Skem welcomes Kirkby call-in
West Lancashire District Council has welcomed the government’s decision to call in Everton and Tesco’s Destination Kirkby project for a public inquiry. The council formally objected to the plans, saying that its £350m plans to regenerate Skelmersdale would be harmed. Michelle Taylor, director of West Lancs’ development partner St Modwen, told Insider: “West Lancs has been working with the public here for a long time and what’s coming forward is a robust scheme that we hope to get outline consent for by the end of the year. It’s a whole new town centre, which Skelmersdale absolutely needs.”
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Takeover at Protherics?
Biopharmaceutical company Protherics, which operates its research facility in Runcorn, Cheshire, has confirmed it has been approached by a number of parties interested in buying the company. The board is considering its options but it said there "can be no certainty that any formal offer will be made". Shares in Protherics hit 49p during early morning trading, up 28.1 per cent from yesterday.
Barclays hooks its fish
James Fisher & Sons, the Barrow-based marine services company, has secured a £25m funding package from Barclays after the bank identified it as a "key target". The company, which has a turnover £182m and employs 1,300 staff across its UK and international operations, is planning to build on 16 acquisitions in six years and refinance the debt it holds with other banks. Group finance director Michael Shields said: "Our business has delivered significant growth over recent years on the back of strong organic growth and selective acquisitions."
HBOS closes mortgage business
Banking group HBOS is to close The Mortgage Business (TMB), one of its specialist mortgage brands at the end of next week. The department employs 200 people at the Chester office of the bank. It is expected that roughly half this number will leave, with the remainder being redeployed within the group. Existing TMB mortgages will be unaffected.
Parkinson leads the way as report is trashed
Among the avalanche of criticism heaped on the authors of the Policy Exchange’s Cities Unlimited report, Insider’s favourite comments came from Professor Michael Parkinson of the European Institute for Urban Affairs at Liverpool John Moores University. Parkinson dismissed the observations as “teenage scribblings”. Parkinson is currently compiling a report into the impact of the credit crunch on the UK regions, which will be unveiled at Insider’s UK Investment Forum in London in November.
Preston joins the Premier league
Premier Inn has signed up to operate the 136-bedroom hotel at Amadeus' £20m Preston city centre scheme, which will also include 18,000 sq ft of retail space and 74 apartments. Kubik Design, part of the Amadeus Group, won planning consent for the scheme at the junction of Fox Street and Ringway earlier this month.
ACC man to speak at Insider event
Bob Prattey, chief executive of the
all-conquering ACC Liverpool events and conferencing centre, is to be the
speaker at Insider’s next Liverpool event. The
breakfast, sponsored by Barclays Commercial, Roland Dransfield PR and Rumford
Investments, takes place at 20
Chapel Street on Tuesday 16 September at 8am. To
register your interest in attending please contact Helen Power in the Insider
events team on 0161 907 9745 or Helen.power@newsco.com.
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