Nearly 400 new energy-efficient homes announced for Gloucester
A housing developer has said it will build at least 390 new homes in Gloucester in the next five years - more detail to explain how the city could accommodate 13,600-plus homes in the next 20 years!
Dear Readers,
We hope you had a great weekend and your Monday has gone well. Welcome to the first edition of The Raikes Journal of the week.
If you missed it on Friday we introduced you to our latest Founding Partner, Merrell People, one of the growing stable of businesses that are making this community interest company possible and enabling us to deliver you some interesting journalism supporting the county. You can do that here.
We’ve broken up the format slightly today. It still has our usual collection of news briefing notes, and we introduce you to a ‘charity’ - but we’ve covered off two stories instead of one big read.
The first article is the second in a series we are running to help pre-promote the Cirencester Business Awards.
The second was a piece of news that caught our eye about nearly 400 new energy efficient homes planned for Gloucester - but a number that pales alongside the total planned for the city, and Cheltenham and Tewkesbury for that matter, over the news few years. We are talking thousands. We also two other construction related items below as well.
One is in our selected diary dates at the foot of this edition either!
Have a great week.
Please do send us your story ideas to andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk. Or telephone 07956 926061.
Our chosen charity: Your chance to help Cheltenham communities
A new campaign has been launched to help ease the cost of paying for school uniform for the customers of Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH). The housing provider, which manages an estimated 5,100-plus homes as well as homeless services on behalf of Cheltenham Borough Council’s (CBC). Cheltenham residents are being encouraged to donate outgrown or unused school uniform items, sports kit, bags and lunchboxes which can be recycled back into CBH communities in the town. Donations can be made to our donation point inside the store Dunelm Cheltenham. The campaign will run and accept donated items until the end of May.
* Everything you read on The Raikes Journal is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College and Merrell People; our sponsors: Randall & Payne and Hartpury University and Hartpury College; our Founding Members and all our wonderful paying subscribers. If you upgrade to paid too, you’ll be able to see beyond the paywalls we place on many of our second and third editions of the week and that locks our archive after two weeks. You will be able to view our rolling Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series comment on our stories and you’ll be helping to make possible this community interest company dedicated to supporting the county, its businesses, charities and education and training providers — all for just £2.30 per week!! For commercial opportunities visit our About us page or email andrew.merrell@raikesjournal.co.uk.
The honour of being crowned Business of the Year could be yours
With the deadline fast-approaching to enter the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2024, sponsored by Redkite Solicitors, Raikes spoke to some of those who triumphed last year to find out how special it feels to walk away a winner from the event.
It was not just an honour to win this award, it opened up lots of new opportunities and raised the profile of his company, is how last year’s winner reflected on his triumph in the headline Business of the Year category.
Raikes asked Steve Gleed (pictured above, second from the left, above), of The Cotswold Range, to tell us what it was like to be called up onto the stage in front of his peers and sponsors of the Cirencester Chamber of Commerce Business Awards to win the ultimate prize.
We have partnered with the chamber to help pre-promote the event, this year made possible by headline sponsor Redkite Solicitors, and make sure as many people as possible know that while it will take place in early July, the deadline for entries is fast approaching.
“Winning the Best Business award and Micro Business award was a huge honour. To be recognised when so many fantastic businesses entered was brilliant for our business and a reward for the hard work we put into customer satisfaction and sustainability,” said Gleed, whose popular archery and air rifle business is based at Cotswold Water Park.
“The evening itself was an amazing occasion and opened up a lot of networking opportunities which we have since built upon, from sharing ideas to manufacturing products for our range.
“It was our first year in both entering the awards and becoming a member of the commerce. The radio and newspaper coverage of the awards opened lots of doors for us and we welcomed a lot of new corporate groups and local customers to our venue to take part in our activities.
“We are looking forward to continuing our membership and building relationships with key businesses within the area.”
Stephen Harris, a partner and head of residential property for Gloucestershire for Redkite, said: “As a local business ourselves, Redkite Solicitors recognises that local businesses are the backbone of our local economy and culture, and that’s why we’re so pleased to back this year’s Cirencester Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
“Celebrating Cirencester businesses isn’t just about acknowledging their successes. It’s about recognising the sheer dedication, innovation and resilience needed to keep going from year-to-year and even day-to-day.
“From family-owned shops passed down through generations to tech startups pushing the boundaries, each and every one of us plays a vital role in shaping our region’s identity and prosperity.
“So as well as recognising individuals and businesses, these awards are about taking pride in our community and showcasing the diversity of talent and expertise that thrives among us, enriching our town and our region in ways that extend beyond commerce.
“Redkite Solicitors is proud to be part of this vibrant community and to support local businesses in any way we can.”
This year’s awards are due to take place on Friday 5 July 2024 at the Royal Agriculture University and there are 11 categories to enter. These Apprentice of the Year, Employee of the Year, Manufacturer of the Year, Medium/Large organisation of the Year, Professional Services Provider of the Year, Self-employed/Freelance of the Year, Small Organisation of the Year, Team of the Year, Ethical Business Award, The Going Green Award and the Innovation Award. Business of the Year is picked by the judges.
Applications must be submitted by email to awards@cirencesterchamber.org.uk no later than 24 May 2024. You can find out everything you need to know right here.
Attention property owners and managers - this could save you a fortune
Managers of property portfolios, letting agents, estate agents or property consultants are being offered the chance to access the very best legal advice on Wednesday this week, for free, at a professional training seminar that could save them tens of thousands of pounds.
Imagine if you are a portfolio landlord, letting agent, estate agent or property manager - you’ve had a good relationship with your tenant and both sides have always acted professionally.
Then, as they go to leave you property a minor technicality, such as how a contract was filled out years previously, arises and before you know it you find yourself embroiled in a legal battle that costs you tens of thousands of pounds.
It’s a very real nightmare for many in an area made trickier by the ever-shifting sands of legislation - and meaning a little bit of legal advice can be worth more than its weight in gold. Which is where Cheltenham law firm Willans’ a professional training seminar comes in.
Its property experts, Nick Southwell, James Melvin-Bath and Bethen Abraham, are due to stage a free training seminar on Wednesday this week (April 25) tackling the subject of residential property repossession.
Melvin-Bath, who deals primarily with residential property, said: “The point of the session is to help people better understand what they need to do.
“If you look at one of the biggest areas of claims they come off very simple breaches and we think giving this advice will allow them to better serve their clients and avoid problems which otherwise would be very expensive to fix.
“This is a great opportunity to get some really succinct focused advice on things that could otherwise cause some significant issues for landlords, and it’s a great chance to also network with other property professionals.”
With deposits on some Cheltenham properties running into tens of thousands of pounds and legal fees quickly rising into the thousands, Willans is hoping to not just save you money and keep those relationships with tenants and property owners healthy – but show you how a relationship with a good legal team can be as good an investment as, well, the property itself.
Topics covered will include getting compliance right, the impacts of non-compliance, managing expectations, serving notices and starting a claim.
Who should attend? Letting and estate agents, property managers and consultants and professional portfolio landlords.
The seminar is due to take place at Willans offices at 34 Imperial Square, Cheltenham, from 3.30pm to 5pm, starting with half an hour of networking over tea and coffee before the seminar and expert panel question and answer session begins.
You can find out more by clicking here or emailing events@willans.co.uk.
Your Monday briefing notes
📚 The banter on Linkedin and other social media platforms, mainly from those who have completed the programme already, says it all; it’s going to be great fun, it’s going to be challenging, it’s going to be worth it. This is the LEAD™ programme, run by leadership development experts QuoLux that has helped shape and energise so many business leaders in Gloucestershire and beyond, and about the camaraderie that exists among those who have graduated. We wanted to do our bit to celebrate the latest cohort (number 23, no less!) as the group begins its 10-month journey (not least because QuoLux is one of the Founding Partners that makes Raikes possible). The new recruits are pictured above during a two-day ‘overnight experiential’ to get to know one another at Hatton Court Hotel in Upton-St-Leonards.
🏗️ The Forum scheme, the £107 million city council-led programme to re-invent the Whitefriars area of Gloucester - probably the most transformative development in the city centre of our generation - now has an award to back up the continual publicity around the scheme. It is great news too for city-based firms involved in the project - Quattro Design Architects and construction firm G Carter & Co, as well as lead developer Reef Group. The one-two and three-bedroom apartments, with a residents’ private roof garden in Gloucester, have been named Small Residential Development of the Year at the Insider South West Residential Property Awards. Agents Savills and Knight Frank have already sold all 19 apartments. The vision for The Forum is a “digital quarter in the heart of Gloucester” that will also house offices, a gym, retail units, restaurants, a Hotel Indigo (IHG Hotels) and a rooftop bar. It's due for completion in this year.
✈️ There was good news for Gloucestershire-based Ontic, which supplies parts for legacy aircraft worldwide, and to many of the biggest names in aviation. The firm, which has a major base at Staverton and Bishops Cleeve in Cheltenham, has signed a new 10-year deal with aerospace giant Boeing, to provide the American giant with thrust reverser actuation systems and propeller electronic control units. Its portfolio is simply vast, and covers civil and military aircraft platforms.
🏬 Landlords of empty units in Cheltenham town centre are again being asked to work with the borough council and the town’s BID (business improvement district) to clean up their shopfronts and proactively market their premises for let. They are being encouraged to contact the local authority and talk about any challenges and barriers they may have in filling or repurposing their vacant units, as well as keeping them in a good condition. The work is part of the ‘vacant units action plan’, which aims to keep Cheltenham ‘a vibrant destination of choice to live, play and work’. You can read the full press release in our PR Wire channel.
Nearly 400 new energy-efficient homes announced for Gloucester
A housing developer has said it will build at least 390 new homes in Gloucester in the next five years - adding more detail to how the city could well be accommodating 13,600-plus homes in the next two decades.
A housing developer, and Gloucester's biggest landlord, has outlined its plans to build at least 390 new energy-efficient homes in the city in the next five years – all affordable accommodation.
Kingsholm and Podsmead, to the north and south of the city centre, will be where the majority of those new homes will be built.
The number might seem hight, but it is less that three per cent of the total new homes the city is considering accommodating over the next two decades to meet demand.
Gloucester City Homes, said the accommodation was part of its new five-year plan and would be in addition to the 45 new homes tenants moved into in March this year.
“All new properties will use sustainable energy sources and achieve the highest energy efficiency rating possible – EPC A.
“Over the next strategy period, GCH will reduce its reliance on traditional construction techniques, oil-based and non-recyclable products to reduce waste and pollutants.
“It is also aiming to improve the design of new homes with a specific focus on customer accessibility and building inclusive communities,” said a statement from GCH.
Michael Hill, executive director of customer experience at GCH, said: “Economic uncertainties have increased development costs, while the need to improve the energy efficiency of our homes has placed additional pressure on the business.
“We will continue to innovate, building high-quality homes that generate growth, while maintaining financial discipline and capacity to meet our other commitments, such as improving our existing properties and estates.”
The business, a community benefit society that took ownership of Gloucester City Council’s housing stock of 4,488 rented homes in 2015, added an extra 446 new homes in and around the city during its last five-year plan – which ran until March this year.
GCH's most recent annual report, for the year ended 31 March 2023, shows a turnover of £26.6m and a total full-time equivalent of 151 staff.
Its plans may seem ambitious, but they are a drop in the ocean in the context of the 35,700 new homes proposed for Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury in the latest draft strategic local plan, which sets out the vision for development across the three districts for the next 20 years.
Public consultation on the proposals closed in March, with the draft document outlining the need to build 600 new homes across the three areas during that time to meet housing need - 13,620 in Gloucester, 11,140 in the Borough of Tewkesbury and 10,940 in Cheltenham. The second stage of the consultation is expected in 2025.
In February this year city council lead Richard Cook said 2023 had witnessed the largest number of homes ever built in Gloucester in a single year since council records began – more than 1,350 homes, of which he said 417 were affordable homes.
Gloucester City Homes, which today manages an estimated 5,000 homes, has outlined its latest plans in its New Homes Delivery Strategy 2024 – 2029 GCH.
It said all 390 of the new properties 'will use sustainable energy sources and achieve the highest energy efficiency rating possible – EPC A'.
Over the five-year period GCH said it also planned to reduce its reliance on traditional construction techniques, oil-based and non-recyclable products to reduce waste and pollutants.
It is also aiming to improve the design of new homes with a specific focus on customer accessibility and building inclusive communities.
One of the ways it plans to do this is through increased resident involvement in the design stages of development.
Of the 45 new homes it released in March 25 one- and two-bedroom flats in Northgate and three family homes and one bungalow at Hartpury in the Forest of Dean were built by Aqua Construction Ltd.
Lane Britton Jenkins built 16 family homes and one-bedroom flats at Henley Bank in Brockworth.
Its last five-year plan which ran until 2024 saw the developer, a community benefit society that took ownership of Gloucester City Council’s housing stock of 4,488 rented homes in 2015, deliver 446 new homes in and around the city.
A report called The economic impact of building social housing, published by homeless charity Shelter and the National Housing Federation (NHF), claims 90,000 social homes needs to be built each year to fix the housing crisis and help end homelessness.
Factoring in savings on housing benefit, Universal Credit and the NHS as well as income generated by a boost to the construction industry the report calculated each 90,000 social homes delivered would result in a £51.2 billion benefit to the economy.
Diary Dates
Wednesday
Don't think tech or cyber security is for you? Worried that you aren't technical enough? Not sure what jobs are available? Join WiTCH (Women in Tech & Cyber Hub) for a coffee morning where it will break down routes into industry and the transferable skills that will get you there. Whether you are just starting out or looking to progress. Due to take place from 8.30am to 10.30am at Clockwise, Jessop Avenue, Cheltenham. Find out more here.
Thursday
The Ladies of Cheltenham Hacking Society reconvenes on Thursday 25 April at Copa, from 6pm to 8pm. The event is sponsored by CoreTech Security It is a members’ only event. Details and RSVP here.
Thursday
Constructing Excellence Gloucestershire Club is staging its next networking breakfast The Chamwell Centre, in Longlevens. The event is billed as a chance to connect with industry leaders, exchange ideas, and explore new opportunities. Tickets are £20 per person and this includes a donation to the club’s charity partner, The Gloucestershire Community Foundation. You can find out more here.
* Everything you read on Raikes is made possible by the generous support of our Founding Partners (we’ve already let you know about QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College and now Merrell People and more will be revealed over the coming weeks) our founding members and our paid-up subscribers. A massive ‘thank you’ to all our other subscribers too. The support of all of you is invaluable!
🔓 You’ve been reading a free edition of The Raikes Journal, for which we are grateful. Please do spread the word about what we are trying to do - create a real, journalistically-led, community-orientated, Gloucestershire-focused digital magazine. If you upgrade to paid, you will get on average eight extra members-only editions every month and will be able to see beyond any paywalls, as well as read Raikes’ rolling Top 100-plus Businesses in Gloucestershire series. You will also be allowed to comment on stories, make suggestions for what we should be writing about, vote in our awards, and might even be invited to our roundtable events. And you’ll be supporting the rebirth of high-quality journalism in Gloucestershire on a website championing the county you love — all for just £2.30 per week (Ask us about 20 per cent off for groups of two or more subscribers).