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Top story
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Controversial Hope Street plans to be approved
Maghull Developments' plans to redevelop the Josephine Butler House site at the junction of Liverpool’s Hope Street and Myrtle Street have been recommended for approval ahead of Liverpool City Council’s planning committee meeting this week. The scheme hit the headlines in 2008 when Maghull stood accused of starting the demolition of the building before an application for it to be listed was heard.
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Deals
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Microvisk raises £2.5m for blood test
St Asaph-based Microvisk has raised £2.5m of funding through a rights issue. The funds will be used to develop SmartStrip, a handheld system to monitor the blood clotting status of patients taking the drug Warfarin. Finance Wales invested alongside Midven, Oxford Technology Management, Porton Capital, New Hill, the Rainbow Seed Fund and private investors.
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EFG lending falls, finds Aldermore
The average size of loans offered to businesses under the government's enterprise finance guarantee (EFG) scheme has fallen 7 per cent over the past 12 months, according to new research published today. The study by Aldermore also revealed that the amount of funding offered under the scheme had fallen from £186m in the first three months of 2010 to £149m in the second quarter.
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Food and drink M&A set to increase, says Grant Thornton
More than two thirds of senior executives at UK-based food and drink producers said that they expect merger and acquisition (M&A) activity to increase in the next 12 months. According to a report by Grant Thornton, 20 per cent of respondents said that they were planning to broker a deal in the next year, despite the slow market of late.
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Business
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Connaught jobs go in Merseyside
The administrators of collapsed property services group Connaught have made around 200 people redundant in Merseyside. Workers at the firm's site in Sefton were among 700 job cuts made nationally by administrators at KPMG. However, the construction union Ucatt has reacted angrily to the way staff were told they had lost their jobs - by conference call.
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Premier Foods prosecuted by HSE
Food manufacturer Premier Foods has been fined £14,000 after an incident at its Manor Bakeries site in Merseyside. Thomas Williams suffered severe traumatic brain and spinal injuries when a metal pillar fell on him at the Wirral plant.
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World Cup hits IRC trading
Poor weather at the start of the year and adverse trading during the World Cup has hit profits at Individual Restaurant Company (IRC), the owner of restaurant chains Piccolino and Restaurant Bar & Grill.
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Wirral braced for golfing boost
Wirral is expecting a tourism boost of £175,000 this week with the start of inaugural Wirral Golf Classic. More than 200 competitors are expected to take part.
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Economy growth slows, finds Markit
The North West economy continued to outperform the wider UK economy in terms of both output and new work in August, according to data released today by Markit. However, growth slowed to its weakest level for almost a year, with firms blaming public sector cuts for the slowdown.
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Join our business community…
Take advantage of Insider’s Membership package: Insider magazine, events, business guides, exclusive online content and Insider partner offers. Special introductory offer until 30 September 2010.
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Insider event - Doing Business in South East Asia
Insider is holding its third international trade breakfast of the year later this week – Doing Business in South East Asia. A panel including Clive Drinkwater from UK Trade and Investment, Peter Thompson from Evans Vanodine, Planet Knox’s Margaret Travell and Mark Leaver from Creative Industries KTN will answer your questions at Manchester Art Gallery on 16 September.
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Property
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Halton work up for grabs
Halton Housing Trust, the registered social landlord with around 6,100 homes, is to spend up to £28.4m on construction maintenance over the next four years.
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Developers wary ahead of spending cuts
UK development activity declined in August at the sharpest rate for 14 months, the Commercial Development Activity Index compiled by Savills indicates. This reflected a further steep fall in public sector development, alongside a decrease in private sector activity for the first time since July 2009.
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Other News
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LEPs like ‘donkeys at the Grand National’, says PSP
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Union warns on job recovery
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