Destination Chesterfield, East Midlands Airport, Invest in Nottingham, Marketing Derby, Derbyshire Economic Partnership and Leicester City Council have joined forces to promote development sites across the East Midlands, at an event in London today (Tuesday 26 September).

Supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Sitematch East Midlands is an opportunity for London-based property developers and investors to discover more about specific development opportunities in the East Midlands. Representatives from Destination Chesterfield, East Midlands Airport, Nottingham City Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Derbyshire Economic Partnership, Marketing Derby, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire Enterprise Zones will host meetings with delegates throughout the day.

Taking place at The Banking Hall in the centre of London’s financial district, representatives from the region will have the opportunity to present development sites to interested developers and investors, with a view to securing new investment opportunities for the region.

This is the first Sitematch event for the East Midlands, and has been managed by 3Fox International. Up to 35 developers are expected to attend, and the event will include general networking sessions and meetings for one-on-one discussions.

Destination Chesterfield, Marketing Derby and Derbyshire Economic Partnership will be showcasing the latest investment opportunities from across Chesterfield, Derby and Derbyshire.

Dom Stevens, Destination Chesterfield Manager, said:-

“The announcement of an HS2 stop in Chesterfield and nearby maintenance depot have sparked a surge of interest in the town from all types of inward investor, including commercial developers and house-builders.

“Chesterfield’s location and connectivity within the East Midlands gives the town a unique appeal and this has already been recognised by many of those looking to invest. In the short term alone, more than £1bn of commercial and residential developments are set to come to fruition over the next five years, creating jobs and also bringing people to live in and visit the town.

“HS2 together with key developments like Markham Vale and the £320m Chesterfield Waterside and £400m Peak Resort sites, make Chesterfield an attractive addition to the wider East Midlands offering at the Site Match event.”

John Forkin, Managing Director from Marketing Derby, said:-

“Over the last few years Derby has cemented itself as an attractive location for investment, with over £4.3 billion invested in the city. This shows no signs of slowing down, with £2.1 billion in the immediate investment pipeline.

“Recent research by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) highlighted Derby as the fastest growing economy in the East Midlands, and one of the UK’s top ten. This reaffirms the confidence in the level of investment Derby is experiencing.

“We recently launched Marketing Derby’s secondary base in the heart of London, and will be launching the London chapter of the Derby Ambassador Club soon. At Sitematch we’ll be highlighting the latest opportunities for investment in Derby and Derbyshire, including those sites showcased in the Derby City Centre Masterplan.”

Andy Cliffe, Managing Director, at East Midlands Airport, says:-

“The East Midlands is ripe development potential. The region’s future is extremely bright what with proposed major infrastructure investment such as HS2, better intercity connectivity and the development of one of the country’s largest inland rail freight hubs. The foundations of future growth are already being laid. Here at the airport, the region’s gateway to Europe and beyond, we are planning for significant growth both in terms of passenger access to major oversees airport hubs and for our cargo output from which investors would significantly benefit.”

Leicester City Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) will be showcasing investment and development opportunities across the city and county.

Helen Donnellan, Director of Inward Investment at Leicester City Council said: “Leicester has achieved international prominence through the discovery of the remains of KRIII and the world class reinternment event and Leicester City Football Club’s Premier League title success has firmly put the city on the global map.

“To build on the momentum and awareness of the city and county, we’ll be focusing on opportunities for both the city and the LLEP’s Enterprise Zones which we want to share with delegates at SiteMatch.”

Invest in Nottingham will use the opportunity to showcase a variety of sites across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, including commercial, residential and mixed-use locations.

Lorraine Baggs, Head of Inward Investment at Invest in Nottingham, said:-

“We’ll be focusing on clear market-ready opportunities, and look forward to meeting with the interested parties attending. This is one of a number of events we’ve been part of in London this year, all with a focus on raising the profile of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire as a location ripe for investment opportunities.”

HS2’s Skills and Employment Strategy Manager is headlining the speaker line up at the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference, which is returning for the second year running next month.

Rebecca Young from HS2 Ltd, the company responsible for developing and promoting Europe’s biggest infrastructure project will be speaking at the free special breakfast event that is being held on 12 October at Ringwood Hall in Brimington from 8.30am – 10.30am.

At the conference Ms Young will address the employment prospects the UK’s new high speed rail line will bring to the area, following confirmation earlier this year that the HS2 route will include a stop in Chesterfield and a maintenance depot in Staveley.

Places are limited at the Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Employability and Skills Conference. To book your free place click here or please register using the form below.

HS2 is forecast to create up to 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships during the construction phase and over 3,000 permanent jobs will be created by the operation and maintenance of the HS2 railway and its rolling stock. In addition, the major contracts to build and develop HS2 will result in tens of thousands of opportunities for businesses across the supply chain, 60% of which are expected to be awarded to small, medium and micro-sized enterprises.

The conference will provide an opportunity for schools and businesses to prepare the future workforce for the growth of North Derbyshire’s economy driven by both HS2 and other key developments including Chesterfield Waterside and Peak Resort.

Organised by Placing Futures Ltd, D2N2 Enterprise Advisor Network, Chesterfield Borough Council, D2 Skills and Employment Board and Destination Chesterfield, the annual conference aims to strengthen links between education providers and local businesses.

Senior representatives from North Derbyshire schools, training and education providers and employers are invited to attend the conference, which will also hear from The Careers & Enterprise Company, William Davis Ltd, Derbyshire Education Business Partnership and Chesterfield Apprentice Ambassadors.

Gail Widerman, Director of Placing Futures Ltd an independent consultancy service based in Chesterfield which links vocational learning to schools and employers, said:-

“I am delighted that we have secured HS2’s Skills and Employment Strategy Manager as the keynote speak at the conference. Although Chesterfield’s HS2 station is 17 years away construction work will begin sooner so it is essential that we start preparing now for the skills and training that will be required in order to secure jobs amongst the local workforce.”

Councillor Tricia Gilby, leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, explained why the conference is so important to North Derbyshire. She said:-

“Chesterfield is on the cusp of a boom. In the short term alone more than £1bn of developments will come to fruition over the next five years not only creating jobs but also bringing people to live in and visit the town.

“This conference plays an important role in ensuring we capitalise on the growth forecast for the area. It is essential that we work together to close the perceived and real skills gap by ensuring that young people are equipped with the employability skills while at school and college that are needed now and in the future by employers in the town.”

Chesterfield based business Cathelco are supplying hull corrosion protection systems for three trawlers which mark the first stage in modernising the Russian fishing fleet.

The freezer trawlers are being built by the Vyborg Shipyard for the Arkhangelsk Trawl Fleet JSC who will operate them in the North and Far East fishing basins.

Each vessel will be equipped with the latest trawl equipment enabling the production of up to 160 tons of raw fish products per day.  The first in the series of vessels, named The Barents Sea, is 86m in length and 17m in breadth will be rated to Ice3 class with hull strengthening to Arc4. The trawler will have an automated fish filleting and canning plant together with facilities for processing fish oil and meal.

The Cathelco impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) systems will protect the underwater surfaces of the ship’s hulls from corrosion in the most demanding Arctic conditions.

Unlike sacrificial anodes which may have to be changed at every drydocking the ICCP anodes have a life in excess of 15 years. This reduces maintenance costs as well as ensuring that the hull receives reliable protection at all times.

Anna Siodlak who has supervised the project at Cathelco, said:-

“This is one of a number of projects where we have worked in close collaboration with Vyborg Shipyard to provide a technical solution which will work effectively in Arctic waters.”

The purpose of the ICCP system is to neutralise the corrosive activity which occurs on the surface of the hull by enveloping it in a small, but effective impressed electrical current. The system consists of an arrangement of hull mounted anodes and reference electrodes which are wired to a control panel. The reference electrodes measure the electrical potential at the hull/seawater interface and send a signal to the control panel which raises or lowers the output to the anodes accordingly.

Anna Siodlak explained:-

“Systems for fishing vessels are easily installed and usually consist of two aft mounted anodes and reference electrodes, therefore the number of hull penetrations are kept to a minimum.”

Cathelco are world leading suppliers of ICCP systems for vessels of every size ranging from workboats and fishing vessels to cruise vessels and container ships with a record of more than 20,000 installations. They also produce marine growth prevention systems (MGPS) which prevent blockages in seawater pipework caused by bio-fouling.

An opportunity has arisen to provide catering services at East Midlands Chamber’s new offices in Chesterfield.

Commerce House, on Millennium Way, next door to the Dunston Innovation Centre, includes a food preparation area and café which is open to everyone working at the Chamber and in surrounding offices.

East Midlands Chamber moved to Commerce House in February, since when catering has been provided by a member with a sandwich shop and external catering business. Following a review of his business, however, he has decided to concentrate on external catering.

Chris Bates, the Chamber’s Facilities Manager, said:-

“It would be a shame to lose a service that only the Chamber offers in the area so we are keen to talk to an alternative provider who could move in to the café at short notice.

“We’re happy to discuss very favourable terms in order to see this service continued.”

Anyone interested should contact Chris in the first instance, either by email at chris.bates@emc-dnl.co.uk or by calling 01246 207207 ext 2022.

Shorts are delighted to announce the appointment of Darryl Hoy as the latest recruit to the tax team.

Darryl joins as a Senior Manager in the Innovation Taxes Group (ITG) and brings with him many years’ experience working within HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), specialising in the processing and investigation of Research and Development (R&D) tax relief claims.

Scott Burkinshaw, Tax Partner and head of Shorts’ ITG commented:-

“Since its inception two years ago, the group has enjoyed significant growth and saved local companies many millions of £s through successful claims.  We have always strived to ensure that our claims maximise benefits for our clients whilst being fully compliant with HMRC guidance and legislation. This often involved liaison with HMRC’s specialist R&D tax credit units.

“With the number of enquiries into R&D tax relief claims now on the increase we firmly believe that the best way to ensure a successful claim is to do a thorough job and submit a robust claim to HMRC to mitigate the chances of HMRC opening an enquiry. Bringing Darryl into the team gives us a unique ability to prepare claims that are fully compliant.

“Darryl’s appointment firmly places Shorts’ ITG in an enviable position of not only offering businesses superior advice on making a R&D claim, but also being able to offer unique assistance to companies under enquiry.

Scott concluded:-

“We find that many companies are reluctant to claim due to the perceived complexity of the process and also uncertainty regarding whether they meet the eligibility criteria. Darryl’s arrival enhances our ability to quickly give companies certainty regarding their ability to claim.”

Darryl added:-

“After a long career at HMRC I am really excited to be joining such a professional and forward thinking Accountancy practice as Shorts. Being part of the Innovation Taxes Group will give me the opportunity to add my experience to an already highly skilled team and help them with promoting the Research & Development tax relief scheme to aid all of those innovative SME’s in and around the area.”

No celebration is quite complete without cake and the team at Heron Publications cut into a large, tasty one on the occasion of their company’s 15th anniversary.

The independent, family-run business began life in the loft of the home of directors Mike and Helen Firth and now employs 12 people, based at its Enterprise House offices in Dronfield.

It publishes popular free local magazines ‘Twist’, ‘Dronfield Eye’, ‘Wings’ and ‘Active8’, plus the paid-for nostalgia periodical ‘My Kind of Town’.

Mike Firth, Director of Heron Publications, explained:-

“In the publishing world, people regard 15 years as long-term. However, we are always planning ahead and are forever forging new links with local individuals, organisations and businesses.

“It has been a real thrill to see our business grow and our magazines have become important threads in the communities they serve, being the brightest, most attractive publications around.”

It’s been a busy time for Heron Publications. Earlier this year they added an extension to their Dronfield offices, a development which has now enabled them to employ two more full-time members of staff.

They were also thrilled to be named the East Midlands Community Business of the Year in the 2017 FSB & Worldpay UK Business Awards.

Other recognition over the years has seen the local company receive two commendations in the National Magazine Publishers’ Awards.