£10m Retail and Leisure Development Gets Go-Ahead from Glasgow City Council

A new 32000sq ft quay development in Glasgow, which will be home to a number of bars, restaurants and cafes, has been given the go-ahead by Glasgow City Council.

The £10m revamp of Broomielaw Quay, on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow’s financial district, will begin early in 2012 and finish in 2013. Developers Capella Developments will build four two-storey pavilions, with restaurants, pubs and shops, and two seating areas.

The project will create 150 jobs and complement other developments in the area, including the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, and the Riverside Transport Museum at Glasgow Harbour.

The plans were approved unanimously by the council’s planning application committee.

Capella Group Chief Executive Jim Fitzsimons said: "This is great news and a real endorsement by Glasgow City Council of our proposals for this site.

"A thriving waterfront leisure destination is something Glasgow has long been sorely lacking and we believe these plans will go a long way towards addressing this.

"This development also offers real economic opportunities and will bring both jobs and investment to the heart of Glasgow.

"It will be a real asset to the IFSD and will help ensure the continuing success of the Broomielaw and contribute to the regeneration of the Clyde waterfront.

"We are already talking to signature restaurants and cafes and look forward to creating a dynamic business and leisure location for the city."

Media enquiries should be directed to emma.tessier@edpa.biz

New Railway Corridor to Provide Huge Boost for Spanish Economy

A huge railway development is to put the Vallès, Besòs and Llobregat areas of Eastern Spain in pole position for inward investment from commercial property developers.

Backed by the Spanish Government and the European Commission, the €50bn Mediterranean Railway Corridor will connect Spain’s biggest ports and cities to France and the rest of Europe. Running through major industrial areas like Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, and Murcia, the project – which will create a High Speed Rail service for passengers and also carry freight – will unlock previously inaccessible sites for development.

The line will have major economic benefits for the strategic locations of the Barcelona Economic Triangle – including Vallès, Besòs and Llobregat. It will also travel inland towards Grenada, Seville and Algeciras. It is estimated the project will create 65000 jobs and save more than €30bn in road to rail transport connections between 2016 and 2045. The areas on the route account for 50% of the Spanish economy, 50% of the population and 60% of the country’s exports.

Media enquiries should be directed to emma.tessier@edpa.biz.

Major Expansion at Leeds Bradford International Airport

A number of opportunities for new shops and food and drink retailers will be created by a major expansion of Leeds Bradford International Airport.

The £11m development will grow the size of the departure lounge by 50%, create a larger premier lounge and security zone, and add a new covered walkway between the terminal and the aircraft stands.

Work has already begun and will be completed by next summer. The departure lounge development will be finished in May.

Chief executive John Parkin said: “It marks an important milestone in the development of Yorkshire’s airport and our desire to provide the very best facilities for our rapidly growing numbers of customers and airlines.

“The broad economic conditions are challenging, but we are the UK’s fastest growing regional airport and with the strong support of our shareholders, Bridgepoint, we are confident now is the time to invest in our future.

“The investment and developments we are announcing today demonstrate our determination to succeed, to continue to grow and to provide the region with the airport it wants and deserves.”

Bridgepoint has now invested more than £20m in the airport since buying the facility in 2007.

For more information, contact David Baggaley on 0113 220 6350 or david.baggaley@locateinleeds.co.uk.

Bradford Promoted at London Business Event

The reasons why a number of high-profile businesses choose Bradford as their headquarters were outlined during a London event promoting the district.

A delegation from Bradford Council met with more than 40 business representatives and intermediaries in the capital to explain what makes the likes of Morrisons, Provident Financial, Pace, Yorkshire Building Society, Kelda and Hallmark locate their head offices in the district.

They heard that Bradford has one of the UK's fastest growing populations and is home to more than 20 PLCs who employ over 11,000 people. Headquarter operations based within the district collectively employ more than 300,000 people across the UK.

Speakers included Martyn Jones, Morrison's Group Corporate Service Director, Peter Crook, Provident Financial Chief Executive, Peter Miller, Westfield Chief Operating Officer, Tony Reeves, Bradford Council's Chief Executive, and the new Lord Mayor of the City of London, Bradford-born David Wootton.

The event, which was also attended by Coun David Green, Executive Member for Regeneration and Economy, was sponsored by Pinsent Masons and held at the law firm's London office.

In October the Government confirmed Bradford had secured £17.6m of Regional Growth Fund investment in the city centre aimed at supporting new and existing businesses that commit to long term investment.

Businesses which locate in the zone will be able to claim a proportion of their business rates over three years providing they create training and employment opportunities for local people.

Meanwhile construction of the six-acre City Park in the centre of Bradford continues towards completion in January. It has been designed to be attractive to residents, visitors and businesses and support the local economy over the long-term.

Coun David Green, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Regeneration and Economy, said: "This was a great opportunity to sell the benefits of the district to end users and intermediaries and tell them directly why Bradford is a brilliant place to invest.

"The calibre of speakers we were able to bring to the platform showed the level of belief there is in Bradford and how committed major businesses are to the district.

"The audience was impressed to see that despite the difficult economic times nationally, projects like City Park and the successful Regional Growth Fund application are still progressing in Bradford.

"We have got an excellent set of attributes – like access to a fast-growing and skilled workforce, a strong range of commercial property opportunities and great transport links.

"The feedback we got from London was very encouraging and we'll be following up the contacts we have built as we look to promote the district and boost the local economy.”

Martyn Jones, Morrison's Group Corporate Service Director, said: "Morrisons is proud of its Bradford roots and remains a real supporter of the city and wider district.

"There is a great entrepreneurial spirit here, deep business foundations and a cultural diversity which is a tremendous asset in today's global economy.

"Talking about the attributes that make Bradford the right location for Morrisons and similar major companies hopefully highlights why it makes a great investment opportunity for other businesses.”

For more information please see the Invest in Bradford website.

For media enquiries please contact 01274 433 526 or press.communications@bradford.gov.uk.

Siemens' Flagship Leeds Facility Gears Up for Growth

A new mechanical drives ‘centre of excellence’, opened by Siemens in Leeds earlier this year and involving a £1.2 million relocation, is now fully operational and poised for further growth.

The brand new facility specialises in assembly and servicing of gear units, motors, geared motors and couplings used in rail transport, power generation and other large scale industrial applications.

Currently employing a 60-strong workforce, it is poised for further expansion to meet growing demand, particularly in the renewables sector with offshore wind and tidal power seen as offering major opportunities.

The 15,000 sq m unit in Stourton, Leeds, is an authorised service centre for Winergy, the world’s largest provider of wind turbine units, and is equipped with overhead cranes with a 25 tonne lift capacity and a state of the art demonstration centre.

Siemens currently has 13 manufacturing sites in the UK and around 8,000 of the German-owned company’s UK workforce are employed in manufacturing and engineering across four key sectors of industry, infrastructure and cities, energy and healthcare.

Simon Nadin, general manager at the Leeds facility, said: “The new facility gives us the future proofing that will allow us to grow the business and we do have ambitious expansion plans.”

“The site now assembles, designs and develops drive train industrial transmission technology systems for applications such as water, aggregates, energy and transport.

“But it’s not just about products; our customers increasingly expect value generation around the packages that we tailor to their requirements. The focus is now on energy and operational efficiency, service, maintenance and safety.”

The investment in Leeds is part of a strategic move into renewable energy technologies and complements plans for a major wind turbine plant being developed in partnership with Associated British Ports in Hull.

For further information please contact:

David Baggaley, Marketing Manager
Leeds City Council Business & Enterprise
Tel 0113 220 6350
Email@ david.baggaley@locateinleeds.co.uk

Note for editors

Leeds is the UK’s second largest centre for manufacturing outside London, with over 36,000people employed by 1,815 companies across engineering, print and paper manufacture, food and drink, electronics, textiles and medical technologies. The sector generates 10.8% of the city’s £17.8 billion annual output.

Pioneering Partnership to Take Wave Power to China

The European Marine Energy Centre is joining forces with their Chinese counterpart to develop a wave test centre in Shandong Province.

Staff from Scotland’s wave and tidal energy hub, which is based in the Orkney Islands, will work with the Ocean University of China as part of the agreement, while a closer partnership with the Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Commission is also proposed.

Established in 2003, EMEC is the world's only accredited wave and tidal test centre for marine renewable energy.

EMEC commercial director Richard Morris said: "Our knowledge and understanding of how to design, set up and operate a test centre, backed up by robust methodologies and processes, gives us the unique capability to provide consultancy support to other countries wishing to set up their own marine energy test sites.

"This strategic collaboration further reinforces EMEC's world-leading position at the forefront of the renewable energy industry."

Professor Hongda Shi, Dean, College of Engineering, OUC said: "Ocean University China and Qingdao Municipal Science and Technology Commission are pleased to have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with EMEC.

“We look forward to sharing ideas that will further the marine renewable industry in China utilising the expertise already built up in Scotland.

“We envisage a long and fruitful relationship between the three organisations."

For further information please contact emma.tessier@edpa.biz.

GCEF Recognises Barcelona's Commitment to Energy

Leading figures in the green sector have urged international cities to use Barcelona as their inspiration, after naming the city as the permanent home of the Global Clean Energy Forum.

The decision, made to throw the spotlight on Barcelona and Catalonia’s green energy plans, was announced at this year’s forum, which was held in the city in October.

The event was attended by more than 250 industry experts, and climaxed with the Barcelona Clean Energy Tour, featuring visits to the environmentally friendly constructions like the Agbar Tower, and the Energy Institute of Catalonia (ICAEN).

The tour was conducted in a hybrid bus.

The Global Clean Energy Forum meets once a year to discuss solutions to the challenges of climate change, renewable energy financing and the new energy mix. This year’s event was held at Hotel Arts in Barcelona.

For more information contact isabel.ponti@barcelonactiva.cat or emma.tessier@edpa.biz.

Unique Broker Dedicated to Green Insurance Launches

Green companies are set to benefit from the launch of the first insurance company dedicated to the recycling and renewable energy sector.

Nviro Insurance was officially launched in June by Paul Davies, who is putting 25 years’ experience in insurance to good use in ensuring all environment-related businesses are fully protected by a range of covers – many of which are unique to the sector.

He made the move after recognising the unique insurance requirements of green companies were not properly served by the UK’s 3000 general insurance brokers and intermediaries.

He said: “Many of the UK’s existing insurance brokers will be handling enquiries from the recycling and renewables sector every day, but we are the only broker working in this sector all day, every day.

“There are particular circumstances which are unique to this industry, which means companies in the sector need to ensure they deal with a broker with the knowledge and experience.

“Otherwise they may not be properly insured when they make a claim, or a claim is made against them.”

The firm’s expertise has already been called into action for owners of an offshore wind farm, which had to cross several parcels of unregistered land with their pipelines to connect to the National Grid.

As no-one was registered as the owner of parts of the land being crossed, this could have lead to major problems should an owner come forward after the work had taken place.

Paul Davies said: “We organised a policy which provided cover of up to £25m should anyone claim ownership of the land and prevent access, or require cabling to be re-routed.

“It protects them against the re-routing costs, and loss of profits during any downtime.”

Nviro Insurance specialises in helping companies and professional advisors in the bio energy, hydro power, solar pv, wind farms, and recycling and environment sectors.

They provide a range of services, from claims and risk management to business continuity planning and expert witness reports.

Further information is available at www.nviroinsurance.co.uk

Media enquiries should be directed to Paul Davies on 01782 712224 or paul@nviroinsurance.co.uk.