Godwin Signs Wendy’s at Brampton Hut Services

First services location for US burger chain as part of the brand’s UK expansion plans

UK property developer Godwin Developments announces that the iconic global restaurant brand Wendy’s will be joining the purpose-built roadside retail development Brampton Hut Services in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. This marks Wendy’s first drive-thru restaurant opening in the UK and supports Wendy’s exciting expansion plans across the country this year.

Wendy’s franchisee Blank Table Ltd. has taken a 3,264 sq ft drive-to and drive-thru unit at Brampton Hut, joining three other existing quick service restaurant tenants.

Brampton Hut Services was developed by Godwin Developments, and the company designed the scheme, secured planning and agreed three commercial leases off-plan within a year. It is located adjacent to the Brampton Hut Interchange, an established leisure and service area destination in Cambridgeshire with neighbouring amenities including a BP Connect filling station and truck park, Premier Inn hotel, and several other quick service restaurant concepts.

Located in a prime roadside location, which links the busy A1 and A14 trunk roads, Brampton Hut Services is also positioned alongside the main arterial route between Cambridge and Peterborough and sees a daily traffic count in excess of 80,000.

Following completion in 2018, including five roadside retail units, today, Brampton Hut Services employs approximately 200 people and serves the A1 and A14 interchange, in keeping with Godwin’s commitment to regenerating land and supporting economies. It has also provided passing traffic and the community with a modern, convenient new place to access retailers and internationally renowned brands.

Wendy’s expects to be welcoming its first customers at Brampton Hut on 23rd January.

Claudine Tracey, Associate Director, Commercial Development at Godwin Developments, said: “We are excited to have attracted the iconic global restaurant brand Wendy’s to Brampton Hut, supporting the company’s ambitious growth plans for the UK market and providing customers access to high-quality, freshly prepared food. We look forward to building our partnerships with major market players in the quick service industry to support their growth and expansion plans whilst offering customers a desirable place to visit.”

Carl Morris, Managing Director of Blank Table said, “Wendy’s has been focused on quality and exceptional hospitality since day one, a real differentiator in the industry and a commitment that we value at our organisation. We’re thrilled to open the first Wendy’s restaurant with a drive-thru in the UK, giving the British community more access to Wendy’s fresh, high-quality food.”

Stuart Pratt, Director and Co-Founder at Godwin Developments, added: “As we continue to see new entrants into the market, our strategy of buying well-located sites across the country is aligned with their expansion plans, resulting in meaningful partnerships to provide additional choice and amenity for local residents and visitors.”

79th Group - Khaleej Times - Webster family launches private equity offering for the natural minerals sector

The Webster family, team behind Seventy Ninth Group and Seventy Ninth Resources has launched a new private equity offering for partners focused on the natural resources sector

The asset management business, headquartered in the UK and with a team at The Jumeirah Lake Towers within the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), has launched 'Seventy Ninth Global DMCC' for partners in the region who are seeking to grow their portfolios within the natural resources sector.

The vehicle is designed to offer investment partners tax efficiency and an exit route with the Webster family offering the first refusal on any shares a shareholder may wish to sell after the initial 24-month minimum term.

The goal of the Seventy Ninth Global DMCC is to fund the next phase of exploration on three of the firm's gold concessions in the Republic of Guinea; raising capital to fund the next stage of drilling, driving value as the Resources team continues towards the proven mineral reserves stage.

David Webster, chairman, comments: "Through the launch of Seventy Ninth Global DMCC, we are offering partners from across the region the opportunity to become part of the Seventy Ninth Resources journey and share in its growth."

Antony Benham and Bill Kellaway of SRK Exploration with Dave Webster, Chairman of the Seventy Ninth Group.

He adds: "Few commodities have exerted such a strong fascination over such a long period of human history as gold. None, certainly, have played such a varied and essential role in commercial activity. Gold continues to have significant value because of its capacity to store value over time better than many alternatives, making it highly regarded as a hedge against inflation and the decline of the US dollar."

"Gold has long been seen as a vital diversification tool for partners looking to safeguard their portfolios in turbulent times. And such an approach has been more than justified by gold's performance throughout historic crises."

He concludes, "Although an independent proposition, Seventy Ninth Global DMCC is backed by the vast experience and resources of the wider Webster family portfolio of companies. We are a growing, international business, but we continue to operate with family values and exemplary client service."

David, Jake and Curtis Webster visiting Republic of Guinea as part of their concessions exploration.

Seventy Ninth Resources, a brand of the Seventy Ninth Group, is one of the fastest-growing natural resource owners in West Africa. The range of Seventy Ninth Resources' assets consists of multiple resource concessions, including gold, bauxite, iron ore, diamond and cocoa. The majority of the company's concessions are situated within the Siguiri Basin, a mineral-rich area located in the Republic of Guinea.

The Webster family is trusted by over one thousand private and institutional partners from over twenty-five jurisdictions who see the Seventy Ninth Group as a cornerstone of their investment portfolio.

Single family housing scheme in Ely gets green light

Cambridgeshire single family rentals (SFR) development will be delivered through modular construction

UK property developer Godwin Developments announces it has secured planning permission for its first single family housing (SFH) development comprising 78 houses and flexible commercial space.

Cathedral Green in Ely, Cambridgeshire, includes two- and three-bedroom houses with private gardens or terraces, as well as 85 resident and guest parking spaces. Devised specifically for the single family rentals market, it is completely aligned with the company’s ambition to create a strong nationwide BTR platform, offering high-quality homes in areas with robust demand characteristics.

Godwin Developments obtained consent from East Cambridgeshire District Council to deliver the homes using modular methods of construction, resulting in a range of benefits for residents, the neighbouring community and the environment.

Cathedral Green will have substantial ESG credentials and will include high levels of insulation, triple glazing as well as natural and extract ventilation. Combined, these features will significantly improve the energy efficiency of the homes – compared to traditional construction – helping to lower bills for residents and reduce the environmental impact of the scheme. Sustainability will also be supported through the inclusion of two cycle spaces per home as well as EV-ready charging for all homes.

In addition, the use of modern methods of construction (MMC) is expected to speed up the on-site delivery of the development as well as reduce waste, disruption and embodied carbon.

Emphasising well-being and community, Cathedral Green will also feature extensively landscaped open spaces intended to host community activities. At the heart of the development will be a reimagined village green, which will be car-free to support the creation of a safe zone for pedestrians and children. It will also include a woodland walk as well as natural play areas for children, a teens’ retreat and exercise space.

The 1.99-hectare scheme is located close to the centre of Ely, a highly sought-after cathedral city with a multitude of nearby amenities, schools, open spaces, shops and historic attractions. Residents will also have easy access to Ely Station, which is within walking distance and offers regular trains to Cambridge as well as London and Stansted Airport.

Tom Smallbone, Head of Residential Development, Godwin Developments said: “We are delighted to have secured planning approval for our first single family housing development. Positioned in a gateway location in the sought-after cathedral city of Ely, it offers quick access to Cambridge – one of the UK’s major life sciences hubs and a focus for growth, investment and employment for years to come.

“As a business, we will continue to focus our efforts on growing our BTR pipeline nationwide in areas of clear economic expansion and restricted supply of homes. We see the Oxford-Cambridge corridor and the Home Counties as key for developing more single family homes for rent while London, Bristol and Birmingham are the target cities for our multi family offering.”

The homes to be built on site will be complemented by a 1,845.5 sq. m. three-storey commercial building, which will provide additional flexible working space for residents as well as businesses from the community.

Rapleys were planning consultants for the scheme, and RG+P were the architects on the scheme.

Godwin Developments has a fast-growing nationwide portfolio, including nearly 3,000 residential units nationwide. The business operates primarily across the BTR sector covering both multifamily and single family housing and recently announced it had entered into a joint venture agreement with a leading institutional real estate investor to build a portfolio to the value of £1 billion.