Move Commercial 31 by Move Publishing

MC31 Cover_MC 29/04/2013 17:40 Page 1

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION MANCHESTER CHESHIRE

May – July 2013

FREE

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

Issue 31

CBRE becomes latest tenant at No4 St Paul's Square

THE GREEN DEAL What it means for you PROPERTY NETWORKING EVENT The best photos from the Cannes Do

The Fantastic To let - New Grade ‘A’ office building in suites from 3,500 sq ft

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RS E RE I B P E C U D CC CLU and O IN R DE N TA N SA

Liverpool's first speculatively developed BREEAM ‘EXCELLENT’ office building To let, new 8 storey Grade ‘A’ office building (109,361 sq ft) in the heart of Liverpool's new Commercial District Column free floorplates from 13,719sq ft (1,274sq m) to 14,155sq ft (1,315sq m) Suites from 3,500 sq ft (325 sq m) Panoramic views of Liverpool city centre Solar control glazing VRF Heating and Cooling System Fully accessible raised floors Secure on-site car parking (1:1,000 sq ft) 20% reduction in carbon emissions through intelligent design Stunning double height entrance and reception area

A development by

4 more information

Ian.Steele@gva.co.uk

mark.worthington@cbre.com

Supported By

www.no4stpaulssquare.com BREEAM “EXCELLENT”

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Be better connected at Cotton Exchange. )

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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 & costeffective location in terms of premises, house prices, & labour * 2010 Virgin Money Survey

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Issue thirty-one Move Commercial

Contents News 06 Super-fast Internet at all new Cotton Exchange 08 Iliad chosen for Warrington Quarter development 10 Cannes Do raises over £10,000 15 Retail market insight from Euan Blake of Innesco 16 No2 Moorfields for sale 17 Your Housing relocates

Features

Welcome to Move Commercial

Welcome to the spring edition of Move Commercial in which we shine the spotlight firmly on greener energy issues. We take a look at how the Green Deal will impact on the commercial property market. We interview entrepreneur Mike Walker to find out the story behind his company, Energy Solutions. And we bring together two experts in the sustainable energy field to discuss renewable technology in

construction. We’ve also got interviews with Gary Wintersgill of Kier Construction and Richard Else of Jaguar Land Rover and we meet GVA’s rising star Jonathan Lowe. Plus as always there’s all the latest commercial property news and we ask our panel of experts what they made of this year’s Budget.

24 move publishing ltd Advertising Director Fiona Barnet Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editor Christine Toner. Email: christine@movepublishing.co.uk Tel: 0151 709 3871 Editorial Team Natasha Young, Rebecca Hatch, Suzanne McGuckin and Marya McCann.

18 Investing in infrastructure Investment across the north west 20 Appointments Who’s moving where? 21 Bitesize Food for thought 22 Rising Star Interview with Jonathan Lowe of GVA 24 Mover & Shaker Move Commercial meets Jaguar Land Rover’s Richard Else 28 Key Event Cannes Do 2013 32 Feature How will the Green Deal affect the commercial property sector? 36 Entrepreneur Interview with Mike Walker of Energy Solutions 38 Founding Business As Kier Construction celebrates 100 years in Merseyside we chat to director for the north Gary Wintersgill 43 Lunch debate Renewable technologies in construction

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

Copyright Move Publishing Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced copied or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in any information storage or retrieval system without the publishers written permission. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published, Move Publishing can accept no responsibility for the veracity of the claims made by advertisers.

46 Ask the panel Were you impressed or disappointed with this year’s Budget?

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News Latest

Super-fast internet speeds at all-new Cotton Exchange BUSINESSES TAKING UP office space in Liverpool’s Cotton Exchange building will benefit from one of the most advanced high-speed internet connections in the UK, the buildings owners have revealed. The historic building is owned by Bruntwood and the commercial property company has joined forces

with internet service provider Metronet (UK) to create “super connected” office space. Through their investigations with Metronet (UK), Bruntwood has discovered that Cotton Exchange has tier one status with access to industry leading 100Gbps Internet connections. This fibre connectivity,

Cotton Exchange

when combined with the Metronet point of presence provides hybrid connectivity at Cotton Exchange which will ensure that the site stays connected even in the unlikely event that multiple fibres fail. Bruntwood is currently refurbishing the Cotton Exchange in order to offer a wider range of product and prices

to prospective customers. As part of the refurbishment Bruntwood have created a new reception on Bixteth Street and stripped back the interiors to reveal period features. Whilst Cotton Exchange in Liverpool is unique, Bruntwood’s other office and retail spaces across the North West will also benefit from the developer’s partnership with Metronet. As a result of the partnership, customers based in other Bruntwood properties will have direct access to high speed internet connectivity with speeds up to 1Gig per second and even 10Gig per second in some instances. Colin Forshaw, head of sales and development at Bruntwood in Liverpool, says: “We’ve been listening to the demands of potential tenants, including many from the creative industries and we’re creating the sort of space they want. At the Cotton Exchange customers can now benefit from super-fast Internet speeds as well as all the character, charm and high levels of customer service that the building offers. Whilst in our other Liverpool buildings high-speed internet is now the norm”

87 PROPERTIES SOLD AT SUTTON KERSH AUCTION SUTTON KERSH generated over £6.2m worth of sales at its April property auction, which was the largest to be held in Merseyside since 2004. The property auctioneer attracted a catalogue of 129 lots for the event which took place on April 18 at the Liverpool City Centre Crowne Plaza Hotel. High interest in the build up to the auction resulted in 17 lots being sold prior. There were also 14 lots withdrawn, some of which will be offered at Sutton Kersh's next sale on June 6. A total of 85 lots have sold so

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far and more sales are expected to complete afterwards. Competitive bidding wars resulted in a number of lots selling for significantly more than their guide prices. Amongst them was lot 33 which sold for £69,500 above its guide price. The former Rangers house in Thurstaston was offered on behalf of Wirral Council. The vacant residential property was guided at £240,000 and sold in the room for £309,500. Instructions are being invited up until May 10 for the next auction.

James Kersh, Andrew Binstock and the Sutton Kersh auction team

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Latest News

C on O th VE e R

CBRE relocates to No 4 St Paul’s Square St Paul’s Square

CBRE is set to relocate its Liverpool office having agreed a 10-year lease for 2,572 sq. ft. on the sixth floor at No 4 St Paul’s Square. No 4 is Liverpool’s first speculatively developed BREEAM Excellent building and was completed last year by English Cities Fund (ECF), a joint

venture between Muse Developments, Legal and General Property and the Homes and Communities Agency. It is also home to Santander Corporate, which recently took 14,155 square feet at the building. Phil Mayall, development director at English Cities Fund, says: “We are delighted that CBRE has chosen No 4 St Paul’s Square as its new Liverpool home. This is an example of yet another private sector occupier choosing to locate within St Paul’s Square, Liverpool’s premier commercial business district. We are looking forward to announcing further lettings shortly, including exciting interest in our ground floor units.” Mark Worthington, director of CBRE, says: “No 4 St Paul’s Square is an impressive building and, after considering the various alternatives, we regard it as being the building that best reflects the contemporary and forward-thinking nature of our company. We plan to be fully in situ in our new premises in mid May.”

Workers happy at Princes Dock OVER 90% of workers are happy to be working in Princes Dock, recent research has revealed. A survey, conducted by owners Peel, shows 90% of the occupiers would recommend working at Princes Dock to other businesses. Occupiers were also asked to rate how Peel manages Princes Dock in terms of its security, cleanliness,

maintenance and external surrounding. The results showed that it continues to provide a very good service in all these areas to its occupiers. The development also received positive feedback on its public transport connection as the site is linked to the C2 bus service, ferry and a short walk from James Street and Moorfields train stations.

Grade A headquarters to let at Chester Business Park

Montell House

GRADE A business space totalling 9,479 sq ft is now available to let at Chester Business Park following the release of Montell House, a twostorey building currently undergoing a high-specification refurbishment by developer Prospect GB. With work due for completion in late July or early August, prospective tenants are invited to enquire if they wish to engage in the refurbishment process. Ideal for use as a headquarters building, the offices will be predominantly open-plan with features including a generous reception area and barrier-controlled 60-space car park. Head of Prospect GB’s commercial

division, Chris Walker, says: “Montell House is our second refurbishment at one of the North West’s most prestigious business parks - the first, International House, has attracted healthy demand with just one suite still available. We are expecting similar interest in Montell House – it is the only refurbished building of this size, circa 10,000 sq ft, on Chester Business Park. At this stage of the refurbishment programme we are in a position to consult with prospective tenants regarding a bespoke scheme to meet the particular needs of their business or organisation.” For more information visit www.legatowen.co.uk.

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News Developments

Contract signed for new control centre JANE KENNEDY, Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner, has signed a contract that gives the go-ahead to the development of the area’s new

Jane Kennedy

joint Police and Fire Command and Control Centre. The centre will be based at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue headquarters in Bridle Road, Bootle and will be a mixture of new build and refurbishment of the current building. The colocation of the fire and police control room functions will provide an opportunity to deliver a more efficient and effective service to the public. They will share site infrastructure and facilities with the

potential for sharing of technology solutions in the longer term. When planning permission is granted building work will be undertaken at the site and this will bring benefits to the local area. The contractor for the site, Kier Construction, will be recruiting apprentices from the local area and also targeting local contractors to work on the site. Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy, says: “It has taken a lot of hard work from both organisations and the former Merseyside Police Authority to reach this stage and I would like to thank everyone involved in driving this project forward. “This collaboration will not only provide a more efficient service to the Merseyside community but it will also be a more cost-effective way of meeting ongoing service delivery needs in what are very challenging financial times. “It is vital that a major contract of this type should bring benefits to the local area and we’re delighted that

this will be happening. This is another example of successful partnership working and I’m thrilled that young people in the area will be able to gain valuable experience by working on this development.” Councillor Dave Hanratty, chair of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, says: “This Merseyside solution will provide opportunities for long-term partnership working and savings as well as real benefits for our mobilizing and command and control functions.” Gary Winterskill, managing director, Kier Construction – Northern, says: “The Joint Control Centre project is a really good news story for Kier, in what is our 100th year of working in Merseyside. “We’re delighted to have designed and developed the scheme from its inception in collaboration with the JCC client team and look forward to working with many local suppliers in the Bootle area to deliver the project.” The project is due for completion in Spring 2014.

Kirkby regeneration begins A “HUGE STEP FORWARD” has been made towards bringing new retail facilities to Kirkby town centre now that work is underway on a major £200m regeneration scheme. Overall, the programme will include the construction of a Tesco supermarket and a number of new retail outlets, along with 71 new homes for Plus Dane Group and Cherryfields Co-operative residents who currently live on Cherryfield Drive. Contractors are now on site at St Kevin’s Drive to build the new residential properties, therefore bringing the wider regeneration of the town’s retail sector closer to taking place. A spokesperson for Tesco 8

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says: "This is a huge step forward for the Kirkby town centre regeneration programme. Once the new properties have been built, the vacant houses will be demolished to make way for the new Tesco store and other retail facilities.” Knowsley Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, economy and skills, Councillor Dave Lonergan, adds: “The council and our partners have been working incredibly hard behind the scenes to drive the regeneration programme forward despite the ongoing national economic difficulties, and I’m delighted that residents can now see visible signs of the great progress we are making in Kirkby.”

Council deputy chief executive Mike Harden, Martyn Davies, Bob Merriman from contractor Galliford Try and Cllr Lonergan on the Kirkby Market site

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Developments News

Iliad chosen for £190m Warrington scheme

permanent jobs when fully completed in 2024. Phase one of the project, comprising £87m investment, is now at an advanced stage and work will start on site in January 2014. The project has been driven and will be managed by Warrington & Co., which was established to act as a partnership between Warrington Borough Council, business leaders and key organisations as a business

friendly interface to deliver regeneration strategies and facilitate growth in the town. The masterplan for the Stadium Quarter is currently in draft form and will be finalised following further ongoing consultation with stakeholders. David Anastasiou of Iliad, says: “This development is potentially a ‘game changer’ for the whole of Warrington, it will anchor and assist in the redevelopment of the downtown area offering uses that are supplemental to the retail and leisure offer. “Iliad are excited at the proactive and positive response that Warrington Borough Council has shown and very much look forward to playing our part in the renaissance of this important area of Warrington.” Cllr Terry O’Neill, leader of the council, says: “This marks the start of a very exciting chapter in the regeneration of our town centre and forms part of our ambitious plans to breathe new life into the area. Iliad has an excellent track record of urban regeneration and we are looking forward to working with them and delivering this scheme.”

says: “Liverpool Science Park plays a vital role in the heart of our Knowledge Quarter, providing a home for some of the city’s brightest minds and entrepreneurial talents. “It’s fantastic to see the facility continuing to grow and evolve. This

new, state-of-the-art building will further improve LSP’s world-class offer and strengthen its position as the destination of choice for sciencebased companies from all over the country. I’m looking forward to work getting underway.”

Warrington Stadium Quarter

A NEW PROJECT that will bring to life a £190m regeneration scheme in central Warrington has been given the green light. Warrington Borough Council has approved an outline masterplan for the regeneration of the 36.43 Ha (90 acre) ‘Stadium Quarter site’ just north of the town centre. And the council has appointed and will work in conjunction with joint venture partner Iliad to deliver the

£190m scheme. The project will connect the bus interchange with the Warrington Wolves’ Halliwell Jones Stadium and create a new, mixed-use development comprising educational, business, leisure and housing uses. A phased programme of development over the next decade will create up to 1,000 construction jobs and nearly 4,000 new

WORK STARTS ON KNOWLEDGE QUARTER DEVELOPMENT ‘ic3’ CONSTRUCTION of Liverpool Science Park’s (LSP) £8m third building at the heart of Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter is underway. Innovation Centre 3 (ic3) will provide 42,000 sq ft of additional office and laboratory space to accompany the two buildings already at the park, which are now more than 90% occupied. The state-of-the-art, four floor building will be constructed over the existing car park of Innovation Centre 1 (ic1) off Mount Pleasant and a double storey-bridge will link it to the ic1 building. It will include flexible office space, fully serviced biology

and chemistry laboratories, meeting rooms and under-croft car parking. The third building will complete the development of LSP’s Metropolitan Cathedral site which links the city’s two universities and its growing Knowledge Quarter. The project is due for completion in spring 2014. Half of the construction costs are being underwritten by the science park’s owners Liverpool City Council, the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University, with the balance being provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson

Liverpool Science Park

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News Commercial

Cannes Do raises over £10k for Claire House THE 2013 ‘Cannes Do’ event, hosted by Professional Liverpool, raised in excess of £10,000 for local children’s hospice Claire House. The half-day lunch event, which brought together over 550 individuals from across the region’s property sector, saw attendees dig deep to help achieve the recordbreaking sum. Claire House’s Claire Bear was presented with the cheque by Professional Liverpool’s Stuart Keppie and Andrew Lovelady and English Cities Fund’s Phil Mayall at No 4 St Paul’s Square in Liverpool where the event took place. Tony Langan, area fundraiser at Claire House, which provides respite, end-of-life and bereavement care for children and young adults with complex medical needs, says: “On behalf of all the children who visit Claire House, I would like to

say a massive thank you to Professional Liverpool and an even bigger thanks to English Cities Fund for nominating Claire House. The money raised will help us make a real difference.” Stuart Keppie, chairman of the Property Group of Professional Liverpool, says: “This year's event was the biggest Cannes Do we've ever had and I'm absolutely delighted with the money raised for such a worthy cause as Claire House, which was well above any figure previously achieved.” Phil Mayall, development manager at English Cities Fund, says: “We were delighted that our venue at No 4 St Paul's Square played host to the event, which gave an additional platform for MIPIM to do business in the city. “The record-breaking fundraising total for Claire House

reflected the all round success of the entire event perfectly. Claire House is a truly inspirational place and it is fantastic that everyone at Cannes Do 2013 played a part in

L-R Andrew Lovelady, Phil Mayall, Stuart Keppie and Claire Bear

TEACHING CONFERENCES BRING ECONOMY BOOST A TRIO of teaching conferences at ACC Liverpool have generated £4.5m in economic benefit for the Liverpool city region. A total of 4,000 delegates attended the three events - the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the International Association of

NUT Conference 2013

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Teaching English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) - in the past month. It was the first time that the NUT had held its conference the day after ATL in the same venue. ATL, the union for education professionals, returned to ACC Liverpool for the third time, bringing 400 delegates. It held

achieving the figure.” For more information on the exceptional work carried out by Claire House please visit www.claire-house.org.uk.

conferences at the venue in 2009 and 2011. David Kimber, head of conferences at ATL, says: “This year's conference was our third time at ACC Liverpool, once again it was a complete success and we had fantastic feedback from delegates.”

Conferencing offer for Move Commercial readers LIVERPOOL Hope University is offering Move Commercial readers a promotional rate for its conferencing facilities of £25 per delegate for new weekday bookings made before the end of June. The full day delegate rate of £25 (including VAT) includes meeting or seminar room hire, hire of audio visual (AV) equipment, stationery, jugs of ice water, a flip chart (on request), two servings of tea and coffee with biscuits and a two course lunch option of either a hot self-service or cold buffet. A half-day delegate rate of £20 (including VAT) is also available. Liverpool Hope offers a range of meeting and conferencing facilities from interview room hire by the hour to complex residential conferences. For more information visit www.hope.ac.uk/conferences.

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WORLD-CLASS WORLD-CLASS OFFICES AND MEETING ROOM F FACILITIES ACILITIES RECEPTION WITH FULL CONCIERGE SERVICE SPACE BESPOKE OFFICE SP ACE VARIETY PRESENTATION V A ARIETY OF MEETING AND PRESENT AT TION SUITES AV FACILITIES ACILITIES HIGH SPEED ED INTERNET AND A VF INFORMAL INF ORMAL BREAK OUT AREAS CONNECTIVITY COFFEE SHOP WITH WIFI CONNEC TIVITY CATERING ON-SITE C AT TERING FOR FOR MEETING AND EVENTS Ex change St ation, Tithebarn Str eet, Exchange Station, Street, Liv erpool, Mer seyside, L2 2QP Liverpool, Merseyside, T: 0151 227 5482 E: enquiries @exchangestation.co.uk enquiries@exchangestation.co.uk

www www.exchangestation.co.uk .exchangestation.co.uk

AVAILABLE A VA AILABLE OC TOBER 2013 OCTOBER F For or mor more e inf information ormation pl please ease ccontact ontact us tto o arr arrange ange a vie viewing wing of the mark marketing eting suit suite. e. T Tony ony Reed - 0151 255 0755 ttonyreed@keppiemassie.com onyreed@keppiemassie.com Sar Sarah ah Williams - 0151 331 4005 sar sarah.williams@exchangestation.co.uk ah.williams@exchangestation.co.uk

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C E N T U RY B U I L D I N G B RU N S W I C K B U S I N E S S PA R K TOWER STREET LIVERPOOL L3 4BJ

STUNNING NEW OFFICES TO L E T Available in suites from 757 sq ft (70.31 sq m) or as a whole up to 27,151 sq ft (2,522.4 sq m) • • • • •

Raised floors Air-conditioning LG7 lighting Kitchen facilities Telecoms pre installed

• • • •

Shower facilities Ample car parking Brunswick Station opposite 2 miles south of the city centre

Other accommodation available at Century Building: OFFICES from 644 sq ft to 5,038 sq ft (59.8 sq m to 468 sq m) WAREHOUSE/INDUSTRIAL UNITS from 1,185 sq ft to 9,860 sq ft (110 sq m to 916 sq m)

jonswain@masonpartners.com

mark.worthington@cbre.com neil.kirkham@cbre.com

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Commercial News

North West firms named rising stars at Greater China Awards 2013

Chris Conlon, managing director of Love Creative, collecting the award from Chinese Consul general Pan Yundong and Philomena Chen, head of Asia Pacific development at UKTI North West.

MANCHESTER company Love Creative is celebrating its success after being named as the Greater China Rising Star. The award, given by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), goes to the company which has achieved the

most in Greater China despite only trading in the market for three years or less. Love Creative is a creative and design agency based in central Manchester. Last year it opened a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise

(WFOE) in Shanghai, which now has six staff members and its own mandarin website. In the first year, Love Creative’s Shanghai office has generated 28% of the company’s turnover and won contracts with Chinese clients from

fashion companies to car manufacturers. Joint runner up was Liverpool firm Brock Carmichael Architects, which has a local presence in Hong Kong and collaborates with Oval Partnership, an architectural practice with whom it has established a joint venture brand called the Octagon Partnership. This has helped them to share locations, skills and knowledge and allows both practices to bid for larger projects. Joint projects include a paid international design competition for a cultural resort at Shilin Stone Forest in Yunnan Province, a 52 acre waterfront development in Tianjin, a regeneration project in Kunming and the Hong Kong University Auditorium project. Joint runner up Byotrol, based at Daresbury SIC, has developed a revolutionary antimicrobial hygiene technology that can be incorporated into a variety of products including disinfectant, household cleaners, hand sanitisers and many more. Products containing the Byotrol technology are already being used to protect food factories, hospitals, offices, vets and homes.

Cut energy consumption in style A MERSEYSIDE based renewable energy solutions company has developed a state of the art heating system that allows businesses to cut energy consumption and reduce heating bills without compromising on design. Concept LHP’s radiant heating system provides a highly efficient, and healthier alternative to other heating systems as well as giving customers a full range of design ideas. Patrick Richardson, chief executive at Concept LHP, says: “At Concept LHP we have a range of heating systems geared towards helping our clients achieve significant savings of up to 50% on heating costs and energy consumption.” The system emits energy at infrared frequency to gently heat every surface

in the room using energy waves. The sleek panels can be fitted to ceilings and floors and can even be works of art to attach to walls. Panels come in a range of materials including glass, mirror, aluminium and ceramic and can be colour coded to suite all décors. Patrick adds: “Our revolutionary heat panels offer safe, ultra efficient heat for use across all domestic and commercial environments, whilst allowing the customer to enjoy fantastic savings. Rooms fitted with the systems will stay warmer for longer and provide a more stable air temperature with no uneven heat distribution. “Studies and our evidence also show that use of infrared heat panels reduce irritation caused by allergens, radiant heating is the healthiest form of heating you can use.

Concept LHP provides a complete service including design, installation and maintenance.

For further information visit: www.conceptlhp.co.uk or call 0151 207 7808

Patrick Richardson

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Our inspiring location. Need space to think? Choose our Hope Park Campus for your next meeting or away day. You can enjoy our stunning 45-acre landscaped location, as well as the EDEN Building’s outstanding business facilities.

· Bright and airy conference rooms · Excellent AV facilities · Quality in-house catering · On-site exeacutive style accommodation available year round

· On-site car parking · AIM accredited

Your great meeting. www.hope.ac.uk/conferences l 0151 291 2147

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UK Retail trends Comment

The word on the street... Euan Blake, account director at international PR & marketing consultancy Innesco.

At the end of April, we attended a London breakfast panel debate organised by speaker agency JLA and listened to an industry expert panel debate the major trends that are changing consumerism and business. Amongst a panel of business leaders and politicians was ex-transport secretary Lord Adonis who played a crucial part in the HS2 project, Linda Davidson who developed the first BBC sites and launched E4 before becoming European IT director for discovery and Bill Grimsey the ex-CEO of Wickes, Focus and Iceland (amongst others). Bill’s key message was that some retailers would simply have too much property and floorspace to survive, especially those in troubled locations he referred to as ‘tumbleweed parks’.

Highlighting the sad demise of retailers including Woolworth's and HMV, once the bastions of high streets and retail parks, Bill stated that multiple retailers will (if they haven’t already) need to seriously look at their property portfolio and even consider downsizing to showroom stores as click 'n' collect becomes prevalent with the mobile generation and multichannel shopping takes hold. Supporting his views, Bill pointed to Tesco’s recent property write-down of £804m on its UK property portfolio and exiting of the retail ‘space-race’. It was Linda Davidson’s comments on the future of consumerism that struck a chord with the audience as she forecast that the battle for product sales will not be in the retail parks, the high streets or the big malls, but instead in the living room. As Tesco TV takes off and

Sainsbury’s invests heavily in R&D (research and development) into similar services, Linda explained the real battle for sales will be in customers’ living rooms. Just like gaming moved from the arcade to the home TV, the retail experience will do the same, supported by virtual currency like Nectar Cards. As highlighted, a number of

interesting forecast trends came out of the talk as guests were privy to many new buzz terms, but most notably the new term that stuck with the audience was, ‘a glasshole’ – a person who wears the new Google Glass eyewear, another wonderful Americanism coming to a UK store soon.

Retail technology trends examined Bill Gates once said that, “we overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10.” In the retail property sector it is imperative for companies to predict and stay ahead of change. Our position within the sector gives the team a great insight on what will be the key trends, technologies and initiatives for the next decade. ‘E’ Commerce Is Becoming ‘Everywhere’ Commerce The digital and mobile phone revolution means that online shopping is not just being carried out in the comfort of

peoples homes, but is happening everywhere and anywhere. People now have the opportunities to shop where and whenever they like. The retail property sector cannot possibly fight this revolution, so instead needs to look at ways to join it. Pioneered by Land Securities many shopping centres across the UK are now offering free Wi-Fi and centre apps for mobile phones. This allows the centres to partner their retailers and showcase their promotions. Developer owners such as Hammerson, Land Securities and Westfield are also integrating this strategy with social media and Google product search.

Augmented Soon To Be Reality Augmented Reality (AR) is one of the most of the exciting new technologies being developed and we believe that it will become one most important for our sector. AR is simply a view of a physical environment whose elements are modified through computergenerated sensory input, such as sound, video and graphics. It doesn’t replace the real world with a simulated one, but it gives users a chance to experience a product on a different level, where they feel more connected and engaged by its marketing, and as a result, interested in the product. AR is already making an appearance on the boardroom tables of developers but retailers

are tapping into the technology as well. The first shopping centre to try the technology was Hermes’ MK Centre, where visitors were able to search for and then download via their mobile phones virtual ‘balloons’ around the centre that rewarded them with escalating offers and prizes. The virtual balloons were located at varying parts of the centre on different days, encouraging exploration and loyalty. The campaign not only drove more visitors to the scheme’s website and app, it created an exciting interactive ‘experience’ for the visitors. For more information on Innesco www.innesco.co.uk

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News Sales & Lettings

Smith and Sons markets boutique shopping arcade

Church Walks arcade

A BOUTIQUE shopping arcade in the heart of Ormskirk has been placed on the market, offered with a £2m price tag by commercial agent, Smith and Sons. Church Walks sits in the town centre between Church Street and Burscough Street and comprises 15 high-end shop units, currently used for a variety of retail purposes. On the upper floors there are three office suites, two of which are let, as well as a popular ninety-cover restaurant. Six of the tenants have been in occupation for over ten years and the arcade is well utilised by the local community, tourists and students from nearby Edge Hill University. With an existing rental income of £204,700 per annum excluding VAT, the arcade has an estimated rental income of £213,600 when fully let. Sean Seery, partner at Smith and Sons, says: “This is a fantastic arcade

that has proved to be a busy and thriving shopping destination in Ormskirk. It offers a unique buy with an excellent yield and would appeal to a broad range of both local and out of town investors.” The arcade has been well managed and maintained by the current owners both internally and externally and has an attractive traditional facade of brick, wood and glass. It sits adjacent to The Stiles Public Car Park, which has 137 long stay spaces. Sean adds: “There is a superb mix of existing businesses within the arcade that attract a strong footfall with a range of shoppers and visitors. Smith and Sons is delighted to be appointed to manage the sale of Church Walks, working with interested parties throughout the process.” For further information contact Sean Seery at sts@smithandsons.net.

Major redevelopment opportunity on offer A MAJOR REDEVELOPMENT opportunity, close to Liverpool city centre, is on the market with offers being invited in excess of £2m. As well as a 12-storey hotel, 7090 Pall Mall has outline planning permission for a multi storey car park, offices and workshops on the site which extends to 2.7 acres. Full planning permission is already in place for class B1 offices and class A1 retail, subject to agreeing the S106 agreement. The property currently comprises a series of vacant interconnecting industrial, office and ancillary buildings, with extensive hard standing areas. The site is located just half a mile north of Liverpool city centre on the eastern side of Pall Mall, close to its junction with Leeds Street, and three miles to the east

16 MOVE COMMERCIAL

of junction five of the M62. The marketing of the site is being handled by the Manchester office of chartered surveyors’ Eddisons, which is acting on the instructions of the joint LPA Receivers. John Shaw, director of agency from Eddisons, says: ‘This is a highly versatile site in an emerging area, within easy reach of all city centre retail, leisure and commercial amenities. “We have already received enquiries from a number of interested parties and expect this to increase now that the marketing phase has commenced.” For further information or to arrange a viewing, contact John Shaw or James Cole of Eddisons on 0161 831 1690.

70-90 Pall Mall

p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 16:56 Page 17

Sales & Lettings News

63,700 sq ft Liverpool CBD office building for sale THE LIVERPOOL office of Jones Lang LaSalle has been instructed to sell the 63,692 sq ft No. 2 Moorfields in Liverpool’s Central Business District, on behalf of the Joint LPA Receivers. Jones Lang LaSalle is seeking offers in the region of £2.5m exclusive for the four-storey building, which occupies a prominent corner position fronting Moorfields and Dale Street. Constructed in 1984, No. 2 Moorfields the property is let to five tenants, currently producing a rent of approximately £256,000 per annum including the Secretary of State for Health and Yorkshire Bank. The building currently comprises retail to the ground floor and four upper floors of office with newly refurbished reception, passenger lifts and

common areas and 36 car parking accommodation.” spaces to the rear. Located adjacent to Moorfields Helen Moss, associate director at Merseyrail station in Liverpool’s Jones Lang LaSalle, says: “No. 2 Central Business District, the Moorfields is a modern building building is well positioned within and offers significant opportunities for an investor to increase value by maximising income on the ground floor retail and the available office accommodation, there is also a potential to consider alternative uses, such as No2 Moorfields residential, hotel or student

the city centre and benefits from excellent public transport links and close proximity to the Liverpool ONE retail and leisure attractions.

Your Housing Group to create new HQ at Birchwood Park YOUR HOUSING GROUP, one of the UK’s largest social housing providers, has signed an agreement to develop a new 35,000 sq ft head office at MEPC Birchwood Park.

Work is already underway on the construction of the development which will become the group’s new head office, accommodating around 300 members of staff and providing a

convenient central location for the group which owns and manages property across the North West, Midlands and Yorkshire. The new development follows on from a successful 2012 for Birchwood Park, in which the park completed the build of the 47,000 sq ft prelet 305 Bridgewater Place. Brian Cronin, chief executive of Your Housing Group, says: “We are very excited to have found a new permanent home and are delighted to be working with Birchwood Park’s onsite Your Housing Group management team. Birchwood

Park’s central location is the ideal choice in bringing our group together, and its transport connections are vital for helping us manage our properties across the region.” Jonathan Walsh, MEPC Birchwood Park’s managing director, says: “Your Housing Group’s decision to establish their new head office at Birchwood Park is testament to the quality of our location, facilities and the community atmosphere provided at the park. Together, this forms the best solution to the group’s needs. Steve Park, chief executive of Warrington & Co., Warrington’s partnership for driving growth, says: “It is great news that Your Housing Group has chosen Birchwood and Warrington as its location in which to develop its new HQ. This affirms the findings in recent reports published by the Centre for Cities, Municipal Journal and Santander that the town’s growth is outstripping its local and national rivals. Warrington is home to almost as many top HQ’s in the North West and Liverpool and Manchester and it’s great to welcome another”.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 17

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By Suzanne McGuckin

Moving in the right direction With infrastructure a key feature of the 2013 Budget we take a look at how investment could affect the North West region.

“For the economy to flourish, people, goods and information must move freely. Businesses across all regions and industries need the right conditions to grow. Reliable infrastructure is essential to achieving this.” These are the words that start the HM Treasury website’s section on infrastructure. Words that show clearly that the government is positioning infrastructure right at the heart of the UK’s road to recovery. So with investment in UK infrastructure high on the agenda what measures is the government taking to ensure that people, goods and information keep moving freely? The recent budget announcements echoed the sentiments of the National Infrastructure Plan presented by the government in 2011. The update confirmed: “Infrastructure is vital to the success of any modern economy; it drives growth, creates jobs and generates the networks that allow businesses and organisations to thrive. Investing in and improving this country’s infrastructure in order to make the UK globally 18 MOVE COMMERCIAL

competitive is a key part of the government’s economic strategy.” Significant reform in its approach to infrastructure delivery will see the government create an enhanced team of commercial specialists in Infrastructure UK, streamline planning and regulation all with the main aim of bringing forward projects and reducing delay. Capital spending plans will increase by £3bn per year from 2015-16, transport infrastructure will have more investment with significant support for the largest programme of investment in the railways since Victorian times and UK Guarantees will be provided for major infrastructure projects. Back in 2011 the government identified 40 priority infrastructure investments that it has made clear will be progressed without delay - a number of which are based in or will directly impact on the North West region. One such scheme will see significant improvement to one of the busiest stretches of the M60 between junction 12 and 15 near Salford, Greater Manchester. A project that will certainly help the region keep people and goods

moving freely. The Mersey Gateway Bridge is another major road network improvement that will impact massively on the region. The project will deliver a six lane toll bridge that will cross the Mersey between Runcorn and Widnes and is on target to commence as early as late 2013 or early 2014 providing another much needed Mersey river crossing. Not only will the region benefit from major road network improvements, major cities across the region will play a role in an inter-city high speed rail scheme known as High Speed 2 (HS2). This scheme will see the major cities of the Midlands and the North connected to the extensive, Europe-wide high speed network. Alongside HS2 another key rail network development will see a programme of targeted upgrades to the railway in the North of England that will connect major towns and cities via The Northern Hub. This is scheduled to complete in 2019 and will see up to 700 more trains run each day providing space for 44 million more passengers a year. Liverpool Waters, a £5.5bn

development that will see a 60hectare dockland area transformed into a world-class mixed-use waterfront, will greatly enhance Liverpool city and the surrounding area, as will a £300m in-river container port known as Liverpool 2. Both projects are on target to be built by 2015. The Liverpool 2 facility promises the creation of 5,000 jobs and will add half a million containers annually to the Port of Liverpool. These examples demonstrate that infrastructure improvements and developments really are ramping up and look set to benefit the economy. That said there are many environmental and sustainability impacts associated with infrastructure, and in an attempt to address these impacts the government is dedicated to ensuring that investment is ear marked for renewable energy projects that will look to offset the carbon used during construction. Drax Power in North Yorkshire has been offered a UK Guarantee worth up to £75m to undertake a partial conversion of its power station from coal to biomass, which will see the conversion of

p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 14:59 Page 19

Infrastructure plan Update

Mersey Gateway bridge

three of its six generators converted to sustainable biomass. Closer to home at the Port of Liverpool an investment of ÂŁ150m to develop a facility for a biomass import, storage and out-loading to rail facility is being pushed forward. As well as investing in specific sustainable technology infrastructure projects, such as the biomass facility at the Port of Liverpool much emphasis is being placed on rating the environmental benefits of all infrastructures and ensuring that efforts are made to incorporate renewable technologies in all future builds. It is safe to say that much of the investment in infrastructure that will enter the North West region will impact positively on the regions economy by creating jobs, attracting further inward investment and improving the carbon footprint.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 19

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Appointments Promotions to partnership at Stephensons Solicitors LLP Five associate solicitors at North West law firm Stephensons Solicitors LLP have Alistair been Gregory promoted to the partnership, bringing the total number of partners to 36. Rachel Adamson has over 19 years’ experience and has defended high profile investigations and prosecutions. Wills and probate solicitor Rob Gore qualified at Stephensons in 2001 and has specialised in this area of law ever since. Alistair Gregory joined Stephensons 12 years ago from the Inland Revenue and frequently represents individuals, companies and directors in the High Court. Claire is head of the family team at the St Helens office and qualified as a solicitor at Stephensons in 2001. Louise Hebborn also completed training to become a solicitor with Stephensons, and manages the firm’s property litigation team. Stephensons has offices around Manchester, St Helens, Wigan, Leigh, Bolton, Partington and Altrincham.

GVA appoints two new graduate surveyors Two new Stuart Paskins graduate surveyors have joined the Liverpool office of GVA, the UK’s largest independent commercial property advisor. James Ratcliffe and Stuart Paskins were both appointed after completing their studies in Real Estate Management at Oxford Brookes University, and their addition to the team is part of a wider growth strategy within the company for 2013. As part of its scheme, GVA is aiming to increase the recruitment of new and existing talent. Patrick Whitby, GVA’s senior director, says: “The investment in emerging talent is a great opportunity to ensure we continue to provide a fresh approach to an ever-changing property market, and

thereby to provide our clients with the very best service possible.”

Promotion leads to new head of North West Saunders Partnership Architects office Saunders Partnership Architects has promoted Sarah Bolsover as head of its strategic North West office in Manchester city centre. Sarah, an associate director, will lead an experienced team working with high profile clients including: Tesco, Sarah Waitrose, Bolsover Barratt Homes, Crest Nicholson, Solum Regeneration, Land Securities and Manchester City Council. Sarah says: “I see this as an extremely exciting opportunity and I am really looking forward to working with the rest of Saunders’ Group offices across the country to further raise the profile of the practice in this region.”

Bruntwood appoints director of Liverpool UK commercial property company Bruntwood has appointed Colin Sinclair as its director of Liverpool. Colin, who is also director of property marketing, Colin was Sinclair previously chief executive at MIDAS (Manchester’s Investment & Development Agency) until 2010, when he first moved over to Bruntwood. During his time with the company so far, Colin has already drawn on his experience from MIDAS and moved through various directorial positions. He joined Bruntwood to lead on the firm’s expansion in Manchester, and was tasked with finding growth opportunities outside its core office market. He has also helped Bruntwood develop in the science, biomedical, technology and digital markets as the director of special projects; and in January 2013 the company achieved its highest ever-recorded enquiry levels.

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p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 17:34 Page 21

Move Commercial Bitesize thinking

SARAH WILLIAMS asset manager, Ashtenne North West

In my crystal ball… I believe 2013 will see the bottom of the commercial property market with a slowly increasing demand thereafter. I see an increased emphasis on sustainability and connectivity with occupiers giving significant consideration to energy efficiency and sustainable features of a building in order to mitigate excessive energy bills with ultra-fast fibre technology expected as standard. Likewise landlords, such as ourselves, will be looking to provide competitive accommodation both in terms of pricing and specification to provide cost effective grade A business space of the future.

Vital statistics

£40m

This is how much the proposed Exhibition Centre Liverpool will boost the city’s economy by each year once it is complete, according to Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson. A detailed planning application has been submitted to Liverpool City Council and, if permission is granted, construction will begin in autumn 2013 to open for business in spring 2015. The development will form part of ACC Liverpool and luxury brand Pullman has also been welcomed on-board as the preferred hotel company for the scheme.

Home Away

FAVOURITE BUILDINGS Chris Walker BSc (Hons), MBA MRICS, Prospect GB HOME

If only I’d known…. The effect that the current economic climate would have on our occupiers and their office requirements. With budgets tight, tenants expect high quality accommodation and the very best facilities at a reasonable price. We’ve made it our priority to offer flexible office space so that even the smallest of companies can be part of a thriving business community and have access to state-of-theart facilities. Being proactive and working closely with our tenants has given us the insight into what businesses really want and we’re responding to that. Communication really is the key and we’re always proactive in being a step ahead of our competitors.

‘Give it 110%’ Buzzword Meaning: Few office-sayings annoy the masses as much as our buzzword for this issue - or, in this case, buzz-phrase. Most of us will agree that at one point or another our bosses pile on the workload and expect a little too much, but what employees across the UK (and, no doubt, the working world) find hardest to swallow is when they're asked to achieve the

impossible - to give it 110%. 100% is the maximum, the whole. It is therefore mathematically impossible to give any more. It can't be done. Yet our bosses seem to think they inspire more enthusiasm in their work force when they ask for that little bit more, that extra 10%. And don't even get us started on the employers who demand “200% commitment”...

India Buildings

I’ve picked the India Buildings, not because it’s an attractive building, but because of my family connection to it as my father-in-law used to work for Ocean Group, and he sold it for them in 1989. The building of it started in 1925 for it to be the biggest building in Liverpool at that time. It’s survived the test of time after nearly being leveled by the Blitz, when the Corn Exchange building which was opposite was bombed and set alight and flames blew across to the India Buildings. It also shares a common link to the Chrysler building, with both being linked to the underground.

commute from Tribeca and then on the subway to Grand Central terminal, which is famous and has featured in lots of films. You could then walk through the main concourse through the hustle and bustle of the city or take the tunnel in and the building’s got a very famous mural on the ceiling in the reception. It’s massive, and it’s art deco. My office was on the 42nd floor and I’d look out the window straight at the Manhattan skyline. I’d feel privileged to be in such an iconic building with such a view down town. For me it’s having that personal connection with the Chrysler building, plus it’s a building people know. Chrysler Building

AWAY I worked in New York in the Chrysler and I felt like I had a privileged MOVE COMMERCIAL 21

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By Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk

Jonathan Lowe has always had an interest in property. However he wasn't sure how to turn that and his degree in Economics into a career. Luckily GVA spotted his potential and the rest, as they say, is history. Move Commercial met Jonathan to find out more.

Rising through the ranks

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Having grown up in Birmingham, where GVA originates from, the 28-year-old was aware of the scale of the multi-regional company and its strong reputation, and set his sights on joining its team. He was soon welcomed into the company’s Liverpool office and explains: “I applied to GVA as a graduate with no previous working experience in property, so I came in and was immediately put on the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) programme. With that I had to be put through a part-time Masters course at Liverpool John Moores University. “The majority of people will go to university and study at, say Reading or John Moores, which are RICS accredited degrees. My Economics degree was obviously not accredited so I almost had to do a conversion course which was the Masters part-time over two years but I did that in conjunction with them. The majority of people don’t do it the way round that I’ve done it; it is an unusual way to do it. “Going in and not knowing anything about property, it gave me a lot of confidence really that they’d invested in me from the beginning and were willing to put

me onto the course as well.” The APC course Jonathan was put through by GVA required him to build up experience within various areas of the company, although he has generally remained working within the

“It’s very empowering in a way, being given all that responsibility,” he says. “It is scary, don’t get me wrong, but it does motivate you to do well. I think if you’re not given the responsibility at an early age you

“

Going in and not knowing anything about property, it gave me a lot of confidence really that they’d invested in me from the beginning.

“

When surveyor Jonathan Lowe joined the property consultancy firm GVA as a graduate back in 2007 he had no prior knowledge of working in the industry. Armed with an Economics degree from his time at university in Manchester though, as well as an interest in buildings which he has inherited from his architect father and a thirst for a thriving career, the company still spotted his potential straight away. “I studied economics at Manchester so when I left school I didn’t exactly know that I wanted to be a surveyor, but I wanted to choose a degree that would allow me to have a broad range of skills,” says Jonathan. “I chose economics in the first instance and then throughout the degree I was trying to decide what I wanted to do with it and I wanted something that was a bit more tangible, rather than economics, so I started to get interested in property. “I started to do a bit of research in my final year of university, and then I went away travelling to South America. I decided properly that I wanted to do it while I was away, and when I came back in August 2007 I started applying to various companies.”

agency department. As well as investing time and training into Jonathan’s career, he explains that GVA has also trusted him with big responsibilities from the start, allowing him to learn and progress while doing the job. It’s this aspect of work based learning and being thrown in at the deep end that Jonathan has valued most about his career within the company so far.

can just become a bit stale and bored, whereas I was always kept on my toes. “They’ve given me the trust and that has hopefully been reflected in a good job that I’ve done. On the back of that you get better work to deal with and can build from there.” So far Jonathan has already had the opportunity to deal with a number of high profile clients on

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Jonathan Lowe Rising Star

projects across the north of England; from advising National Grid on acquiring strategic project sites from Stoke to Carlisle, and giving agency and marketing advice to Bruntwood on their 42,000 sq ft refurbished office building in Bootle, to advising on Urban Splash’s new acquisition of New Hall Cottages in Fazakerley and working with

the Ministry of Justice to dispose of surplus magistrates’ courts in Southport and Knowsley. While his role has been relatively consistent, but with more and more high profile instructions and larger clients to deal with as his skills and experience continue to develop, he remains focused on the job in

hand but is confident that some good prospects lie ahead for his career in the city. “I don’t tend to look too far into the future really. I’m just looking to promote my own personality and skills and style within the market with a view to adding value with everything that I do,” adds Jonathan. “The Liverpool market is very

exciting at the moment though. We’ve got a number of exciting projects that are coming through the pipeline at the moment. Firstly there’s Peel’s Liverpool Waters, and then there’s the Mersey Gateway Bridge which are really large infrastructure projects making Liverpool, at the moment, a very exciting place to work for a young professional.” MOVE COMMERCIAL 23

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By Christine Toner christine@movepublishing.co.uk

This year Halewood celebrates 50 years since its creation. The small district, in the borough of Knowsley, was built up around the growth of one major firm, to which it owes much of its successful regeneration - Jaguar Land Rover. Operations director Richard Else tells Move Commercial why the manufacturer is so important to the area.

A driving force

24 MOVE COMMERCIAL

being experienced by many. "Making the decision to move Halewood to a 24 hour operation was a key moment for us," says Richard. "It is the first time in our 50 year history that we have operated 24 hours across the plant. The workforce and unions were involved in the decision and ultimately it has helped us increase production and reduce waiting times for our customers. The decision had a knock-on effect with our suppliers of course, so we involved them in the discussions too. Many suppliers, including those in the North West, had to increase their workforces and increase production to keep up with us. It has been a big challenge, but a successful one." As part of the move JLR had to make some changes to the plant. “We invested around £5m in what the body construction team call the kipper rack, which is a clever robot and racking system which operates 24/7, without it, the move to 24 hour production would not have been possible,” says Richard. “We also needed to invest in an external logistics facility, creating 300 jobs in Ellesmere Port through our logistics partner DHL, to help store all the extra parts.” Of the 1,000 new jobs created by the increase in production, the vast majority were taken by workers from the Liverpool City Region. This built on the 1,500

jobs it created in 2011, when again the majority of these roles were filled from the local area. “It is vital that we take on the right people with the right attitude first and foremost," she says. "We had over 30,000 applicants for the 1,000 positions in 2012, so we are confident we have the right people. We had some great support from Knowsley and Liverpool councils, PERA and the National

“It might be too early to say just how much regeneration our more recent growth is having on the local area but Halewood and Speke seem to be much more lively now,” says Richard. “It is important to remember that a number of our key suppliers also operate close by or in the wider North West and they too will have grown to support the growth in the plant. For example, IAC, adjacent to us, have seen their

“

Many suppliers, including those in the North West, had to increase their workforces to keep up with us.

“

The Halewood plant, which was built in 1962 by Ford Motor Company, is the town's largest employer. It became a Jaguar plant, under Ford ownership, in 2000 (the first Jaguar X-Type was produced in 2001), before becoming a Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing facility with the first Land Rover Freelander 2 rolling off the production line in 2006. Tata Motors became the new owners of Jaguar Land Rover in 2008 and the first Range Rover Evoque was produced at Halewood in 2011. Operations director Richard Else has been at Jaguar Land Rover for 24 years, having joined as a graduated trainee in 1989 before holding a number of senior positions in production operations, manufacturing engineering, launch and quality. Today Halewood is a full body and assembly plant including: press shop, body assembly, paint shop, and trim and final. Halewood builds two models on the same production line - the Land Rover Freelander 2 and the Range Rover Evoque. The site covers 300 acres and employs more than 4,500 people, treble the number just three years ago. One of the key drivers behind the increase in staff was the plant’s move to 24 hour production in August 2012, something that has provided quite a boost to the industry given the tough times

Apprenticeship Service to help fill the roles. Approximately 2,000 of our employees will have graduated as a Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship by the end of this year and we are really proud to have brought in so many people of all ages and helped them to achieve this national qualification.” As well as being the largest employer in the area and thus playing an essential role in the local economy, the plant has also been crucial in the regeneration of the district.

workforces increase four-fold in the last few years, so growth at Halewood is having a big impact on the local area”. And it seems that growth is set to continue. “We sell our vehicles to over 170 markets and we are seeing exciting growth in the emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India and of course China,” says Richard. “It is these emerging markets that provide the biggest opportunities for Jaguar Land Rover in the coming years.”

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Richard Else, operations director, Jaguar Land Rover Mover & Shaker

p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 15:54 Page 26

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p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 15:57 Page 28

Key events Cannes Do 2013

Busiest Cannes Do yet The great and the good of the property market came together to celebrate the annual Cannes Do at No4 St Paul's Square. The event, organised by Professional Liverpool, was the busiest yet with over 550 of Liverpool's finest in attendance. Over ÂŁ10,000 was raised on the day for children's hospice Claire House. 4

1. Peel. 2. Gaynor Lanceley & Tracy Thompson (both of Paul Crowley Solicitors). 3. Some of the guests getting into the spirit of Comic Relief Red Nose Day. 4. ECF. 5. Jones Laing LaSalle. 6. Javad Hosseini (Shenstone) & Paul Roberts (Core Property Management). 7. Keppie Massie. 8. The dinner guests enjoying the humorous review by Stuart Keppie & Andrew Lovelady. 9. Hitchcock Wright. 10. John Spencer, William Baldwin (Sutcliffes), Louise Davies (Plus Dane) & Sue Patterson (GB Group).

28 MOVE COMMERCIAL

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Cannes Do 2013 Key events

11. Move Commercial. 12. Deirdre O'Leary & Sarah Prescott (both of Santander). 13. The Cannes Do largest turnout yet. 14. Andrew Lovelady & Stuart Keppie entertain the guests with a lighthearted review. 15. Helen Kirkham & Kelly Wakefield (both of GVA) with Robin Ellis (Downing). 16. Malcolm Irvine (2020 Liverpool), Jonathan Owen (Sutton Kersh) & Stuart Shapley (Rightmove). 17. Richard Yates, Kate Tunnicliffe & Stuart McArthur (all of Laing O' Rourke). 18. Professional Liverpool. 19. Liverpool Vision. 20. Tony Langan (Claire House), Ian Ayre (LFC) with Sue Taylor & Terry Reed (both of Keppie Massie). 21. Mason Owen. 22. CBRE.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 29

p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 16:53 Page 30

Moorfields LIVERPOOL L2 2BS

• Part income producing [£256,116] • Guide: £2.5 million exclusive • Prominent corner position fronting Moorfields and Dale Street

On the instructions of the Joint LPA Receivers

• Newly refurbished reception,

passenger lifts, common areas and wc’s.

•

Raised access floors, suspended ceilings with LG3 compliant lighting

• DDA compliant

FOR SALE

CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT INVESTMENT OR ALTERNATIVE USE OPPORTUNITY

63,692 sq ft with 36 car parking spaces Retail to the ground floor and four upper floors of offices The property is being sold on behalf of Joint LPA Receivers and therefore limited information may be available and no warranties or guarantees can be given in any respect. It should also be noted that the Receivers are acting without personal liability and will not be obliged to accept the highest offer or indeed any other offer.

For further information contact: Helen Moss 0151 236 7336 helen.moss@eu.jll.com Louise May 0151 236 7336 louise.may@eu.jll.com

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By Marya McCann

Take up of the Green Deal amongst the domestic energy market has grown steadily since its launch at the end of January. Almost 2,000 people have signed up for the initial assessment and a small number of customers have already had their specified energy saving measures installed. ue to the complexities of tenure and ownership Green Deal for the commercial property market will not be rolled out until later this year although, ultimately, energy consultants believe it will be a positive move forwards for both landlords and tenants. For landlords the energy saving measures will increase the value of commercial property and for tenants these measures will bring down fuel bills and save money. Research from the UK Green Building Council puts into context the current level of carbon emissions from commercial property compared with homes: 26% of carbon emissions come from Britain’s 26 million homes whereas a massive 17% of emissions come from the 1.8 million commercial buildings. As it does within the domestic market Green Deal funds a range of improvements covering insulation, heating, glazing and microgeneration. But further to these measures for commercial property it also funds lighting, mechanical ventilation and heat recovery. Indeed, as technology develops The Energy Trust hints then even more energy saving measures will be included.

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Graham Jack, technical director at Green Deal Manager, a North West based installer, provider and adviser, thinks that potential savings within the commercial property market will be much greater than within the residential sector, mainly due to the fact that commercial properties are usually so much larger and open plan than homes. “We are looking forward to operating in this market,” he said, “But at the moment the commercial version of the assessment software is not in place. Also we don’t have enough trained advisers who can assess commercial property, which is a really complex exercise.” The problems with the software assessment packages were highlighted in February when officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) met with members of the UK Green Building Council. The team also stressed that more clarity is needed on how an assessment tool will incorporate operational data into calculations. In common with ‘the Golden Rule’ assessment in homes (the central premise being that the finance added to the energy bill for an energy saving measure must always reduce the overall fuel bill)

commercial properties will undergo a similar test. However, problems could arise where a new occupier moves into a building with a Green Deal contract, but with very different energy requirements to the previous tenant who initiated the measures. In effect, it could render the Golden Rule calculation incorrect. But once these technical glitches are fixed it is believed that this market will really take off. Solar shading, low flow taps and lighting will make up a really big part of Green Deal for non-domestic customers. Graham highlights LED lighting as one of the most cost effective measures to be offered through the Green Deal, with the capacity to pay for itself within two years. “There is no other measure with such a short pay back time frame,” he says. As the tenant is usually responsible for the electricity bill the tenant will also pay back the cost of the improvements. Whilst this could be viewed as a massive incentive for landlords to welcome Green Deal projects they must be aware that should premises stand empty, the responsibility will fall

p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 15:02 Page 33

The Green Deal Spotlight

back on to them. The government may be hoping that the Green Deal within commercial property becomes a guiding principle in encouraging landlords to update their premises in the midst of a struggling economic climate, which is keeping lettings costs down as much as possible. Certainly, by 2018 it will be illegal to let privately rented residential or commercial property that is below a certain EPC rating (believed to be “E”) and it is this which may kick start an interest in Green Deal. Richard Twinn, policy and public affairs officer at the UK Green Building believes that it is this introduction of the Minimum Energy Performance Standards for rented properties which will lead to a rise in take up of the scheme,

although this may not be significant until the 2018 deadline. How Britain meets its climate change targets through Green Deal remains in contention amongst the building industry. At the recent Ecobuild conference in London Paul King, chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, led a debate on its impact with Ed Davey, Energy and Climate Change Secretary. Acknowledging that the industry was keen to get behind the policy, and that he was already seeing the signs of a market competing to provide affordable finance, he said: ‘This is not an excuse for government to sit back and relax. It must hold its nerve and back its own horse. The

Green Deal needs to be a household name and government should use other mainstream mechanisms such as stamp duty or council tax to incentivise its take-up.’ For example, as many commercial leases are now of five years or less, the Golden Rule is likely to apply only if the payback period is longer than the lease, and landlords may not be willing to take on the higher electricity charge after the lease has ended. Further incentives to landlords may be necessary. A spokesperson for the British Property Federation echoes the concerns which have already been raised. Tom Younespour says: “The central premise of Green Deal is attractive and goes some way to overcoming the split

incentive. However, one important aspect for landlords to consider is that tenants may challenge the notion they should pay for improvements to a landlord’s asset. “Tenants may need to see supplementary benefits, such as improved comfort levels resulting from Green Deal measures and when dealing with multi-let buildings the requirement to obtain consent from all affected bill payers for Green Deal charges is likely to be impractical.” Although it appears that the Green Deal will have little effect on commercial property until 2018 the retrofit industry is keen to encourage both landlords and tenants to get involved in updating premises and lowering energy output.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 33

p17-34_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 16:53 Page 34

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p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 14:48 Page 36

By Rebecca Hatch

When Mike Walker was unimpressed with the quality of a renewable energy class he took in 2005, instead of complaining to the providers, he decided to write his own. Within the first six months, this single course had evolved into a successful company achieving massive turnovers. Energy Solutions currently employs over 500 staff, and this number continues to grow steadily as the company expands. Mike spoke to Move Commercial about his journey as an entrepreneur and his visions of a sustainable future.

Looking to the future

36 MOVE COMMERCIAL

university he took a course in renewable energy and sustainability. He notes this as the beginning of his journey of discovery in energy solutions. “That was the light bulb moment,” he says. “To be honest the course I went on wasn’t that brilliant and I sat there thinking that I could do a better job myself.” Originally, he planned to re-write the content and offer it back to the providers along with his services as a trainer but had a change of heart when he saw a business opportunity. “I wrote the course and then I thought, I’m not going to take it back to them and offer them my services, I’m going to set it up myself. I got the accreditation, got the approval and I launched the company.” It was the start of what would become a national organisation that not only provides quality sustainable solutions, but also offers others the training they need to help spread the concepts throughout the country. Energy Solutions now boasts courses in everything from surveying and management to Green Deal assessment and solar PV fitting and Mike estimates that it has trained over 5,000 people over its lifetime. Mike has a very specific vision

when it comes to the values of the company. “Initially, it wasn’t about saving the planet,” he says. “It was more about understanding the need for change in the future. I could see that certain energies were depleting and there was a need to be able to generate our own, and that the need was only going to become greater. It’s my children’s children’s

“

advises Mike, “is to start looking at self-generation and come away from the likes of what the energy companies are demanding and dictating. There are schemes out there like Eco, that are aimed at fuel poverty and that is coming into force as we speak.” Another such scheme that has been in the news recently is the Green Deal. Energy Solutions has

It’s my children’s children’s children’s future, and yours too. I know that depleting fuels are just being drained away by the massive growing consumption. We need to find other ways.

children’s future, and yours too. I know that the depleting fuels are just being drained away by the massive growing consumption. We need to find other ways.” One issue that concerns him is the multitude of stories in the press lately that report on the massive profits generated by energy companies as many households struggle to pay their bills. “The very best thing to do,”

“

In a time when fuel poverty is on the rise and energy companies enjoy record profits, Energy Solutions is blazing the trail for breaking from the demands of the corporate giants and encouraging people to generate their own power. The company is investing heavily in the future of the industry by providing an extensive range of courses up and down the country. Mike Walker, founder of Energy Solutions, began his career as a sales adviser with Buckles and worked his way up to become the managing director of the mortgage department. “That was sort of my platform to senior management,” he says. “It gave me the skills that helped me to become selfemployed.” Mike bought two branches of Whitegates Estate Agents in 2000. Eventually he made the decision to invest in a university degree in order to enhance his credibility. “I was doing property development and thought, I need a qualification in this,” he says. “I just thought I needed a piece of paper to show people I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t really. I was probably more qualified than the students because I was actually doing it in practise.” It was during his time at

now developed further courses aimed at producing accredited Green Deal assessors. “That’s going to be a massive opportunity for employment,” says Mike. “It’s getting more renewables out there in properties that maybe can’t afford the lump sums. It’s a way of balancing the cost of something with the savings it will bring to the property.” Energy Solutions is a true success

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 14:48 Page 37

Mike Walker Entrepreneur

story. The company has flourished and is expanding rapidly, offering more courses and products. Why has Mike’s company been such a resounding triumph in an industry where so many others have failed? He puts it down to being flexible in his approach. “I think my secret is that I keep my finger on the button,” he says. “The world moves much quicker now, some things can become hot and then some things just sort of lose interest. You have to be adaptable and open to change.” The future of Energy Solutions looks bright. Mike spends much of his time travelling the world in search of new ideas; he explains how he is keeping a constant watch on the market in order to maintain pace with all of the developments. “The likes of biomass boilers and air source heat pumps are extremely efficient. Wind turbines and solar installations generate free energy, so these are the future innovations, renewable products that we are constantly gathering information on and working with. “We have been around for a good while. We now have longevity and we are a strong company that is growing in renewables. As time goes on we are employing new staff and we keep our eye on new, innovative products that are coming out.”

Walker file DOB: 03/06/1964 Education: BA (Hons), Building Surveying, Liverpool John Moores University (2007) Career: Worked his way up from sales person to managing director of the mortgage department, Buckles (1995) Bought two Whitegates Estate Agents franchise branches (2000) Founded Energy Solutions (2005)

MOVE COMMERCIAL 37

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 14:48 Page 38

By Natasha Young natasha@movepublishing.co.uk

Kier Construction (Northern) first arrived in Merseyside 100 years ago under the William Moss and Sons name, and over the years has helped shape the area’s cultural heritage and Liverpool’s famous skyline.

A century of success

38 MOVE COMMERCIAL

much reorganisation and name changing to eventually drop the William Moss title and be known as it is today - Kier Construction (Northern). However its success in Merseyside has been consistent and the area is not only home to the northern division’s main office and more than 50% of its 230

“

We've built over 650 projects worth about £2.5bn.

“

The company initially made its mark on the region with a successful bid to build Wirral’s Wallasey Town Hall back in 1913, and these days it’s hard to stroll through Liverpool city centre without passing one of Kier’s impressive creations. As it prepares to celebrate the centenary in July, Kier Construction has been reflecting on projects gone by with a portfolio that includes the Liverpool Empire Theatre, Martins Bank, the stone work on Liverpool’s Metropolitan Cathedral, the entrances to the Wallasey tunnels and the iconic Lewis’ department store, right through to more modern achievements including the Hilton Liverpool hotel and the Women’s International Centre for Economic Development. Managing director, Gary Wintersgill says: “Interestingly, we’ve been doing some studies recently on how many projects we’ve actually built in and around Merseyside, and we reckon we’ve built over 650 projects. We’ve been calculating what the realterm value is, or what the value would be in today’s money, and we reckon there’s probably about £2.5bn worth of projects. “It amazes me, the more we’ve dug into our history and our legacy, what we’ve built over the years.” Over the past century Kier’s northern division has undergone

workers, but is also a source for much of its business. Gary goes on to explain: “I’m the managing director for the northern construction business and the centre of gravity for us is the North West, with our main office being the Liverpool office. I look after offices in Liverpool, Manchester and Boston Spa,

which is near Leeds, but 50% of our workload is coming from the Liverpool/Merseyside area and it’s a real key part for us.” Over the last few years in particular, Gary says Kier Construction has definitely reaped the benefits of Liverpool’s regeneration, with projects such as the Hilton and Tesco in Liverpool ONE helping the company to “maintain its critical size.” He adds: “It’s about keeping the volume up to keep people employed basically. It’s not easy out there at the moment, it’s a difficult market. “Clearly profitability is a real challenge these days because it’s a lot more competitive for work out there at the moment. What we’re trying to do at northern is steer away from the competitive market as much as we can and over the last few years we’ve tried to steer into framework opportunities where we can bring value to customers from the start; where we can develop the schemes and be influential in the design and development of them within their affordability so we can manage the budgets as well. “The North West Construction Hub is a real key framework for us in the north but national frameworks like the Academies and P21 are key for us too.” According to the managing director, Kier has experienced the recession slightly late in

comparison to other industries, due to its limited exposure to the commercial market and large focus on public sector projects. He adds: “In 2012-13 the industry started to feel the effects of the public sector cutbacks. What we’re trying to do to counteract that is look to new markets such as social housing. We’ve got our Kier Living brand, and we’ve got projects which are going to start on site in the North West shortly; and we’re also looking to expand our fit-out market as well. We’ve also got a business in a business called INR which is our interiors and refurbishment business. “Again it’s about keeping the integrity of the business and keeping it at the size we want but spreading our tentacles wider.” Gary believes things are being done to help the construction industry through tough times, but claims there’s “never enough being done and that’s the biggest issue.” He says: “I think historically construction has been seen as one of the primary drivers to point us out of recession and I think people can see that at the moment but until the government gets hold of the debt issues it isn’t prepared to spend that money, and I think there’s initiatives out there that have been designed to help the construction industry but it’s the process they have to go through to be made ‘shovel ready’.”

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 14:49 Page 39

Kier Construction Founding Business

Kier’s 100 years in Merseyside 1913 – Having first established in Loughborough in 1820, William Moss & Sons became involved in Wallasey Town Hall and went on to prosper in Merseyside for eight decades. 1925 – Liverpool Empire was completed. 1932 – Construction completed on Martins Bank. 1984 – William Moss & Sons acquired by French Kier. 1986 – French Kier taken over by Beazer with William Moss & Sons becoming Moss Northern Ltd, Kier North West Ltd and then Moss Construction Northern Ltd. 1990 – Hanson Group took over Beazer in 1990 but retained Moss name continued to thrive in Merseyside.

In the meantime it is important to Kier that working in construction remains attractive for people. Gary himself joined Kier as a graduate civil engineer back in 1994, and has worked his way up through the company before taking the helm at the northern division. He’s helped continue driving Kier Construction to success, and the company has been named North West Contractor of the Year, won environmental and sustainability accolades, and were highly commended in the National Energy Awards finals. “From a business perspective as well we’ve just been awarded

Investors in People (IIP) Gold, which is a fantastic accolade to get because of all the companies that apply for IIP accreditation only 3% get to the gold standard,” says Gary. “That’s a reflection of how well we look after our staff and work with them and continue to develop them because the easy thing to do in times of recession is cut budgets and training programmes and all that sort of stuff, but we’ve got to keep building for the future.” Kier Construction has an inhouse apprenticeship programme and runs foundation degrees, but Gary adds: “People say to me ‘would you encourage your

children to go into construction?’ and it’s difficult to say yes or no at the moment because it is a really tough market, but unless we can keep that pipeline of people coming in then we’re really going to struggle in 10-15 years time because construction is not going to go away. “Training is a huge part of Kier, and I think that’s led right from the top and always has been. That’s why we’ve got lots of staff with 25 years plus of service who’ve been with us for a long time because they can see a career path.”

1992 – Kier Group bought itself out of Hanson Group and Moss Construction Northern Ltd traded for a while before being re-named Kier North West Ltd; a trading arm of Kier Regional. 2009 – Hilton Liverpool completed and then opened in January 2010. In recent years there has been organisational restructuring of the trading divisions of Kier Group, and Kier North West is now known as Kier Construction Northern.

MOVE COMMERCIAL 39

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 16:15 Page 40

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By Suzanne McGuckin

Renewable technologies and systems Lunch debate

With many major infrastructure projects and commercial developments being given the green light and the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s promise to invest significantly in projects that will drive growth in the UK economy, we look at the importance of sustainability in future developments and look at how existing commercial property stock can adopt renewable technologies and systems. We brought together Patrick Richardson of Concept LHP and Roger Burton of Nvirohaus to discuss.

Renewable Technology in Construction

Patrick Richardson chief executive at Concept LHP

How important is it that projects address sustainability issues and how easy is it to incorporate renewable systems and technologies into a project? Patrick Richardson: It makes absolute sense for all new developments to use renewable energy systems. Even if a developer doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know anything about renewable energy they understand that there is a need for it. Natural progression and advancements has meant that

Roger Burton director at Nvirohaus

more and more projects are using more efficient systems and techniques by default; air tight buildings for example. The installation of renewable systems such as biomass, solar and radiant heat panels, all of which offer cost effective, efficient light, heat and power solutions can be easily designed into new buildings with ease. Roger Burton: The way we build has moved on. A lot of new technology has emerged, and

building processes have adapted. If you consider, for example, the advancements in glazing from where we were 50 years ago the technology available and the quality of the products on the market has improved significantly. Ongoing partnerships between architects and developers have helped drive the design of innovative and more efficient products. A lot of new systems and products come about from R&D (research and development) and

very often we see new products and systems designed and brought to market. What are the biggest hurdles that have to be overcome when attempts are made to incorporate renewables? RB: Some of my clients are reluctant to go beyond what is familiar in terms of materials and skills. Increasingly as we try to get buildings that perform better I have to encourage my clients to start thinking about alternatives. MOVE COMMERCIAL 43

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 16:18 Page 44

One example is the consideration of off site fabrication. PR: It is true that some developers shy away from incorporating systems and technologies because they know little about them. It is down to us as suppliers and installers of renewable systems to inform and educate the sector, helping them understand the options available and identify the most cost effective route for their project. Another hurdle that affects those looking to install retrofit systems is getting the banks to allow investment. I have had clients looking to install renewable systems who are unable to proceed because they cannot get the finance to complete. Until the government starts forcing the banks to lend on such projects there will always be commercial developers looking to incorporate systems who simply can’t afford them. How easy is it for renewable resources to be implemented. Is there an issue with skills shortages? PR: There are new skills that will have to be learned especially with renewable energies. A lot of renewable technologies and systems are specialist and require installers to acquire a whole new skills set. Solar PV for example is one technology where installers have to be suitably qualified before they can undertake installation jobs. As I said earlier developers only have to approach suppliers and designers who have full knowledge of the various systems. Part of my ongoing commitment to the commercial sector is to work closely with them to help them understand their requirements and what systems will best suit their project. RB: All professions need to raise their game and skills level. The

“ ”

trying to build sophisticated buildings with intelligent lighting and environmental systems but we are still using some very old technology. At what stage should designers and developers look to incorporate renewable technologies, systems and resources? PR: The construction sector is fortunate in that designers and architects can design low carbon building from the onset. Making

power systems are designed. A large portion of the UK’s commercial property is existing stock. What can be done to address sustainability issues with them? RB: We need to look at the existing building stock and the inefficiency of them. There are technical limits on what we can do to bring them anywhere near up to the standards we expect or are required to achieve today. There is a lot of existing stock

sure the overall design of the building leads to a built project that is as efficient as it can possibly be. RB: Get the building right in the first place to make it perform better. The fabric of the building needs to be right to reduce demand before you start to look at installing retrofit systems.

out there that we simply can’t brush aside and rely on building new to modern standards to address low carbon targets. We are going to have to be able to retrofit in these buildings. PR: Existing stock will always be a tricky one. The fabric of existing buildings is more often than not poorly designed from a sustainability perspective. They are often highly inefficient when it comes to heating and lighting. Retrofitting systems can go some way towards helping alleviate the problems existing stock brings. The right choice of system is paramount. What are your thoughts on pipeline construction projects? RB: It is essential that the government pumps money into infrastructure and construction in the UK. It is proven that money invested into the construction industry comes back about 2.8 times into the economy. There are a lot of local materials going into

It is down to us as suppliers and installers of renewable systems to inform and educate the sector.

interesting thing that is happening is there are a lot of new skills emerging across the whole renewables market. There is a whole part of the construction industry that is still very traditional in its approach. We are 44 MOVE COMMERCIAL

In order to make a planning application these days each project has to have an energy appraisal. The ideal is to have a welldesigned building so that demand for energy is minimal even before renewable heating, lighting and

our building stock, stone, cement etc. The industry also employs a lot of local labour. This can only be a good thing for the economy. One issue however, is the lead times with infrastructure and major construction projects. Major plans take a long time to go through planning and public enquiry. Until the cash starts getting spent and the shovel is in the ground the real money doesn’t come into the economy. Infrastructure programmes just take time and it could be a few years down the line until they start to bear fruit. PR: There are a lot of exciting plans for the UK and the North West in particular. All will undoubtedly bring inward investment and should, if designed with sustainability and efficiency in mind, impact positively on the environment. Do construction / development companies employ sustainability specialists? RB: I sit on the RIBA Sustainable Futures Group. A lot of the work we do is looking at how we can educate our members to engage fully with the other professions. To achieve good sustainability in projects going forward we need an interactive approach that sees every team involved working together to achieve the end goal. We need to ensure members have full knowledge of how you achieve well-designed low carbon sustainable building. PR: Working with companies who have knowledge of the low carbon sector through specialists helps speed up the process of designing and installing systems. For those who don’t employ the skills of a specialist we can act as their specialist. How does installing renewables in building projects impact on the wider community? RB: Think about it not on an individual building basis but as a whole community and what is being developed around it. We need to think about how uses can be mixed so that people can live and work in the same environment. Consideration should be given to transportation systems and how people will move around developments. Don’t just think abut the building – think about it holistically encouraging people to walk and cycle to work. PR: The government must put the jigsaw together when looking to create communities around

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 16:18 Page 45

Renewable technologies and systems Lunch debate

“ ”

I still see a lot of new commercial developments that really ignore environmental issues.

infrastructure and commercial projects. You can create a low carbon, low energy demand community with efficient commercial and domestic buildings but unless you have, for instance, a transport policy we really will struggle to create the bigger project that impacts across all sectors. RB: There has to be a partnership between landowners, developers and the local authorities. There should be a master plan containing the entire sustainability strategy. This plan should look at all aspects of a development and the future performance of a building, how it is powered, how people move around in and around them, how things can be integrated to develop a more sustainable community. PR: We are working with one of the biggest waste recyclers in Merseyside using a CHP system burning 200 tones of waste a year. They burn the waste simply because they don’t know what to do with it but they are now looking to work with a housing association which owns properties on the border of his site, to bring surplus heat to these homes. This highlights that if you

look at the situation on a broader level you will spot opportunities to integrate with the community and develop and share renewable projects. What is being done locally to demonstrate a commitment to using renewable systems and technologies? PR: Something that is underway in Liverpool is the Smart City Scheme, which looks at trying to hook up all public buildings with programmable logic systems so they can identify heat demand and general energy demand. This will enable individual buildings to monitor and manage much more efficiently their requirements. This project will also then help identify buildings that would benefit from retrofitting renewable technologies. What are the best ways to save energy consumption and running costs and contribute to the wider environment? RB: People could save a huge amount of money if lights are just switched off or if they use motion sensors. A huge amount of money could be saved each year simply by doing this yet we talk of the green deal and installing renewable energy systems. There are lots of ways to save

money and energy even before major investment. Look at new buildings, for example, which are generating electricity while at the same time generating surplus heat. For commercial building where they have high electricity demand they could, through the use of CHP, for example, divert surplus heat to be utilised in surrounding communities - have integration between new and existing stock. What are your thoughts on the Green Deal? RB: There are some complications – the problem of the landlord tenant situation. It is already an interesting one because by and large the landlord is heating the building while the tenant is dealing with the electricity bill. A contemporary well designed office building wont need a lot of heating. For example: A tenant looks to lower electricity bills by installing LED lighting which requires a fraction of the energy to produce the same amount of light as a fluorescent tube but which gives off much less heat. The investment in LED lighting gives improved lighting quality and reduced energy usage, but also reduced heat output into the space. This will then result in a need to further heat the space. The landlord gets caught out by having to heat the building more. Situations like this are seeing forward looking landlords coming up with other types of relationships with their tenants by starting up inclusive tenancies (lighting and heating) which will result in buildings being run in a much more efficient way. How do you then underlie this with the Green Deal? Is it the tenant or the landlord who will actually take on the loan? You think it would sit with the landlord when in actual fact it is the tenant who is gaining from the lower energy bills. PR: I mentioned earlier about the difficulties some are experiencing in obtaining funding for the installation of renewable technologies. If the Green Deal can come up with a solution then this will be a good thing. Time will tell if it will benefit the commercial market, but I believe, like with the domestic offering, that end users can often get a better deal if they look for finance through other options. As energy prices rise do you think that this will drive more project managers to look at

sustainable / renewable technologies? PR: Global energy prices are soaring this is no secret. Renewable systems will become attractive even to the developer who isn’t looking at it from an environmental perspective. The costs savings involved can be significant and the type of system installed can offer super efficient ways of generating heat and power. RB: I still see a lot of new commercial developments that really ignore environmental issues – there is still this propensity for highly glazed air-conditioned buildings with raised floors with high lighting levels. High lighting for example results in more energy going into the space and more solar gain, both of which result in more heat - then there is the requirement for air conditioning systems to cool the building. We ought to be able to design our buildings now to minimise the demand for air conditioning. MILLER AND CARTER STEAKHOUSE Albert Dock, Liverpool, L3 4AF Roger and Patrick enjoyed a ‘unique steakhouse experience’ in the contemporary restaurant famed for its hand-cut, 28-day aged West Country steaks and the exclusive Chateaubriand, a steak to share dish. Whatever your preferred cut ribeye, fillet, and sirloin – Miller and Carter will ensure it'll be as flavoursome and tender as their master butcher intended. The menu offers more than just steaks giving diners the opportunity to ‘build-your-own burgers’. Alternatives include freshly prepared salads, lamb and fish dishes and luxurious little extras to give your steak that final flourish. The impressive wine and drinks list gives diners a wide choice from which to pick the perfect accompaniment to their meal. Daytime meals start at £3.00 for ‘chicken soup for the soul’ through to £44.95 for the 16oz Chateaubriand sharing steak. Younger guests are also catered for with a carefully selected menu to suit all tastes. TO BOOK A TABLE Call 0151 707 7877 or visit www.millerandcarter.co.uk/ millerandcarteralbertdock

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Expert views Ask the panel

Were you impressed with the 2013 Budget? Now that the chancellor has laid out the government’s plans for how it will continue to manage the economy, we ask the experts whether this year’s Budget has what it takes to bring a boost the commercial property market and construction industry. “I was certainly disappointed to see the chancellor continuing to sacrifice the declining high street retail market by refusing to reinstate empty property rates. Retail development has dried up so it would have been nice to see the government offer more incentives for developers to kick start stalled projects. This year will likely see more administrations in the commercial sector and increased retail vacancy levels. On the plus side, we here at Goodman Wells were delighted to see the government talk of easing up on planning regulations to enable change of use from agriculture and retail uses to residential without the need for planning permission. The highlight for us was to see the introduction of the ‘Help to Buy’ scheme which aims to help home buyers onto the property ladder or move up a rung. We hope this is a sign of good things to come for mortgage lending.” Paul Burgess, partner at Goodman Wells “The government may be applauded for some of the initiatives in the budget, such as the improvement in the financial packages for shared equity schemes as well as additional bank guarantee support for new mortgage lending from 2014. However, there is a general feeling that the budget has done little more than tinker around the edges in terms of supporting the regions and particularly the North West. Improvement in infrastructure is essential for economic recovery and the £3bn per annum from 2015/16 in government support may seem welcome, but goes nowhere near providing the necessary support for initiatives for the North West which were identified in 2011. Far more could also have been done in terms of providing support such as interest free loans and grants to established businesses for retention of employment, rather than increasing the level of redundancies which is currently prevalent in all the regions. SMEs must receive greater support and recognition as they are the mainstay of the local economy. It would also be nice to see a more concerted effort to decentralise public sector back up services out into the regions, as has previously been proposed by the Lyons review.” Stuart Keppie, partner at Keppie Massie 46 MOVE COMMERCIAL

“I think the answer is 'a lost opportunity’; there was little or nothing to stimulate growth especially in the private sector. Intervention is still needed, e.g. instead of being weighed down by taxes, these should be cut to get people spending – growth normally comes from consumers. There was very little to encourage SMEs - many businesses still “battening down the hatches”, i.e. holding off from investing. I am simply not seeing sufficient growth or impact emanating from the Bank of England’s Funding for Lending Scheme, so whilst the banks and building societies can borrow at very low rates, they don’t appear to be lending this money to businesses or individuals. Following on this trail, the Help to Buy scheme which was announced appears so far to be very weak in terms of detail and could have an impact on house prices rather than assisting the construction industry which has undergone a torrid time.” Lesley Martin-Wright, chief executive at Knowsley Chamber of Commerce

“The most critical feature of the chancellor’s budget for property developers was the introduction of Help to Buy, which is intended to support people aspiring to own residential property. With £3.5bn earmarked by the government, it will undoubtedly provide a very welcome boost to beleaguered house-builders as well as would-be buyers. The strength of the measure will only be fully known in a year or so, with the scheme set to go live from January 2014. It was encouraging to see the launch of a consultation on allowing

commercial property to be converted into residential property within a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). This could potentially offer major benefits to a SIPP that has invested in commercial units that would realise best value by being converted into residential. Legislation to remove the stamp duty advantage on certain property subsales should also help put a stop to the tax-avoidance schemes that were becoming such a feature of the highvalue residential property landscape.” Peter Pownall, licensed conveyancer at Morecrofts Solicitors

p35-48_Move Commercial 29/04/2013 17:43 Page 47

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