Reading-based music composition business Ex Cantibus Gaudium (ECG) – meaning ‘enjoyment through melody’ – is hitting the high notes as it becomes the first company to benefit from a new funding initiative to help businesses in Berkshire grow.

Kent Science Park is now part of a new nationwide network of science and technology parks which have started to operate as a single entity. Under the acronym BEST (The Business Environments for Science and Technology) Network creates cross-network clusters for the UK in some of the highest growth sectors.

Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst (SBC), the UK’s first open innovation (OI) bioscience campus, believes that the convergence of multiple innovative technologies is one of the future's most important healthcare trends.

The Torbay Development Agency is working with Galliford Try, the contractor company behind the construction of the new South Devon Link Road, to help businesses in the Bay gain the maximum benefit from the massive infrastructure project.

Aerohub @ Newquay Cornwall Airport Enterprise Zone was today established as one of the most significant planning free development areas in the UK, after it was awarded its second Local Development Order (LDO).

The new LDO provides a simplified planning process and allows development on the Aerohub site without the need for planning permission, including the potential for a 35.5 hectare Business Park to be built. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles today gave his approval for the Enterprise Zone’s second Local Development Order, making the Aerohub site one of the largest planning free environment in the UK. Approval for the LDO comes after a successful Open Day held by Aerohub in January to mark the start of the consultation phase.

Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government said: “Enterprise Zones are creating new local jobs and stimulating business ventures through significant tax incentives, simplified planning and superfast broadband that will rebalance the economy. I’m delighted that the Aerohub @ Newquay Cornwall Airport Enterprise Zone is taking advantage of these changes and by getting simplified planning in place can boost employment and growth in Cornwall.”

Plans for the Business Park include an ancillary hotel and retail and leisure facilities, which will be developed over the next 20 years.  The site also forms an integral part of the successful bid by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership(LEP) to establish the Enterprise Zone at Newquay Cornwall Airport.

Chris Pomfret, Chair of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly LEP, said “This is a major milestone for the Aerohub project and we are delighted DCLG has approved the LDO, which will be crucial in developing Aerohub @ Newquay Cornwall Airport.  We are in the unique position of being one of the largest planning free environments in the UK and the Business Park will be at the heart of Aerohub’s development.  It will provide businesses with a unique operating environment, offering significant investment and development opportunities as well as access to a skilled and experienced workforce”

Miles Carden, Enterprise Zone Manager, Cornwall Development Company said: “The Aerohub is already home to a number of high profile clients and this second LDO will be the key incentive to attract further investment, new business opportunities to the area and job creation. The aerospace industry is showing considerable growth potential and Aerohub has quickly established itself as a centre of excellence and innovation. The LDO allows efficient and effective planning, which is an invaluable tool to help attract a first class industry in Cornwall.”

Cornwall Development Company worked with Cornwall Council on a second LDO after successfully securing the first UK Enterprise Zone LDO in 2011.  The original LDO on Newquay Cornwall Airport covered a significant area of development land totalling over 58Ha (144acres) and in total the LDO covered 280Ha and (691 acres) of land.

The two LDOs combined cover over 243 hectares (600 acres) of land making it the largest area covered by LDOs in the UK.  The second LDO and accompanying development framework is funded through the ERDF Convergence Programme.

The Enterprise Zone is being led by the Cornwall and Isles of ScillyLocal Enterprise Partnership and Cornwall Council, as the owners of the airport and surrounding land.  They have co-commissioned Cornwall Development Company, the Council’s arm’s length development company, to deliver the project alongside Cornwall Airport Limited as the operator of the Airport.

GB Building Solutions has been awarded a £10 million new care home for Signature Senior Lifestyle in Epsom, Surrey. This is the third project awarded to GB by Signature following recent awards in Coombe and Marlow. This follows their recent £34 million contract to develop student accommodation for Kings College in London.

Planning consent has been for the new £50 million Rubislaw 7 speculative office development in Aberdeen.

Creativity in film is one of the UK’s most important sectors when it comes to Inward Investment and leading the way is the City of Bradford, a cultural metropolis in the north of England.

A new £3 million fund to help grow small firms in Norfolk and Suffolk has been officially launched by Business Secretary Vince Cable today.

The latest Duport Business Confidence Report found that 1,900 new firms began operating in Derby in 2012, a 14% rise on the 1,667 starts in 2011. Dupont said this was the highest number in a single year in Derby, eclipsing the national average of 8.6%.

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline, has today been awarded the rights to fly between London and Moscow by the CAA and will launch flights from Spring 2013.

German baker Ditsch has appointed property consultants Cushman & Wakefield to advise as it looks to expand into 50 new locations across the UK.

Established in Mainz, Germany, in 1919, the business is looking for sites in UK locations with prime footfall, such as regional shopping centres, major city and town centres, pedestrian high streets and tourist destinations.

Ditsch has grown from humble beginnings as a small pizza and pretzel maker to today employing 400 staff in 200 outlets in Germany and the UK. It now offers a range of products, freshly baked on the premises, which mainly include pizza slices, various baked snacks and beverages.

The firm is currently based in 13 UK locations including: Victoria Station, London; Union Street, Birmingham; Westfield in Derby; Arndale Shopping Centre, Manchester; Commercial Street, Leeds; and Paradise Street in Liverpool.

Cushman & Wakefield will assist Ditsch in securing units from 85 sq ft to a maximum of 270 sq ft (8 sq m-25 sq m) and any shop configuration, such as under-escalator kiosks, corner locations, RMUs or mobile stands, will be considered.

Matt Illingworth, partner at Cushman & Wakefield, said: "Ditsch is a long-established German company with strong financial backing and a scalable business model. Baking delicious products in front of customers' eyes is a simple concept for which there is always an appetite. We will help Ditsch find bright, modern and flexible units which will complement the firm's high standards."

More than 4,000 jobs could be created thanks to a package of over £17 million of funding from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) to accelerate infrastructure projects and the development of its two Enterprise Zones.

Leicester and Leicestershire’s presence at MIPIM this year has generated unprecedented excitement and enthusiasm for economic growth. The strong political support and leadership from the City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, and the Leader of Leicestershire County Council, Nick Rushton, has not only galvanised the relationship between our City and County but has also given businesses the confidence and reassurance  they need to invest .

 

Record Breaking Day for Wind

•Wind generates over 5 gigawatts of electricity for whole 24 hour period for the first time

•Enough to power the equivalent of 4 out of every 10 British homes

•Power was generated during one of the coldest March days on record and whilst gas price at 7 year high

AVEVA selected as Business of the Year 2013 from a field of impressive candidates

Cambridge, UK: AVEVA announced today that it has been named Business of the Year 2013 at the Cambridge News Business Excellence awards which took place Thursday 21 March at Kings College, Cambridge. Chosen from a list of prestigious Cambridgeshire companies, the award recognises an organisation that has led the way in 2012 in terms of growth, diversification or consolidation.

 

 

Mojo Maritime revealed plans for its patented development of the HiFlo-4 Installation Vessel (HF4) at the Renewable UK 2013 Wave and Tidal Event in London.

HiFlo-4 is a high performance vessel built around installation processes and the demanding environment experienced in tidal races such as The Pentland Firth. The launch focused on the vessel’s capability, the economic model and the commercial development of the project and is focused on safe, economic industrialisation of tidal energy.

 

 

Aeromexico, Mexico's global airline, held an event to present the recent start of operations between London and Mexico City, a service which will increase trade, business and tourism ties between the two nations.

 

 

Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership has agreed to fund its first project from the £8.4million Gloucestershire Infrastructure Investment Fund to create jobs and kick start investment.

 

Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced that Zeta Controls Limited from Bicester, Prodrive Automotive Technology (Europe) Limited from Banbury and Oxford University have won bids for the Government’s Automotive Supply Chain Funding Initiative (AMSCI).