct trains from Liverpool to

London within two hours - and of course Liverpool John Lennon Airport, through which 5 million passengers travel each year.”

Parry & Company, which provides legal services for commercial sectors, has also “invested heavily” in new technology and IT systems as it aims to improve its services and stay ahead of competition.

Parry adds: “We are delighted to reach this milestone and are proud that the business has grown to be such a success, providing essential legal expertise to our extremely diverse client base ranging from individuals, SMEs through to Blue Chip and FTSE 100 and international clients”.

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:40 Page 13

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 12:24 Page 14

Jonathan Seddon, managing director, Seddon My month With a diverse range of construction and development projects across the region, from office and retail space to large-scale regeneration, as well as a hugely successful apprenticeship scheme, it’s a busy time for North West-based firm Seddon. Managing director Jonathan Seddon has taken time out to reflect on his past month in the industry and plans for the month ahead.

My goal at the start of the month was...

The goal at the start of every month is to continue to grow the business in the key markets that we have identified.

Seddon is currently enjoying an expansion to our commercial arm, winning new and bigger projects that have quickly established us as a leading player in the region.

In the past month we have completed work transforming two major car dealerships, with the Hyundai showroom in Stockport and Williams BMW’s Liverpool dealership both re-opening their doors after £1.5 million refurbishments.

We’ve also handed over the keys to a three-storey office facility in Leigh for Adactus Housing Group following a new-build and expansion project, and we are starting on-site on a number of landmark projects in Chester - including the flagship City Place scheme with Muse Developments which will signal the start of a new central business quarter in the city.

The growth in our commercial activity along with the continued success of our housing and care home teams mean that these are exciting times for Seddon.

My biggest achievement was...

My biggest challenge was...

At Seddon, we have a proud history in delivering training and apprenticeships for our staff.

We have employed apprentices for 80 consecutive years and have schemes such as our Grow Your Own campaign, which are helping to change perceptions and attract more talented people into the business and the construction industry as a whole.

That’s why I was proud to hear Seddon staff speaking so passionately about the work we do as part of the BBC’s coverage of A Level results day.

One of our apprentices was joined

by Roy Cavanagh, our training and

After years of recession we are finally starting to see signs of life in the economy and a recovery, even if it is a fragile one, is on the way.

However, recent figures from the Office of National Statistics have shown that the construction sector is still lagging behind in terms of growth, and that we are struggling to keep pace with the revival being enjoyed in other areas.

At Seddon, we are already reaping the rewards of the renewed optimism in the market, with new commercial projects coming online and continued success in our housing and care home division.

education executive, to talk about the alternatives to university education.

Knowing that Seddon is leading the debate in this area, and that we have a team that is ready to stand up and champion our industry so passionately is a huge achievement.

We have always believed in training for the industry - not just ourselves as the construction sector is gripped by a crippling skills gap. Last year alone we took on 50 apprentices and are one of the few large builders to have retained a dedicated apprenticeship and training programme throughout the recession.

The challenge for the sector is making sure that we are armed for future growth in terms of personnel and materials.

Seddon retained a dedicated skills and apprenticeship program throughout the recession, and we have the right people to deliver for our clients, however, shortage of supply and increasing costs of materials (such as bricks), will pause progress and hold up the recovery.

THE NEWS STORY THAT CAUGHT MY EYE...

The Telegraph featured an interesting article on apprenticeships following the release of this year’s A Level results.

The article focused on the fact that government figures suggest that 1.8 million apprentices have started training since 2010. A recent study suggested that over a third of students have considered taking an apprenticeship instead of the university route.

The article resonated with Seddon, as we regularly receive 600 applications for our apprenticeship programmes, and are committed to helping change perceptions of the sector to attract more talented youngsters into construction.

The key meeting I had...

We have made significant progress in bringing forward our landmark Broadway Green development in Oldham following a number of high level meetings.

The project, which is a joint venture with Seddon Developments, Grasscroft Property and Oldham Council, will transform the 120-acre site with 700,000 sq ft of commercial space, 500 homes, 22 acres of parkland and a link road.

The scheme is predicted to create between 1,000 and 2,000 jobs for the area.

Broadway Green represents the type of large-scale regeneration schemes that Seddon is capable of delivering for our partners.

My plan for next month...

When I first started work at Seddon I was an apprentice bricklayer learning my trade, and there is nothing I enjoy more that getting back on site and seeing the next generation of talented youngsters delivering on some of the remarkable projects we are involved in.

With so many projects getting underway across the North West I’m planning to spend some time this month getting back to the floor working with the teams on the ground. This is what I love about the industry we work in, and it is good to take stock and remind ourselves of the significant impact the construction sector has across the country.

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:16 Page 15

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:17 Page 16

Bitesize thinking

David Guest property director, Bizspace Ltd

In my crystal ball...

I very much believe that the future success of commercial property will be closely linked with the greater integration of technology. Better use of technology can lead to flexibility for the property offering as a whole, from the type, style and quality of product, to the place of work, price and legal framework.

I also think we will see that the use of co-working space will spread into more traditional economic sectors, aside from digital, creative and technology.

Looming as well is a major challenge for the government to balance environmental targets with supporting the SME and starter community. Its proposals to ban the letting of properties with energy ratings F and G in 2018 will affect a gulf of start-up businesses and SMEs, risking their massive contribution to GDP, as well as jobs and the prospects for major future economic growth.

If only I’d known…

I followed my father’s footsteps into a career in commercial property and it is an industry that I love because it is constantly changing. This does mean, however, that it is easy to look back and spot opportunities to have done things differently.

With the gift of hindsight I wish I had been able to foresee that the strength in demand for smaller units and flexible workspaces would have remained strong throughout the recession. By having a network of smaller spaces in place from 2005 onwards, this could have enabled more start-ups to get their business up and running sooner, or allowed a greater number of businesses which were struggling to move into less expensive accommodation and continue operating.

Since moving into my role with Bizspace earlier this year I have seen the intense demand for industrial units under 5,000 sq ft and offices under 1,000 sq ft within our business centres, with more than 40 new customers moving into our North West portfolio every month. It really makes you think!

My favourite building with...

Image: Robert Cutts

Paul Gagan director of commercial property management, Eddisons

The John Rylands Library, Manchester Whilst there’s a series of strong contenders, ‘the favourite’ requires one to stand above the rest. I’ve looked to the heart of Manchester, where I work and the buildings are perhaps most familiar to me. It would be possible to offer the Town Hall, but I prefer The John Rylands Library, located on Deansgate.

This architectural gem from the Victorian city fathers challenges casual glance by its symmetry, appearing asymmetric from the usual angles of approach, whilst offering increasing layers of complexity the closer the observer looks. The once grand entrance to Deansgate has been relegated by the modern extension that now invites the visitor to move through a clean, white, modern transition space to a world that might most easily be summarised as ‘Harry Potter-esque’. The ceiling vaults, carefully carved detailing and tricks of light lead you to step into another world where time ceases to have meaning.

The building, for me, represents Manchester’s journey, from its industrial past, investment in knowledge and public access that continues to be relevant today. It offers insight into the importance of adaptability and embracing the modern, signalling the potential of the future and the rejuvenation of the city centre.

16 MOVE COMMERCIAL

“The building, for me, represents Manchester’s journey, from its industrial past”

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:17 Page 17

Bitesize thinking

Edward Cottrell managing director, Cottrell Commercial

Curriculum VITAE Main duties: As a small business my role encapsulates everything from marketing to accounts, the website and computer hardware, planning and budgeting, business generation and, of course, the actual job of surveying.

Education: My formative years were at The King’s School in Chester and sixth form at Helsby High School, before Sheffield City Polytechnic (now Hallam University) where I obtained a 2:1 honours degree in Urban Land Economics.

First job: A range of summer jobs, from car washing to printing out gaskets in a factory, but my first job in the property profession was with Littlewoods in Liverpool.

Shortest job: I spent six months working as a consultant for a chain of accountants before joining DTZ in Manchester. I will always be grateful to DTZ for getting me out of there!

What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received?

Clients always appreciate advice that is clear, unequivocal and to the point.

What advice would you give to somebody starting out in the industry?

Move jobs every two years and experience a wide range of employers and roles. Nothing beats being able to call upon those experiences further downstream.

What makes Cottrell Commercial different?

I’m not sure we are different, but we’re entirely focused on providing clients with the best service and advice possible.

Tell us about Cottrell Commercial's plans for the next 12 months?

It’s clear that the next 12 months offers opportunities to small businesses to go out and grasp a far greater share of the market. I hope to resurrect plans to employ additional personnel so long as the right personnel are available.

What’s the secret to your success?

Hard work. Nothing beats grafting in this market.

Tweet all about it The 5 best commercial tweets

1 2 3 4 5

@WirralChamber Peel Ports to create 500 jobs at the Port of Liverpool after signing £100m Chinese cranes deal @philipjamesmcr The Manchester office market is back on track with 800,000 sq ft of office space let in the first half of 2014 @20MilesMore Liverpool is the UK's fastest growing tourist destination. A dedicated #HS2 link is essential #IFB2014 @JeremyBrowneMP The 'One North' report is a good example of the big thinking Britain needs to be more prosperous and globally competitive @PJsJewellers We’re all fired up about the new town centre redevelopment. Can only be good for Warrington businesses and shoppers.

Commercial

STATS

500,000 sq ft The potential size of a development in Manchester that could include offices, hotel, residential, leisure and retail on Oxford Road and Whitworth Street West. Network Rail and Manchester City Council have appointed DTZ to find a developer for the scheme.

3 The number of new build industrial units over 50,000 sq ft that are available for occupation in the North West. Matrix Court in Chester (102,028 sq ft) and two units at Lancashire Business Park totalling 166,000 sq ft are currently available, according to Knight Frank’s H1 2014 Review.

2015 Work on a major mixed-use development at the former ITV Granada site on Quay Street, Manchester, could begin as early as 2015 if planning is given consent. Ian Simpson Architects won the Allied London brief to design the 13-acre site.

15 Warrington Borough Council is one of the first areas in the country to bring a new document outlining its development plan for the next 15 years. The Local Plan Core Strategy will guide regeneration until 2027 and support the town’s growth framework, Warrington Means Business.

13% Manchester retail properties are undervalued by an average of 13%, according to the DTZ Fair Value Index. It predicts Manchester will be the only market rated at as ‘hot’ for investors in the country by Q3 2014, down from 15 in Q3 2013.

1,128 The number of businesses to have benefited from brokerage and meet the buyer meetings during the International Festival for Business 2014, according to organisers. A report on the economic impact of the festival will be presented to government in autumn.

p01-18_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:17 Page 18

Appointments

New associate surveyor at Powell Williams

Appointment at Seddon

Chester office.

Hollingsworth will specialise in party wall disputes, insurance assessment and reinstatement, and contract administration at the firm and will also provide support to clients in London and Birmingham. He qualified as a RICS chartered surveyor in 2003 and is a member of the RICS Expert Witness Accreditation Service.

Andy Williams, Powell Williams founding partner, says: “[David’s] experience of working with loss adjusters and solicitors with regard to providing insurance and expert witness services will be a vital part of the firm’s expansion and we’re looking forward to introducing him to our professional colleagues in these industries.”

The appointment comes as the firm looks to recruit another three surveyors in the next 18 months.

Liz Everett has joined Seddon as client development manager focusing on the Liz Everett north of & Phil Burgess England, the company has announced.

Everett previously worked at fitout contractor Morris and Spottiswood and ADT Workplace.

She has also previously worked at Taylor Woodrow with Seddon colleague Phil Burgess. Since November 2013, Burgess has been head of business development and marketing at Seddon.

Managing director, Jonathan Seddon, says: “Liz has some great connections in the commercial market, an area the business is looking to strengthen and grow.

“The group has many strings to its bow and with a strong pre-con team we can drive value for clients in key sectors such as industrial and offices. We look forward to working alongside Liz to welcome new clients and improve our market share.”

Cassell Moore expands employment team

Two in at Lambert Smith Hampton

Law firm Cassell Moore has appointed Melanie Hockenhull to its Liverpool-based employment Melanie Hockenhull team.

Hockenhull joins the firm from niche employment law practice Bramhalls and has previously worked at the British Dental Association and Eversheds since graduating from Oxford University in 2009. She will work with the employment team covering employment law issues and contracts, advising on disciplinary and grievance issues and settlement agreements.

Liz Cotton, Cassell Moore head of employment, says: “Melanie is an experienced solicitor with an excellent track record in dealing with employment law issues. I’ve no doubt she will make a fantastic addition to the team and make a significant contribution to its future growth.”

LSH has appointed Stuart McGill and Joe Johnson to its property and asset Stuart McGill management and & Joe Johnson building consultancy teams respectively.

The surveyors will be responsible for a number of projects in the Manchester area as part of their new roles. McGill will head up over 500,000 sq ft of commercial property for the firm’s clients, while Johnson will focus on commercial and industrial buildings including building surveys, dilapidations, condition surveys and project management.

Abid Jaffry, head of LSH’s Manchester office, says: “As the city’s commercial property sector enjoys continued growth, we’re pleased to be welcoming such talented new members to our building consultancy and property and asset management teams.”

McGill joins the firm from Lee Barron and Johnson was previously a building surveyor at Deloitte Real Estate.

David Hollingsworth

David Hollingsworth has joined national building consultancy Powell Williams as an associate surveyor in its

18 MOVE COMMERCIAL

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:19 Page 19

FOR SALE

On Behalf of NHS Property Services

Victoria House, Runcorn, WA7 4TH

Property Services

Excellent redevelopment opportunity.

Former NHS facility.

10,467 sqft (972 sqm). Site area 1.1 acres (0.44ha).

Contact: paul.thorne@masonowen.com or DD: 0151 242 3152 MOVE COMMERCIAL 19

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:42 Page 20

Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk

Business Improvement Districts (BID) have been in place in the North West since the mid 2000s, affording groups of businesses the opportunity to invest their own funds into the wider area and work together to steer their own campaigns. As the formula continues to be adopted by areas across the region, each setting their own remits, Move Commercial takes a closer look at the impact BIDs are having.

BID for Progress In the late 1960s, the launch of a new subway and the rise of out-of-town shopping centres boasting ‘everything under one roof’ and free parking facilities were held responsible for steering footfall away from Toronto’s Bloor Street retail destination.

Determined not to let Bloor Street dwindle and succumb to the threat of an increase in vacant units, businesses formed their own association to contribute their own funds towards improvements and promotion for the area. It was then, in 1970, that the Bloor West Village Business Improvement Area – the first example of what is now known in the UK as a Business Improvement District (BID) – was born.

This BID concept continues to be adopted by groups of businesses looking to tackle such problems head on, or boost footfall and opportunities through marketing and improvements to their area.

Across the UK and Northern Ireland there are more than 180 formal BIDs in place in town and city centres and commercial districts to industrial areas, all of which have been approved following a consultation and ballot, and are generating funds from participating businesses via a BID levy which is usually 1% of their rateable value.

The North West alone is home to a number of established and emerging BIDs across its cities and town centres, each with their own aims, 20 MOVE COMMERCIAL

agendas and funding pots that their collectives of businesses have paid in to.

One of the latest in the region to form is the CH1 ChesterBID which, according to board member Tim Kenney, was necessary as “Chester, in retailing terms at least, was missing the plot”.

Kenney, who is also a partner at Chester-based property consultants Kenney Moore and became involved in the BID team through Chester Business Club, suggests Chester’s retail offering in particular has struggled during the last 20 years due to large scale out-of-town retail developments and the emergence of the likes of new shopping centres in neighbouring cities, many of which bring extra convenience for shoppers such as free parking and later opening hours.

He says the option to adopt BID status was recommended to Chester after a report was commissioned to highlight what was needed for the city.

“One of the things it said is that the businesses in Chester need to start talking to each other, there’s got to be a mechanism for everyone to join hands to start working as a city. Out of the report came the only proven recommendation that was a business improvement district,” says Kenney.

The BID began its five-year term on 1 September and is expected to generate around half a million

pounds each year from members.

Boosting communication between local businesses and event organisers and attractions so that the city centre as a whole can benefit when extra footfall is being brought in to Chester is among the plans for the new BID, along with “improving Chester’s welcome”, cutting costs and making services more convenient for businesses and providing a “more effective means of communication when things are starting to go wrong, have gone wrong and need to be improved” in the area.

Elsewhere in the North West, BIDs have proven attractive to areas for their ability to be tailored to a destination’s needs and to provide businesses with the power to be pro-active when it comes to maintaining their success.

For instance, the city centre-based Heart of Manchester BID was not installed to rescue an area in decline, but instead to keep it ahead of competition whilst fellow cities including Leeds and Liverpool have upped their retail game in recent years.

“Manchester is the second most popular shopping destination outside of London in the country and there was a general feeling that we needed to preserve that, build on that success and keep the city centre moving forward; and in a difficult retail

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:42 Page 21

Business Improvement Districts

Areas introduce BIDs to help boost footfall

environment not get to the stage where things were broken and you had to fix them but rather build on something that was already really strong.

To do that it would be better if all the retailers worked together to have a single voice to speak to the rest of the city with,” says the BID’s manager, Simon Binns.

Since the BID was launched in April 2013 with a focus on daytime retail use, covering around 380 businesses in the city’s retail core and bringing around £1m of investment each year, Binns says it has united retailers as they realise the benefit of working as a partnership rather than in isolation.

The Manchester BID, which has introduced successful city events and also a team of ‘city hosts’ to improve visitors’ experience, has also succeeded in recruiting many of the area’s nationally big retail names as members, a move which can be difficult for some BIDs. “Some perhaps don’t know as much about [BIDs] as they could or should and I think that process of education is ongoing, retail aside, but a lot of the bigger ones do pay in to develop BIDs that are more popular across more cities.

More bigger retailers find themselves paying into BIDs across multiple locations so hopefully we’re giving them a better understanding of what BIDs do for them,” adds Binns.

“

Having a BID in place in an area shows businesses are working together to provide originality to enhance businesses.

”

Meanwhile Liverpool’s city centre is home to two BIDs; the City Central BID which started out as one of the UK’s pilot BIDs back in 2005 and, with continued support from businesses, has been renewed twice; and the Commercial District BID, which was introduced in May 2011.

Having a BID in place in an area “shows businesses are working together to provide originality to enhance businesses,” according to Bill Addy, chief executive of Liverpool BID Company which manages both of the city’s associations.

Addy says a BID also “assists the perception” of place for companies looking to invest, and in Liverpool’s case shows the commercial district is being managed and undergoing ‘place-making’.

Like in other areas of the region, the key aim of Liverpool’s BIDs is to promote the city with improved marketing and host events to increase footfall. So far, the BID has funded projects including mystery shopping and training schemes for businesses, public realm improvements and a crime alert scheme for retailers.

“In terms of retail, Liverpool is now a major retail destination and we’re in the top five in the UK,” says Addy. “A lot of that is obviously because we had a big neighbour [Liverpool ONE] which came in 2008 but it’s also because of the work that a BID does.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL 21

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 16:37 Page 22

Online. Offline.

Anytime.

Get the north-west’s latest business and property news wherever you are. www.movecommercial.com

@MoveCommercial

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:20 Page 23

EXPERT LEGAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SECTOR OUR SERVICES • Service Charge Arrears Recoveries • Ground Rent Arrears Recoveries • Complex and Defended Claims • Forfeiture • First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) • Appeals to the Upper Tribunal • Right to Manage • Lease Extensions and Variations • Lease Services and Advice • Breach of Covenant

W : JBLEITCH.CO.UK T : 0151 708 2250

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:20 Page 24

Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk

When sisters Helen, Lisa and Janet Tse set up Sweet Mandarin in 2004, they believed it would become “more than a restaurant”. Now 10 years on the businesswomen have certainly justified such confidence in their creation, winning over world leaders with their recipes and becoming a shining example of UK export success after branching out to provide products for the international retail market. Helen Tse speaks to Move Commercial about the company’s global growth.

Sisters Janet, Helen and Lisa Tse gave up their jobs as an engineer, lawyer and financier respectively when they decided to carve out their own culinary business venture and launch their Manchester Chinese restaurant, Sweet Mandarin.

But the Northern Quarter based eatery was far from a departure from all they knew, as the sisters became the third generation of female restaurateurs in the family, following in the footsteps of their mother and their grandmother.

They began serving up recipes that had been in their family for generations, setting the Tse sisters on the path to producing something that stood out and therefore giving them a strong foundation for business success.

“We’re very passionate about food, people and business and we believed that this would be more than a restaurant; it was going to be a destination point for people who want to try something different,” explains Helen Tse. “All the dishes that we offer you 24 MOVE COMMERCIAL

can only get from us, it’s not a standard Chinese dish you can get from anywhere else.”

But it’s not only the dishes themselves that have helped Sweet Mandarin find its niche, it’s the ingredients used to make them.

The restaurateurs’ ability to create and cook with sauces that are kosher, vegetarian, vegan, alcohol free and suitable for coeliacs has allowed them to fill a gap in the market and gather strong customer support to expand their business further.

In December 2012, the Tse sisters branched out into bottling their sauces for the shelves of retailers and supermarket chains.

It was a bold move given that, to start with, they were equipped with just their restaurant kitchen, but it was one that their regular diners convinced them to go ahead with.

“It was really thanks to our customers in the restaurant who kept urging us and egging us on to get this done,” explains Tse. “So much so that a guy called Jim who comes in on a Friday said I’ll make

you some labels in exchange for takeaways, and so the label you see today was made by him. It’s quite amazing that it’s really customer driven and customer led, and the reason for that is the sauces have no gluten, no MSG, no artificial colours, no nuts and no dairy.

“Jim’s family were coeliac and he had a great passion to get this done and to take it to his family home in Cambridge, so that’s how it was born.”

Right from the start of their bottled sauce venture, the sisters aimed high and targeted major supermarket retailers.

“We approached Sainsbury’s and the buyers responded asking if we could supply to 500 stores.

At that point we had just a small kitchen in the restaurant so we knew there was no way we were going to be able to do that. We’ve bought a factory in Manchester now that produces all of the sauces and we want to keep all production in Britain and keep all the jobs in Britain.”

With the business now producing 20,000 bottles of sauce each week, and also catering for further big name clients including Tesco, Ocado and Amazon in the UK, the Sweet Mandarin team has spent the past year or so selling its product overseas, and Tse suggests their ‘made in Britain’ philosophy has proven beneficial along the way.

“That really has been one of our USPs in terms of exporting the sauces abroad. The British flag stands for an awful lot and that’s one thing we want to maintain.”

So far the Sweet Mandarin sauce range has been welcomed into 20 countries and according to Tse, is said to be particularly popular with the United Arab Emirates as it has been established as “the only sauce in the whole wide world” with its ‘free from’ credentials.

The government body UKTI (UK Trade & Investment) has been pivotal to the sisters’ trading achievements around the world.

They signed up to UKTI’s ‘Passport to Export’ scheme last year, which

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:20 Page 25

Helen Tse, co-founder, Sweet Mandarin Entrepreneur

Lisa Tse (left) and Helen Tse (right)

Tse says has helped provide Sweet Mandarin with funding to attend trade shows and therefore gain direct access with the right business contacts.

“They give you a face-to-face meeting with the buyer who will say there and then how many bottles they want, when they want it and what price they’re going to take it at,” she explains. “It’s so much easier to do business like that.

“We went on a trade show, exhibited our sauces and met buyers from across the world. They were extremely interested and that’s how we got the deals that we’ve done. What you realise is that everybody around the world loves flavour and good food and no matter what language you speak, the tongue does not lie when it comes to food.”

Meanwhile on UK soil, the sauces have attracted the most esteemed customers, boosting Sweet Mandarin’s reputation and public profile but also its business links once again.

“

China has got 1.4 billion people, of which the number that would potentially buy our sauces would be 700m

“

Sending their sauces to the Queen in the hope of a response saw Helen and Lisa Tse being invited to receive an MBE for services to food and drink months later; whilst Prime Minister David Cameron had previously purchased the sauce, and Lisa Tse received compliments for the product when she was invited to tea at 10 Downing Street by Samantha Cameron.

A business relationship was formed between the Prime Minister and the Sweet Mandarin entrepreneurs, with Lisa Tse taking an opportunity to accompany him on a visit to China. It was then that she met two buyers and helped secure a £6m deal in December to trade the sauces in China for five years.

“China has got 1.4 billion people, of which the number that would potentially buy our sauces would be 700m, which is 10 times the size of the UK market.

“We’ve now paired up with another company down south that is going to help us make the sauces

so that we can meet the capacity.

Once again we want to keep the manufacturing process in the UK.” The Sweet Mandarin sisters were also invited to cook for the Prime Minister and Premier Li of China at 10 Downing Street and such high profile engagements, along with their own attempts to boost their brand with appearances on TV shows including ‘Dragon’s Den’, cookery demonstrations and success around the world with their recipe books, are helping the business to continue to grow its reputation and attract more contacts for potential business deals.

Tse says they are now looking at launching a franchise as a possible venture for the future and, reflecting on their “whirlwind” Sweet Mandarin experience so far, adds: “We can’t even make up our life at the moment. It’s the most bizarre experience ever but we’re very grateful for it.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL 25

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:20 Page 26

26 MOVE COMMERCIAL

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:44 Page 27

Opinion

Let’s start looking up Large mixed-use towers offer some of the most enduring symbols of a city’s growth and prosperity.

Cities such as Shanghai and Dubai have built towering spires of offices, homes, leisure and retail in recent years, including the 830-metre Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. Meanwhile the likes of the Shard and the Gherkin in London have become internationally-acclaimed developments. So isn’t it about time the North West started to look up?

The North West’s two largest urban conurbations, Liverpool and Manchester, have a history with tall buildings. Oriel Chambers in Liverpool may stand at only five storeys but it was the first building to introduce the architecturallyimportant metal framed glass curtain wall method that led to the race to the sky in the US and cumulated in the likes of the Empire State Building in New York. In a more modern setting, Ian Simpson Architects designed Manchester’s 47storey Beetham Tower, which is the tallest building in the North West and has dominated the skyline since its inception.

But the North West remains largely resistant to tall towers. In 2005 Liverpool City Council rejected plans from Ian Simpson for a 51-storey tower at Brunswick Quay that included apartments, hotels, shops and work units.

Meanwhile, in Manchester the ceiling seems to be set relatively low, as is the case with the 60-metre One St Peter’s Square and the 72-metre One Angel Square.

The reasons for the stunted visions are compelling. Allied London, a firm whose knowledge of the Manchester market is extensive, decided demand for space was not sufficient to build any higher than 20 storeys at the prestigious No. 1 Spinningfields address.

It’s a story replicated across the North West. During planning for One St Peter’s Square, GVA says there was a moment when the developers were forced to sit down, look each other in the eye and decide whether to build One St Peter’s Square as a speculative development. The recovering economy meant it was built – and the developers were rewarded with a new tenant in the shape of KPMG, which took over 70,000 sq ft as the anchor tenant in the scheme.

It is clear the industry is stirring and commercial agents are warning demand will recover much more quickly than developers can build, with a number of major letting events

“ “

Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

set to take place between now and 2018. This leaves a supply problem for Grade A office space in the coming years unless somebody is brave enough to build – and when they do, why not look up?

In Manchester, sites such as the former Granada site, the NOMA scheme, Airport City and Spinningfields provide enough space to negate the need for a taller build.

However, these areas are exactly where tall buildings could thrive. They are close enough to transport, leisure and retail hubs without falling under restrictive rules managing views.

For example – the hotel at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre posed planners a problem because it restricted views of the city’s famous cathedral from across the river, meaning plans had to be redrawn – but this is less of a problem on the city’s fringe.

Fortunately, there are signs we are entering a new era of tower building; Peel’s proposed Shanghai Tower in Liverpool could set the ball rolling on the Liverpool Waters scheme, while planned residential towers include No1 Greengate in Salford, the 27-storey Axis Tower in Manchester and the proposed 42-storey residential tower by Ian Simpson, who plans to match the success of his Beetham Tower design.

What we need now are developers brave enough to deliver mixed-use towers that can provide for future demand for Grade A office space in key city locations and, like the towers transforming Shanghai and Dubai, showcase the ambition and growth of the North West. The challenges to building tall are numerous but the rewards will be astronomical. Who will have the nerve to move first?

Follow us on Twitter and join the debate

@MoveCommercial MOVE COMMERCIAL 27

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:21 Page 28

Christine Toner christine@movepublishing.co.uk

Investing in Education

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:21 Page 29

Investing in Education Lunch debate

With a number of the region’s universities investing in their campuses and several projects underway in the statutory education market, Move Commercial gathered together four experts in the field of building for education to find out how the sector has developed, what issues education projects present and how the scrapping of one of the sector’s biggest funding initiatives was actually a blessing in disguise.

Kerrie Norman director, Flinders Chase

What makes education projects attractive to developers?

RE: The partnership gives you access to the sort of opportunities you don't normally get. If you take the work we’re doing with Manchester Business School at the moment, there's a commercial opportunity in building a four star hotel but the hotel is supported by the fact that the university is there beside it. It has its executive education premises adjoining the hotel. The fact that the two buildings are next to each other, designed by the same architect, that creates an opportunity and makes that hotel work better on a site that wouldn't necessarily be seen as a key hotel site as it's on the periphery of the city centre.

As a developer we want to make a commercial return out of buying and selling property and just working with the university doesn't give you that opportunity, there may be some income in refurbishment work but part of the benefit to us is it makes sites available that you wouldn't necessarily

Jon Taylor preconstruction director, Willmott Dixon

be able to buy on the market.

JT: What you've got to remember in the higher and further education (HEFE) market is the clients you're dealing with generally have some prime big land banks in city centres.

One of the clients I'm working with at the moment is Leeds University. It is one of the biggest landowners in Leeds so for a developer to harness into that land bank is a good way forward.

Moving slightly away from the HEFE market and into the statutory education market, what we're seeing is a boom in the housing market and that's driving a need for schools. As a developer you have to provide a primary school in that area. We're trying to be that ‘off the shelf’ solution for developers.

KN: There are a couple of points there.

The interesting thing about universities is they’re starting to realise they do have a lot of commercial assets and they don't realise how to get the value out of them.

Rob Elsom development surveyor, Bruntwood

What challenges are involved in such projects?

JJ: The hardest thing is getting a decision from the people involved.

Even when you think you've got a final decision there's always another person who has to have a say.

KN: That's my biggest frustration, the decision making. Who is going to be making the decision? Who is consulting with the academics? Too often people don't do that upfront and it wastes a lot of time, money and energy.

JT: What we find is it’s the ability of the organisation to manage change and that's where a lot of the waste happens. A stakeholder will come in and make a fundamental decision and you end up having to go backwards in a project to go forwards again, by which time you're already paying consultants and everyone else. That is where a considerable amount of delay and waste happens within a project, where you've got a complex set of stakeholders to take into consideration.

KN: It's hard to be able to question some of the input that's being made.

James Jones associate partner, Sheppard Robson

Sometimes we'll turn up and there might be 25 people sat around a table and actually half don't want to be there and half don't need to be, but to actually raise that with anyone is a difficult discussion to have. Sometimes the project needs more thought before it's packaged.

RE: Yes, a greater clarity of brief at the start. If you invest time in that at the start then there's less difficulty JT: I think the pace the commercial sector and private sector work at is different than that of local government and education establishments and that can cause frustrations. Decision making can be quite split. I can see with some of my teams that that creates frustration. It can slow projects down.

RE: There are conflicting priorities. In the commercial sector it's all about how quickly and cheaply a project can be delivered but in the public sector you've got all these stakeholders to engage with who are not focused on that because it's more important that it's right for the institution.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 29

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:21 Page 30

“ ”

The Botanist 78 Deansgate, Manchester, M3

What you’ve got to remember in the HEFE market is the clients you’re dealing with generally have some prime big land banks in city centres.

JT: On the flip side, I think one of the things that has changed the dynamics of a lot of the HEFE establishments is tuition fees. When I went to university you tended to accept the facilities that were there. Now people are having to pay to go, either through loans or through the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad’, they're starting to look at what they're getting in return for that £9,000. And that's changed the dynamic of universities because they're now having to polish their shop windows.

Because of that the estates departments are starting to be a lot more open, doing things that probably 10 years ago they wouldn't have dreamt of doing.

How have university builds adapted to meet changing patterns of study?

JJ: There are two separate answers to this: One is how has study changed through secondary education right through to universities, we are looking

at more collaborative ways of working and more flexible use of space.

The other way to look at it is that the way in which institutions work together is changing. There’s more collaboration between institutions, such as universities working with schools. That's having a massive impact on estates. You're not just building a physics department now. You may be building a science campus that's got researchers in one side and students in another side.

RE: It comes back to that point of how commercially savvy universities need to be, partly with the introduction of fees. On a building level, what we're seeing, much like the commercial office environment, is it's all about informal working with a higher technology focus, break out spaces and open plan working. There's lots of battles with academics who still want their own individual offices yet the students already appreciate having more formal working but still being open plan and

With its restaurants in Leeds, Alderley Edge and Chester already proving popular, the Botanist made it’s Manchester debut in August this year with a £1m venue on Deansgate.

The eccentric interior with its distressed wood finish and antique-style décor offers a comfortable and relaxed environment in which to sample the culinary delights of the extensive menu.

The nibbles menu features the restaurant’s new take on traditional classics –such as the Welsh rarebit fondue or the pork crackling served with chilli, spring onion and sweet apple sauce. Meanwhile the mains menu offers a host of home comforts from chicken and mushroom pie with gravy and chips to Cumberland bangers and mash – with a couple of more exotic dishes such as lamb tagine thrown in for good measure.

There are also barbecue dishes, a selection of deli boards and a relatively small but no less delicious dessert menu.

The Botanist’s location makes it a perfect spot for a business lunch as well as after work drinks whilst it’s delicious menu will surely see it become a popular choice for the non-work crowd at weekends.

having break out spaces associated with it. It's a much more efficient and enjoyable way to work, it's a more efficient way to build a building too.

There's lots of ways in which the building itself can support the learning environment.

JT: To add to that, if I walk around a completed commercial development, a relatively new academy we've worked on or an HEFE that we've completed,

“

unless you saw the sign on the door, in certain parts of the building you couldn't tell them apart. That's really where the sea change has been.

In the commercial sector and the education sector, we're all moving to flexible professional spaces that people want to learn in or work in.

What they're building on their campuses could have multi capacity uses. I've heard of examples where

The way in which institutions work together is changing. There’s more collaboration between institutions, such as universities working with schools. That’s having a massive impact on estates.

30 MOVE COMMERCIAL

”

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:21 Page 31

Investing in Education Lunch debate

“

When you have a relationship that goes over more than just one project then everyone finds out what the goals are and lessons get learned.

”

universities are actually encouraging businesses to be established on campus. What we're developing is similar spaces.

KN: Statutory education is an interesting one because we went through 10 years of lots of "lets have everything open plan, it will all be transformational if we just take the walls out". Will it really? If we just take the walls out will that make it transformational? No it won’t. If you're doing A Level chemistry and trying to learn a really difficult theory, are you better off learning in an open environment or not?

JJ: You need two sorts of spaces, the space where you don’t mind listening to other people and the space where you can’t listen to other people.

JT: Yes, a combination of open plan space, cellular space, good technology, good AV, exactly what you need for a commercial building.

Moving away from the HEFE market, what impact did the scrapping of the Building Schools for the Future scheme have?

JJ: I think it gave us pause for thought.

It made us have to consider what’s important and what isn’t.

KN: I think a correction in the market was needed, to take a step back and say ‘Actually what do we need out of these buildings? What do we need in terms of functionality? What are the drivers here? Is it a £50,000 reception desk or is it a £3,000 reception desk with that money put into something else?’ The most innovative design in education buildings has happened in

the last three years.

JJ: Everyone has to know from the start what the aim is. The failures are when people think there’s more money, and then you have to claw it back.

I think what helps here is when you have a relationship that goes over more than just one project -then everyone finds out what the goals are and lessons get learned. You refine what you’re delivering. It is getting away from that situation of every time there’s a new relationship and every time you’re starting from page one.

I wanted to move on to university technical colleges, how they work and why they’re becoming popular KN: UTCs are a fascinating concept.

They all have to have at least one university sponsor, although they can have more than one and they have to have employers. The employers and the universities have to form the majority of the governing body.

The biggest frustration I’ve seen with the development of UTCs is they’re not reaching their potential.

Some of them are but there are a fair few who aren’t. And the reason for that is this. They all must have at least one technical specialism. Now, I’m an engineer. I know engineering is much, much more than learning how to make something on a machine. For example,

when you develop something around low carbon engineering, that’s not just about wind turbines, but we do see that some sponsors involved in UTCs have a fairly narrow view of what the specialism is all about because that’s what their business does.

RE: If a business is supporting a UTC they’re going to want to support their business.

KN: Exactly and if that business involves making wind turbines their idea of engineering is relatively narrow. So what we’re seeing is the first UTC closing this year and there’s probably going to be another one or two to follow.

The other area of untapped potential is the universities – some are a silent partner, they’ll lend their names and they might come to a couple of project steering groups but they’re not really involved in shaping that institution.

RE: There’s a danger then of lots being opened and not being successful – more time and money being wasted on ones that are never going to hit the mark? Presumably you can tell that pretty early on in terms of how their governance is set up, whether they’re going to succeed or not?

KN: Exactly. It’s quite difficult when I’m involved in these – each time you learn very early on whether it’s going to be successful or not.

Finally I’d like to look at funding.

How does private investment work in the education market?

KN: There is very little private investment in statutory education now. There was in the very early days of the academies programme back in 2002-2003. Lots of academies were required to contribute £2m in capital and that created havoc, because if you’re a business and you’re contributing £2m of cash to an academy you want a fountain, you want all sorts of bells and whistles because you paid for it – even though in reality you only paid for 5% of that building. Some of these buildings cost £40m! So I think the experiment with direct investment in statutory education perhaps didn’t work out.

Government policy doesn’t really allow for private investors to get involved in statutory education, politically it’s a toxic issue. It’s more at the HE level.

RE: I think it’s always difficult to work out how to get private investment into education, without going back to conflicting opinions. To take the University of Manchester as an example, it has recently returned to the bond market. That’s a clever way of getting private money in.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 31

p19-32_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:45 Page 32

LEADING THE WAY IN LEGAL SERVICES OUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE INCLUDE: COMMERCIAL SERVICES

ADR

> Commercial Litigation

> Mediation

> Corporate Insolvency

> Negotiation

> Debt Recovery

> Dispute Resolution

> Commercial Contracts > Company Formation > Specialist Start Up Services > Credit Control Services

Call our team now on

0151 547 7870 for your FREE NO OBLIGATION initial consultation Find out more at www.parrysolicitors.co.uk

Parry & Company Solicitors Suite 2A, Stanley Grange Business Village, Knowsley L34 4AR T: 0151 547 7870 E: info@parrysolicitors.co.uk

Authorised and regulated by the Law Society SRA No. 561287 Parry & Company Solicitors registered in England and Wales

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:48 Page 33

Commercial Property is a journey.

Make Kirwans your destination.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PURCHASE

PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT

KIRWANS LEASE - GRANT / ASSIGNMENT

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY SALE BUSINESS SALE AND ACQUISITION

t: 0800 525 035 e: info@kirwans.co.uk w: www.kirwans.co.uk facebook.co.uk/kirwansuk

twitter.com/@kirwanslaw

Kirwans is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (www.sra.org.uk) Prenton SRA Number Number 71723.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 33

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:42 Page 34

Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

From running the UK’s first rural regeneration agency to her role as corporate affairs director and company secretary at North West superbrand the Stobart Group, Kate Willard is passionate about regeneration. Currently on the board of the Atlantic Gateway project, she talks to Move Commercial about balancing private sector concerns with public sector projects.

Rethinking Regeneration The Atlantic Gateway has been described by Tory peer Lord Hestletine as the most significant current growth opportunity in the UK to attract investment. It aims to create 250,000 new jobs in the Atlantic Gateway area and bring £14 billion of new investment through a board made up of some of the region’s biggest private sector movers and shakers.

For board member Kate Willard, the role of private companies in attracting investment to the area stretching from Liverpool’s docks and the ambitious Superport project to Manchester, Port Salford and beyond, is essential.

“Regeneration is led by the private sector”, she says. “Certainly there aren’t vast swathes of cash sitting around in the public sector to invest. It is the responsibility of the private sector to work closely with public sector partners to rebalance the economy in terms of that north-south axis.”

The Atlantic Gateway board aims to identify the opportunities across the area and help Local Enterprise Partnerships from the public sector work with private investors to 34 MOVE COMMERCIAL

increase investment and growth.

“The best chance we’ve got of success is if we get the public and private sector partnership working.

Critically, it needs to work and we need to be walking down this road shoulder to shoulder and it’s not always easy. We have different imperatives, expectations and time frames and different wants.”

Willard is no stranger to seeing public and private stakeholders work together, having worked for regeneration agencies in Hungary, Belgium and France, establishing the first UK Hungarian cultural partnership trust in the process.

It was this experience that led to a role as CEO at the UK’s first rural regeneration company, Rural Regeneration Cumbria, which was set up after the foot and mouth outbreak hit the region.

During the role in Cumbria, Willard got to know the chief executive of the Stobart Group, Andrew Tinkler. After taking a job at the company, Willard completed the journey to bringing the creativity of the public sector together with the financial clout of the private sector.

“I came here about six or seven

years ago and it’s been a really interesting journey. Working at the Stobart Group brings everything together, the ability to work with regeneration partners, public sector partners, local authorities, regeneration agencies and that was a really nice opportunity to bring the two sides of my career together.

“There’s a number of colleagues in the group who have the relationship with the public sector.

It’s certainly a big focus of the work we do.”

Willard not only represents the group on the board of the Atlantic Gateway but also has a place on the board of Liverpool LEP and the Superport sub-committee.

It is in this role where Stobart’s investment in the North West, the Atlantic Gateway project and public sector interests intersect.

“With the LEPs you’ve got the public sector facing view of how we’re going to shape our economy but you’ve got it led by private sector boards. It needs really strong, open, transparent, dialogue between public and private sectors and the LEPs are absolutely critical in that.

I’m incredibly proud to be on the

LEP board and the Superport sub-committee.”

One thing the public sector can learn from the private sector is to introduce KPIs (Key Performance Indicator) to projects, even when they are as broad as Atlantic Gateway. Willard says: “If a body is there and it’s taking time and energy and space then it needs to be able to articulate what it has done in a very concrete way to deliver success. We need to be able to say Atlantic Gateway delivers X this year and will deliver Y next year. It’s difficult to quantify those but I’m interested in knowing how we go about that.”

According to Willard, major infrastructure projects within the North West are proof the partnership is working. The likes of Peel’s Liverpool2 Superport will be able to handle all but the largest container ships in the world, while schemes such as Wirral Waters and Port Salford have brought jobs and investment to the Atlantic Gateway. “[These projects] are absolutely on the radar with the LEPs. They’ll have played a key role in making

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:43 Page 35

Kate Willard, board member, Atlantic Gateway Mover & Shaker

“

It is the responsibility of the private sector to work closely with public sector partners to rebalance the economy in terms of that north-south axis.

“

sure those big construction projects get off the ground. They’re shining examples of LEPs working with private sector partners to get big projects off the ground. I sit around that board table with a good balance of public and private sector partners and it’s really working.”

Willard’s daily work takes her from Stobart Group’s investments in the energy sector in Cumbria to London Southend Airport, which went from zero to 1.1 million passengers in a year and is one of the fastest growing airports in London. Combining that with the Atlantic Gateway project and work with LEP can be challenging, but the key is being passionate about the role regeneration has in the North West and beyond.

“I have a passion about what I do,” she explains. “I care passionately about the success of the group and the people who work in it. I have a passion for making a good difference in terms of that regeneration agenda. I am very passionate about trying to encourage the right thing to happen and about us playing our right role within that as a private sector group.”

MOVE COMMERCIAL 35

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:49 Page 36

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 10:49 Page 37

MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 10:50 Page 38

Lunch Date

Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

Hard Day’s Night Hotel 41 North John Street, L2

The Hard Day’s Night is a four-star hotel centred around the city’s most famous export – The Beatles – and has its own fine dining restaurant, Blakes, situated within the historic Grade II-listed building.

For those who do not want to dine in a formal setting, the bar and lounge area offers the same menu options in a more relaxed area. With comfortable leather couches, booth-style seating areas and arty Beatles-themed décor, it offers an upmarket venue for lunch away from the bustle of Mathew Street, Liverpool ONE and the city’s business district.

Offering everything from high afternoon tea to a la carte and set menu dining options, as well as coffee, tea and alcoholic drinks, the hotel also offers hi-speed wifi, making it ideal for business meetings.

To book, visit www.harddaysnighthotel.com

LUNCH WITH

Andrew Kingsley director, Kingsley Associates The construction and development industry has been battered and bruised by several years of recession, causing projects to stall and firms to shed staff. With many predicting a more optimistic outlook across the region, a surveyor who now specialises in recruitment believes the landscape has changed dramatically as the industry adapts.

Andrew Kingsley, director at Kingsley Associates, took a risk three years ago when he left a role as a surveyor at CTP in Manchester, having carved out a career at Neptune Developments and GVA previously, to take on a business development role at Kingsley Associates. The specialist recruitment firm, which covers surveying, engineering, legal, business support and other niche areas, was set up by his wife Caroline, herself an ex-surveyor, in 2007. From its humble beginnings 38 MOVE COMMERCIAL

as a home business it has since moved to an office in Liverpool’s prestigious Plaza for its 14-strong team.

Kingsley is now at the forefront of an industry finding its feet once again and he believes movement in the employment market is a sign things are getting better.

“We saw it in the last quarter of last year and since January everybody is suddenly chasing candidates and candidates are starting to look for new opportunities. That’s where the difference is,” he says.

“If it was 12-18 months ago certain candidates would say ‘better the devil you know’ and stay put. Now the market is improving they are more than happy to consider their career progression if they’re not getting what they want with their current employer. The two are marrying up together in terms of supply and demand.”

In that time, the landscape of the construction and development industries has changed. While Kingsley decided to leave his role at a larger developer for a role in recruitment and a chance to oversee his own firm, others also decided smaller companies and self-employment was the best route to take.

“The industry is a lot different to how it was 10 years ago. There are a lot of smaller companies. There are individuals who were part of larger companies who were made redundant and then set up by themselves. They’ve stayed self employed and not necessarily waited for the market to get better and go back into big organisations; instead they’ve said ‘well actually I’m making a decent living’ and they’ve now become clients themselves because they’ve started to take people on.

“ “

The industry is a lot different to how it was 10 years ago.

There are a lot of smaller companies.

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 10:50 Page 39

MOVE COMMERCIAL

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

David Kirwan senior partner, Kirwans Solicitors

Wirral Waters

SUCCESS In recent years Kirwans Solicitors has not only expanded its presence across Merseyside, with offices now based in Liverpool, Southport and Wirral; but the firm has also been expanding and strengthening its team with the help of its own in-house training schemes.

As it provides services across the commercial property and business sectors, Kirwans has also hosted its own networking and advice events and took the opportunity to play a part in the recent International Festival for Business 2014.

We asked senior partner David Kirwan to reveal some of the firm’s secrets to success.

In 2006 Peel Group revealed the stunning £4.5 billion Wirral Waters scheme; a sprawling metropolis of office, leisure, retail and residential developments that will transform the skyline. Planned alongside the equally ambitious Liverpool Waters scheme, Wirral Waters will become one of the world’s most iconic waterfronts.

SEP

2006

FEB

2009

Peel reveals plans for the £4.5bn Wirral Waters scheme, comprising 18m sq ft of regeneration including retail, leisure, 11m sq ft of residential development and over 5m sq ft of offices and commercial. The plans also include public realm work, landscaping and a new marina.

A phase one application is submitted for homes, shops and offices. It will create 800 jobs on Northbank East and represents the first stage of the 500-acre scheme. The plans are approved in August.

How has the firm kept up with changing legislation?

It’s no secret that the legal sector is in the midst of reforms, innovations and cuts all combining to jolt a profession notoriously averse to change. You simply have to adapt. Change in the legal sector is inevitable. Successful businesses embrace change, treating it as an opportunity to grow. The secret is to remain attractive to the client by putting them at the centre of everything we do, while remaining competitive as a business. We are continuously striving to match what we can offer with what our clients need.

DEC

2009

AUG

After a lengthy process Wirral Council’s planning committee approves the Wirral Waters project.

NOV

The final hurdle for the ambitious scheme is removed after it receives full government approval.

2010

How has providing in-house training and development schemes helped the firm to succeed and grow?

Our staff are integral to our success and ambition. In-house training has allowed all staff to build on existing skills and develop new skills such as handling social media, PR, communications, brand awareness and business development. We want all staff to have a broad knowledge of the business and to know how they each can play a key role in its success. Having effective in-house training schemes has allowed us to create a more transparent and efficient business.

2010

SEP

2011

How has the company benefitted from having a number of offices across Merseyside?

In 2012 we expanded to open offices in the heart of Liverpool and Southport’s commercial districts, to complement existing branches in Prenton and Moreton, Wirral. This has provided us with greater exposure across a wider geographic area while providing our clients with added convenience. Technology has brought communication benefits in the legal sector but we believe clients appreciate the personal touch which includes the option of face-to-face meetings. We also play an active role in the business communities of these areas, organising events that not only benefit our firm but other complementary businesses too. We represent clients across the UK and beyond, but our heritage and the roots of our success are firmly in the North West.

The largest planning application in the UK is submitted. It comprises15m sq ft of mixed use development across the Wirral docklands and will create 20,000 jobs and 13,000 homes.

The scale of the scheme is larger than London’s Olympics applications.

APR

2014

AUG

2014

An application for the £200 million International Trade Centre is approved. The scheme at West Float, North Birkenhead, will be the first ITC in Western Europe and could create 3,000 jobs.

Wirral Metropolitan College announces plans for a new £8m campus as part of the Wirral Waters project. Meanwhile, plans are submitted for a 60,000 sq ft Tower Wharf office building.

Approval is given for the first two Wirral Waters developments. The office block will be completed by October 2015 and the college will open in September 2015.

Wirral Waters is due to be completed.

2031 MOVE COMMERCIAL 39

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:57 Page 40

CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED BEST COMMERCIAL SCHEME BEST COMMERCIAL AGENCY REGENERATION AWARD BEST PROPERTY LAW FIRM YOUR MOVE APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR (PROPERTY OR CONSTRUCTION)

THURSDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2014 LUTYENS CRYPT, LIVERPOOL METROPOLITAN CATHEDRAL @YMPA2014

YMPROPERTYAWARDS

CLOSING DATE FOR ALL ENTRIES: 5PM, MONDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE YOUR MOVE PROPERT Y AWARDS PLEASE CALL KIM O'BRIEN ON 0151 709 3871

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 10:50 Page 41

Move Commercial Events Sep

EVENT PLANNER

Our pick of the best local events

11 SEP

19 SEP

24 SEP

26 SEP

Break Rights & Dilapidations Aaron & Partners LLP, Grosvenor Court, Chester 6pm – 7pm

Property & Construction Section Seminar Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester 7.30am – 9.30am

Wirral & Chester Business Fair 2014 New Brighton Floral Pavilion 10.30am – 3.30pm

Business Breakfast Networking event The Innovation Centre, Sci-Tech Daresbury 8am – 9.30am

Experts give guidance on the potential liabilities that can come as a result of break causes bringing a lease to an early end whilst there are still questions of outstanding repairs or dilapidations to deal with.

Open to RICS members, nonmembers and students. www.rics.org/uk

A seminar for companies in the property and construction sector, bringing together key speakers from across the industry to focus themes including how the industry can address skills and the future supply of talent. Standard £30 + VAT, members £20 + VAT. www.gmchamber.co.uk

17 SEP

23 SEP

Asbestos and Other Nasty Surprises Oxford Road, Manchester 1.30pm – 4pm

Growing Pains? Economic Growth & the Development Sector Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester 8am – 9.45am

A seminar providing advice on avoiding disruption to building projects, staying safe, and managing liabilities and minimising costs should it all goes wrong.

Tickets £15-£89 + VAT. www.architecture.com

This British Property Federation event takes a look at how well government schemes to stimulate economic growth are working.

Breakfast will be followed by a host of speakers and a panel session Q&A. www.bpf.org.uk

PICK OF THE MONTH

17 SEP Great British Buildings: Everyman Theatre Hope Street, Liverpool 5.30pm – 8pm The 2014 RIBA Stirling shortlisted building hosts a drinks reception, along with an illustrated talk and tour by Steve Tompkins of Haworth Tompkins.

Tickets £7.50 (inc. VAT). www.archtecture.com

World manufacturers to gather in Cheshire

The conference will take place at Mere Golf Resort and Spa

Major manufacturers from around the world will share their secrets to success at an event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Manufacturing Institute.

The Manchester-based charity will welcome delegates and speakers to the Enterprise Excellence Conference at Mere Golf Resort and Spa in Cheshire between 30 September and 3 October, with manufacturers from 16 sites across the UK, Ireland the USA. North West-based manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover and Unilever will put forward speakers for the event. Keynote speakers will represent Abbot Vascular, DePuy, Rexam, Leyland Trucks and Lake Region Medical, all of whom have been named winners of the prestigious Shingo

Returning for a 10th year, the event offers advice, information, clinics, networking opportunities and a host of exhibitors for businesses large and small. www.businessfairsuk.com

Prize, one of the biggest awards in manufacturing.

Other speakers include Professor Neil Gershenfeld, director at the world-famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Centre of Bits and Atoms.

Dr Julie Madigan, chief executive of The Manufacturing Institute, says: “The Manufacturing Institute is the UK’s longest established charity focused on the manufacturing sector. We'll be sharing our rich experiences and knowledge from the past two decades, alongside some of those elite businesses, which we have supported in reaching the highest standards of global operational and enterprise excellence.

Together we will capture the ingredients required for future success in a volatile global economy."

More than 100 hi-tech entrepreneurs, corporate, universities, support organisations and funding and professional communities meet at this monthly event, sponsored by Marks & Clerk and KPMG. Booking is necessary. www.sci-techdaresbury.com

25 SEP

30 SEP

Property & Construction Exchange Lunch Sir Thomas Hotel, Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool 12.30pm – 2.30pm

September Meet and Eat Royal Court Theatre, Roe Street, Liverpool 12.15pm – 2.15pm

An informal buffet lunch featuring a guest speaker, along with the opportunity to network, socialise and discuss the industry. www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk

Networking booths and structured sessions will provide a chance to make new business contacts, whilst Liverpool & Sefton Chambers of Commerce welcome a taste of the Liverpool Comedy Festival courtesy of sponsors The Comedy Trust.

Tickets £15 + VAT. www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk

Nominations open for property awards The categories for the prestigious 2014 Your Move Property Awards have been revealed, with a number of awards open to commercial agencies, developers and industry bodies.

Nominations are now open for the 11th annual awards, which will be announced during a glitzy ceremony attended by some of the biggest names in property. The ceremony will take place in Thursday 6 November at the spectacular Lutyens Crypt at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and nominations are open until 5pm on 8 September.

Top commercial awards up for grabs include Best Commercial Scheme, which rates projects in the region based on the commercial viability, design, aesthetics and use of space and materials. The category is open to offices, industrial, leisure, hotel, student homes and educational schemes.

Other awards will be handed out for Best Commercial Agency, Best Property Law Firm, Your Move Apprentice of the Year and a Regeneration Award for a project that has been completed within the past two years. The Regeneration Award is presented to the most innovative use of brownfield sites as well as the design and consideration for green issues.

For more information on the Your Move Property Awards call 0151 709 3871.

Tell Move Commercial about your commercial property and business events.

Email post@movepublishing.co.uk MOVE COMMERCIAL 41

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 15:10 Page 42

Stephen Hurrell stephen@movepublishing.co.uk

From architect drawings to fully interactive 3D models of buildings, the development and construction industry is increasingly embracing virtual technology to improve the design and construction of the North West’s newest building projects. How can technology help us to build better cities and avoid costly and embarrassing mistakes?

Sim Cities

When the skyscraper dubbed the ‘Walkie Talkie’ in London hit the headlines last year, it was for all the wrong reasons. The design that gave the tower its moniker was seemingly responsible for reflecting and magnifying the sun’s rays onto a patch of London that was hot enough to melt a car and fry an egg.

From the swaying London bridge to New York’s infamous wind canyons between its tall buildings, designing a landmark structure can be a tricky task – and architects, developers and construction firms are increasingly turning to computer generated technology to avoid costly mistakes in the design of their buildings.

42 MOVE COMMERCIAL

Architects at Falconer Chester Hall, the practice behind a host of North West buildings and proposed urban regeneration schemes at Liverpool’s Cains Brewery and Warrington’s Stadium Quarter, says the use of CAD – computer aided design – was previously only used to sell a project to the people with the money to fund it.

Mark Doohan, director at Falconer Chester Hall, says: “Once you’ve developed a concept, a building or an internal space, up to a point where you need to sell it to the client and convince them it’s a good idea, then CAD is a good thing to do. Often the images are prepared for PR or marketing and there’s a whole host of independent visualisers who we

use, but there is a cost associated with that.”

However, modern buildings are not simply boxes placed on a patch of land. Increasingly complex structures and materials means computer-aided design and 3D modelling are becoming essential to understand the structures involved in a building and avoiding potential design pitfalls.

“We’re doing a project in Malaysia where it’s quite a complex collection of buildings, which are joined together by a glass canopy. That has a curved geometry to it and there are lots of junctions to design. It’s not the sort of thing you can just imagine and draw in two dimensions,” Doohan adds.

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 15:10 Page 43

3D technology in construction

One Angel Square

Embracing BIM Once a building is planned with sketches, 3D models and designs, a developer has to plan the construction timeline. It is here where the greatest recent advances in 3D technology have arrived.

Building Information Modelling, or BIM, is the term given to creating digital representations of physical projects. It is becoming important enough for the

Building in 3D There is also evidence BIM is reaping rewards in the North West. One Angel Square is a £100 million office complex offering 500,000 sq ft of Grade A office space in the heart of the NOMA development zone. Since it’s inauguration the Co-operative’s headquarters, which was designed by architect 3D Reid, has won numerous awards including the title of greenest building in the world after receiving the highest ever eco rating by industry assessor BREEAM. BuroHappold delivered the project a number

government to create a BIM Task Group to increase the use of BIM in public sector projects because of the perceived efficiencies in using the technology to map out projects.

The use of BIM can save time, costs and avoid errors in building design – and it’s about to take off.

The government has mandated use of BIM for publicly-funded projects by 2016 and according to the National BIM Report 2014 by NBS, 54% of firms are now using BIM in construction projects compared to 13% in 2010, when a total of 43% of respondents

of weeks early by mapping out the construction process of the building before a spade had touched the ground. By creating a virtual model of the building site and adding time to a 3D model, it was able to map the construction process from start to finish. This enabled the company to check the construction timeline and ensure the building was stable and secure at all design stages.

Describing how it used technology to build One Angel Square, BuroHappold says: “By adopting off-site manufacturing, we were able to prototype the construction of the building using a common BIM model between frame, precast and facade contractors. In addition, physical prototype

had not even heard of BIM technology.

Richard Waterhouse, chief executive officer of NBS and RIBA Enterprises, says: “The UK is in an enviable position of being among the world leaders in BIM adoption and implementation. The industry backs the government’s BIM direction. Through BIM, we now have the tools to create, use and share information effectively and these tools are necessary if we are to realise the government’s construction strategy.”

mock-ups were built for the frame and facade to test construction sequencing, interfaces, tolerances and deflections. As a result, the on-site works were delivered two weeks ahead of programme.”

Meanwhile, Carillion is rolling out support for the implementation of BIM mobile computing technology for use in the field on projects such as One St Peter’s Square in Manchester and the £335 million Royal Liverpool Hospital.

As technology improves and construction firms become more aware of the technology available to them, more buildings will be designed and built with the aid of 3D models and imaging technology and days of swaying bridges and melting cars could be over.

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 17:14 Page 44

Business Clinic Handling apprenticeships effectively Steve Housden sector strategy manager for the North West, Construction Industry Training Board www.citb.co.uk

Julia Casimo partner, John Kerr www.johnkerraccountants.co.uk

Parveen Bunglawala solicitor, FDR Law, Warrington www.fdrlaw.co.uk

Qst.

???

We’re a construction company looking to expand our workforce in order to continue moving the business forward, and we’re considering taking on apprentices to help strengthen the team with fresh talent.

As the employer of the apprentices, what would be the next steps once the actual course of training has been completed? Would there be a way of ensuring that an apprentice continues to remain working with the company for a time after we have invested money and training resources into their qualification? And alternatively, are we under any obligation to continue their employment with the company once their apprenticeship is complete?

Tie in periods for apprentices are not the norm but employers can (and some do) put tie-in clauses into apprentice contracts of employment in order to retain them for a stated period after the apprenticeship is complete - as a return on investment for the company.

Apprentices are employees, so a contract of employment should be in place from the outset of the apprenticeship period, just as there would be 44 MOVE COMMERCIAL

with any other employee. The contract of employment protects the rights of both the apprentice and the employer.

In response to the question around the employer terminating the apprentice contract at the end of their training, the majority of construction companies are keen to retain the person they have trained, along with the skills and expertise they have helped them to develop.

However if there are issues such as a reduction in contracts, or any perceived performance issues with the apprentice then the employer’s usual HR policies and procedures would come into force as per the contract of employment.

It is useful to put the above comments into perspective by noting that 96% of employers that take on apprentices report benefits to their business, including, increased productivity, improved staff motivation and morale. Apprenticeships provide a real opportunity for employers to benefit from new skills and enthusiasm whilst giving young people and adults a chance to develop skills and earn while they learn. Apprentices help businesses to grow their own talent and plan their future development and growth.

Ans. | Steve Housden

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 17:14 Page 45

Business Clinic Each issue our panel of industry experts answers your business questions and solves your commercial dilemmas.

The effect of pensions on SMEs Qst. What effect will the pensions auto enrolment have on SMEs? I am concerned about costs in terms of compliance.

You are right to be concerned. A recent independent CEBR report reveals that on average small businesses are facing set up costs of £8,900 to get ready for the new auto enrolment legislation. This figure rises to £12,600 for small to medium businesses with 100 employees and £15,600 for companies employing 250 people.

The report finds getting ready for auto enrolment could take each business up to 103 working days, with the recurring administration burden taking over three days each month for some firms.

Having now helped several local businesses with the auto enrolment process, the lessons learned are as follows: - Start early. Work out your staging date, and count back 12 months, that is your project start date - The costs of the employer pension contributions themselves are (at least initially) the least of the

problems. The real initial costs are in training/ professional support/software and support.

- Don’t assume that just because you have an existing staff pension scheme that this will cope with the demands of auto enrolment – it is unlikely to.

- Auto enrolment and payroll processes are inextricably linked. Do not treat auto enrolment as a standalone ‘pension’ issue.

- Take the opportunity to re-engineer your payroll processes. An obvious example would be moving from weekly to four weekly or monthly payroll routines. This can cut down the ongoing demand on your staff’s time. If your payroll is outsourced

think about bringing it in house, as savings can be made - Salary sacrifice can save costs, but the additional time to implement can be significant.

- Don’t expect that many of your staff will opt out, and the whole thing will die a convenient death (like stakeholder pensions did) – the reality is that the great majority of employees stay with their new pension and may even opt to make additional contributions.

Employment contracts for a small business

employers to obtain their employee’s signature as a clear acceptance of their terms and conditions. If an employee fails to sign and return the contract, they may be deemed to have accepted the terms unless they raise any dissatisfaction. To avoid future misunderstandings, both employer and employee should keep copies of the signed contract.

Employment contracts can take many forms depending on the seniority and role of the employee and, where appropriate, could include restrictive covenants. Employers naturally want tighter controls where intellectual property rights are at stake or employees are engaged in influential positions with clients. Employment contracts should also be tailored to reflect any fixed term or parttime status.

Both employers and employees benefit from having a clear understanding of what is expected of each of them in the workplace. Although not a legal requirement, formal employment contracts give certainty to employers, clarify expectations on both sides and help to avoid costly disputes.

There is no legal requirement to issue a written employment contract to an employee. It is very much horses for courses. For more senior permanent roles, it would be folly not to but where an employee is more junior or temporary, there is probably no need for such a formal written agreement.

The only requirement on employers laid down by law is the ‘Section One Statement’. This comes from Section One of the Employment Right Act 1996 and says employers must specify certain terms and conditions within two months of the worker’s start date. In practice this can simply be a record of what has I have recently set up a small business. I have already been agreed verbally or in writing. four members of staff. Do I need to issue Where an employment contract is issued, employment contracts to my employees? again there is no legal requirement for it to be signed. However it is good practice for

Qst.

Ans. | Julia Casimo

Ans. | Parveen Bunglawala MOVE COMMERCIAL 45

PE EC RT TU Y AL

ON N L V E T I P E BU RO LI RA AS W B CE CT E ST USI SIN TE RU NE E CO CTURSS SS RCTI NSES S EL EV ON N T E IE P BU RO LI RA AS W B CE CT E ST USI SIN TE N CO RUCTUERSS ESS RCTI NSES S EL EV ON N E T IEW P A R R B L AC SE BU US OT IC ST SI IN E RU NE E EC N TS CT SS SS T SE UR E L RE IO S EA VIEWN

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:52 Page 46

Here for you & your business SE

SE S

IO

BU RT Y RE SIN CO V NT IE ES S R LE ACT W

S

N

E

SE AL PR TI BU S OP O SIN L E BU

SIN

E

N

TIO

S

PR OP

ES

EA

PR ES OT S R EC EV LIC TI IE EN ON W SE

B ST US A RU IN SE PR CT ES OT U S EC R

PR OP E

B

SR

EV

RT

SE

IEW

Y

N

ER

PR ELLE IE ES N OP CTU W S ER AL TY

AS

LE

LE

E

AS

LE

S

ES

PR UC O T IN CO TECTIO URE TE NTR N LL AC EC TS TU LIC AL EN SE PR S OT EC TIO N

ST US R IN

j y{ {x w { ~{ _ { w w \{ w \ X { y } b { B c {y | w { ||{ } w FREE {}w x { cej w x { { w z { { D

B ST USIN TY RU ES CT S UR E CO BU PROTNTRA R S EC CT IN EV IN TIO S T

AS

E

PR

EA

IN OT PR TELLE ECT OP CTU ION ER AL

W

S

ES

V C IE

SIN

RE

BU

ON T LIC RAC L EN TS

SE

L

IN PR TEL OP LE ER CTU TY A

CO PR NTR OT AC LIC EC TS EN CT

EC ELL Y INT OPERT PR

C

LIC ONT EN RA SE CT S S

BUSINESSURE BUSRUCT ST

© d{ X { fwy w}{ © [ } X { w wy © [ { Wz y{ fwy w}{ © ^ w h{ y{ { y{ B LICE RE USIN NSES © h{ z } j x w Y w BU VIE E BU L I C LE SIN P W SS SIN A E R © Y { y w Z { w z }w BU O ES ES P NS S S S RO E S SIN T E R S E TR TEC L P E © f { w z {w { wy IN IC ES C T VIE UC TIO R BU S O TE SIN TU N BU LL E ST I O W T E RE E S S CT N IN S R EC RU N © _ { y w z { y } I ES UA S LIC N E VIE T CT SR EN LP T SE W IO U RO E EL EVIEW S © Z {y Z w ¢yw PE S R RE N IN B L EV P RT US T L E S E I Y IEW R CE LL TR INE C EC UC SS OT TU NSES TU TU © f { }w AL RE E

C T W TEC REVIE PROINESS LEASE

IN PR TEL OP LE ER CTU TY A L

Our experienced team can advise you on:

TY

\ { | w yw Donal Bannon P

0843 504 4806 { w djb@morecrofts.co.uk e |¢y{ P b { Y Y{ { Y x m m w W { b z

www.morecrofts.co.uk

/MorecroftsSolicitors

c {y | bbf ||{ {}w wz y{ w x wz w }{ | { y{ | z z w w z x { { bbf d D eYIIIJII

@Morecrofts

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 11:44 Page 47

Expert views Ask the panel

What issue would you like new business minister Matthew Hancock to address first in order to help businesses like yours in the North West?

During the cabinet reshuffle which took place earlier in the summer a new business minister was appointed as the government continues to push on with its ‘Britain open for business’ strategy but what policies should the minister be making a priority?

Across both the residential and commercial property sectors, planning policy is a vital issue – locally and nationally. This is especially the case regarding the release of land for house-building and in regenerating empty commercial properties.

Governments keep saying we need more housing but action is needed to let builders get on and do it. The planning process needs to be made easier instead of harder. Local authorities and councilors run the rule over applications but follow national policy set by government.

There are challenges and opportunities surrounding commercial properties. Given the number of homeless people and the lack of residential properties, more should be done to regenerate empty shops and offices. Some have stood empty for years while acres of new offices are being approved elsewhere. Planning policy could be better-linked to policies encouraging new businesses.

Improving access to affordable finance remains crucial and should be one of Hancock’s main priorities for stimulating growth for SMEs. Putting the right financial solutions in place is imperative as being starved of capital can result in the failure of otherwise fantastic businesses with great prospects. Despite there being a myriad of options on the market many businesses still aren’t sure who to go to for what. Also, for the youngest companies, who are often most in need of working capital, options are still limited. Without access to reasonable and affordable forms of grant or debt funding, founders are often pushed at an early stage to angels or other early stage equity funders who will understandably demand a large proportion of equity in exchange for the risk capital. Of course professional advisors have an important part to play in signposting businesses but greater coordination of government services including ensuring the Local Enterprise Partnerships deliver will certainly help.

Overall, to ensure long term

prosperity, any measures that will make the UK a better place to start, finance and grow a business will be welcomed and help the North West economy participate more in the recovery.

Peter Allen, head of corporate, Cassell Moore

of obtaining funding for growth of the business has been a frustrating one.

It seems that mainstream banks and other lenders are reluctant to provide funding to small businesses and this is vital if these businesses are to prosper.

Almost all businesses in the UK have grown from humble roots and we feel it is vital to provide financial support to small businesses so that they can flourish and hopefully become institutions that their local communities can be proud of.

Phil Taylor, general manager, MPE Interiors The minister needs to help small business find effective funding routes to allow them to grow. Our experience

Thomas Danesh, head of the commercial debt and insolvency expert department, Parry & Co

One of the single biggest issues holding businesses back is access to skills. We’ve seen some reforms recently with the Employer Ownership of Skills programme delivering greater spending power directly to employers but more can, and needs to, be done.

Training providers need to better align their provision to the needs of employers and not just to the desires of potential students.

Not just in colleges but in schools too, greater business engagement is vital. It is madness that teachers are expected to advise pupils on future career paths, as their focus is, quite rightly, on educating our young people. Businesses themselves must be actively supported, through an appropriate qualityassured process, to participate in careers advice and bring alive the wealth of opportunities in the modern world directly to pupils.

Only when business is at the heart of education will we be truly ready to face the modern, globalised economy and succeed.

Christian Spence, head of business intelligence at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

p33-48_Move Commercial 01/09/2014 14:51 Page 48

Expect to be inspired Like surprises? This is a nice one… a place to work that thinks beyond the desk. Not that the VMÄ JL ZWHJL PZU»[ SV]LS` 0[ PZ )\[ P[»Z [OL ZWHJL [OH[ Z\YYV\UKZ P[ ;OL J\S[\YL P[»Z WHY[ VM HUK [OL ILULÄ [Z MVY `V\Y JVTWHU` [OH[ THRL [OL KPMMLYLUJL ( WSHJL ^P[O [OL HIPSP[` [V JYLH[L ^OH[ [OL` call a healthy work life balance. ;OLYL»Z HSZV H ZLH[LY H\KP[VYP\T ^P[O ZV\UK ZV NVVK ^L ZJYLLU Ä STZ H[ UPNO[ >L»]L NV[ LPNO[ TLL[PUN YVVTZ ^P[O HSS [OL SH[LZ[ (= LX\PWTLU[ (UK ^P[O NYLH[ JVMMLL :[HYI\JRZ KVU»[ `V\ RUV^ HUK H NYLH[ [LHT [V SVVR HM[LY `V\ OVWLM\SS` [OL PKLHZ ^PSS [HRL JHYL VM [OLTZLS]LZ >L»YL YPNO[ PU [OL TPKKSL VM [OL 5VY[O >LZ[ ^OLYL [OL 4 JYVZZLZ [OL 4 :THJR IHUN IL[^LLU 4HUJOLZ[LY HUK 3P]LYWVVS ¶ ZV ^L OH]L H NYLH[ JH[JOTLU[ HYLH MVY YLJY\P[TLU[ LHZ` HJJLZZ [V [OL YLNPVUHS [YHPU SPUL HUK HSZV [V JSPLU[Z 0U [OL YPNO[ ZWHJL P[»Z WVZZPISL [V SP]L ^LSS LH[ ^LSS HUK ^VYR ^LSS 0M `V\ [OPUR ^L TPNO[ IL [OL YPNO[ ZWHJL MVY `V\Y I\ZPULZZ ^O` UV[ NL[ PU [V\JO& >L»K IL OHWW` [V ZOV^ `V\ YV\UK

01925 851 536 / www.birchwoodpark.co.uk 1VULZ 3HUN 3H:HSSL ), .YV\W