Plans to electrify mainline rail services through Bath have been revived following a move to lower the price of the scheme, which was scrapped on cost grounds eight years ago. The project, which would have cut journey times to London by up to 20 minutes, hit the buffers in 2016 when the government pulled...
The South West’s small firms are the least confident in the UK about their prospects for this year as they continue to struggle against the state of the economy, high labour costs and the lack of available staff. Worryingly, one in five say they may have to cut their workforce to stay in business...
Bath architectural practices Grant Associates and Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios are working with conservation and education charity Bristol Zoological Society to create a new home for some of the world’s most critically endangered species. Construction of the new central African forest habitat, pictured, on the Zoological Society’s Bristol Zoo Project site will begin this...
The Bath area’s disused coal mines, which have been sealed up for more than 50 years, could be repurposed to supply clean energy to around 100,000 homes across the region. A major study will look at bringing many of the area’s 100-plus collieries back to life by harnessing their potential as sites for heat...
Private equity and investment firm Maven Capital Partners has strengthened its presence in the region to support its delivery of the £200m South West Investment Fund (SWIF). Launched last July by the British Business Bank, WIF aims to boost the supply of finance to small and medium-sized businesses across the South West. Maven manages...
The brewery behind some of Bath’s best-loved beers has installed hundreds more solar panels on its roof to harness as much renewable energy as possible for production. Bath Ales’ Hare Brewery at Warmley will now be able to generate an additional 230,511kWh electricity a year by adding the 608 new panels to its existing 892...
Logistics firm Wincanton is set to be acquired by a global freight group following a surprise $700m (£567m) deal announced today. The bid, from French-owned shipping giant CMA CGM, was backed by Chippenham-headquartered Wincanton’s board, which said it intends to unanimously recommend it to shareholders. Earlier this week Wincanton, which has 20,300 employees and...
A revolutionary airport terminal that puts nature and biodiversity at the heart of the passenger experience has opened in India, with Bath-headquartered landscape architects Grant Associates playing a key role in its innovative design. Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International, near Bengaluru (also known as Bangalore), has reinvented the idea of traditionally stressful and bustling...
Real estate group Savills has appointed one of Bath’s most experienced residential property agents as a consultant in its office in the city. Christine Penny, pictured, has worked in Bath since 1999, when she moved to the city to open Hamptons’ residential sales office. After just over 11 years with Hamptons she became a...
Logistics group Wincanton has shrugged off what it described as a “challenging trading environment” to increase its revenue. The Chippenham-headquartered group, which has 20,300 employees and 8,500 vehicles in more than 170 sites across the country, grew by 1.3% year-on-year in the third quarter despite the tougher market and its ongoing exit from closed-book...
