ROMCO Group: Company signs UN Global Compact

The Romco Group has become a signatory of the UN Global Compact, as of April 19, 2021, committing to the UN Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative and its principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption.

The UN Global Compact is the world’s largest social responsibility initiative with more than 10,000 participants from 160 countries. UN Global Compact is based on 10 principles – and the group’s participation in the UN Global Compact means that they are committed to operating the business in accordance with those principles (outlined below) and will be reporting their progress in a Communication On Progress annually to the UN.

A spokesperson for ROMCO said; “Today’s announcement is a natural extension of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework that we already work within, and reflective of our long-term commitment to human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption.

As growing recyclers on the African continent, we work hard to demonstrate a sustainable and ethical approach to building the industry and communities we work in. Through this work, we currently measure impact on 12 of the 17 SDG’s. Signing the UN Global Compact builds on our commitment to work as a good actor in the sector, promoting sustainable growth and equity for the people, places, and planet we work within.

To find out more about ROMCO Group’s commitment to the UN compact and for further information on the announcement, visit: https://romcometals.com/company-announcement-romco-have-signed-the-un-global-compact/

Godwin Developments: Investment sale of Lidl store in Birmingham

UK residential and commercial developer Godwin Developments has announced the successful completion of a Lidl supermarket investment sale to property investment business Knight Frank Investment Management.

The deal, which was finalised recently, is set to provide a 25-year secure rental income to the new owners from the pre-let store in Kings Heath, Birmingham.

The c. 23,000 sq. ft. scheme, which was completed by Godwin Developments in February 2020 and opened its doors to customers in June, is located in a densely populated area of South Birmingham with a growing demand for grocery provision. The modern purpose-built development has a highly visible location, improved pedestrian and vehicular access and features an attractive, single storey unit with a glazed frontage, an in-store bakery, and a car park with capacity for 120 spaces.

News of the deal follows previous Godwin announcements of a commercial investment sale in Rushden, Northamptonshire, a Costa Coffee drive thru planning approval in Stoke-on-Trent, and a sizeable land acquisition in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire – all of which further strengthen the business’ national commercial portfolio.

Stuart Pratt, group development director of Godwin Developments, said: “We are delighted to have successfully concluded the investment sale of this supermarket to Knight Frank Investment Management. The deal is a culmination of two years of fast-paced development work and is a fantastic example of our capabilities to identify and acquire viable sites, amend use, obtain planning permission, as well as complete and handover a development.

“Without a doubt, the grocery market is one of the strongest retail performers at present, growing significantly during the pandemic and very well positioned for the future, which makes assets such as our Lidl store such a desirable choice for investors.”

Stuart added: “We were privileged to work closely with international chain Lidl to deliver the scheme to their exact specifications and we are really pleased to see it going from strength-to-strength, offering a real benefit to the local community.

“We would like to thank commercial property advisors Franck-Steier Price Ltd and Shakespeare Martineau LLP for their support in finalising and completing this deal.”

Ben Blackwall, Director at Franck-Steier Price said: “The newly-constructed Lidl store in Birmingham is one of a number of high-quality commercial opportunities delivered by Godwin Developments that we have recently acquired for investors seeking additional food retail for their portfolio. We were delighted to act for Knight Frank Investment Management and successfully complete this transaction.  We look forward to working with both companies again in the near future.”

The development of the Lidl supermarket in Kings Heath, Birmingham saw the creation of over 100 temporary jobs during the construction phase and c. 40 permanent roles when the store became fully operational.

Acorn Property: Planning granted for new site in Devon, located just a 10-minute walk to Exmouth Beach

Acorn Property Group has been granted planning consent for new homes on the site of a former college in Exmouth, following a unanimous vote in favour by East Devon District Council.

Located on a 2-acre plot on Douglas Avenue in Exmouth, the site is the former Rolle College campus, part of University of Plymouth. Large parts of the site have been redeveloped including the new Exeter Deaf Academy, which purchased the site in 2016, with Acorn’s consented plans set to transform the remaining area. The site is situated less than a 10-minute walk to Exmouth Beach.

Specialists at converting disused historic and industrial buildings, Acorn’s approved plans include the conversion of a Grade II listed ‘Eldin House’ building into four apartments, and a historic potting shed which will be extended and refurbished into homes. Alongside this, Acorn will build newbuild homes; the total site will provide 33 bespoke homes, a collection of 19 2- and 3-bedroom apartments, and ten houses. There will also be allocated parking spaces and select trees are being retained alongside new landscaping.

The site was purchased without planning consent from the Deaf Academy as the site was surplus to their teaching needs. The consented plans were praised at the meeting for being appropriate for the local housing need and density, and named the ‘best possible outcome’ for the disused land.

The current site is vacant, and Acorn plan to start construction this autumn, with the first homes to launch for sale Q3 2022, and final completion Q1 2023.

Acorn highlights that the approved scheme has been meticulously and sensitively designed and ensures that key features of the site will be retained and enhanced, an ethos they approach all conversion projects with.

The unanimous vote follows proactive consultation and community engagement, which saw the plans altered accordingly. Acorn’s approved plans include reducing the proposed building height from five storeys to 3.5 storeys. The plans for the potting shed will now retain the fin wall and incorporate it into the new bungalow homes to be built, following direct input from the conservation officer and urban design officer on this unit.

Ed Lewis, Regional Director of Acorn’s Exeter Region says: “We are delighted to have received planning consent and such enthusiastic support for our new homes scheme on Douglas Avenue in Exmouth, which is set to bring life to disused land. At Acorn we always endeavour to listen carefully to all feedback at public consultation and for this site we reduced the building height and have planned retention of a fin wall following our community engagement process, working closely with key stakeholders. Given the site’s location so close to Exmouth Beach, we anticipate high demand for these homes and we are excited for construction to begin this summer.”