Posted on November 12, 2010 by John Cronin
Work is expected to finish later on the demolition of two dangerous buildings in Whitehaven, Cumbria.
Copeland Council has announced that demolition work on two old buildings in Albion Street is expected to finish by the end of today. The buildings, that have been demolished by hand due to their awkward location, are making way for the proposed new office development known as the Albion Square project.
Albion Square is a proposal for a £20m development incorporating quality office space, offering enough floor space to accommodate 350 workers. The proposal is for the construction of a group of office blocks, ranging in height from 3 to 5 storeys, creating a new business hub within an area of Whitehaven that has suffered from neglect in recent years. It has been suggested that a large number of office workers from the nearby nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield could be relocated to offices within this new development.
Copeland Council originally published artists impressions of how the new office blocks might look. However, there was much public criticism and the design was subsequently changed. A local newspaper reported that local residents said the buildings “looked like a bad piece of linoleum” and “Vera Duckworth’s cladding”.
A compulsory purchase order on land proposed for the scheme was granted in 2008 on the understanding that the Albion Square scheme would offer 70,000 sq ft of modern office catering for both small, starter businesses and larger, established operations. As part of a wider £200m Whitehaven redevelopment master plan, Jamie Reed, MP for Copeland, said of the Albion Square development: “The plans for the new Albion Square development will provide new modern office accommodation that will help attract new businesses into the town centre”.
Posted in Cumbria |
Tagged Speculative Developments |
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Posted on November 11, 2010 by John Cronin
One of the most striking office buildings in the centre of Glasgow has changed hands in a £40m deal.
The iconic 110 St Vincent Street building, once the Union Bank building has been purchased by SEB Europe REI, a German real estate fund for institutional investors. The previous owners were Scarborough Group who are believed to have sold the building for around £40m.
The 9-storey building offers prime, Grade A office floor space amounting to approximately 96,000 sq ft. The building was designed in the 1920s by architect James Miller and was based upon American neoclassical commercial architecture. The building still features the original ground floor banking hall (pictured) that is now used to house several meeting areas.
In 2007, a £20m renovation added additional floors to the building that doubled the amount of lettable floor space. A new steel frame was constructed inside the building facade in order to replace the existing U-shaped floors with larger floor plates of approximately 12,000 sq ft.
Current tenants of the offices are Bank of Scotland who have 12 years remaining on 15-year lease, paying an annual rent of £2.4m, equivalent to a rental price of £25 / sq ft.
Cushman & Wakefield acquired the offices on behalf of SEB. Steven Newlands, Partner at the firm said “the dynamics of the [Glasgow] city centre property market are strongly weighted towards landlords thanks to a combination of a low supply of available Grade A accommodation and strong tenant demand”. He adds “With the £20m purchase of 1 Waterloo Street last month, there isn’t a great deal of Grade A left and, as the remaining buildings fill, rents will start to rise.”
CB Richard Ellis acted on behalf of Scarborough Group.
Posted in Glasgow |
Tagged Renovations, Rental Prices |
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Posted on November 11, 2010 by Nell Frizzell
The Apprentice opening credits are starting to look a little like the obituaries section of the Oscars, so many of the little Lord Sugarists have been given the push. Oh well, at least we have this poignant look back at the heyday of Mancunian fashion failure to warm our rapidly freezing cockles.
Ah look, there’s that infamous tie dress. And look, here’s Bambi-eyed Liz dressed a bit like a lap dancer. And look, Paloma dressed as a call girl. Nostalgia, eh? If you could bottle it you’d be a millionaire. Or, in the case of Stuart ‘the brand’ Baggs, a man with fifteen thousand bottles of nostalgia gathering dust in your parents’ garage.
So, anyway. Here we are. Week six. And the brilliantly staccato narrator is back. You know. The man who can’t speak. In sentences longer than seven syllables: “7.30am. A lie in. This morning a wake up call. In person.”
Cor blimey! Stone the crows! Paint my face with Cuprinol and call me Alan! Lord Sugar is in the house! He’s turned up unannounced to give his minions their marching orders before they’re all suited and booted. I’m sure the fact that he might catch a few of them dangling about in their underpants is pure co-incidence. Far be it from me to presume that this whole little stunt was just an elaborate ruse to get a look at Stuart Baggypants in his socks and unsupportive undershorts.
Amazingly, having a relative stranger turn up at their home unannounced first thing in the morning does little to dim the Apprentices’ enthusiasm to have him as their boss. I’m starting to believe that if Lord Sugarmort turned up at the birth of their first born and demanded a pedicure and PowerPoint presentation on the various uses of the pencil these people would still want him for a manager.
So, this week the task is to create a brand for a new household cleaner in just two days. That means a label, a radio advert and a television commercial. So, it’s not entirely obvious why they all had to rush down in their wobbling pyjamas to get briefed, but there you go. Ours not to reason why.
Team Synergy, by default, is led by ex-Marine Christopher as he is the only one not to have ‘managed’ so far. Synergy also have cleaning company Joanna on their team. I hate to use the term ‘secret weapon’ here, so instead I will use the term ‘sulky cow’.
For Apollo it’s either Maverick Alex or Stuart ‘the brando’ Baggins. While Baggins undoubtedly has the face to sell grease remover, Maverick Alex “thinks so far outside the box that if I was an apple pie, then the apples inside would be orange.” Mmmmm, genetically modified radioactive apple pie. That settles it – Alex has got the job.
The first thing to be decided is the product name. Old blues eyes himself, Monotone Chris, comes up with the snappy ‘Germ-o-nater’. I know that leather-clad Republican killing machines are certainly the people I’d entrust with light domestic chores. Talking of lethal operatives, the next scene sees Syngery’s Christopher go in to a nursery to conduct some market research. They’ve sent a marine in to a nursery? Please god someone tell me they’ve hidden the water pistols and spud guns. Mum Eva comes up with the idea of the housewife as octopus – not so much a football-predicting cephalod as many-armed domestic goddess. The rest of the team fall on the idea, as Nick later puts it, ‘like tramps on chips’.
Next stop is the graphic design office to get their labels ready. Surprise, surprise, the Apollo designer has a silly haircut and is wearing a Breton-striped jersey. To be fair, this does look like the design job from hell, with two squabbling no-marks shouting things like ‘colour’ and ‘punchy’ in to your face as you try to quietly load photoshop.
Over in the Synergy Corps, The Apprentice seems to have been replaced with a new reality show called ‘The Marine wants a Mistress’ as Christopher auditions actresses to play his wife in tomorrow’s advert. “If she’s a minger then it just won’t work… Sex sells. Let’s be honest. Sex sells everything.” Couldn’t have put it better myself commander. Really challenging that sexist squaddie stereotype with this victory for female equality. Strangely, Sugary assistant Nick isn’t so convinced; “This commercial is about a stereotypical mumsy housewife sending her children off to bed early so she can grope her husband.” In fact, the advert sees this dream wife dressed up in a padded octopus suit, spraying bleach around the kitchen like an agent of chemical warfare. Well I for one know that whenever we’re planning an early night my boyfriend likes me to slip in to my kinky octopus outfit.
For Apollo’s advert Stu-artlovlierthanasummer’sday is doing a quite incredible impression of a cheesy local radio DJ. I mean, who would have thunk it? The man makes ‘hasta la vista, gravy’ sound like the voiceover for an upcoming Jason Statham movie. Sadly, in the television advert the Germ-o-nator is played by a small child – precisely the sort of person warned never to come in to contact with the product on the very bottle. Ah well.
Both teams then pitch to industry experts including squeaky clean employees from Unilever who fail, universally, to hide their sniggers. Particularly when Sandeesh announces, “This brand is going viral.” A bit like leprosy.
“I’m not sure if you’re selling marital harmony or a cleaning product,” one of the experts asks Commando Christopher. Don’t be silly Unilever, he’s selling sexism. After the pitches are complete, the experts feedback to Lord Sugardaddy as he cruises around town in his black Bentley. They use words like ‘travesty’ and ‘offensive’, which Monotone Chris handily translates as ‘memorable’ and ‘funny’.
In front of the assembled cast, Lord Sugartits gently introduces Christopher to a little thing called gender politics. His 1950s advert would, Lord Sugar tells him, “go down like a lead balloon,” with his female market. Or like a flaccid pair of pulverised bollocks, as the saying goes.
Still, it seems they just about managed to pull it off. “Synergy. I wouldn’t say you’ve won. Technically, you haven’t lost,” admits Lord Sugar. So, it’s off to a ‘private karaoke party’ so they can all to get shitfaced and sing ‘We Are the Champions’. Or ‘We Are The Vaguely Less Shit Ones’ as Twitter suggested.
So, we finally come to Lord Sugarmort’s favourite bit. The shouting, bitching, betraying firing squad. This week it’s between Alex, Sandeesh and Chris. So, between the bog-eyed, the monotone and the minutely testicled. Alex screams about how rude it is to talk over people and tries to fire on his colleagues like a vigilante paintballer on Byker Grove, but all to no avail. He’s as fired as a 12 ft high canon ball and leaves in a flurry of grovelling politeness and quivering voice.
Back at the house, the remaining competitors are in a contemplative mood. “If Alex comes back then I will genuinely eat an item of clothing from every one of you.” Oh Stuart Baggs, I love you.
Conclusion: Where there’s muck, there’s people ineptly trying to sell yet more muck.
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Tagged Apprentice Blog |
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Posted on November 10, 2010 by John Cronin
Construction work has now started on an £8m speculative office scheme in Preston.
Commercial property developers Roundhouse have commenced ground works on their South Rings Office Village scheme in Bamber Bridge near Preston. This new business park is located by J29, M6 and complements a larger mixed-use area that includes retail outlets, hotels and offices over a 37acre site.
The existing buildings within the business park have attracted tenants from a range of industries. Property management company Places For People moved into an existing office block within South Rings in February 2009, taking all of the 36,000 sq ft, Grade A rated floor space within the building to accommodate over 300 staff.
To be constructed in three phases, South Rings will offer 60,000 sq ft of floor space across 23 offices ranging from in floor spaces from 750 sq ft to 6,000 sq ft. Each of the new buildings in the scheme is restricted to a height of two storeys. The biggest unit will offer total office floor space of approximately 6,200 sq ft. The buildings are estimated to offer desk space for approximately 200 workers. When completed the buildings are expected to achieve a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’.
Roundhouse have previously completed a similar scheme at South Preston Office Village that consists of 16 office units that is now nearing full occupancy. The developer considers that there is still sufficient demand for additional office space within the Preston area.
Rental prices for the South Rings scheme are in the range £13 / sq ft to £17 / sq ft .
Marketing agents for Roundhouse are Bailey Deakin & Hamiltons and King Sturge LLP.
Posted in Lancashire |
Tagged Rental Prices, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on November 9, 2010 by John Cronin
A former soap factory in Manchester is now being converted into offices in a multi-million pound redevelopment.
Work has now started on the first phase of the large scale redevelopment of the former Colgate Palmolive soap factory in Salford Quays. The site is adjacent to the large Exchange Quays office block and is the latest office scheme to start in an area that is undergoing a major transformation. The huge MediaCity development is nearby offering a wide range of offices, studio facilities and residential properties. The scheme, officially known as Soapworks, Ivy Wharf, is a joint venture between Carlyle Group and Abstract Securities. Carlyle Group paid £30m for the 8.42acre site in 2008. Planning consent was obtained in May, 2010.
The complete Soapworks scheme is to include a hotel and residential accommodation along with hundreds of square feet of office space (pictured).
Phase 1 of the development has now started and sees the conversion of an old boiler house into a 4-storey office complex offering approximately 25,000 sq ft of floor space. Completion of this phase is expected by June, 2011. The complete scheme will offer in excess of 350,000 sq ft of office space. The scheme will offer floor plates of approximately 82,000 sq ft, allowing large tenants single floor occupation. Suites will be available in a range of sizes starting at 2,000 sq ft.
Interest in the speculative scheme is claimed to be strong. Mark Harris, director of The Carlyle Group, said: “…we are in the process of talking to a number of prospective tenants”. He goes on to say: “we are able to offer rents of around half those of central Manchester.”
Architects for the scheme are Liverpool based shed km who also designed the large scale Fort Dunlop project. Developers are Bowmer & Kirkland and marketing agents are Canning O’Neill.
Posted in Manchester |
Tagged Media City, Renovations, Salford Quays, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on November 8, 2010 by John Cronin
Plans for a large, mixed-use redevelopment of an historic Shropshire flax mill have been approved.
Ditherington Flax Mill (image source) in Shrewsbury was the world’s first iron-framed building when constructed in 1797. The site, which has been empty for over twenty years, is Grade 1 Listed and has been owned by English Heritage since 2005.
Outline planning permission to convert the existing buildings into offices, shops and residential accommodation was granted by local councillors last Thursday.
When redeveloped, the building will potentially offer approximately 100,000 sq ft of flexible office floor space for both public and commercial sector use. The revised scheme will have a total floor space of some 118,000 sq ft.
However, commencement of the scheme is still far from certain. Public funding is to be sought for at least part of the indicative £30m speculative development costs. Project leader for Shropshire Council Richard Lawrence said “We are certainly further down the line than we ever had been and we have a master plan for the whole of the site.”
Alan Mosley, Shropshire Councillor for Castlefields and Ditherington, said: “A great deal of hard work is going into the restoration of the much loved Flax mill as a centre for working, learning, commerce, culture and community activity and it is now a step closer to reality.
Urban regeneration specialists Urban Splash were chosen as the preferred developer back in 2007. Other developers shortlisted included Manchester based CTP and SJS property regeneration specialists from Leeds.
Architects for the scheme are Feilden Clegg Bradley.
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Tagged Listed Buildings, Renovations, Speculative Developments |
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Posted on November 6, 2010 by Rob Powell
The Welsh Assembly Government has been criticised after it was revealed that millions of pounds have been spent on furnishing new offices.
The Minister for Business and Budget, Jane Hutt, disclosed in a Written Answer last week that £2,138,839 had been spent on loose furnishings, such as chairs and desks, for the new offices at Llandudno Junction.
A further £1,382,355 was spent on IT costs with millions more paid to consultants for “Professional Fees”.
Conservative AM Andrew RT Davies, whose questions prompted the answers from the minister, tells WalesOnline.co.uk: “We all need somewhere to sit and work but spending £2.5m on desks, chairs and presumably de luxe sofas, is completely unforgivable.”
The Assembly Government responded to the criticism:
“The Welsh Assembly Government’s Llandudno Junction office has been completed on budget. It is a significant landmark investment for the long term in North Wales.”
The building attracted controversy during its construction when local residents said it was like having a “neighbour from hell“.
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Posted on November 5, 2010 by John Cronin
Plans for a new office block on the site of an historic former hospital in London have been criticised by heritage groups.
The Thomas Coram Foundation, a renowned charity for vulnerable children, originally submitted plans in 2007 to demolish the remaining buildings (pictured) that were once part of the former Foundling Hospital in Coram’s Fields, located within the Bloomsbury Conservation Area.
The plans to demolish the existing buildings including an old swimming pool and former child mortuary were first submitted in July 2006 and were subsequently approved subject to legal requirements in November 2007. That permission was due to expire on Monday, 8th November. However local councillors last night granted a subsequent application, agreeing that “commencement of material operations has begun on the site”.
Only yesterday The Victorian Society had said: “The small swimming pool and mortuary are an important physical reminder of the history of this area of London. Destroying them removes a link with the past that can’t be replaced”.
Coram’s want to redevelop the site to create a mixed-use campus that will incorporate an additional office building for their own use and for other complimentary partners with the aim of creating “London’s leading centre for child and family services”. Critics of the scheme suggest the charity is aiming to generate additional revenue for itself by letting out offices.
As part of the planning exercise a public consultation exercise has been undertaken with the public offering divided opinion. Whilst one person said “the development would be an improvement on the existing buildings” another voiced concern saying the new offices were “faceless, characterless, ugly – modern architecture should be inspiring not depressing”.
Architects for the £10m scheme are Meadowcroft Griffin and the developers are Stanhope plc.
Posted in London |
Tagged Renovations |
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Posted on November 4, 2010 by John Cronin
A Grade II Listed former chapel in Manchester that was once used as a recording studio is now offices for a media company.
Knott Mill Chapel, dates back to the 1850s and is located in Deansgate, central Manchester. Following an £800,000 conversion programme the building now offers contemporary offices for Amaze, a digital media company.
Overseen by OMI Architects, the works had to be inspected by the local authority preservation team to ensure that the character of the listed building was retained. An independent 5-storey structure was built within the nave of the chapel rather than merging a new office floor space within the existing structure. The total footage of the building amounts to some 12,000 sq ft.
In the 1980s, part of the church was used as a recording studio by pop music producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman who recorded many famous hits there including “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. Pete Waterman sold the building in 2006 to property developers Bluetree Estates.
Tasked with finding a suitable building for office space, David Laws of quantity surveyors Edwards & Co said: “Due to the nature of the Amaze business, we had been looking extensively for an unusual style of property which is full of character to provide a creative and stimulating working environment.”
Back in February, 2010 Amaze leased 5,000 sq ft of prime, Grade A office space in the Grade I Listed Royal Liver Building in Liverpool. The company previously leased offices in the nearby Port of Liverpool Building.
Posted in Manchester |
Tagged Listed Buildings, Renovations |
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Posted on November 4, 2010 by Nell Frizzell
Before this week’s programme even kicks off, the BBC continuity announcer warns of ‘strong language’. Is this the week that Nick finally calls S’r’Alan a braying, tortoise-faced old git? Does Karen threaten to kick Nick’s wizened hangdog face inside out if he doesn’t sit up straight? Will the Sugarmeister call his sexretary a trollop? We can but hope.
The episode begins with the traditional early morning phone call. Stella sprints to the handset, listens to the message and – taking her cue from Bruce Willis – abruptly hangs up the moment she’s received co-ordinates for the Fashion Retail Academy.
“Fashion is the most boring thing in the world,” says Stuart SickBaggs. “Selling £2 of cotton for a hundred pounds – that’s like selling magic beans.” I love it when he talks dirty, don’t you?
So, where are they off to this week? Paris? Milan? Rome? New York? Hell no! They’re going to the Trafford Centre. Yes, that Trafford Centre. In Manchester. Wearing his best navy C&A suit, Sir Alanstrad adjusts the teams in the name of fairness (to sort the Prada from the Primark and the fashionistas from the fascists). He then nominates the new project managers; Liz for Synergy, Paloma for Apollo. No bickering. No debate. No fun.
According to Alex Epstein (and who else?), Alex Epstein is a real ‘retail guru’. A magician of the mall, a genie of the general department store, and boy do I want to rub his lamp. Oh and guess what? He used to work at the Trafford Centre. He’s not giving us the specifics of what he actually did there, mind you, but we know that he was definitely in the building.
Faced with a fashion task, Hollyoaks Jamie admits that “my wife buys all my clothes”. Does she polish your head too Jamie? Pluck those eyebrows and baby-bio your designer stubble? I do hope so. “I don’t want to offend the Mancunians,” he adds. “But they’re always a step behind London. I mean, when you go to clubs in Manchester you still have to wear shoes.” As opposed to London, where we just cover our feet with Oyster cards and stick them up the nearest available pigeon.
Both teams meet an array of young designers including the brilliantly bespectacled Cassette Playa, who tries to tempt the corporate drones with talk of ‘future primitive’ and ‘cartoon couture’. To the ears of an Apprentice contestant these words roughly translate as ‘ghraehgsjr slkiusrtb’ and ‘isnakmse powerk’. So, instead, they chase down the glittery, low cost labels like last-minute fixtures at a Lily Savage convention.
Paloma’s team have their heads turned by a designer who recycles old business wear in to high fashion. Maybe they’ll make Sir Alanstrad in to shiny-foreheaded, grey-haired, finger-pointing leather dress. And what, I hear you ask, does Stuart CarrierBaggs think about recycled fashion? “I suppose it depends on who died that week.” Oh Dildo Baggsins, you old charmer. “Recycled clothing? Isn’t that what tramps do?” No Stuart, tramps drink themselves in to early septicaemia and shout at passing lorries.
Once the shops – Synergy’s The Collection and Apollo’s One for those of you taking notes – finally open, the real selling can get under way. Which means that Laura will push cheap sparkly dressed on to teenagers like a Diana Ross pimp, Tintin’s long lost brother Christopher will make lecherous remarks about every woman in the store, Stella will wave from the window display like a particularly sparkly prostitute, Paloma will stalk the shop floor like a Hooters waitress cooing “That’s hot, that’s smoking, I’ll be chasing you” while almost all the other men in the competition will stand in the shop doorways shouting at passing shoppers like fishwives. At least Christopher makes the effort to dress like an army cadet in a khaki straightjacket.
Back at Sir Alanismorrisette’s head quarters, all eleven contestants are ushered in to the boardroom to crunch numbers. Despite his frankly astounding £300 sale of a Widow-Twanky-gone-office-wear dress, Christopher’s team, managed by Paloma, pull in a slightly lacklustre £3,223 sales. Bambi-faced Liz’s team, on the other hand, sold £3,760 worth of sparkly style. Honestly, that woman could sell rain to the Irish. So, in true Irish spirit her team go off to fritter their money away at the horse track. Cheers!
So, Synergy are up for the chop. Sir Alan begins by giving the team a short lecture on fashion. Across town, Anne Widdicombe prepares for her lecture on tantric sex. Paloma apparently held Alex “100% responsible” for the failure of the task. Which is interesting, seeing as she was the project manager. Even more interestingly, Paloma then calls Sandeesh in to her terrible trio to be judged by Lord Sugarsnap. Really, Judas had nothing on this pan-global backstabber. Nick brands Paloma “arrogant”, Paloma tries to “pin anything on Sandeesh”, Sandeesh calls Paloma “destructive”, Paloma calls Alex an “irritant” and Alex decides that he’s the “scapegoat.” All in all, a nastier, twisting, bitching display of buck-passing than has been seen all series.
In the end, Sir Alan decides to that Paloma has talked herself out of the competition and fires the Peruvian pillock with a point of his magic finger. The girl who started her business life frying donuts has been well and truly Sugared.
“I think it’s his loss to be honest.” God, I’m going to miss her humility.
Conclusion: It’s no good selling sparkle if Sir Alan doesn’t like the cut of your jib.
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Tagged Apprentice Blog |
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