A planning application for Hitachi Capital Commercial Vehicle Services’ (HCCVS) new headquarters in Trowbridge has been submitted to Wiltshire Council. The fast-growing firm wants to move from its existing base on the Canal Road Industrial Estate, which it will soon be too small, and has identified a greenfield site near the White Horse Business...
The Government is failing to address the problems of small businesses, particularly the lack of access to finance, West business leaders have told the director general of British Chambers of Commerce during a visit to the region. John Longworth was in Bristol to meet Business West, the region’s business lobbying and advice that also...
Housebuilder Skanska Residential is to develop up to 45 homes on a 4.2-acre former Ministry of Defence site at Lansdown on the outskirts of Bath. The firm, part of the giant Swedish construction and development group Skanska, is to work with award-winning Bath architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studio to develop concepts and plans for...
Bath-based engineering design consultants Buro Happold are helping create a unique walkway across the rooftop of London’s 02 Arena which will give visitors spectacular views across the capital. The ‘Up at The O2 experience’, due to open by June 21, features a tensile cable and fabric walkway over the Thameside venue’s roof. The only...
Just under 500 small businesses are responsible for much of the South West’s economic growth and are creating vital wealth and jobs, according to a new report. These 490 high-growth firms represent only 5.1% of all small businesses in the region, yet they play an extraordinary role in boosting the economy, reveals research by...
The Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council has awarded the University of Bath a £1.5m grant to further its research into low-impact, energy efficient buildings. The grant, secured with the support of the university’s Research, Development and Support Office, will fund Enliten – a project which is aimed at reducing carbon emissions from energy...
Developers of large warehouses – so-called big sheds – are starting to buy sites in the West, positioning themselves for an upturn in demand, according to commercial property advisors GVA. However, the firm’s annual Industrial Intelligence report warns that the region is facing a shortage of good quality accommodation because of the lack of speculative development. GVA’s industrial...
Work has started on the largest-ever scheme to modernise signalling on the Great Western railway line through Bath. When completed, the four-year £350m improvements to the 1960s signalling infrastructure could help cut delays by 50%. The upgrade is vital to prepare for electrification of the line between London and the West and forms part...
Regional renewable energy group Regen SW has hit a new milestone – 200 organisations have joined within just 15 months to support its mission to enable ground-breaking renewable energy projects and low carbon jobs. This achievement comes as new figures show renewable energy share of electricity generated jumped from 7% to 9.5% across the...
Chancellor George Osborne opened his Budget by saying it would “unashamedly back business". But did he succeed? Here are the views of a range of business leaders and professionals. Paul Bennett, managing director of specialist printer Fascia Graphics, Chippenham: “The incorporation of National Insurance and Income Tax, relaxation of employment laws and the pledge...
