Britannia warned: make it happen Pressure is mounting on Britannia Hotels, owner of the Old Firestation on Manchester’s London Road, to bring forward plans for the derelict site’s redevelopment. Speaking to Insider, Janet Dunnett, chief executive of the Piccadilly Partnership, said: “We’re supportive of Britannia and will back them but we need to see something done as it is holding the area back. They need to be embarrassed into action. Ideally, we’d like to see a mixed commercial and cultural scheme there – perhaps a contemporary art gallery - so the one can support the other.” Manchester City Council has mooted the possibility of a Compulsory Purchase Order before, while plans for a music heritage centre and hotel were floated by then-Partnership chairman David Partridge in 2006.

Manchester-based textiles and furnishing group Vision Support Services (VSS) is planning to carry out a funding round to raise money for its investment vehicle, PBJ – the private equity fund of its owner, Laurie Thomas. The company, which recently acquired £8m of assets from Hilden Group through an administration process, has the appetite to carry out one acquisition per quarter, according to director Dan Wright. He told Insider: “The fund was set up to give us more firepower. There are a lot of transactions around at the moment and ready access to capital will make it easier for us to write bigger cheques.”

The Insolvency Service is in talks to move to Three Piccadilly Place, Insider understands. Currently based over two floors at Boulton House on Chorlton Street, the government department is looking for about 20,000 sq ft, which can be provided on one floor at the scheme, developed by Argent but now owned by Carlyle. Serviced office provider Regus is also in discussions about taking space both for a standard business centre and a 3,000 sq ft ground floor suite to use as a “touchdown centre”.