move commercial 21

MOVECOMMERCIAL

Jan-Feb 2011LIVERPOOL CITY REGION CHESTER MANCHESTER

The north-west’s guide to property and business Issue 21

GAMES GURUChris Sheffield

interview

ww

www.langtreegroupplc.co.ukMere Grange – Major new office park

GEORGE DOWNINGFuture plans and projects

COMMERCIALPROPERTY AWARDS

Exclusive pictures inside

p01-12:p03-12 11/1/11 18:36

Liverpool in a buildingSuites available from 2,000 sq ft

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p01-12:p03-12 11/1/11 16:23

To let / for sale new build industrial units6,775 – 12,091 sq ftKnowsley

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• Direct access to the arterial

M6 & M62

• The most car-friendly

place in the UK*

• Within 45 minutes of two

international airports & the

UK’s largest Freeport zone

• Within an hour’s drive of 4.3

million prospective employees

& 6.8 million potential customers

• A relatively low cost & cost-

effective location in terms of

premises, house prices, & labour

* 2010 Virgin Money Survey

p p gp01-12:p03-12 11/1/11 16:25

s

ers

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 5

Issue twenty-one Move Commercial

Welcome to Move Commercial

Contents

07 34

With the new year many of the companies look to a yearahead of growth with Chris Sheffield looking at expansionin China to meet the growing market in gaming and mobiletechnology. The future is also bright for George Downingwith a number of projects planned for the year ahead.David Duvall also looks at the green economy of buildings

in Liverpool, a topic discussed in length during the lunchdebate with three professionals shaping Liverpool’s greencredentials. The focus looks at the big plans for theboroughs in the year ahead and our panel gives theirpredictions on trends for 2011.

move publishing ltdAdvertising DirectorFiona Barnet Tel 0151 709 3871Account ManagerJo Tait Tel 0151 709 3871Editorial TeamDina Karim. Email: [email protected]: 0151 709 3871Emma Pinch. Email: [email protected]: 0151 709 3871

DesignerRob Whyte. Email: [email protected] by Move Publishing LtdDirectorsDavid O’Brien, Kim O’Brien, Fiona BarnetPrinted by Precision Colour Printers LtdDistribution Liaison ManagerBarbara TroughtonTel: 0151 733 5492 Mobile: 077148 14662

Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form orby 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 forthe veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

News06 Grosvenor secures Liverpool

One funding07 Prime Minister endorses

Wirral regeneration08 Coronation Street moves

to MediaCity09 Downing eyes up Liverpool

Commercial District10 St John’s Aldi supermarket 11 High and Mighty reaches

for Liverpool15 Green light for Edge Lane plans17 Masterplan for Manchester

Science Park

Features13 Bitesize Thinking

Food for thought22 Your Move Property Awards

Commercial property winners28 Entrepreneur

Chris Sheffield’s gaming empire32 Rising Star

Rob Thompson from Commercial Estates Group

34 Mover and ShakerGorge Downing of Downing

37 Lunch debateGreen thinking

42 FocusNorth West borough projects

44 Founding FatherDavid Duvall of Denovo Design

46 Ask the PanelTrends in 2011

Key Events30 CLA

Rub and Grub

Careers40 Appointments

Property movers and shakers

22

06

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MOVE COMMERCIAL6

News Move Commercial

Grosvenor secures Liverpool One funding

The Grosvenor Liverpool Fund hassecured £385m refinancing forLiverpool One. This five-year dealreplaces the original funding put inplace six years ago to cover both thedevelopment phase and the initialperiod of trading. The facility is theculmination of a competitivetendering process which has seenthe arrival of Dekabank and Credit

Agricole. It has been put in placeahead of the existing loan maturingin January 2012. Commenting onthe deal, Chris Taite, FundManager, Grosvenor LiverpoolFund, said: “We have been indiscussion with the banks sinceearly last year to secure thisrefinancing, never an easy task forthis size of loan, even in a strong

market. Liverpool One’s quality anddemonstrable success convincedour new lenders. As I hand over tomy successor as fund manager,Sarah-Jane Curtis, it is great to havesuch a vote of confidence in thefuture of the asset and the fund.”The banks involved in the newpackage were Royal Bank ofScotland, Eurohypo, Dekabank and

Credit Agricole banks. LiverpoolOne has performed exceptionallysince opening two years ago, despitethe challenging economic climate. Itis currently 98 per cent let, 51 percent of tenants are new to Liverpooland 20 new retailers have opened inthe past 12 months, including HugoBoss, Desigual, Habitat, Hollister,Jamie’s Italian and Kuoni.

LIVERPOOL is set to do the businessat the heart of the nation’s capital, asit opens its own Embassy in London.Based at New Broad Street House - aprestigious address close to LiverpoolStreet and the city’s financial district –the office will promote the city’scommercial and business offer andhelp secure vital investment. Themove follows the success ofLiverpool’s presence at ShanghaiWorld Expo 2010. The Embassy willbuild on the impact of the city’sPavilion at the event; showcase thecity as a competitive, internationalbusiness location and present

investment and developmentopportunities to investors. TheLiverpool Embassy is one of the firstmajor initiatives of the city’s ‘One Plan’,a new vision for the city, which aimsto draw on the strengths, resourcesand expertise of the public and privatesector to sell the city nationally andinternationally. City council leader,Councillor Joe Anderson, said: “I’mabsolutely determined that, in thesedifficult economic times, Liverpoolcontinues to grow, thrive and prosper.We know, from our year as EuropeanCapital of Culture and from our recentsuccess at Shanghai World Expo, that

people from outside the city want todo business with us. It’s more vitalthan ever that we do not take ourfoot off the accelerator and that wecontinue to find innovative ways ofworking with the private sector tosecure investment and drive this cityforward.” Initially open for threemonths, with a view to extending itsterm in London, the Liverpool Embassywill pave the way to a programme oflinked and complementary initiativesaimed at attracting trade and investorinterest and positioning Liverpool as acompetitive and progressive businesslocation.

London’s Liverpool

Liverpool One

Embassy

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 7

Move Commercial News

David Cameronendorses WirralWatersPrime Minister, David Cameron,and Lord Heseltine, visited theWirral Waters site in Birkenhead,which is set to benefit from thebiggest regeneration scheme of itstype anywhere in the UK. WirralWaters will transform the economicfortunes of Wirral, the broaderLiverpool City Region and theNorth West as a whole. The schemewill lead to the total transformationof derelict brownfield land withinEast Float at Birkenhead Docks.Leader of Wirral Council,Councillor Jeff Green said: “This isthe most important regenerationproject in Wirral’s history and I amextremely pleased that the PrimeMinister and Lord Heseltinerecognise the significance of what isbeing achieved here through strongpartnership working between Peeland the Council. Wirral Waters isan excellent example of localism inaction. The Council worked veryhard to bring it to fruition and itwas strongly supported by the localcommunity and businesses. I amdelighted that the governmentshowed their trust in local decision-making by giving this project thegreen light. To have the PrimeMinister’s endorsement for thisdevelopment is fantastic news forthe people of Wirral. We will nowwork even harder with Peel tomarket the site and realise thebenefits and opportunities of thescheme.” The £4.5 billion watersideredevelopment will see a completetransformation of BirkenheadDocks over 30 years. Five millionsquare feet of office space will beavailable and there are also plansfor a new marina and landscapedopen areas of green space for publicuse. Peel Holdings received furthergood news with the Trafford Centredeal back on track following US-based Simon Property Group’sannouncement it was dropping its£3bn pursuit for Capital Shopping

Centres. Simon holds a stake in CSCand opposed a CSC proposal to buyPeel's Trafford Centre with its

shares. Peel can now move forwardwith its proposal to sell its £1.6billlion Trafford Centre to CSC.

Merseytravel’s awarded-winningLiverpool South Parkway interchangehas seen a 50 per cent increase inpassengers over the past 12 months.This figure is set to increase furtherfrom following the decision forTransPennine Trains to stop dailyoffering their passengers a seamlesslink to Liverpool John Lennon Airportand onward travel across the area andnationally. Neil Scales, Merseytravelchief executive, commented:”LiverpoolSouth Parkway is helping to improveaccess to the unique attractions ofLiverpool and Merseyside, as well aslinking people from North and WestYorkshire to international travel viaJohn Lennon Airport.” The stunningeco-friendly interchange, created byMerseytravel, offers a booking andpassenger information office andenquiry point for bus, rail and airportjourneys; a bus station and taxi rank, ahigh frequency bus shuttle toLiverpool John Lennon Airport and a311 space park-and-ride car park, freeto users of the facility. Leo Goodwin,commercial director for FirstTransPennine Express, said: “Withdirect trains, quick, frequent bustransfer and a choice of low-costairlines, we‘re confident thatpassengers from across the Pennineswill appreciate how easy it is to reachthe airport. We’ll also be offeringdiscount advance purchase rail faresto complete the package.”

LiverpoolSouthParkwaysuccess

LiverpoolSouth Parkway

Prime Minister, David Cameronand Leader of Wirral Council,

Councillor Jeff Green

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MOVE COMMERCIAL8


ITV is to move itsManchester-based operation,including Coronation Street,to MediaCityUK. Britain’slongest-running soap willrelocate to a new state-of-the art production facility tobe built on the MediaCityUKsite next to the Imperial WarMuseum North. ITV staff,including the ITV Granadaregional news team, will takeup residence in offices on the

Salford Quays side of thedevelopment in 2012. AdamCrozier, chief executive, ITVplc, said: “Coronation Street isan incredible brand and as wecelebrate its 50thanniversary, it’s fantasticnews that we are able toinvest in the construction ofa modern production centreto ensure that the nation’sbest-loved soap remains atthe top of its game for

another half a century.” ITV isset to build a bespokeproduction and studio centrefor Coronation Street. ITVjoins BBC North, theUniversity of Salford, andSatellite Information Services(SIS) as key occupiers at the£650 million development.Last month, Peel Mediasigned a new ten-yearagreement with the BBC todeliver an enhanced range of

production and technicalservices at MediaCityUK. Theservices will be provided by anew company formed by PeelMedia and SIS. MediaCityStudios Ltd will haveresponsibility for running thestudios, post production,content and technicalservices at MediaCityUK tomeet BBC commitments andthe anticipated demands ofcommercial operators.

Coronation Street moveto MediaCity

A PRIME Liverpool city centredevelopment with planningpermission on Liverpool’sHatton Garden has been puton the market. The 0.39 acresite is situated at thejunction of Hatton Gardenand Great Crosshall Streetand is currently operating asan industrial estate. The siteis in a premium location onthe fringe of the city centre,close to new student andresidential developments andLJMU facilities in theimmediate area. Planningpermission already exists tobuild an eleven storey mixeduse development on the site.There are currently fiveindustrial units on the sitewhich is fully let andproduces an annual rental of£35,150 p.a.x. with ananticipated ERV of £50,000.Managing the site NeilKirkham, Partner at HitchcockWright & Partners,commented: “This site offersa wonderful developmentopportunity. It is one of thelast key sites available fordevelopment in this pocket ofthe city centre which hasseen hotels, student andacademic accommodationspring up in recent years.”

AWARD WINNING mobilecommunications experts Txtlocalhas taken new offices in Chester’sBell Meadow Business Park. Themove represents a major investmentin the Northwest for the UK marketleaders, who have taken a five-yearlease on their new offices, for thedevelopment of SMScommunications tools andapplications. Launched in 2005they provide mobile communicationtools in SMS, MMS, Short Code andLocation Based services. The newlocation now provides the facilitiesneeded to accommodate Txtlocal’sever-growing team of developers,customer relationship managers and

senior managers. Tom Creer of BACommercial who represents Bell

Meadow Business Park handled theproperty deal on behalf of Txtlocal.

City centredevelopmentsite upfor sale

Chester HQ for mobile communications firm

Coronation Street set

Darren Daws, Managing Director of Txtlocal

Photo credit: Falconer Chester Hall

Hatton Garden

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 9


Downing eyes up LiverpoolCommercial DistrictDOWNING has announced plans torelocate to Liverpool’s commercialdistrict as it puts its headquarterson the market. The company,Liverpool’s largest commerciallandlord, intends to relocate to oneof its six properties in thecommercial district later this year.The property group’s 7,413 sq ftoffice, located just off Hope Streeton Myrtle Street, is available forsale or lease. Downing refurbishedthe 19th century building to providevery high quality open-plan andflexible offices, meeting rooms,reception and kitchen on theground floor. The lower groundfloor provides further offices,storage, a gymnasium, steam roomand shower facilities and there arealso 27 secure on-site parkingspaces. The offices are available torent or purchase. Four self-contained student apartments,which are located above the officesuites and currently produce£82,896 per annum, are alsoavailable for sale. Ann Lodge, chiefexecutive of Downing, said: “We’reconfident that the quality of the

refurbishment, as well as the office’sfantastic location close to theuniversities and cultural quarter,will ensure that 5 Myrtle Streetattracts strong interest. The fact weare willing to sell or lease shouldalso appeal to occupiers. We’recommitted to the development ofLiverpool’s commercial district and,

with the majority of our commercialportfolio based here, relocating willallow us to be closer to our tenants -supporting the work of our in-housemanagement teams.”For more information about 5Myrtle Street, please contact RobinEllis at Downing on 0151 707 2666or email [email protected]

LETTING AGENTS HitchcockWright & Partners andMatthews and Goodman haveannounced a radical newletting strategy for 8 WaterStreet situated in the heart ofLiverpool’s central businessDistrict. The new strategyoffers flexible lease termsfrom as little as 2 - 3 yearsand at headline rents of only£9.75 per square footexclusive. 8 Water Street hasundergone a recent £500,000transformation by ownersThreadneedle. Fullyrefurbished office suites areavailable ranging in size from4,000 to 36,000 sq ft thathave raised floor access,suspended ceilings, category IIlighting and are fully carpetedthroughout. Brian Ricketts ofHitchcock Wright & Partnerssaid: “Our clientsThreadneedle have decided toreally take the bull by thehorns and bring a remarkableand unprecedented deal tothe market which reflectsexactly what tenants arelooking for in the currentuncertain economic climate.These terms are a bargainespecially considering theincredible specification whichthe building now offers and inmy opinion are unparalleled inthe city”.

WaterStreetprospect

MASON OWEN hasannounced the letting of thefinal and largest tradecounter unit at Commerce

Park, Birkenhead, to nationalflooring retailer Floors-2-Goon a ten-year lease. Floors-2-Go joins local business

Clifton Bathrooms alongsidenational trade counteroperators Tool Station andCity Plumbing Supplies,which are both part of theTravis Perkins Group.Following Mason Owen’srecent letting of 5,000 sq ftof office accommodation toWirralbiz SPS Ltd, the Floors-2-go signing means that thesuccessful business park isnow at full occupancy. Thedevelopment, owned byChainbid Limited, consists ofover 40,000 sq ft in mixeduse commercialaccommodation and is

located less than one mileaway from Birkenhead towncentre and the Birkenheadtunnel. Paul Thorne ofMason Owen’s businesspremises team said: “We aredelighted to have completedthe letting of the lastremaining unit at CommercePark to such a high profileoccupier who we feelcomplements the rest of thetenant line up. This businesspark has been highlysuccessful due to itsexcellent transport links andprominence to the A41 NewChester Road.”

Wirral’s CommercePark is now full

Myrtle Street

Ei8ht Water Street

Commerce Park

Phot

o cr

edit

: McC

oy W

ynne

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10 MOVE COMMERCIAL


St Johns’ Supermarket FirstALDI has become the firstsupermarket to open at Liverpool’sSt Johns Shopping Centre. The new 24,000 sq ft ground floorstore opened in the spot formerlyoccupied by Woolworths after thebudget chain agreed a 10 year lease.Aldi has created more than 15 jobswith the store launch and adds theSt Johns branch to its existing sixstores on Merseyside, includingSmithdown Road, Prescot Road andthe Thornton site. James Larmuth,

portfolio manager at LandSecurities, which is the owner of StJohns Market, said: “This is amassive coup for St Johns. “Aldileads the way in terms of offeringquality value products on the highstreet and we're really excited tohave them within the portfolioespecially as they've opened withinsuch a prime location on ElliotStreet.” Aldi has already taken spaceat the Arndale shopping centre inManchester and the move is seen as

part of a strategy by the discountretailer to boost its presence in towncentre locations to help competewith rival convenience storesincluding Tesco Express andSainsbury’s Local. Land Securitiesplans a £100m revamp of theLiverpool shopping centre, which itsees as one of its best performingshopping centres in Britain. Theredevelopment plan includes180,000 sq ft of new space. It isexpected to be completed by 2013.

TWO LEADING restaurant chainshave signed up to open atMerepark’s six-acre Central

Villiage development behindLiverpool Central Station,Renshaw Street and Bold Street.

Mexican restaurant Chiquito willtrade from 5,000 sq ft premisesand American-Italian dinerFrankie & Benny's will occupy4,400 sq ft at the Boardwalkbuilding that will also contain anOdeon cinema. It is hoped thatCentral Village will create around3,000 jobs for the city by the timeof completion, scheduled for 2013.Ian Jones, director at Merepark,said: “It's always been ourintention to create a high-qualityscheme with widespread appeal.These lettings show that CentralVillage is an attractiveproposition, capable of bringingnew restaurant and leisureoperators into the city.” Pre-lets inplace include Accor, Q-Park andMillennium & Copthorne. Savillsand CBRE are joint leisure agentsfor Central Village.

New Eateries for Central Village

Central Villiage

Aldi supermarket, StJohns Shopping Centre

BOODLES, the Liverpool-based jewellers founded in1798, has confirmed it is setto open an Asian branch.The new venture, destinedfor Hong Kong’s LaneCrawford department storecomes shortly after theyopened a branch in the SavoyHotel, London.They have opened in theFront Hall of the hotelfollowing its high profilerestoration.The Hong Kong outlet willbecome Boodles’ 10thbranch, adding to the fiveLondon branches, plusChester, Manchester, Dublinand its flagship Liverpoolstore. The retailer is alsoplanning to launch its ownonline store early next year.

Boodles’AsianJewelLiverpooljeweller toopen inHong Kong

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11MOVE COMMERCIAL


From London to Liverpool

SPECIALIST retailer High andMighty has opened a new store inLiverpool’s Williamson Street.The chain, which supplies big and

tall clothing, is undergoing anexpansion programme, withLiverpool the first of 11 new storesopening across the country, taking it

from 14 to 25 outlets.Following its acquisition by JDWilliams in September 2009 Highand Mighty stores are benefiting

from a £1 milllion revamp.The new-look stores offer a range ofwell-known brands, such as PoloRalph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger.

High and Mighty Reaches for Liverpool

BARGAIN shop Poundland has createdup to 30 new jobs with the openingof a new store in Speke.The new store occupies a 3,050 sq ftunit at Speke Retail ParkThe West Midlands-based chain,

Europe’s biggest single price discountretailer, It operates more than 300stores nationwide selling a selectionof products priced at £1 each,including brands such as Heinz,Colgate, Pepsi and Kodak.

Betting on LiverpoolGROSVENOR Casinos has openedits third UK electronic casinoventure, in Liverpool city centre. The 2,700 sq ft outlet opened at 28-30 Ranelagh Street following a£1.3m investment, GrosvenorCasinos said.The venue offers 14 electronicroulette machines, a poker table and

18 jackpot slot machines with£4,000 jackpots.All gaming machines operate via aticket in/ticket out system andpayouts are via a ticket that can befed back into the machine orredeemed at the end of the night. Open until 4am at weekends, itemploys 13 members of staff.

Poundland Opens in Speke

Grosvenor Casinos

Poundland exterior

High andMighty store

p01-12:p03-12 11/1/11 18:52

Liverpool’sfab officebuilding

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p01-12:p03-12 11/1/11 18:40

MOVE COMMERCIAL 13

Move Commercial Bitesize thinking

If only I’d known….

Bryan Glendinning,Commercial Director for Warmer Heating

Bryan Glendinning

Buzzword‘ T W E N T Y - E L E V E N ’

Saying the words Two Thousand ina date is just so last year. TwentyEleven trills off the tongue so muchmore smoothly than stodgy oldTwo Thousand And Eleven. Try it.It imparts the pleasing sense we’re all far too busy whizzing towork on jet packs and drinkingliquid dinners out of Nasa pouches

to bother with saying the datelonghand.

Anyway last century it was 19-this,19-that, and we’re already downwith the whole Twenty Twelvething, thanks to our totally funkyOlympic bid – so it’s high time thisyear got with the programme.20-11. It’s the future.

The proportion of Small to Medium Enterprises planning arecruitment drive for 2011. The survey, by telecomscompany Orange, found another 65 per cent intend tokeep staff figures the same. The study said some 76 percent of companies predict either the same level of successor a more prosperous year than 2010.

26 percentVitalstatistics

Chris Connor, director at property agentMason Owen, was tasked withchoosing his favourite building in theUK and abroad to share with MoveCommercial readers.

He said: “My favourite building inBritain is the Royal Liver Building. In myopinion it’s most beautiful of the ThreeGraces and one of the mostrecognisable landmarks in the UK. Thehistory and mythology appeal to me.The Liver Birds are supposed to watchover the city, and the clock faces werebuilt bigger than those of Big Ben, andilluminated at night, so mariners couldsee the time.

Further afield Florence’s majesticDuomo made an impression. “I’m fortunate enough to have been

there three times now and I seesomething different every time,” hesaid. “The large brick dome remains thelargest ever built and considering workbegun in 1292, the skills andconstruction are breathtaking. It almostcompels you to be become religious!”

Chris Connor,director atproperty agentMason Owen

FAVOURITEBUILDINGS&Home

Away

The Royal Liver Building

Duomo ….How hard it would be to pick upthe habit of studying after a fewyears have gone by. I’m trying tostudy for an MBA in my sparetime, and at the same time set upthe infrastructure for newcompanies. How I wish I had doneit immediately after I completedmy first post grad qualification in2002 in management studies.You get out of the habit ofstudying and the language ofacademia incredibly quickly.

I’m also relearning somebusiness techniques that I’d allbut forgotten; things that wouldhave come in useful over the pasteight years.

…Renewable energy is going tobecome huge over the next decade– both commercially and in the home. Supply of energy is going to becritical for the UK.

Last year for the first time sincethe 30s Britain imported more gasthan it produced. It’s a serioussituation. The Government is incentivising the

adoption of PV panels and cityinvestors are putting up cash forpeople to install them. I believe that by 2020 most homes

will be equipped with some sort ofrenewable energy, probably photovoltaic panels or ground source heatpumps.

In my crystal ball…

p13-27:p03-12 11/1/11 18:03

MOVE COMMERCIAL14

p13-27:p03-12 10/1/11 11:49

MOVE COMMERCIAL 15


A £200 MILLION revamp ofLiverpool’s Edge Lane retail park ison track to start this month. DerwentHoldings, which owns the retail parkand a number of sites on the dualcarriageway, has received planningpermission to create a 600,000 sq ftshopping park at the gateway site.The developer has said if planningpermission was secured for the890,000 sq ft site work would startright away. The scheme encompasses47 retail units, four restaurants andthree leisure units along with 1,680parking spaces. Talks about the scaleand configuration of the retail park,on an important route into the citycentre from the M62, have beengoing on between the council andGubay for over a decade. SteveBurne, AEW's managing director,said: "We are absolutely delighted tohave received this decision afteryears of hard work from the team.This is a very significant project forthe region at a time of continuinguncertainty and we are lookingforward to delivering the first phaseas soon as possible." John Taylor,from Derwent Holdings, said thefirst thing the company will do ifplanning permission is granted isremove the “grot-spots” blightingEdge Lane. “We are ready to startstraight away. The £200m isallocated,” he said. As part of the

wider regeneration strategy, Derwenthas agreed to provide a site for anextension to Mersey Care’s mentalhealth facility at Rathbone Hospital,

which was given planningpermission last year. The developerwill also construct a largerVictorian-style park to replace the

current semi-derelict Rathbone.Once the four-year build is complete the site will provide workfor 2,000 people.

Green light for Edge Lane plans

CONSTRUCTION has begun on fivenew commercial laboratories atLiverpool Science Park. Costing£660,000 the new bio labs are beingbuilt on the ground floor of LSP’sInnovation Centre 2 office block onMount Pleasant. The five 1,000 sq ftlabs are scheduled to open by the endof the spring. LSP’s offer has already

been boosted with the go-ahead for amulti million pound four storey IC3block of labs. It will link to IC1 by atwo-storey bridge. A public andprivate funding package is expectedto be in place by March 2011.Professor Michael Brown CBE, vicechancellor of Liverpool John MooresUniversity and chairman of LiverpoolScience Park, said: “Liverpool excels inthe field of life sciences and thesenew laboratories will provide theperfect environment for this sector tocontinue to flourish.” LSP is home ot48 companies and is owned byLiverpool University, Liverpool JohnMoores and Liverpool City Council.

Dobbies’ plans bear fruitPLANS for an £8 million DobbiesGarden World are set to come tofruition this year after the companyreceived the go ahead from LiverpoolCity Council. The store, covering 8.78acres will be built on an access roadto John Lennon airport in Speke onland purchased from Peel Land andProperty Ltd. Final approval by theGovernment Office for the NorthWest is now pending. Stuart Wright,Dobbies' director of property, said:"Following the GONW finalisation,we plan to open our doors to

customers in Liverpool during the2011/2012 financial year and we lookforward to planning for constructionto start.” Sustainability will be at theheart of the development. It willincorporate the use of recycledrainwater and be built fromrenewable materials. Its landscapeddisplay areas will feature 10,000plants, shrubs and trees, a specialistaquatics department, a restaurantand farm food hall and workshops byvisiting horticultural experts. The sitewill create 120 jobs for Speke.

Formula forgrowth at LSP

Edge Lane retail park CGI

Liverpool Science Park

Dobbie Garden World CGI, Speke

p13-27:p03-12 11/1/11 18:55

MOVE COMMERCIAL16

FOR SALE/TO LETV7, KINGS BUSINESS PARK, KNOWSLEY

FROM7,000 SQ FT

UP TO 34,055 SQ FT

PRESTIGIOUS GRADE A OFFICE BUILDING

188 CAR PARKING SPACES

Mark WorthingtonCBREE: [email protected]: 0151 471 4971

Andrew OwenMason OwenE: [email protected]: 0151 242 3120

Further details are available through the joint agents:-

p13-27:p03-12 11/1/11 16:27


RATINGS AGENCY DunlopHeywood reports it has securedseven new instructions atshopping centres across the NorthWest. ING Real Estate InvestmentManagement (UK)'s BritannicaFund has appointed DunlopHeywood at The Strand ShoppingCentre, Bootle; Church SquareShopping Centre, St Helens, andThe Spindles Shopping Centre inOldham. The new sites join DunlopHeywood's expanding shoppingcentre portfolio which alreadyincludes: The Trafford Centre,Manchester; Albert Square,Widnes; The Peel Centre,Blackburn; Peel Retail Park,Stockport and Trafford Retail Park,Manchester."We are one of the few propertyconsultancies that have continuedto expand steadily throughout2010 and we recently opened ournew property and assetmanagement division with teamsbased in both Manchester andLeeds," said Stuart Hicks, who setup the firm in 2008. Other new instructions came fromthe Co-Operative Group, PeelHoldings, Blackpool InternationalAirport, Newcastle InternationalAirport, Craegmoor Healthcare andGreenwoods Menswear.Hicks said the firm is looking torecruit two more people to add tothe seven staff in Manchester.

Newshops onDunlopHeywood’slist

PROPERTY CONSULTANT GLHearn has been instructed byTelereal Trillium to dispose of oneof the largest office schemes inWigan. Located at the junction of

Bridgeman Terrace and NewMarket Street the scheme, calledMesnes House, comprises threefloors and a single storey section,which brings the total of open

plan and private officeaccommodation to 13,135 sq ft. The building is within closeproximity to the town centre andpublic transport system and retailfacilities, and easily accessiblefrom both the M6 and the M61.It is available to purchase on along leasehold basis.Tracy Dougan, corporateassistant surveyor at GL Hearnsaid: “Mesnes House isstrategically situated close toThomas Linacre Outpatient Centreand Wigan and Leigh College,making it an ideal location for anorganisation working within thehealthcare sector. TelerealTrillium is taking a flexibleapproach to marketing MensnesHouse and will consider enquiriesfor part of the building as well asfor the whole scheme.”

Wigan offices on the market

Masterplan for Manchester Science Park ARCHITECT John McAslan +Partners has been appointed todraw up a masterplan to expandManchester Science Park and forgenew connections with the citycentre. The masterplan will reshapethe existing site to create 250,000sq ft of new floor space forinnovative companies such asdigital media, biotechnology and

IT. The plans will almost double thefacility’s commercial space.Architects will deliver plans forseven new buildings plus an openpublic space to function as ameeting point for academics andvisitors. MSP occupies a prominent9.3-hectare corridor site betweenthe University of Manchester andHulme. Tony Skipper, managing

director of John McAslan +Partners, said: “Over the next fewyears, we will see ManchesterScience Park become a much biggerpart of city life. We are delighted tobe working on such a prominentscheme that will reshape the waysin which Manchester’s leadinginstitutions and resources willinterlink and collaborate.”

Manchester Science Park CGI

Mesnes House

DunlopHeywoodreceiveinstructionsfor The Strand

MOVE COMMERCIAL 17

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To let1,500 - 3,000 sq ft

Dunes Way (off Sandhills Lane), Liverpool, L5 9RJ

To find out more about this site visitwww.langtreegroupplc.co.uk/wellingtonemploymentparksouth

• Good accessibility close to M62 and North west

• Good parking circulation areas• Monitored CCTV system

• Gas central heating to offices• High quality industrial units• Located in the North Liverpool

Docks area

WellingtonEmployment Park South

• Corporate Property and Litigation Services

• Commercial Contract Advice and Drafting

• Company Formations and Structure

• Acquisitions and Disposals

• Shareholder Agreements

• Director Service Contracts

• Employment Law and Contracts

MSB Commercial

Call MSB Solicitors on0151 281 9040

[email protected] Solicitors, Liverpool city centre office, 13th Floor Silkhouse Court, Tithebarn Street, L2 2LZ

www.msbsolicitors.co.uk

MOVE COMMERCIAL18

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INTERNATIONALHOUSE Liverpool International

Business Park

TO LET/MAY SELL8,294-25,877 SQFT (770-2,403 SQM)

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EI8HT WATER STREET

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By Dina [email protected]

The seventh annual Your Move Property Awards 2010 took place in theheart of Liverpool One, in The Hilton hotel. The prestigious eveningcelebrated the achievements of property developers and agents, investorsand housing associations, who have made an impact on the cityscape andits people in the past year. The awards were sponsored by Riverside HomeOwnership and the night was compered by comedian Chris Cairns.

Property Awards 2010

SPONSORED BY

I n t e r i o r D e s i g n

KS

SKYLINEPROPERTY SOLUTIONS LIMITED

ASSOCIATED SPONSORS

David Duvall,Director at Denovo DesignWe were thrilled to receive the news that ourLiverpool City Centre project - Jack Jones House,(formerly the TGWU building), had beennominated for not one but two Your Move PropertyAwards 2010!

Entry criteria- Office, hotel, leisure, industrial or mixed- Commercial viability of the scheme- Design excellence- Aesthetics- Suitability to end use and needs of customers- Use of space and materials- Sensitivity architecturally in its approach

Runner upCommercial Estates Group for South Harringtonoffices.

Move Commercial Award for Best Commercial Scheme

Lesley Martin-Wright chief executive at Knowsley Chamber ofCommerce presents David Duvall, Denovo Design with their award.Lesley Martin-Wright chief executive at Knowsley Chamber ofCommerce presents David Duvall, Denovo Design with their award.

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Property Awards 2010 Key event

Move Commercial Landlord of the Year Award

sponsored by Skyline Property Solutions

Robin Ellis, Senior Agency Surveyor of DowningIt’s been a good year for Downing. We’ve done one or two nice deals and we’ve missed oneor two as well - it’s nice to be recognised as a decent landlord so thank you very much.

Entry criteria- Commercial landlord which has secured the best commercial lease in terms of

price, tenant, commercial facilities and specification offered and investment growth in the area

Runner upLiverpool Science Park.

Antonia Martin-Wright,of Commercial Estates GroupCEG are thrilled to win this prestigious award. SouthHarrington Building has been a huge success over the past 12months, with over 83% of the building occupied within this shorttime. The combination of contemporary flare with historicdockside features such as the original loading winches andgantry, sets this building apart. Many thanks to everyone whowas involved with creating such a bespoke product and to MoveCommercial for rewarding our efforts.

Entry criteria- Commercial viability- Design and layout- Architectural design of scheme- Environmental consideration- Specification of communal areas

Runners upDowning for Capital, Langtree for Connect Business Park,Denovo Design for Jack Jones House and RumfordInvestments for 20 Chapel Street.

Move Commercial Award for Best Office/ Workspace Development sponsored by MSB Solicitors

Best Property Law Firm

sponsored by Downing

Paul Bibby, managing partner of MSB solicitorsI am thrilled that MSB have won the property law firm of theyear award for the second year running. The evening itself wasthoroughly enjoyable and faultlessly organised.

Entry criteria- Independently assessed by mystery shoppers and thorough

analytical research

Runner upJST Lawyers.

John Clegg, Robin Ellis, Peter Keppie, Downingand Ellis Hill, Skyline Property Solutions.

Paul Bibby, MSB Solicitors with Rob Thompson, andAntonia Martin-Wright, Commercial Estates Group.

MSB Solicitors receiving their award.

Paul Bibby, MSB Solicitors with Rob Thompson, andAntonia Martin-Wright, Commercial Estates Group.

MSB Solicitors receiving their award.

John Clegg, Robin Ellis, Peter Keppie, Downingand Ellis Hill, Skyline Property Solutions.

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MOVE COMMERCIAL24

Phil Warren, managingdirector of Warmer Heating LtdAbsolutely delighted to have won this year’s Your Move Entrepreneur awardfor 2010, it has been a fantastic achievement for everyone involved withWarmer Heating ltd. We’re moving to our new premises in the new year, todeliver our new contracts and maximise our expansion plans for 2011.

Entry criteria- Outstanding individual- Vision and leadership- Identification of market opportunity- Ability to organise and apply resources required- Strong commercial performance

Runners upKate Lay of MPA and Mike Black of Blacks Estate Agents who bothreceived special commendations for outstanding work in the sector.

Ann Lodge, joint chief executive of DowningWinning these two awards has capped a fantastic year for usand is testament to the hard work of the entire Downing teamacross our Liverpool portfolio. We remain committed to the cityand will continue to invest in the long-term futures of all ofour buildings.

Entry criteria- Outstanding and continued performance- Ability to adapt to the market changes- Strong commercial performance

Runners upKeppie Massie and Sutton Kersh who both received specialcommendations for outstanding work in the sector.

Your Move Entrepreneur Award sponsored by The Design Foundry

Your move Property Business of the Decade sponsored by Kingston Shaw

Phil Warren, Warmer Heating with David Al-Hadithi, The Design Foundry.

John Clegg, Robin Ellis and Peter Keppie, Downing with Kate Kingston, Kingston Shaw. Stuart Keppie, Keppie Massie recieving special commendationfrom Kim O’Brien

John Clegg, Robin Ellis and Peter Keppie, Downing with Kate Kingston, Kingston Shaw.

p13-27:p03-12 11/1/11 18:01

MOVE COMMERCIAL 25


1. John Brown, Knight Frank. 2. Kim O’Brien, Your Move and Sharon Armor, Waddicar Properties. 3. Adam Hall, Falconer, Chester Hall. 4. David Duvan, Denovo Design.

5. Lesley Martin-Wright. 6. Vicki Burton and Stephen Hogg, King Sturge. 7. Alex Lewis, Portside House Ltd and letting agent Sue Taylor, Keppie Massie. 8. Lesley and Antonia

Martin-Wright. 9. Darleen Lee and Chris Cairns, compere.

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1. Danny Mannix on keyboards, Mike Harvey on drums, Paul Taft on guitar and Dan Patricks vocals. 2. Elaine Cunningham announces a winner. 3. Paul Bibby and guests.

4. Robin Ellis, Downing. 5. Law firm, MSB Solicitors. 6. Knowsley Chamber of Commerce. 7. Phil Warren, Warmer Heating collects his award.

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8. Paul Bibby present Commercial Estate Group with their award. 9. We’ve won! 10. Steve Lout, Integrated Building Management Group, Mike Ryder, Purple Apple

Management, Phil Miller, Latham Miller Construction. 11. Downing accept their award. 12. Kim and David O’Brien and Fiona Barnet, Move Publishing. 13. Ged Massie of Keppie

Massie. 14. The stage is set. 15. Jim Spencer, Spencer Holdings. 16. A mysterious dancer.

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With just over a decade striking outon his own, Chris Sheffield is still asbusy as when he first started hisbusinesses. We meet at theMalmaison Hotel in Piccadilly,Manchester, where in betweenbusiness meetings he has secured mean interview, days before his bigbusiness trip to China where he willspend time developing his newproject.

A serial entrepreneur, theconglomerate in China, CRE8IVEGroup, of which he is Senior VicePresident, is the latest venture froma man always looking at newmarkets for digital technology. Lessthan a year since the conglomeratewas formed, he is widely consideredan important contact in the East,with cars parting like a sea when hisnumber plates roll past. Chris tellsme why he took the big decision towork in the East. “The potential inChina in social media on mobiletechnology is unbelievable. Million-

2-1 worked with Vodafone and 02which has 15 million customers each.China Mobile has 580 millioncustomers, and the way they usetechnology is more advanced thanover here.

It’s very difficult to raise moneyhere but in China it’s growing soquickly it’s unbelievable. Facebookand Twitter is banned in China, butan operation called Ren Ren which isa total copy of Facebook has 120million customers. So there’s a hugeopportunity to take models from theWest over to China but they do usetechnology differently. Only 25 percent of people have access to theinternet, but literally everyone has amobile phone.

The opportunity in China worksboth ways, taking western modelsover there and bringing it back butthe only way to do it is to work withChinese businesses because you canface problems with the governmentand securing permits, so I had to

work as part of a conglomerate.”Chris started as at Deloitte where hespent 11 years as an IT consultantjust as the world woke up to the

internet boom. Many of his clientswere interested in those first internetventures and a lot of money was

available for them. Following the creation of a

successful internet strategy for a bigsports operator, he left Deloitte toco-found Sportal, which focused onthe development and operation ofsports-based web sites and onlinecommunities working with sportingfranchises such as Juventus. “It was a typical dot-com businessand I got a lot of experience out ofthat. However, after 18 months Idecided to set up my own businessso I took a huge risk and soldeverything I had; my flat, my car andmoved to Manchester where I livedon friend’s floors and I set upEunite.” Eunite was an internet startup

business funded by 3i, which rapidlybecame one of the biggest internetproduction companies in the UK.What made Eunite unique was itsregional presence, no one else wasdoing what the company offered inthe North West: building websites,

At what point do you think, ‘this is it I’ve made it’. When traffic clears to let yourcar past as if you were an ambassador? When your first company sells for £80million? None of these things seems to matter much to Chris Sheffield whosecareer highlight is hearing his invention reverse auction mentioned on the radio.With his first company Eunite becoming a massive success within a year, adecade on the Manchester-based entrepreneur is at the forefront of newtechnology and social media. He has identified huge potential in developingcompanies in China as well as on his doorstep supporting The Sharp Project inManchester.

Games Guru

The potential inChina in socialmedia on mobiletechnology isunbelievable.

““By Dina [email protected]

MOVE COMMERCIAL28

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Chris Sheffield Entrepreneur

ecommerce and egaming forcompanies such as Liverpool FC andManchester United FC to Toys-R-Us. Within 60 weeks, the company soldfor £80 million to mail ordercompany M Brown. Following twoyears of integration, in 2003 Christook just one day off before divinginto his new venture Million 2 1, theUK's leading mobile gaming businesswith over two million customers inthe UK.

“I figured that in the future phoneswere going to get a lot moresophisticated. I envisaged iPhonesbefore they came out because at thattime it was obvious that was going tohappen. What always happens firstin technology is pornography, that’swhat happened on the internet, Iwasn’t going to do that, and thesecond thing is gambling. So we set up a business for gamblingon your mobile phone which wasseven years ago when no one elsehad thought about it and youcouldn’t do much else with phones atthe time. I invented something calledreverse auction which is still thenumber one phone application, it’sgone huge around the world, we diddeals with talksport, radio stations,with ITV, and it really took off.”

After six years Million-2-1 was soldto IGT, the industry's leadingmanufacturer of gaming machines,for an undisclosed, yet large profit.Work never stopped for Chris butafter a decade he felt it was time togive something back and becameinvolved in The Sharp Project inManchester as a venture capitalist.

“The Sharp Project is a fantasticfacility for media and creativeindustries offering contemporaryoffice space. I was lucky I worked atDeloittes so I understand fundingand accounting but now it’s veryhard to raise funds.” With limited funds available for 18to 30 year olds, Chris was aware ofthe problems they encounteredwhen raising start-up funds. ““I don’t just invest money, I alsofacilitate partnerships and deals. SoI’ve taken offices out there to helpfind the next ‘googles’ and‘youtubes’ and betting companies ofthe future.” The future for Chris is supportingregional digital technology start-upsand entrepreneurially building hispresence in China’s rapidly growingeconomy.

“Money definitely doesn’t drive mebecause if you focus on money thenyou lose sight of the business. Iinvented the reverse auction concept(How Lo) which has become aworldwide phenomenon and I

invented that in the bath one night.I’m a geek basically, I’ve got everysingle gadget you can imagine, myliving room has five laptops in it andI’m a big Xbox gamer. I absolutelylove technology.”

Sheffield fileDOB:28 Oct 1966

Eduation:Preston Polytechnic, businessand technology degree.

Companies:Senior Vice President atChina Resources &Investment Vehicle Ltd,Chairman of theEword,entrepreneur of Instant HitLtd, Founder of Million-2-1,Founder of Eunite, Cofounder of Sportal.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 29

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1. Andy Armstrong (CLA Director), Greg Newton (Douglas Fairless) and Greg Phillips (CLA). 2. Ron White (CLA Director), Suzanne Waggnett (Worksharp) and Phil Helm

(Simply Housing). 3.Neil Jones (Cosmopoliton), Barry Bartlett (CLA Director), Dave Duncalf (Tweeds) and Mike Turner (Lovell). 4. Jo Phipson (Santander), Diana Bond

& Bertram Hall (Glazehall Healthcare Consultants). 5. Ron White (CLA Director), Colin Vallance-Owen (I-Care Group) and Andy Armstrong (CLA Director). 6. Peter March

(CLA Director), Mike Harlow (Alternative Futures), Rick Tarver (Knight Frank) and Richard Maude (CLA). 7. Barry Bartlett (CLA Director) and Keith Cawdron (Jospice).

8. Brenda Summerlin and Jan Borrows (CLA). 9. Condy Lofthouse. 10.Masseurs from Just Human.

CLA relaxation evening Key eventsBy Dina [email protected]

Rub and GrubCondy Lofthouse Architects held their annual ‘Rub and Grub’ eveningfor their staff and clients at their offices in Connect Business Village,on Derby Road. The unique evening of relaxation combined asumptuous spread from Signature Cafe with a relaxing massage fromJust Human. The evening also showcased the company’s architecturalachievements and their current projects.

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Better dealwith Downing

Happy New Year! At Downing we recognise that mutually trusting relationships with our occupiers – old and new – reap rewards for both parties. That’s why everyone we do business with can be assured that they will be treated politely and with absolute integrity. So make new space your new year’s resolution and talk to us first.

WHETHER YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THE FLEXIBILITY OF EASY-IN-EASY-OUT MONTHLY TERMS OR A LONGER LEASE, WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.

Offices from 200-100,000sqft

Call Robin Ellis on 0151 707 2666 or email [email protected]

www.downing.com

For Liverpool offices

p28-40:p03-12 11/1/11 10:49

MOVE COMMERCIAL32

All things considered CEG hashad a pretty good year.

After battening down the hatchesearly when it sensed stormy timesahead, in April 2007, not only hasthe property management andinvestment group weathered thestorm, but it’s steaming forward.

The secret, said asset managerRob Thompson, is knowing theright moment to strike out againstthe tide.

Formed in 1989 CommercialEstates Group manages, investsand develops property into office,residential, industrial, retail andmixed use space, with propertiesworth a capital value of around£682million and land investmentsworth about £100 million.

Rob looks after assets in theNorth West totalling about £80million. The strategy, he explains,is daringly entrepreneurial.

“We pulled out of purchasing inApril 2007 but in September 2010we purchased 23 assets from theKenmore portfolio from theadministrators,” he said.

“Being quite a low key companywe go against the market. Whenother people are buying we are

selling, when other people areselling we are buying.

“It’s how the market is - therehave been some high profilecasualties. We look foropportunities.”

Key to exploiting opportunitiesthat come along is the oldfashioned art of striking a goodhard deal.

And that suits Rob, 39, down tothe ground. He joined CEG’sHarrogate office three and a half

years ago. Halifax born and bred hestumbled into the propertybusiness after getting a job with abuilding firm after his A Levels –and realised he’d found his niche.

He went on to study LandManagement at LeicesterPolytechnic then took up jobs atthe surveying arm of NorthernTrust in Surrey and at a family

run property investmentcompany called Towngate Plc inWest Yorkshire.

Rob’s remit at CEG, he says“encompasses just about everythingproperty related, from lettings,lease renewals, rent reviews,refurbishments redevelopment,disposal and acquisitions of theproperties”. He caught theproperty bug during the boomtime of 1986-7.

“When I got into it was a growth

market with plenty of opportunity,and that was attractive,” he said.“I love it because it’s a peopleled business and there are lots

of characters. “At the core it’s the thrill of the

deal, buying and sellingproperties. That’s what drives me.

“A lot of people complicate deals. Every deal is different, but the

most straightforward deals are the best.”

In Liverpool assets he managesinclude Raleigh House, 60 OldHall Street, Kingsway House,South Harrington Buildings inBrunswick, Silkhouse Court andHatton Gardens.

The Kenmore acquisitionincluded 196 Deansgate, JacksonHouse, Gateway House,Bromborough, Puma Court,Knowlsey, Stuart Road Runcorn,

and Chestergates. Being able to adapt to current

trading conditions has been vital.“The amount of available supply

is making it a tenants market,” heexplained. In Liverpool there’s asurplus from a lack of newcompanies coming in and thespending review will make it moredifficult.

Commercial Estates Group (CEG) won Best Commercial Office Scheme at the YourMove Property Awards for South Harrington Building at Brunswick Business Park.They are the company behind a slew of high grade office refurbishments in Liverpooland Rob Thompson is the man managing them. He explains what drives him.

The thrillof the deal

Being quite a low key company we go against themarket. When other people are buying we are selling,when other people are selling we are buying.“

“

By Emma [email protected]

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MOVE COMMERCIAL 33

“Adaptions have been thereduction in rents, and rent freeperiods; it’s a much morecompetitive market at the moment.

“You have to continually improveservices because the market isdemanding it. Everyone isincreasing their specifications. It’sall Grade A stuff. Raising floors,comfort cooling, adding to customerservice. We have a presence on every site.”

Whether it’s the client determiningthe shape of the light fittings to a

super speedy face to face decision,flexibility has underpinnedevery deal.

As it will when Rob tackles thenext item on his to do list – arefurbishment of 60 Old Hall Street.It’s the last undeveloped property onOld Hall Street and its blank canvaspotential ignites his enthusiasm.

“It will be a private headquartersbuilding with its own front door fora tenant,” he said. “The onlycompetition is multi-let buildings. Ifyou want your own address on Old

Hall Street and a bespoke HQ it’s anexciting opportunity. We are lookingfor a business to move in and wewould work with them on the wholedesign – layout, lifts, and services.”

The company purchased the sitesome time ago. It’s a reflection oftheir optimism about the futurethat they’ve decided now is thetime to act.

“We knew it was time to dosomething with it,” he said. “If we’dfinished it now it would be a veryexpensive place to live, but in two

years it will become a much moresuccessful development, because the market will have recoveredsufficiently. The market willcome back.”

So what’s on the horizon, ifthe business climate continues

to improve?“After the success of Brunswick

we might look at phase two of it,”revealed Rob. “We’ve got anothercouple of acres we could go andbuild another similar success on.”Watch that space.

Rob Thompson, Commercial Estates Group Rising Star

Award winningofficesCEG won Best Commercial Office Scheme at the Your MoveProperty Awards for SouthHarrington Buildings at BrunswickBusiness Park (for more coveragesee page 23).

A rolling refurb saw 120,000 sqft of former dockside warehousetransformed into light, airy spacehousing offices, reception andservices, while characterfulfeatures like original brick wallswere preserved.Said Rob: “The brickwork was left

exposed so it still had a dock sidewarehouse feeling about it andthe tenants really liked the space.

The design, the flexibility of space and colour schemesall worked.”

They worked closely with newtenants Vitaflow to put in bespokelaboratories and testing areas forthe nutritional products theyspecialise in, with space andfacilities for ambitious growth plans.Other tenants at South

Harrington Buildings includeKirwans solicitors and New MindInternet Consultancy.

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Scandinavian Hotel, one ofLiverpool’s most prominent disusedbuildings, is one of those edificespeople look at longingly wonderingwhen, if ever, it will be restored.Following a Compulsory PurchaseOrder in 2007 Liverpool City Councilsold the site to developers Downing. However what was meant to be thejewel in the crown of the ChineseQuarter regeneration soon fell victimto the property crash and economiccollapse. Plans have now beensubmitted to Liverpool City Councilfor the hotel which includes alounge, bar and restaurant with 180bedrooms on the upper floor.Catching up with George Downing atthe company headquarters on MyrtleStreet, on the site of the first piece ofland he ever bought, he revealed thelatest chapter. “When we haven’t been able todevelop anything we get upsetbecause it’s not in our game plan tobuy something just to sit on it,” hesaid. “Scandinavian Hotel has at lastpotentially got a client following adeal with an out of town developerwe have done all we can to facilitatea deal which will hopefully allow thedevelopment of a Marriot CourtyardHotel.The hotel is in a beautiful location,and Liverpool’s China Town is agreat community. The ScandinavianHotel could be something thatkickstarts another round ofregeneration - we’ve got boxes ofdevelopment appraisals we’ve doneand appraised drawings. It cost us a

fortune and then, wham, theeconomy fell off the side of amountain. It’s not just about profit, it’s about

pride for us, there’s been no moneyin some of the restoration we did onthe Port of Liverpool Building, wewent beyond the call of duty and wealways treat that building as itscustodians.”

It is that pride in the company’swork that puts Downing ahead ofother developers, that makes it aleading business when it comes toshaping Liverpool’s and the North’scityscape. A pioneer in every senseGeorge Downing began his businesswhen he was 17. Now with over£500 million of mixed-use schemes

under active development, andaround one million sq ft ofcommercial buildings under theirownership and management,Downing is one of the North West’sleading property groups. Recallinghis early days, he said: “Around thecity centre there were lots of housesthat were suitable for studentaccommodation. The value of thehouses was less than the scrap value,you could knock them down and sellthe bricks off for the value of thehouse.” Taking a gamble that students werewilling to pay extra for living in thecity centre he bought land to buildthe city’s first city centre studentvillage, Cambridge Court. As acentral figure in Liverpool’sregeneration the company claims anumber of feathers to its cap, notleast the Port of Liverpool Buildingand The Capital. “We made the Portof Liverpool Building sustainable foranother generation and that wasvery tricky to do because it was a liveoffice building with tenants. It was the first big trophy I ownedand it got us a lot of recognition,people started to take notice andwe’ve done a very good job as acompany managing it. During thewar all the glass in the dome waspainted for the blackout to stop thelight going out and it’s been like thatfor 70 years - as part of itsrefurbishment we’ve replaced all theglass now so that natural light isallowed in. Things like that make mevery proud. I’m also very proud of

the letting that we did in The Capitalbuilding, that has kept a lot ofbusiness in Liverpool. They aresimilar milestones. The commonthread is quality. The letting to theUK Borders Agency at The Capital isprobably Liverpool’s biggest evercommercial deal.” At the forefront of Liverpool’sregeneration it feels appropriate toask George Downing on the future ofthe city. “I don’t think it’s easy forany regional city to attract inwardinvestment and what’s important forLiverpool is that we’re trying to keepthe momentum going in a reallydifficult market place. It’s a lotharder since 2008 but Liverpool’sinfrastructure has significantlyimproved. Liverpool ONE and theEcho Arena and Convention Centreare a massive benefit to the city, theamount of new hotels is testament tothat and they are creating new jobs. We really need to keep pluggingaway, for example going to China forthe Expo, it might seem to some likea waste of money but if you don’tbuy the lottery ticket you can’t winthe money.”

The future for Downing remains inthe educational sector, that’s itsbread and butter, its roots. InManchester it is their studentaccommodation which is thebenchmark in quality for otherstudent villages. Following on from the success ofBroadcasting Place, in Leeds, whichwon the prestigious title of Best TallBuilding Internationally from the

Downing scooped two awards at the Your Move Property Awards for bestcommercial landlord and property business of the decade.

The futureis Downing

We really need tokeep plugging away,for example going toChina for the Expo,it might seem tosome like a waste ofmoney but if youdon’t buy the lotteryticket you can’t winthe money.

“

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MOVE COMMERCIAL34

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George Downing Mover & Shaker

Council on Tall Buildings and UrbanHabitat, they are continuing to buildiconic buildings in Newcastle andanother site has just been acquiredin Leeds for a student village. “The dynamics of the educationsector are changing, we’ve alreadychanged our track to make sure webuild contemporary and iconicbuildings,” he said. “Many of theolder universities and neweruniversities will need new buildingsor replacing in the next regeneration.Through the downturn people havestarted to sell sites off and banks arestarting to sell repossessions.Because of the austerity measurespeople are not sitting on things asmuch and the amount of goodquality sites offered in the pastcouple of months has improved. Wewant to buy sites and we’re lookingat the bigger Russell Groupuniversity towns where there aregood development opportunities.The plan is to build more studentbedrooms and develop our plans toembrace what’s surrounding thoseareas.” Downing’s dominance will not stayconfined to the North for too longwith offers on the table already forsites in London. George Downinghas kept his eye on the ball bynurturing long term projects such asthe Islington site, a site facing theRoyal University Hospital. It is aredevelopment of 20 hectaresoffering educational buildings andimproved retail offering,accommodating the need for extraliving space and the new hospitalwhich is expected to spill off intothat area. Finishing the interview, and feelingpositive over Liverpool’s future,George Downing reminds me, ‘therewill be difficult times ahead though,it won’t be an easy road in the nextfew years in the property sector.'Humble to the condition of theproperty market at the moment, heis grateful for the continuous workDowning has had through therecession, understanding thatthrough his team’s hard work anddiligence they have kept their headabove water. As the economy improves though,the future is bright for Downing.

Downing FileDOB:25 April 1963.

Education:Merchant Taylors, Crosby.

Projects:Liverpool: The Port of Liverpool Building, TheCapital, No 1 Old Hall Street, Graeme House,Federation House, Victoria House, Eden Square,The Symphony, Islington Regeneration Company.

Nationally: Broadcasting Place, Leeds; ParkwayGate, Manchester; Downing Plaza, Newcastle.

p28-40:p03-12 11/1/11 19:06

MOVE COMMERCIAL36

•1,200 sq ft (111.5 sq m)• Self contained suite with disabled access

• Character building with exposedbeams and brickwork

• Short term and all inclusive terms available

OFFICE TO LET36 HENRY STREET, ROPE WALKS, LIVERPOOL 1

CONTACTTony Reed or Andrew ByrneKeppie Massie on 0151 255 0755

p28-40:p03-12 11/1/11 16:33

MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

What are your thoughts onrenewable energy in theNorth West?David Hunt: Eco Environments isgrowing at 500 per cent at themoment. We are inhibited by thelack of understanding ofrenewable technologies like solarpanels and wind turbines. There’sso little awareness fromcommercial property owners andfrom planners in understandingways of meeting objectives thatthe government has set. Theyneed to have a more relaxed viewon planning particularly inindustrial areas.Dave Armstrong: I deal with

businesses and manufacturers soit’s all about payback and returnsand those businesses that we dealwith are very reluctant to spendmoney on a three year payback.They’re not planning like that atthe moment, they’re just planningto survive. For landlords you’ve gotthe issue of having things forcedonto them like empty propertyrates and Energy PerformanceCertificates. Also finance issues,some of these clients arestruggling to keep loans onbuildings, that’s their main focus.When new builds start up that’swhen we need to get in at veryearly days. The education is a

major hurdle to get over. I’m aproperty landlord as well and it’sabout keeping my tenants happy, so I can keep them there inthe future.Matt Brook: Mine is a differentangle as a designer. The challengeten years ago was persuadingclients that sustainability was anagenda worth pursuing. That’s notthe case now, most of our clientsare clued up, well educated and thetopic needs to be addressed. I thinkthe market during the recession isonly going to help change themindset. People realise that in abuoyant market there’s less needto be competitive but in a hard

market it’s even more importantyour product is at the top of thelist. A good design reputation suchas Mann Island is really going tohelp that - it stands out from thecrowd. It’s an opportunity to makea direct comparison betweensustainability and cost savings. It’snot all about saving the planet butalso saving money.David: A lot of people when youmention green and renewableinstantly think tree huggers, asmuch as it’s worthy the majorityhave a simple bottom line. Dave: This is an issue that’s notgoing to go away so if they can beahead of the curve that’s going to

Green thinkingDave ArmstrongCarbon Consultancy Company

Renewable future Lunch debateBy Dina [email protected]

David HuntDirector at Eco Environments

Matt BrookBoard director of architectural company Broadway Malyan

The panellists Dave Armstrong, Matt Brook and David Hunt met at The London CarriageWorks to discuss how environmentally friendly Liverpool and the North West are. Dave runsthe Carbon Consultancy Company, which works with businesses in reducing their carbonemissions and energy costs. Matt Brook is a board director at architectural company BroadwayMalyan who were behind the environmentally friendly design of the Mann Island residentialbuilding in Liverpool. David Hunt is a director at Eco Environments, which installs renewableenergy systems in homes and businesses. Shadow minister for climate change and LiverpoolLabour MP Luciana Berger recently commended the company for its work.

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be great for them. I think a fewyears ago people thought it was afad, but it’s not going away, it’s aserious issue.What is the financialsustainability of renewableenergy?David: The big thing it comesdown to is if commercial landlordsare spending money on renewableenergy they get an 8 - 10 per centreturn on solar panels and withwind turbines they get a 20 percent return - so it’s a big returnin investment.Dave: The Display EnergyCertificate is compulsory for publicbuildings over 1000 sq m and thatdisplays gas, energy consumptionover a 12-month period. TheGovernment introduced the EnergyPerformance Certificate andDisplay Energy Certificate at thesame time and the hope was theEPC would be carried out whenpeople where selling buildings, sotherefore the Government wouldhave energy statistics for theentire country. That has been donenowhere near fast enough for theGovernment to have a list of all thebuildings so they are seeing ifthere is a way of pushing it downanother way. We’ve got privatecompanies who see the benefit ofthem and have them in the foyersof office blocks especially leisureclubs across the country tobenchmark management and focustheir energy.Matt: I think another benefit of thatrequirement coming in, is that theyare looking at the long term benefitof their investment is partpredicated on how sustainable theirinvestment which. Also a lot ofcompanies have a long-termsustainable policy and they arelooking at how they can show the

implementation of that and oneway is through this certificate.David: I think it definitely makes abuilding more marketable. If youlook at the white goods market andhow people buy a washing machineor fridge now that’s really driven byenergy efficiency and it’s becomethe same for residential houses. Assoon as you make the purchasesmore transparent on what they aregetting, it starts driving the market. What schemes are available nowto encourage energy reduction?David: The feeding tariff schemespay you for all the energy yougenerate through wind turbines orsolar panels so you are encouragedto be an energy generator.Commercial building owners caninstall wind turbines and make asignificant return on investment.Dave: Carbon Consultancy Companyis constantly advising on energyefficiency and renewabletechnologies at the outset ofdevelopment. To engage ourservices at this time, ensures that

lifecycle costs and day to dayrunning costs are reduced foroccupants. We have also starteddigging earth on an exemplarscheme in the North West in March,a zero energy cost Business Park.With energy efficiency and zerocarbon technologies businesseswill no longer need to pay energycosts or be held to ransom byunstable pricing. Our concept isreplicable across other buildingstock and the scheme will shake upthe property market.David: A lot of it is understandingwhat is possible - so many timesthe planner is the obstacle becausethey don’t understand the

technology or it’s something they’renot used to.Mark: You’ve got to integrate therenewables as part of the designconcept, if you make it more integralto the building design then some ofthose issues should go away.Is there more work coming into turn a buildingenvironmentally friendly fromretrofits or new builds?David: In the last few years, it’smainly been retrofit because not alot was getting built. In the pastfew months, there’s been morecommercial and residential newbuild schemes so they are startingto come through.Dave: From a new buildperspective, I’ve found clients arebecoming a lot more conscious ofsustainable products. We don’tneed to deal with nearly are muchpersuasion as previously. Even thespeculative developers as still moresavvy, because even if they flip itthey still need to sell it. I’ve gotone client where it’s in theircompany policy that everything webuild has to be to a certainsustainability standard so they’renot going to be making thedecision on cost but how to makethe renewable energy more costeffective. However otherdevelopers may not need thatgreen image and that green PRthat goes with it and they may beonly interested in cost.David: You need to make suresustainable aspirations aredesigned in from the outset, andthat you’re making a name foryourselves. At 30Pall Mall thescheme mayhave added costto the buildingstructure costsbut you’regetting moneyback fromsavings to therunning coststhroughelectricitysavings and onthe double skinfaçade. Whatwe’ve done is aswell as makingsure of providingmix mode cut tothe building, it’salso good interms ofsustainabletargets. It’s ahuge saving interms of

construction costs and alsoincreases the net floor area of thebuilding. The aspiration is to getthe first principle right, that’s theonly way you can get the costsaving benefit by committing fromday one, if you don’t commit fromday one then you’re not actuallygetting any trade off.Dave: But the majority ofcommercial landlord owners haveexisting stock and it’s easy to saywhen we build something newthen we can do something about itbut with existing stock we won’tbecause they don’t understand thebenefits financially or from a PRand marketing point of view. That’swhat I’ve found really differentfrom the last six months, whetherthey are pension funds or propertyowners they can get a marketingand cash incentive for installingstuff. In the last six months, theinterest from property owners hasgone through the roof.Matt: There’s been a lot of projectsthat have stop started so you canstart designing in some things andthen technologies change whichmakes it harder, so it is easier fordevelopers to just go (well this ishow we always do it, this is whatwe know.) So sometimes nice bitsof design get pushed aside.What is the Low Carbon Board?David: The Low Carbon Board is abody that reports to the chiefexecutives of the six localauthorities in the Liverpool cityregion to advise them on localcarbon economy as a whole andthat ranges from training and skills

“A lot of peoplewhen you mentiongreen andrenewable instantlythink tree huggers,as much as it’sworthy the majorityhave a simplebottom line.

”

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to the implementation ofrenewable energy towardsreducing the carbon output in theregions. So we tend to highlightproducts or areas where we canhelp, so it’s a case of trying tofacilitate our projects so we’ve gotan example of our projects peoplecan go see and understand how itworks. People don’t reallyunderstand, or really believe, that awind turbine, solar panels or heatpump can do a good job. The taskof the low carbon board is to try toget some projects going toencourage private investors to do itof their own back.

What do you think of some ofthe recent major renewableenergy schemes such as theMersey Barrage?David: I think just generally thegreater awareness has to help. Forexample two years ago youstruggled to find a solar panelanywhere and now they arestarting to become more prevalent.Dave: We were talking about itwith farmers the other day. Thefarming community might be alittle skeptical of wind and PV butwhen they are close-knitcommunity and those guys seeother farmers benefiting from itthey will be quick to pick it up.Matt: I think people are starting tosee it as a positive resource for theregion as well; it’s a real financialasset for the Liverpool city region.We have a lot of natural renewablesources of energy and tappinginto that is a real boost for theregional economy.David: Wind turbines could be amanufacturing base for theMerseyside area. One of the bigproblems for wind turbines iswhen they are installed wrong orin the wrong place, that reinforces

people’s concept that things don’twork. It’s about using the righttechnology in the right place. Andputting the wrong technology inthe wrong place can have a reallydetrimental effect. A few yearsago the big thing was windturbines in people’s homes makinga big difference to people’s energybills, but they never worked and sothe conception was that windturbines didn’t work. They weretotally mis-sold and it did a lot ofdamage to the industry. Windturbines in houses is a big no,you’re better off burning yourmoney. In an urban area, the windflow is very turbulent. Soindustrial parks and commercialspaces where you’ve got openflow of air are great, but not inurban areas.How can the North West be moreenvironmentally friendly?Matt: Mann Island is a key newbuilding in Liverpool; it is pushingthe market up. It was always goingto be a very high profile scheme, itwas key it had the rightsustainable aspirations as well.Dave: Back to turbines in thewrong area, and knockingtechnology backwards, there is asite in Stoke on Trent where the400,000 sqft industrial site haskinetic plates creating energy andskylights and solar panels. There’sso much going on and in factthere’s too much going on.Businesses have looked at it andsaid they don’t understand it. Noteven the agents or anyonerepresenting the building reallyunderstands.Matt: The office building on MannIsland has got no obviousgimmicks, there’s no obviousappliqué wind mills or PV oranything like that it’s just lots andlots and lots of small measuresthat all add up to make it asustainable building and that’s thebigger picture. I think that is whatwe definitely need to encouragemore of, it’s not any one solutionit’s many and that’s harder work.That’s why I’m really proud of thatscheme because we got there witha really holistic view.Dave: One superb quick win forenergy reduction is with LEDlighting. LED lighting has advancedsignificantly over the last few years.We have developed a range of LEDlighting that suits most commercialapplications, significantly cuttingrunning costs by up to 90 per centand CO2 emissions of the sameamount. Plus lighting is atsignificant heights, LED lighting

lasts for up to100,000reducing hoursexpensivemaintenancecosts. Thepremises wherewe haveinstalled LEDlighting, staffhave reportedhow much morethey prefer towork in neardaylightconditions; it hasalso significantlyimproved Healthand Safety inpreviously badlylit premises.David: I thinkthe councilscould do a lotmore. Knowsley,for example, arevery forwardthinking andworking on anumber ofretrofittingprojects at Knowsley Business Park.The council could be moresupportive and help things throughplanning. Liverpool and the Wirralare dinosaurs in that respect inencouraging businesses andsupporting businesses to doretrofitting. It’s very much a case ifyou do it they will come, ifbusinesses see it done then otherswill want to follow suit.Could Liverpool ever becomeCarbon Neutral?David: I can’t see it being carbonneutral. Not to be pessimistic.There’s a finite number of buildingsthat can be retrofitted. It dependshow you define carbon neutrality.There are great opportunitiesthrough our tide and wind for us togenerate and if you had to balancethat with our usage you could getsomewhere close but a lot morework needs to be done making surebuildings are developed anddesigned right.Matt: We’re a very dense city witha lot of existing property,residentially and commercially a lotmore has to be done toget to alevel of sustainability.David: We’re working on greenermuseums and the Cunard Building,St Georges Hall and a number oflisted buildings it’s possible to dothings with. I don’t know if thesechanges to the Localism Bill aregoing to help or hinder to someextent because there’s a lot of

nimbyism around wind andparticularly solar panels so it will be interesting how thatfilters through.

Renewable future Lunch debate

“From a new build perspective, I’ve found clientsare becoming a lot moreconscious ofsustainableproducts.

” The London Carriage Works isan award-winning restaurantserving modern dishescomplemented by the use oflocal, fresh and seasonalproduce, cooked by award-winning chef Paul Askew.Named after its original use,a coach and carriage builders,it was built around 1866 in aVenetian palazzo style. Ourpanel enjoyed the prix-fixemenu with three courses at£35 (£39 at weekends). Wesavoured the delights of theroast breast of free rangeturkey, scented withrosemary. The icing on thecake was the fresh catch ofthe day the John Dorianserved on a bed of risotto. Fordesert we were served achocolate truffle tart withhoneycomb ice cream. Tobook a table call 0151 7052222 or visitwww.thelondoncarriageworks.co.uk

LONDON CARRIAGE WORKSHope Street, Liverpool L1 9DA.

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Q&AWith Charles MillettEmployment lawyerat Morecrofts Solicitors

It was the previous Government that announced it would bring forwardthe review of the default retirement age from 2011 to 2010, although thenew coalition Government has brought with it fresh debate over thedefault retirement age (DRA), currently set at 65.

As the DRA will be phased out by October later this year and in view ofthe importance of its effects on the UK economy, where do employersstand and how should they prepare for this change?

Charles Millett, employment lawyer at Morecrofts Solicitors tells all...

Currently, there is a process that employers must follow when retiring anemployee. While there is no legal requirement under the current regime forbusinesses to specify a retirement age, those that do must ensure it is 65 orabove, unless there is objective justification for a lower age. Demonstratingsuch objective justification is a hurdle for any employer, so most will specify anage of 65 or above. The retirement age, which must be the same for both men and women, can

be specified within the employee's contract, can be established throughcustom and practice or can simply be the DRA.An employer should notify an employee six to 12 months in advance of the

intended date of retirement, informing them of that date and setting out theirright to request to work beyond this date.

The whole point of an employer following the notification procedure is thatthey can then rely on the assumption that the reason for dismissal isretirement. There is no obligation on an employer to give reasons for rejecting arequest, although it is good practice to do so. The outcome must be communicated in writing and the employee then has

the right to appeal. A failure to follow this formal process could result in claimsfor unfair dismissal claim and age discrimination.

Expert Advice

While most employers are clear on the current procedures, what will happenonce the DRA is removed?

Some argue that the removal will only have tangible benefits if it iscombined with other measures, such as extending the right to requestflexible working to everyone, better training and career development for over50s, a media campaign to promote the recruitment of older workers andhealth programmes to promote their wellbeing.

As yet, it is unclear exactly what measures the Government will implementto bring about the abolition of the DRA following the current consultationprocess. It may become unlawful in any circumstances to dismiss an employeeby reason of retirement. Instead, the employer might have to demonstratethat the employee had become incapable of doing their job. Even then,employers would have to be conscious of avoiding disability discrimination byensuring they were making reasonable adjustments.

Employers should be aware that the current regime is changing as early asApril this year. It is proposed that from April 2011, employers will not be ableto commence the existing retirement process that the law currently allows.

It is essential that employers monitor the ongoing consultation being carriedout by the Government and that they realise that by October, they will not beable to force their employees to retire just because they have reached acertain age.

---

Charles Millett is a employment lawyer at Morecrofts Solicitors

Contact:For further please contact Charles Millett at Morecrofts on 0151 236 8871www.morecroft.co.uk

Issued on behalf of Morecroft Solicitors by Ubiquity pr.Further information from Joel Jelen on 0151 703 0917or 07710 436 125. www.ubiquitypr.co.uk

Appointments

Steve Moule joins Todd & Ledsonas a new PartnerTodd & Ledson are delighted toannounce that Steve Moule hasjoined the practice as a partnerwith particular responsibility fordeveloping their projectmanagement function.Steve was formerly deputymanaging director at David

McLean Construction and wasinvolved in the development ofmany projects around the NorthWest including Princes Dock, EastVillage, and Marybone and LimeStreet Student Villages inLiverpool, and headed up nationalPartnerships with Shell andBarclays.

New SCP Associate DirectorGary Clarke has joined SCP as anAssociate Director in the HighwayDesign and Infrastructure team. Garyhas over 35 years of experience inundertaking and managing varioushighway infrastructure projects andhas excellent abilities in achievinginnovative and economic solutions todesign issues. He has long establishedand excellent working relationshipswith Local Authority officers, alongwith contractors and otherprofessional consultancies.Gary brings new skills to the businessin terms of drainage design andground condition reports, whichsupplement the existing highly skilledtechnical staff at SCP.

New recruit for CEGAntonia Martin-Wright has moved fromworking at Bruntwood EstatesManchester office to CommercialEstates Group in Harrogate. She wasworking at Bruntwood for three yearsin the sales and agency departmentfocussing on South Manchester. She isnow an asset manager for CEG in theHarrogate office covering Liverpool,

Manchester, Derby, Sheffield andHarrogate. CEG’s properties inLiverpool include Silk House Court,South Harrington Buildings and LiverIndustrial Estate.

Tesco boss appointed to LiverpoolPrime Minister David Cameron hascommissioned Tesco Chief ExecutiveSir Terry Leahy to produce a regionaleconomic plan that will stimulategrowth in Liverpool. Sir Terry Leahy willbe stepping down from his role aschief executive of Tesco in March thisyear. The Government said a nationalLEP summit on growth andcompetitiveness in the spring willbring together LEP chairs from acrossthe country to prioritise action tostimulate growth at a regional level.David Cameron, said: “New LocalEnterprise Partnerships – coalitions ofbusiness, councils and communitieslike the one I saw in the Wirral, arealready working with business leaderslike Terry Leahy to get big localprojects off the ground to boostregional growth."

Steve Moule

Sir TerryLeahy

AntoniaMartin-Wright

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For more information and advice about investing in Wirral

Call 0151 650 6915 Visit www.investwirral.com

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

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

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

bigon support

417JUN08PJ

MOVE COMMERCIAL 41

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Against a wintry economic climate there are green shoots pushing up inthe North West. We look at the major developments set to flourish acrossthe region in the year ahead.

Springtime for the Northwest

WHATThe £25 million Stockbridge Villagecomplex which will include aprimary school, play pathfinderscheme, family centre, policeaccess point, 20 metre swimmingpool, state-of-the-art gym andsupermarket.

WHENBuilding work on the formerHeatwaves Leisure centre site will see the new primary schoolopen in autumn.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?Part of a wider regeneration plan.School, pool and supermarket are re-builds, improving access and socialprovision for local residents.Construction jobs will also be created.

THEY SAY“This is an exciting project for theStockbridge Village community andwe are thrilled we have been chosento deliver these major improvementswhich will transform the everydaylives of residents,” says Barry Roberts,Morgan Sindall area director.

Knowsley – Stockbridge Village

WHATPhase II of the £60 millionrevamp of New Brighton on theWirral seafront.

WHENWith Neptune’s redevelopment ofthe Wirral seafront’s FloralPavilion complete, summer seesthe opening of a new digitalcinema, Morrisons supermarketand a Travelodge hotel. It willcreate an ‘upmarket’ feel accordingto developers.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?Extra visitor spend in the region is

projected at £21m per annum.Permanent jobs at the new venueswill be advertised early in the year.

THEY SAY"Wirral is very much open forbusiness when it comes toattracting regeneration andconstruction projects – whether itbe the £60 million being investedin New Brighton, the Peel plansfor Wirral Waters or the work beingdone across Wirral to improve the housing stock,” says WirralCouncil Cabinet Member forRegeneration and PlanningStrategy, Andrew Hodson.

Wirral – New Brighton

WHATAn 18,000 capacity new stadium for StHelens Rugby League Club to be builton the derelict former United Glass site.The £40 million development’striumvirate of plans, submitted byLangtree, Taylor Wimpey and Tesco, alsoincludes a multi-million pound TescoExtra, a new housing on the site of thecurrent Saints home and new retailoutlets at the site of the town centre’sexisting Tesco.

WHENAccess roads are finished and a footbridge

linking the stadium to the town centre willbe completed by August. Stadium due toopen in October.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?Multi million pounds in increased visitorspend, and 1400 jobs created.

THEY SAYSt Helens Council Leader Marie Rimmersays: “This development, 10 years in themaking, will bring not just to our owntown but to the region in general,massive investment and jobs and a firstclass stadium fit for a world class club.”

St Helens - Rugby League Stadium

By Emma [email protected]

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Project developments Focus

WHATThe £600 million Mersey Gateway, a1.5km six lane toll bridge spanningthe Mersey at Runcorn.

WHENDespite the spending cuts, ChancellorGeorge Osborne pledged £86 milliontowards it and is expected toannounce further funding in thespring. Planning permission isexpected to be published soon andthe procurement process initialised.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?It is hoped the scheme will generate470 jobs on site, 4,000 jobs through

regeneration and £61.9 million inGVA by 2030, by reducing journeytime and supporting the airport andMersey corridor.

THEY SAY“The Spending Reviewannouncement that the project hadbeen green-lighted financially was amassive step forward for us,” says Cllr Rob Polhill, leader of HaltonBorough Council. “It means we canbegin to look forward to anannouncement on the planningapplications and orders and get onwith the important job of deliveringthe Mersey Gateway.”

Halton – Mersey Gateway

WHATThe £72 million Museum of Liverpool isBritain’s largest national museum newbuild in nearly a century. The three-floor building at the Pier Head boasts8,000 square metres devoted to thegeography, culture, history of the cityand its global influence.

WHENThe museum will open to the public inthe summer.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?National Museums Liverpool estimateit will attract up to 750,000 visitorsevery year and lead to 500construction jobs and more than 70permanent posts.

THEY SAYSays David Fleming, director ofNational Museums Liverpool: “Standingproudly on the Mersey waterfront, itexpresses our confidence as a great21st century city welcoming locals andtourists alike to a venue that we can allbe proud of, telling the story of a citythat has achieved so much.”

Liverpool – Museum of Liverpool

WHATA state-of-the-art 800 seatauditorium with cinema facilities,restaurant and events venue to bebuilt at either Little Roodee carpark or at the Odeon Theatre inthe city centre.

WHENCosting between £30 million and£50 million depending on thescheme adopted, the project willgo before planners this year.

WHO WILL BENEFIT?A theatre will help the historic cityto compete as a cultural

destination with the likes ofLiverpool and Manchester and anevents venue will make it anattractive location forconferences.

THEY SAY“We have always contended thecity desperately needed an iconictheatre to fill a major gap in itscultural offer,” says CouncillorRichard Short, Executive Memberof Chester and West CheshireCouncil for Culture and Recreation.“We are about to take a major steptowards providing a major boost tothe city’s economic regeneration.”

Cheshire – Iconic Theatre

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Denovo Design has scoopednumerous national environmentalawards since the 1990s and claimsthe honour of designing the first‘Green’ housing development inLiverpool, and the first on theWirral. David Duvall, director ofDenovo Design, is a Liverpool nativefrom Everton and a recipient of the1970’s egalitarian education policywhere he studied at LiverpoolPolytechnic (now John Moores). Hehas worked with large and smallpractices; finally grasping anopportunity to create his ownpractice Pantoscopic, there followeda rollercoaster of new experiencesincluding the development of dinghysailing and canoeing skills.

“Confidence in running a companyled to creating a larger practice,Denovo Design, by combining withanother established company; inturn it allowed the involvement withUnite the Union amongstthe traditional social landlordand private developer clients. Whichdidn’t leave much time for sailing anymore!”

Denovo Design offers acomprehensive full service ofarchitecture, conservation andinterior design, it is this full-servicebusiness which helps it competewith other firms in the city.

“By offering additional servicesbeyond the traditional ‘Architecture’role, and more importantly backingthis offer up with the rightperformance, we can respond to theclient’s developing needs throughoutthe often lengthy process of

defining, designing and enabling thebuilt form.

The unusual ability to offer theseservices from a mid-sized companyretaining the personal touch is partof our uniqueness and certainlyhelps to differentiate Denovofrom others.

We strive for a non-dogmaticapproach to a client’s needs that willbenefit all who own, maintain, workin or just pass by the usually verypermanent constructions we create.”

David believes though that when itconcerns the environmental attitudeof a building it is the responsibilityof everyone to ensure that all effortsare made to minimise that impacton society at large and, as asignificant direct benefit to theclient, to reducetheir own costs and environmentalfootprint.

“The daily stretching of ourimaginations to develop approachesgiving reduced environmentalimpacts will allow what are nowconsidered advanced concepts tobecome the norm.

The client is a major partner in thisapproach, and there is a cleargrowing alignment of desires, socialand monetary incentives to meet theideals of reduced environmentalfootprint.”

Denovo Design is currentlyworking on various substantialUnion projects in London, Cardiff,Swansea, Portsmouth, Stoke-on-Trent, Eastbourne and Bristol. Theyare also working on local private

residential commissions and havecontinued to work on sustainableaffordable housing projects for localHousing Associations.

It is their design of Jack JonesHouse, formerly known asTransport House, which won themthe Move Commercial award forBest Commercial Scheme. Unite the

Union needed a regional office thatfitted in with the enhancedcorporate image of the new Union.The former Trade and GeneralWorkers Union (TGWU) buildinghad been well known in the city andwas lying derelict and up for sale.

Although there was the option of ademolition and new build,‘recycling’ the existing buildingoffered great potential due to itshistoric association with the Union,its iconic presence and geographicposition in the City Centre.

“The previously derelict landmarkbuilding has now been restored toits former glory. Whilst the brutaliststyle (for which the building hasalways been renowned), has beenmaintained, the contemporaryembellishments have enabled it toreclaim and enhance its iconicgateway position in the developingCity Centre whilst reinforcing theUnion’s links with Liverpool.”

For the future of Denovo Design,emphasis lies within keeping thecompany healthy as opposed tosteering it forward towards large-scale expansion.

“Although we anticipate the effectsof the recession to continue well into2011, we would expect to sustain ourhealthy position through to therecovery. People are at the forefrontof everything we do, and we aredeveloping an internal culture toinvigorate and empower our team.

This will reflect in the way we areable to understand and respond tothe client’s needs, and inevitably willenhance the business. Futureprojects range from small scaleworks for the RSPB to significantcommercial and private residentialdevelopments. We will continue toexercise the seriously underratedvirtues of patience and persistance.”

Of course, David Duvall is alsolooking forward to a year of classicdinghy sailing, juggling familyholidays, trying to play the pianoand tinkering with the Figaro inwhatever spare time he has afterrunning this award-winningarchitectural firm.

David Duvall’s influence on the cityscape of Liverpool spans four decadesinspiring the city through the peaks and troughs of the eighties andnineties leading to the setting up of Denovo Design which prides itself onhaving a well-established track record of designing eco-friendly housingsince the 1990s.

Fresh design

There is a cleargrowing alignmentof desires...tomeet the idealsof reducedenvironmentalfootprint.

““


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Duvall FileAward-winning scheme:At the recent Your Move PropertyAwards (see page 22.) DenovoDesign won Best CommercialScheme for Jack Jones House, theformer Transport and GeneralWorkers’ Union (TGWU) building onCommutation Row.

Following re-acquisition, astrategy evolved of working withthe essential muscularity of theexisting building by retaining thedefining vertical stair towers andthe horizontality of the linkingblocks, and enhancing this withthe single storey roof-topextension. Eschewing small-scaleelevational elements such asbricks or metal panels, it was anearly decision to use ahomogenous finish (insulatedrender system) to the elevationsto enhance the sense of scalewhilst also designing-out thedetails that contributed to thevisual degradation of the original.The whole underlying designconcept (with regards to materialsand technologies) was gearedtowards maximization ofenvironmental performance andefficiency, giving a highly unusual(for a conversion scheme) initial‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating.

David Duvall, Denovo Design Founding Father

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Expert views Ask the panel

What does the year ahead hold in store?

“Destinations outside the Eurozonelike Turkey and Egypt will continueto be popular, but Tunisia andMorocco will take off this yearbecause of new infrastructure –four and five star hotels for threestar prices. Syria can be found inmainstream brochures for the firsttime so that could prove a hot newdestination. While Dubaifluctuates in its appeal, Abu Dhabiis drawing visitors thanks to theGrand Prix and Ferrari museum.Britain has always been a popularchoice but some regions will gainextra appeal because of theOlympics.”

Frances Tuke, ABTA spokeswoman

“Local sourcing and freshness is stillpopular but people and chefs like me willbe getting smart about using cheapercuts of meat. Everyone can cook a filletsteak but cooking a shoulder needs a bitmore TLC. It’s all about the price point. Thehigh-end continental stuff like foie gras,truffles and even olive oil have becomemuch more expensive so you won’t see somuch of them on menus. I think the trendfor British beer, especially craft beers from microbreweries, will grow, asevidenced by the popularity of our ownbeer tasting nights.”

Gary Manning Chef/Ownerat 60 Hope Street

“ investors trying to buycommercial or industrial propertyin their pension fund may rush tomeet the April deadline

”

“I think transaction rates will remainsluggish but with some bright spots.The impact of government cuts inMerseyside may be more significantthan elsewhere, and this has yet tobe felt. In the corporate sectoranticipated business failures havenot happened. Businesses in goodquality buildings are still extendingand renewing leases. There may be a small flurry ofactivity caused by the new pensionrules, which means that investorstrying to buy commercial orindustrial property in their pensionfund may rush to meet the Aprildeadline, when pension contributionlimits are significantly reduced."

Julia Casimo, partner at JohnKerr Chartered Accountants

Two Royal weddings and a Posh baby are in the diary but what will be happeningcloser to home? Is a punt on the stock markets the way to beat low saving rates?Where will we be going on holiday? Five experts look in to their crystal balls andpredict what will happen across their sectors in 2011.

“It’s often said in stock market circlesthat ‘the trend is your friend’ and interms of sheer momentum the FTSE100 Basic Material sector ended2010 strongest with a fourthquarter return of 22.8 per cent. Thiswas driven in 2010, by amongstothers, Elementis, Fresnillo andFerrexpo. With world demand forcommodities continuing to proveinsatiable this is the sector to watchduring 2011."

Jason Laws, reader in finance at Liverpool BusinessSchool, Liverpool John MooresUniversity

“Supermarkets will be the retail winnersthis year, because people have to go tothem to buy food, and they’ll pick upother things they need there too, likeclothes and furnishings. Big ticket itemswill be put on the back burner, meaningthose shops will struggle. We’ll be doingmore and more shopping online and we’llsee a greater number of pop up shopson the high street because of increasedvacancy rates, where the vendors don’tneed to pay rates, just bills. Outdoorsclothing and equipment may do well ifwe have a good summer, with morepeople making the most of the UK.”

Robert Clark, independent retail analyst

p41-48:p03-12 11/1/11 17:40

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