shoplus
Search

Cost of living crisis scuppers workplace parking levy plans

2025-04-18 00:24:55 By

A council has dropped plans to make many companies pay a levy on their city centre parking because of the uncertainties caused by the cost of living crisis.

Leicester City Council had been considering charging most employers with more than 10 spaces £550 per space per year under the proposals.

It had said changes were needed to cut congestion and meet tough climate and air quality targets, and raise money to provide sustainable transport for new housing developments.

Between 450 and 600 firms would have been affected and, pending government approval, it could have started in early 2023.

Deputy city mayor Coun Adam Clarke said current political and economic circumstances make it impossible to proceed with the plans.

He said: “We made a commitment in 2019 to consult on a levy in Leicester, and at that time we could not foresee the political uncertainty and dire economic situation the country is facing today.

“We have concluded that we cannot implement a WPL (workplace parking levy) during this ongoing national cost of living crisis, which is causing such uncertainty and concern for so many people and businesses in our city.

“The consequence of this of course is that we won’t have the funding needed to radically improve public transport for so many of our residents, which would in turn help to tackle the climate emergency. In truth, simply maintaining the current levels of service will be a huge challenge.”

The council said transport improvements in recent years included creating a Leicester Buses Partnership and growing the city’s fleet of electric buses with more than 100 more planned.

It said the redeveloped St Margaret’s bus station was the first to be net zero.

Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: “We have made enormous improvements in Leicester in recent years thanks to successful bids for funding that we have had to compete for against other local authorities.

“However, our long-term aims require significant and reliable ongoing funding that is not currently available.

“We can only hope that before too long there will be a Government in place that will have the vision to transform public transport in this country, and will provide the funds to do it.

hot iconTop-rated Choice
Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Bristol packaging company to relocate to new site after more than 100 years

A Bristol company that manufactures packaging for some of the world’s largest drink brands is relocating to the north of the city after more than a century at the same site. Graphic Packaging International, which is headquartered in Atlanta in the US and operates globally, is moving from Filwood Road in Fishponds to a vast logistics building in Yate, it has announced. According to the firm, the relocation later this year will allow it to retain its current workforce and make a "significant investment" in new plant and machinery, as well as creating around 90 new jobs. The company has agreed a deal with logistics real estate firm Mileway for a newly refurbished 255,686 sq ft distribution warehouse - called Titan - on Armstrong Way. Property consultants Alder King and commercial real estate agency DTRE advised Mileway on the letting, while Savills Bristol acted for Graphic Packaging. Martin Sheppard, general manager, Europe and MENA for beverage packaging at Graphic Packaging, said: “We have a long and successful history of operating in Bristol which we were determined to continue. We are therefore delighted to have secured such an excellent new facility which will provide an enhanced and conveniently located working environment for our staff." Mileway completed an extensive refurbishment of Titan last year to provide 255,686 sq ft of warehouse and office space with 11 level access doors; 28 dock level doors; 10.7m eaves height; a large secure yard with 360 secure HGV circulation; and a separate car park. Chris Watkins, senior asset manager at Mileway, said: “Our refurbishment of this strategically located asset on Great Western Business Park has delivered a prime logistics building into a market experiencing robust demand. We are delighted that Titan will help facilitate Graphic Packaging’s continued growth in Bristol.” Andrew Ridler, head of industrial and logistics agency at Alder King, added: “Demand for this prime logistics building was strong from a variety of occupiers due to its size and proximity to the motorway network. It’s fantastic news to have secured the letting to Graphic Packaging, facilitating the expansion of one of Bristol’s longest-established manufacturing businesses, and in addition is great news for Yate.” READ NEXT

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

£10m crane investment on its way to Port of Immingham

A £10 million investment in cargo-handling equipment is on its way to Immingham. Engineers from Associated British Ports have just returned from Germany where they have carried out final factory acceptance testing on three new mobile harbour cranes. The hybrid Liebherr 420s will be arriving later this month from Rostock, at a cost £9.7 million, with an additional £500,000 spent on new grabs. The diesel generators poweing them can run on hydrogenated vegetable oil, with the option to switch to all-electric, reducing CO2 emissions as the port accelerates its green credentials. Read more:ABP and Harbour Energy partner to provide CO2 import gateway at Immingham Simon Bird, ABP regional director, had outlined a £30 million spend on equipment earlier this year. The order represents the largest shipment by the manufacturer to the UK. He said: “This is another great investment in the port. It offers our customers a range of equipment, these being specially optimised for vessels in the post-panamax class. “It’s part of our wider strategy investment in future-proofing the Humber ports and giving our customers the confidence that the ports remain resilient, and we are giving them what they need in having reliable and efficient cranage.” They are described as offering greater versatility, being able to be deployed on any quay, though primarily they will be used for bulk cargo and scrap handling. They have a 124-tonne lifting capability, and offer greater safety improvements in the driver’s cab.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Belfast proves a strong draw for cruise ships with near-record visits this year

Belfast’s cruise sector has recovered strongly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic with 141 ships calling in the city during this year’s season. That is just shy of the record of 146 set in 2019 and represents 50 different ships from some 33 cruise lines, including 18 making their first visit to the city. They carried more than 250,000 visitors. The result is a far cry from 2020 when a scheduled 129 ships due to call at the port were cancelled by the pandemic. It is also a big jump on the 70 which visited the city in 2021 as the sector embarked on a cautious return to normality. The strong performance this year is testament to Northern Ireland’s growing popularity as a tourist destination, Cruise Belfast, a partnership between Belfast Harbour and Visit Belfast, said. “With our visitor numbers increasing again following the pandemic, this cruise season has been as runaway success as we welcomed both international and first-time visitors to Northern Ireland,” Mary Jo McCanny, Director of Visitor Servicing at Visit Belfast, said. “Belfast has built a strong reputation as a welcoming and exciting cruise destination and this busy season is reflective of the strong working relationships that Cruise Belfast has with global cruise operators.” Amongst the ships making their first visit to Belfast were the ‘Enchanted Princess’ and ‘Island Princess’ from Princess Cruises and the ‘Ambassador Ambience’ from Ambassador, a new British cruise line. Returning ships included the ‘Disney Magic’ which arrived with some 2,700 passengers and crew on board.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

£10m port expansion as PD and Barrett agree new steel deal

A £10 million port investment is being made to handle steel distribution in northern Lincolnshire. PD Ports is close to completing a dedicated new 200,000 sq ft site at its Groveport facility on the River Trent. It will support long-term customer Barrett Steel as it grows its market share, and signifies the start of a new contract that will take the partnership to 2040 and beyond. The new facility, launching early next year, will support the expansion of Barrett’s footprint on the Humber, and will be further enhanced with additional investment from the port operator to double the size of its transport fleet. It is a move described as strengthening Barrett’s national distribution network, allowing for just-in-time deliveries to be made across the UK. Read more: Hull blade plant boss has his say on Siemens Energy buy-out deal It is PD’s largest investment on the Humber in decades, with the 190-acre site between Gunness and Flixborough, on the outskirts of Scunthorpe, its largest location in the region. Geoff Lippitt, chief commercial officer, said: “The new Barrett Steel facility is a huge milestone for PD Ports at Groveport. This marks the largest single piece of investment in the site since we first acquired it back in 2015 and demonstrates our intentions to position Groveport as the UK’s leading steel handling hub for steel sourced both domestically and internationally.” The state-of-the-art warehouse has also been instrumental for both parties in continuing to realise their shared sustainability targets - it is the first building in the UK to be constructed in ‘XCarb’ steel – steel made using 100 per cent recycled content and 100 per cent renewable energy – supplied by fellow PD Ports customer, ArcelorMittal. The new build is also primed to welcome solar panels in the future. Mr Lippitt said: “As a business, we are constantly striving to reduce our industrial impact on the environment and have ambitious decarbonisation targets to reach net zero. This innovative warehouse is a fantastic example of how we can utilise lower carbon materials in order to reduce emissions across the supply chain.” Barrett Steel, a sixth generation Bradford-headquartered operation, has been a leading steel stockholder and processor for more than 150 years. With over 30 sites nationwide, it describes the new facility as “a huge mark of intention” for it to remain at the forefront of the UK steel industry. Guy Barrett, group purchasing director, said: “This new facility will increase our capacity and ability to offer a just in time solution for steel fabricators across the UK. Being able to deliver the project using a low embodied carbon, the first of its kind in the UK, not only demonstrates our commitment to our own net zero goals but also showcases a tangible solution to the questions around sustainability currently facing the industry. “We are delighted to be continuing our longstanding relationship with PD Ports on this ground-breaking project.” Barrett had taken on several steel distribution centres from British Steel, following its acquisition by Jingye Group, while PD also made a multi-million pound investment at Groveport for All Steels Trading, another long-serving customer, just before the Covid pandemic outbreak.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Leonardo Helicopters' huge new £30m hub reaches milestone

A vast logistics hub being built in Somerset by defence and aerospace giant Leonardo has reached a major milestone, the company has announced. The flooring and structure of the £30m building within the grounds of the company's Yeovil site was recently completed, with the business marking the occasion with workers making cement handprints in the floor. The single-site logistics hub, as it is known, will help support Leonardo Helicopters’ global fleet by housing components and tools, according to the company. The hub is a collaboration between Leonardo and logistics partner Kuehne+Nagel, with real estate developer Graftongate and GMI Construction Group. The project involved the consolidation of eight existing warehouses into one all-encompassing logistics hub. Charlea Boucher, project officer at Leonardo Helicopters UK, who cemented her hands into the ground of the hub, said: "It has been amazing to see the rise of the Single-Site Logistics Hub during the final year of my business graduate placement at Leonardo in Yeovil. My great-grandparents worked on-site a few generations ago in engineering, so it’s great that this investment in the site is future-proofing Yeovil for years to come as I embark on the next stages of my career here at Leonardo." The hub will be equipped with rainwater harvesting tanks for brown-water services, meaning water is recycled for use throughout the building in a non-drinking capacity. It will also have LED lighting throughout the facility and a heat-recovery system that will be used in the main warehouse. A bank of electric vehicle charging points will be installed, which will support a new fleet of electric commercial vehicles that will distribute components from the hub to the company’s manufacturing facilities. Leonardo said so far, 61,000 tonnes of demolition material had been moved with 25,000 cubic metres of material re-used for the new building. More than 15,000 cubic metres of earth have also been moved with a total expectation of reaching 25,000 cubic metres, the firm said. The hub is set to be operational in 2023 and will be run under a 10-year commercial contract with Kuehne+Nagel, which will include an investment in plant and equipment installation and warehousing transition activity. READ NEXT Airbus delivers first A330neo plane to Virgin Atlantic

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Nottingham must do more to become first carbon-neutral city in England by 2028, say property experts

More must be done if Nottingham is to achieve its aim of becoming the first carbon-neutral city in England by 2028 – including refurbishing existing buildings rather than putting up new ones. That was the conclusion of a panel of property and construction experts who took part in a Simplify Sustainability’ roundtable organised in the city by construction giant Willmott Dixon. The 14-strong panel discussed a range of issues, concluding that greater collaboration, sharing common standards and clearer guidance were needed to make the grade. Only this week Nottingham City Council’s leaders said 10 years of Workplace Parking Levies had already played a key part in putting the brakes on congestion and CO2 emissions and pumped millions into sustainable transport. The panel included Joanne Murray, executive consultant at property and construction consultants Gleeds, who said it was often hard to come up with the right solution when trying to balance the needs of clients and the climate agenda. She said: “It’s important to remember that – as an industry – we are providing solutions for opposing client priorities, such as sustainable development and low-cost housing for example. “This makes it very difficult for all organisations to be working towards carbon neutrality at the same pace. “With this challenge in mind, engagement with the public sector and across the private sector is critical. “Professionals must use their voice though and not be afraid of being held accountable. “Sometimes all that’s needed is the courage to say we don’t need that new building and the expertise to share a refurbishment plan.” Nick Gibb, deputy managing director for the Midlands at Willmott Dixon, said: “In Nottingham, ambitious plans to become the first carbon-neutral city in England fill us with excitement and belief that those with influence have their priorities in the right place. “That said, as an industry, design and build capability will only go so far and while we’re doing everything we can to combine the efforts of different disciplines, one of the most important takeaways from our recent roundtable was that there is a definitive performance gap with new buildings. “The public and private sectors need to come together and lead the way in educating on energy usage. “While influential institutions like colleges and universities can create holistic estates strategies to ensure their building stock is performing as efficiently as possible, it’s imperative that they do so now and not later. “Meanwhile, the construction industry needs to rewrite the rule book and ensure that everything we hand over is above and beyond the current standards – which can definitely go further.” Umesh Desai, director of estates at Nottingham Trent University, said: “I think that one of the challenges of estates management, in relation to sustainability, is the ever-changing needs of users. “At the university, we’re proud to offer state-of-the-art facilities to our students and have a mix of new and existing buildings, but the way forward must be focussed on showing that fit-for-purpose and sustainable is more important than fit-for-purpose and eye-catching.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Direct flights to Esbjerg secured for Humberside as Eastern Airways lands double delight

Eastern Airways has landed a dual boost at Humberside Airport with new services for business and leisure. The resident airline is to launch a regular direct flight to Esbjerg in Denmark to support the offshore wind and maritime industries next month, while its Newquay departures will be doubled for the 2023 summer season. Its Jersey schedule also returns, in what is described as a major investment in the Kirmington base. A three-weekly service to the Danish wind energy epicentre will provide a vital link for the burgeoning renewable sector on the Humber, with Orsted and Siemens Gamesa having interests in both areas. It will launch on December 14, with year-round flights on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and follows corporate charter work on the route. Read more:Hull blade plant boss has his say on Siemend Energy buy-out proposal Roger Hage, commercial director at Eastern Airways, said: “This is a major dual development for the Humber region as we join the UK centre for renewable energy with Esbjerg. The renewable energy sector is fundamental to the employment and growth in the Humber as the Energy Estuary. With so many key renewable sector companies and an increasing focus on clean-tech energy self-sufficiency in the UK and Denmark, the increasing need to connect the investment, skills and expertise of the regions have never been greater. With Billund little more than an hour from Esbjerg, Legoland and various high-quality leisure destinations in the Syddanmark region of Southern Denmark, we know Denmark will appeal widely given its rich history with the Humber ports region. “Adding to the further investment in operations, crew and infrastructure to support new destination of Esbjerg, we have also doubled the frequency of the Newquay-Cornwall service, improving the access to the UK staycation destination of choice. We are also extending the length of operating season to the popular Channel Island destination of Jersey from Humberside Airport in conjunction with our primary partner Premier Holidays. “We want to ensure the right services are being offered given Eastern Airways is all about supporting the regions of the UK, connecting people and places, so growing our Humberside network and capacity is a crucial part of increasing connectivity and aiding economic recovery where sustainable.” Eastern will operate the mix of new and increased services on one of its fleet of 72-seat ATR or 29-seat BAe Jetstream 41, both offering one of the lowest fuel-burn and emissions in the market. This has included operating on sustainable aviation fuel, another string to the area’s decarbonisation role. Deborah Zost, managing director at Humberside Airport said: “This is excellent news for the airport, local businesses and leisure travellers. The route to Esbjerg is a significant step for the Humber, giving the UK’s Energy Estuary a new, direct and year-round link to this increasingly important renewable energy hub. And more flights to Cornwall over the summer will be warmly welcomed by holidaymakers and businesses alike.” It comes just days after the last flights left Doncaster Sheffield, following the abrupt closure by Peel Group, leaving Humberside and Leeds Bradford as the only operational airports in the region. Scandinavian Airlines had launched a service between Humberside and Copenhagen, the Danish capital, in late 2013, but it was pulled the following April due to lower than anticipated demand. The maiden flight was also cancelled due to adverse weather. In almost a decade huge strides have been made, with Race Bank and the Hornsea Zone, as well as the Hull blade plant all coming online, and more to come. British Airways partner Sun-Air had also stepped in with Aalborg and Billund as destinations in early 2016. Susanne Kruse Sørensen, managing director of Esbjerg Airport, added: “Eastern Airways has been a long-standing partner on this city-pair. The airline already operated corporate charter flights between Esbjerg and Humberside during the last years. The wind energy and maritime sectors are particularly asking for a direct route to ease crew changes and staff deployment on wind farms. Moving to a scheduled route is the logical way to improve service for customers. We are really looking forward to welcoming Eastern Airways in Esbjerg." Ever present since launching with the Aberdeen service in 1997 - carrying North Sea oil and gas workers - Eastern will now serve five destinations from Humberside at peak. Camilla Carlbom Flinn, director of cluster organisation Humber Marine & Renewables, of which Eastern Airways is the latest member, said: “The investment from Eastern Airways is brilliant news for the region’s business connectivity and indicative of the vibrance of the renewables sector. We are delighted that they have joined Humber Marine & Renewables and we expect that our members will enjoy the convenience of this new service to Esbjerg. We wish them every success in this exciting new venture.” Eastern has also announced a new daily East Midlands to Newquay service, complementing the increase to its year-round three-times daily London Gatwick to Newquay service, plus an increase in Newcastle to Aberdeen to twice daily, among various capacity and frequency increases around the network.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

30 jobs being created with £2m expansion by Derbyshire drinks business Global Brands

A soft drinks, spirits and beer company and distributor is set to create 30 jobs with the first phase of a £2 million expansion at its Derbyshire hub. Global Brands is expanding the facility from 152,000 sq ft of warehouse space to 180,800 sq ft. The site, in Clay Cross, just south of Chesterfield, already employs 80 people. Management said the work follows increased demand for the group’s products and work will be completed in January. It will increase storage capacity from 30 million bottles to 40 million bottles, across 17,000 pallets. Global Brands is an independent drinks distributor which launched in 1997. Its brands include VK, Hooch, Hooper’s, Franklin & Sons premium soft drinks, sodas and tonics, and Amigos Tequila Beer. Most recent results, filed at Companies House, for Global Brands Ltd, show sales of £66.6 million in the year to September 30, 2021, from £59.8 million a year earlier. Pre-tax profits were up from £5.1 million to £6.5 million. Following extensive groundworks, the steel frame is being erected over the next two months, and a concrete slab base will then be poured and set. The development covers 2.2 areas. Global Brands chairman Steve Perez said: “I’m thrilled to announce the expansion of our distribution facilities in Clay Cross, following a sustained increase in demand nationally and huge demand internationally for our key growth brands like Franklin & Sons. “The new extension will support our growing operations with additional storage and increased distribution capabilities. “This is just the first phase in work to continue increasing capabilities at the site over the next two years. “We plan to continue investing in our Global Brands Distribution Centre to the point where we can eventually hold one product for every person in the UK.” Global Brands recently bought a neighbouring piece of land for further facilities in a deal brokered by BRM Solicitors. Adrian Sheehan, executive director at BRM, said: “It is always rewarding to advise on a deal which will bring further development opportunities and employment to the region. “BRM are proud to stand to shoulder to shoulder with this long-standing client and Chesterfield success story. “It is great to see Global Brands go from strength to strength and highlights a commitment to Chesterfield. “The Real Estate team at BRM are delighted to advise Steve and the team at Global, who are always driven and enthusiastic to get deals done quickly and efficiently.” Mr Perez said: “BRM have advised Global Brands for the past 35 years, from when the business was just a one-man band, through to becoming one of the largest employers in the area.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Amazon says it has invested more than £3bn into East Midlands since 2010 and created 8,000 jobs

Retail giant Amazon says it has invested more than £3 billion into the East Midlands in a little over a decade. According to a new in-house report the global retailer said since 2010 its investment had contributed an estimated £3.1 billion to the region’s GDP and created 8,000 jobs with 200 apprenticeships. It said across the region more than 6,000 SMEs had worked in partnership with the business since 2010, recording more than £190 million in exports. Breaking the figures down, Amazon said it had put £1.2 billion into its logistics network and warehouses in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, along with £1.7 billion into Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire. It has put smaller investment into Lincolnshire. Nationally the US company said it had put £43 billion into the UK since 2010 and created 75,000 jobs, contributing an estimated £36 billion to UK GDP. Across the UK it has 24 big fulfilment centres and dozens of delivery stations. It has recently completed a year-long expansion at its Coalville site in north west Leicestershire, which has increased the capacity of the site by a third without increasing the one million sq ft footprint of the building. A four-storey tower has been built inside the fulfilment centre, increasing floor space and also enabling the 1,000 or so workers there to manage a greater variety of products. Vivek Khanka, the general manager at the Amazon fulfilment centre in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, said the business was supporting local businesses, creating jobs and making a positive contribution to the regional economy. He said: “We help more than 2,000small businesses across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire sell on Amazon and reach customers around the world, and we also continue to support community organisations across the region through donations and volunteering.

Ports & Logistics2025-04-18 00:24:55

Why Jeremy Hunt must commit to electrifying Midland Mainline and decent rail links between Coventry, Leicester and Nottingham

The new Government must not drop a promise of electrifying the Midland Mainline and commit to improving east-west rail links across the Midlands. That is the call from campaigners who are urging Jeremy Hunt not to take his eye of a string of big projects that could cut congestion and CO2 emissions and bring vital business into the region. The new Chancellor will reveal his economic plan on November 17. Transport for the East Midlands, which brings together nine councils across the region, and Midlands Connect – a division of the Midlands Engine – have drawn up a wish list of eight schemes they say help prop up the regional economy as the country faces one of the toughest economic periods ever. They claim the region has missed out on billions of investment under both Labour and Tory governments since the turn of the century – which has seen transport spending drop from around 80 per cent of the UK average per person in 2001/2 to around 65 per cent today. Their list include funding the on-then-off-the-on-again plans to electrify the Midland Mainline north of Market Harborough. After pausing the plans in 2015, then cancelling them in 2017, the Government’s 2021 Integrated Rail Plan re-committed to electrify the line up to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield by the early 2030s. The investment will enable East Midland’s Rails new Aurora Class intercity trains to run in electric mode – providing the wires south of Bedford are upgraded from 100mph to 125mph. The campaigners are also calling for improvements to the poor rail services linking Coventry with Leicester and Nottingham. There has been no direct link between Coventry and the two East Midlands cities for almost two decades. Midlands Connect recently put forward plans that would see direct services brought back with a new route through Nuneaton. Once in place, the changes would allow a direct, twice hourly service between Coventry and Leicester, cutting journey times from 54 to just 38 minutes. It will also create new links from Coventry to Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham. Journey times from Coventry to Nottingham would also be cut from 108 minutes to 70 minutes – a 35 per cent reduction. Other priorities included enhancements to the A46 Growth Corridor, improving safety and reliability on the A1, and improvements to the 56 mile A50/A500 Corridor running from Derby to Stoke. Campaigners also want to see money spent on the A5 Growth Corridor, the delivery of HS2 to the East Midlands and Leeds and improving connectivity across EMDevCo and East Midlands Freeport areas. Leicester Mayor and TfEM chairman Sir Peter Soulsby said investment in transport would support the Government’s the Levelling Up agenda among other things. He said: “There is uncertainty around the impact that the upcoming budget will have on public sector spending generally, but it’s imperative that the East Midlands does not fall behind any further when it comes to transport funding. “At present, if the East Midlands was funded at a level equivalent to the national average, it would have an extra £1.26 billion per year to spend on transport.