North Yorkshire attraction set at former POW Camp is put up for sale as owners retire
A North Yorkshire visitor attraction based at a former Prisoner of War camp is up for sale after the founding family announced plans to retire. Specialist leisure property adviser, Christie & Co, has been instructed to sell one of the UK’s most iconic, award-winning visitor attractions: Eden Camp Modern History Museum in North Yorkshire. Originally a prisoner of war camp, Eden Camp was built on the outskirts of Malton, North Yorkshire, in early 1942 to accommodate POWs, the majority of whom were not Nazis but ordinary men conscripted into the German forces. The site was bought 40 years ago by Stan Johnson, who invested £750,000 investment into a two-year project to turn it into Eden Camp Modern History Museum, opening it to the public in 1987. Today, the museum tells the story of The People’s War, the social history of life in Britain from 1939 to 1945, as well as its historic background as a POW camp. The museum tells its story through moving figures, authentic sounds and even smells to transport visitors back in time. Over the last few years the owners has invested over £1.25m in renovation and restoration works to the fabric of the buildings, while also adding a new 'Blitz Experience', a remodelled entrance, new exhibition spaces and the Heritage Exhibition Hall, which displays Eden Camp’s collection of unique and rare military vehicles and equipment. The business works closely with veterans groups and over the years its archive has become a resource of national historical and educational importance. The museum attracts around 125,000 visitors each year, and is popular with school groups, with around 25,000 children visiting in 2023. For many years the museum has also received both TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice and Certificates of Excellence awards. After nearly 40 years in the same family ownership, Christie & Co is marketing the business for sale as its owners look to retire, and the property company is seeking “substantial” offers for the business to include the valuable freehold property. Howard Johnson, son of the late Stan Johnson, said: “Since our father passed away in 2015, my sister and I have continued as custodians of this incredible business. We have consistently invested in improving the facilities and customer experience and have a fantastic team we work with here, but we too are at that time in our lives where it makes sense to pass the reins to new owners. I’ve been contacted a number of times over the years asking if we would sell and so this tremendous opportunity now becomes a reality.” Jon Patrick, head of leisure and development at Christie & Co who is overseeing the sale process, said: “There are many people, particularly those from Yorkshire, who will have visited Eden Camp as a child and returned with their own children, parents and even grand-parents as there is something here for everyone. With over 105,000 items of memorabilia we can see Eden Camp appealing to a national and even international buyer audience, such is the interest in the subject matter.
Construction firm named to deliver new headquarters building for Cardiff Council
German-owned construction group Goldbeck has been chosen to build a new 100,000 sq ft headquarters for Cardiff Council in Cardiff Bay. The new HQ is scheduled to open around the same time as the 15,000-seater indoor arena - subject to financial close this spring - in 2027. Both schemes form part of the wider Atlantic Wharf 30-acre mixed-use regeneration scheme, with plans for leisure, restaurant and hotel developments, as well as office and residential. Goldbeck UK has entering into a pre-contract service agreement (PCSA) with the council - which will finalise the cost and design of the building - before entering into a development agreement later this year. The project will be the biggest undertaken by Goldbeck’s UK subsidiary. It will finance its construction through its group investment company Indigo. On completion Cardiff Council, using its long-term borrowing powers with the Treasury’s Public Works Loans Board (PWLB), will acquire the building. The council’s cost, while yet to be finalised, will be around £60m. The payment of interest and capital on its PWLB borrowing will partly be covered from savings generating by operating a smaller and more energy efficient building that its current 270,000 sq ft County Hall building. The existing building will be demolished with the land freed up for mainly residential development at Atlantic Wharf. The building will also provide new studio and production facilities for the Wales Millennium Centre to help training and developing talent in the performing arts. It will arranged its own funding mechanism for ownership post construction. Craig Davies, managing director of Goldbeck UK, said: “The new County Hall to be built by Goldbeck UK for Cardiff Council at Atlantic Wharf will use our industry-leading construction model to deliver an operationally zero-carbon building. “The new office space will provide a modern working environment more closely tailored to the council’s needs and have significantly lower operating costs to the current building it replaces. "As we manage all aspects of the project from architectural design to the manufacture of materials and assembly on-site, we ensure tight cost control, which is a top priority for Cardiff Council and vital to the success of the Atlantic Wharf area redevelopment as a future working and cultural hub for the city.” He added: “Atlantic Wharf is exactly the type of mixed-use sustainable development project delivering modern commercial space, private and affordable housing and leisure facilities, with new urban infrastructure, that is urgently needed across the UK to support local communities and drive the country’s economic growth. The UK potentially will be the biggest construction growth market in Europe over the next 10 years.
Oil distributor opens new regional head office and two depots
A UK oil distributor has opened a new regional head office in Exeter along with two South West depots in Avonmouth and Plymouth. Your NRG said the expansion would mean it was able to supply commercial fuel and domestic heating oil across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. The opening of the the two new South West depots brings the number in the Your NRG network to 17. The company supplies more than 600 million litres of fuel and heating oil to homes and businesses across the UK, including in the Midlands, East Anglia and the North of England. "The opening of our Avonmouth and Plymouth depots is a proud moment for Your NRG. It reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that homes and businesses across the South West have access to reliable, cost-effective fuel solutions," said Lee Reason, commercial director at Your NRG. The Avonmouth depot will cater to domestic and commercial fuel customers, while the Plymouth depot will supply commercial fuel. "At Your NRG, we’re driven by the needs of our customers," added Mr Reason. "The Avonmouth and Plymouth depots allow us to better serve families, farmers, and businesses in the South West, ensuring they have access to affordable, high-quality fuel when they need it most."
New owners of former Hilton hotel in North Wales
The new owners and name of the former Hilton hotel in North Wales have been confirmed. Hilton Garden Inn hotel opened in 2021 next to the surf lagoon at Adventure Park Snowdonia, Dolgarrog. The Ainscough family invested millions into the site and both schemes were backed by around £8m of Welsh Government grant funding. The surf lagoon closed in the summer of 2023 after a series of mechanical failures. But the hotel site - owned by Snowdonia Hotel Ltd - continued to operate under the Hilton branding. Last month Begbies Traynor were confirmed as administrator of Snowdonia Hotel with a pre-pack sale agreed and staff transferred to the new owner. It has been confirmed the sale was to Interesting Hotels for an undisclosed sum, with Enterprise Hotels and Hospitality advising on the deal. The freehold hotel was purchased unbranded and features 106 guest bedrooms. It has now been renamed as IXORA Hotel and Spa. Interesting Hotels Group's portfolio includes Chateau Rhianfa in Anglesey, Hawkstone Park in Shropshire, Poets House Hotel and Restaurant in Ely, Llangoed Hall in Powys and The Swan at Hay in Herefordshire. Gavin Wright, founder of Enterprise Hotels and Hospitality, said: "This was an exceptional opportunity to acquire a newly built hotel and spa fitted to an excellent standard near the Snowdonia(Eryri) National Park, which attracts nearly four million people every year. "The hotel has been successfully acquired by Interesting Hotels, who completed the transaction within just a three week period. The hotel has been renamed IXORA Hotel and Spa and adds to Interesting Hotels' existing portfolio, which includes three other hotels in Wales."
Newcastle hotel group sells luxury Cheshire hotel in multimillion-pound deal
A Newcastle hospitality group is seeking new opportunities for growth after selling one of its venues to new owners in a multimillion-pound deal. Mere Court Hotel in Knutsford, Cheshire, has been sold to an unnamed North West hotelier for an undisclosed amount by Newcastle based Ailantus. The four-star country house hotel is set across seven acres of grounds, with 34 rooms and an AA Rosette restaurant. The deal to sell the luxury venue was overseen by Newcastle-based Mincoffs Solicitors. The law firm has been advising Gosforth-based Ailantus group for more than 25 years, with the firm's other venues including the George Washington Hotel in Washington, the Holiday Inn at Gosforth Park and the Quality Hotel in Boldon, South Tyneside, as well as other hotels across the North of England. Mincoffs’ corporate partner John Nicholson worked with Ailantus director, Neel Chawla, to deliver the transaction. Mr Chawla said: “The corporate team, spearheaded by John Nicholson, have once again transacted diligently and efficiently in our group’s first hotel asset disposal. We look forward to working with Mincoffs on future transactions.” John Nicholson said: “Ailantus are a longstanding client of the firm and Mincoffs has advised Neel and the team on their portfolio for a number of years. It was our pleasure to act on the sale of this venue, as part of the group’s ongoing restructure.
Manchester's building boom falters to 'lowest level in 10 years' as huge developments fall through
The great Manchester building boom slowed to its lowest level in a decade, the latest Deloitte crane survey has shown – but analysts are optimistic there's more development to come. The city saw the start of only 20 new construction projects in 2024, which the survey said was the 'lowest level in 10 years'. Despite the successive decline in new starts over three years, John Cooper, infrastructure and real estate partner at Deloitte, holds an optimistic view regarding Manchester's prospects. He said: "You only need to look at the skyline in Manchester to see just how much the city has changed over the last decade, as it has transformed it into a dynamic innovation hub. Our survey's findings demonstrate that despite ongoing pressures and a decrease in new starts, Manchester's construction sector remains active." In the combined area of Manchester and Salford, there were 58 developments under construction over the past year. That led to an 'significant increase' in completed projects, with 27 reaching completion. Residential initiatives were central to the construction sector, with 4,448 new homes finished in the previous year, while another 10,788 homes were still being built. With residential projects constituting over half of the new schemes and approximately 9,000 additional homes predicted to be ready within two years, market analysts suggest that "Manchester is on track to exceed the average annual demand for homes", reports the Manchester Evening News. Mr Cooper, said: “Despite economic headwinds and political uncertainty shaping much of 2024, the residential market in Manchester continues to deliver strong results. “The city’s commitment to addressing housing needs and the projected completions of approximately 9,000 new homes over the next two years means Manchester is on track to exceed the average annual demand for homes, identified in Greater Manchester policy.” “With Manchester’s leading higher education institutions also bringing in thousands of students every year, the city’s student residential sector is continuing to deliver more bedspaces, with a number of new permissions granted to ensure growing student demands can be met.” Office openings in Manchester have seen a significant increase, with 1.07 million sq ft marking the largest total since 2020. However, concerns persist about the lack of new office space available in the city centre in the coming years Mr Cooper added: “The shift to hybrid working patterns has created an opportunity to deliver high-quality office space that prioritises collaboration and sustainability. Manchester has certainly embraced this trend whilst seeing a shift towards refurbished offices which represents 68% of the total floorspace under construction in 2024. The pipeline of activity is strong, ensuring Manchester remains at the forefront of hybrid, sustainable office spaces that cater to changing working dynamics.” Professor Duncan Ivison, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester, emphasised 'there is more to do' in 'attracting top talent to the city-region and empower them to push the boundaries of discovery and innovation'. In the hospitality sector, 258 new hotel rooms were completed last year, with an additional 1,181 expected by 2028. This expansion will support the growing demand for visits to Manchester, which has been boosted by the opening of Aviva Studios in 2023 and Co-op Live in 2024. Deloitte now estimates Greater Manchester's tourist economy to be worth £8.7b, a figure also bolstered by fans attending Manchester City and United matches. Last week BusinessLive reported on Manchester's big ambitions to become a £15bn tourist city. “Manchester boasts many unique cultural offerings, from its iconic music scene to its globally renowned football teams. New leisure developments are making the city a must visit destination, bringing world-class artists right to our doorstep. “The tourism sector was hit hard during the pandemic, however it’s clear that it has come out the other side stronger and more resilient, with Manchester alone accounting for £4.65 billion of tourism and supporting around 45,000 jobs. As a result, the demand for hotel rooms is growing further, with a strong development pipeline helping to ease strains on the sector.”