One of the world’s first all-electric refuse vehicles will soon be collecting commercial waste from Bath firms following a £500,000 investment by waste management and civil engineering firm MJ Church. The pioneering truck, pictured – the first on the UK’s road – has been built to the Marshfield-based firm’s strict zero emission specification. That...
The Covid-19 pandemic has been affecting us all for more than a year now. My fellow regional agents and I know that those businesses that rely heavily on being able to have customers visit them in person – for instance, the hospitality and tourism sectors right across the South West – have been particularly...
Bath’s historic character could be at risk if changes to the planning system announced in this week’s Queen’s Speech become law, Bath Preservation Trust is warning. It could also lead to poor-quality homes being built around the city without local people having a say, the Trust said. A new Bill reforming current planning rules...
The South West is England’s top region for business innovation, according to a new report by the CBI – but it faces challenges over its low productivity and skills gap. The CBI report also reveals that low levels of unemployment and short commuting times compared to other parts of England gives the South West...
Restoration has started on Bath’s historic Cleveland Pools following a 17-year community campaign to save the Grade II* listed site. The oldest surviving public lido in the UK, the Cleveland Pools, pictured, were built in 1815 and are now regarded as a nationally significant site. The restoration project has the support of hundreds of...
A £12.7m battery storage project planned for construction alongside one of the UK’s largest solar parks has new owners. The 50MW Sandridge Battery Storage project between Melksham and Bromham has been bought by JLEN, the listed environmental infrastructure fund, and Foresight Solar Fund, which owns the neighbouring 200-acre Sandridge solar park. The lithium-ion battery...
The Western Gateway, the cross-border economic partnership of eight cities either side of the River Severn including Bath, has appointed three new members to its board. They include former Institute of Directors Bristol chair Lhosa DalyLhosa, pictured, who has also been chair of Bristol art gallery Arnolfini. The partnership was launched in November 2019 as the UK’s...
The new owners of a popular gastropub near Bath are planning to boost its outdoor facilities to take advantage of the shift to al fresco eating and drinking as they prepare to reopen it next month. The leasehold of the 18th century Wheelwrights Arms in Monkton Combe, pictured, has been bought by Richard and Sandra...
Small business confidence has staged a dramatic recovery in the South West, according to the results of a new survey, as firms look head to life after lockdown. The latest quarterly survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), conducted among its members last month, reveals levels of optimism not seen for nearly seven...
Bath Rugby has abandoned it plan to build a car park under The Rec as part of its wider regeneration scheme – but has said it remains committed to expanding and modernising the stadium. More than a year after it unveiled its proposals – the latest in a long line of planned upgrades suggested...
