Latest news with #WillmottDixon
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Council withholds £110k over Gateshead Sage car park dispute
A council is withholding £110,000 of the cost of a car park over claims it is not "fit for use". The £23m car park was built by Gateshead Council as part of its long-delayed redevelopment scheme along the River was completed in January 2023 but remains shut to the public, in part due to a dispute between the developers and the local authority. Gateshead Council said it was confident the car park will open in the autumn. Developers Willmott Dixon have been approached for comment. As part of major redevelopment plans, an events arena is slated to be built on land between the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the Glasshouse concert hall. The Sage complex was originally due to open last year but construction has yet to start and the estimated cost has risen by £90m to more than £ 1,003-space car park was built as part of the redevelopment leader Martin Gannon previously said the car park was not "fit for use", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. In response to a freedom of information (FOI) request, Gateshead Council said it had already paid £22.8m to Willmott Dixon for the construction of the car park but was withholding £110,000 due to a dispute. It said this was due to various issues, including the fact that water was ponding in the structure which it said would not occur "under best practice guidance".It said there had been disagreement over who was liable for the "defects", but the developer has now resolved those issues. Plans to make the car park fully operational have been completed and it will open later this year, a spokesperson said. The authority also said the car park was a "key piece of infrastructure" that supports "both the existing and future activity" of the area.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Revised plans submitted for Solihull village regeneration
A revised planning application has been lodged for the second phase of a major village regeneration project.A large-scale rejuvenation of Kingshurst, in Solihull, was approved by planners in April 2022, with a projected completion date of completed phase one saw 25 new sustainable social rented homes built on the site of the former Mountfort pub, with residents moving in last two includes plans for a community, health and retail building which will include a GP surgery, a pharmacy, a dentist, a library with a community café and a Co-op convenience store. The applicant, Willmott Dixon, has now applied to amend the planning permission to reflect an updated layout and take into account the loss of trees during a application says the changes will have a "negligible effect" on the a statement included with the application, agents rg+p Limited asked for the changes to be approved "without delay", adding: "The proposal will continue to deliver a new local centre which will provide retail, commercial, business and services, healthcare, local community uses and a hot food take-away."The proposal as whole will continue to deliver 79 high quality residential dwellings in the form of 12 one-bed maisonettes, 5 two-bed houses, 45 three-bed houses, 16 four-bed houses and one vicarage, which will help the council meet the current housing shortfall within the borough.A consultation is underway on the latest application, with people invited to submit comments until 4 June. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Thames Water record 104.5m fine
From Thames Water's record fine and Pets at Home's vet division overtaking retail, to Willmott Dixon's profit rebound, falling retail confidence, and a warning from Britain's biggest bioethanol plant - here are today's top UK business stories. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Thames Water has been hit with a record £104.5 million fine for sewage failures, plus £18.2 million for breaking dividend rules. Regulator Ofwat says the penalty will be paid by the company and its investors - not customers. It follows Ofwat's biggest ever probe into how sewage works and networks are run. Pets at Home's vet division overtakes retail: More Business in Brief Pets at Home has posted flat revenue, with retail and vet services pulling in opposite directions. Retail profit fell 16.6 per cent to £72.9 million, while vet profit surged 23.3% to £75.9 million - overtaking retail for the first time. Vet revenue now makes up a third of the business. Retail sales dropped nearly two per cent, as weak footfall and consumer pressures continue to bite. Pets at Home has posted flat revenue, with retail and vet services pulling in opposite directions. | Getty Images Retailers across the board are bracing for tough times, with plans to raise prices, cut jobs and slash investment. A CBI survey shows sector confidence has dropped faster than at any point since the pandemic. Rising costs from tax hikes and a higher minimum wage are squeezing businesses. Willmott Dixon is back in profit, reporting £46.8 million before tax after a £14.4 million loss last year. The turnaround follows recoveries from cladding-related costs and a steady £1.2 billion turnover. The construction firm says it's entering the new financial year with strong momentum. The UK's biggest bioethanol plant says it could shut down due to the latest UK-US trade deal. Hull-based Vivergo Fuels warns the removal of a key tariff on US ethanol is the 'final blow'. It says British producers can't compete with subsidised US imports. Vivergo is urging the Government to step in and fix what it calls 'regulatory failures'. And Growth investor BGF has pledged £100 million to support Welsh businesses. It's part of a wider £3 billion UK commitment over the next five years. BGF has already invested £47 million in Wales since 2011. It's also backing female-led firms, with £300 million earmarked across the UK.
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Thames Water record 104.5m fine
From Thames Water's record fine and Pets at Home's vet division overtaking retail, to Willmott Dixon's profit rebound, falling retail confidence, and a warning from Britain's biggest bioethanol plant - here are today's top UK business stories. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Thames Water has been hit with a record £104.5 million fine for sewage failures, plus £18.2 million for breaking dividend rules. Regulator Ofwat says the penalty will be paid by the company and its investors - not customers. It follows Ofwat's biggest ever probe into how sewage works and networks are run. Pets at Home's vet division overtakes retail: More Business in Brief Pets at Home has posted flat revenue, with retail and vet services pulling in opposite directions. Retail profit fell 16.6 per cent to £72.9 million, while vet profit surged 23.3% to £75.9 million - overtaking retail for the first time. Vet revenue now makes up a third of the business. Retail sales dropped nearly two per cent, as weak footfall and consumer pressures continue to bite. Pets at Home has posted flat revenue, with retail and vet services pulling in opposite directions. | Getty Images Retailers across the board are bracing for tough times, with plans to raise prices, cut jobs and slash investment. A CBI survey shows sector confidence has dropped faster than at any point since the pandemic. Rising costs from tax hikes and a higher minimum wage are squeezing businesses. Willmott Dixon is back in profit, reporting £46.8 million before tax after a £14.4 million loss last year. The turnaround follows recoveries from cladding-related costs and a steady £1.2 billion turnover. The construction firm says it's entering the new financial year with strong momentum. The UK's biggest bioethanol plant says it could shut down due to the latest UK-US trade deal. Hull-based Vivergo Fuels warns the removal of a key tariff on US ethanol is the 'final blow'. It says British producers can't compete with subsidised US imports. Vivergo is urging the Government to step in and fix what it calls 'regulatory failures'.
South Wales Argus
26-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
Trinity Fields School and Resource Centre extension opens
The extension to Trinity Fields School and Resource Centre in Ystrad Mynach was officially opened on Friday, May 23. The two-storey extension provides additional classrooms to accommodate up to an additional 80 pupils with specialist intervention areas, a new soft playroom, and outdoor play spaces. There is also a relocated memorial garden and school allotment area. This project was jointly funded by Caerphilly County Borough Council and Welsh Government through the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, which forms part of the council's wider Place Shaping Strategy. The new wing that links to the original school was constructed by Willmott Dixon. This project, which includes the refurbishment of the existing school facilities alongside the new two-storey extension, totalled approximately £18 million. Councillor Carol Andrews, cabinet member for education and communities, said: "This investment is a powerful statement of our shared commitment to giving every child in the county borough the very best start. "The facility has been shaped around the needs and potential of the pupils that attend. "They will help children learn, play and thrive – and I cannot wait to see the amazing things that will be achieved here." Headteacher David Jenkins said: "It has been a privilege to lead the school through this exciting period of change which has resulted in a state of the art, multi-million-pound extension for our pupils, their families and staff. "Today's formal opening is a fitting celebration of the ethos, culture and sheer hard work associated with our school and its partners. "There are too many people to thank individually but on behalf of the school, my sincerest thanks must go to Welsh Government, Caerphilly Council, our governing body, the previous headteacher who started the journey and our principal contractor Wilmott Dixon for making our pupils' dreams a reality."
