< Previous10 Business Link www.blmforum.net COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Creating new communities Major mixed-use projects are making progress across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, establishing new communities for a growing population. Leeds Urban Villagewww.blmforum.net Business Link 11 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY P lans for major mixed-use schemes are moving forwards across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, aiming to enhance towns and cities with new communities providing residential, commercial and leisure space. In Leeds, for example, joint venture partners Cole Waterhouse and Tonia Investments recently secured a significant amended planning consent for Leeds Urban Village, a £185 million mixed-use, residential led project in the east of Leeds city centre. The partnership snapped up the 3.8-acre site in May 2022 with full detailed planning permission for over 1,000 apartments across five towers with commercial space on the ground floor. Following the purchase, DLG Architects and landscape specialists Exterior Architects were appointed to review the scheme design with a focus on enhanced placemaking and wind mitigation features, and a Section 73 Minor Material Amendment Application was submitted in December. The new planning approval will mean there are wholesale changes to the building’s elevational and public realm design and wind mitigation measures have also been substantially improved via changes to the towers’ form and massing. Leeds Urban Village will provide 1,012 residential apartments across five towers ranging from 13-23 storeys and will include 478 BTR apartments. The ground floor spaces will accommodate retail, food and beverage as well as resident amenities like a shared pantry, cinema, gym and a ‘library of things’ (appliances and equipment for people to borrow). The scheme’s public realm, meanwhile, designed by Exterior Architecture, 12 Á12 Business Link www.blmforum.net features a climbing wall and spaces for active play, and a large central hub offers opportunities for events, markets and gatherings. A new cycle hub is also proposed with direct platform lift access to basement parking and cycle welfare facilities. George Smith, planning manager at Cole Waterhouse, said: “These design enhancements will ensure that Leeds Urban Village is a desirable new urban neighbourhood and a cultural destination in itself, designed to meet and exceed people’s expectations now and in the future. Located in the heart of Leeds city centre with both the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Great Northern Ballet nearby, we have looked at how we best build on the surrounding cultural offer to deliver a vibrant and meaningful placemaking strategy to strengthen further our engagement with the cultural and creative community in Leeds as our vision for the site develops.” A Q2 2024 start date for works is being aimed for. In North Lincolnshire, plans for a major, sustainable mixed-use scheme set to include thousands of homes alongside high-value employment, community and leisure space, have moved a step closer with the acquisition of a development site. Hargreaves Land has exchanged contracts with site receivers Watling Real Estate for the conditional purchase of a 550-acre plot of land at the Lincolnshire Lakes site in Gunness, near Scunthorpe. Over 1,150 homes will be created over the next 15 years as part of a master- developer partnership that will also see potential for a new Advanced Coney Street Riverside schemewww.blmforum.net Business Link 13 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY Manufacturing Park to be brought forwards on part of the site — a 65-acre section that has been given a strategic allocation in North Lincolnshire’s emerging Local Plan, which could provide new commercial space to accommodate a range of emerging businesses, alongside research and development institutions, including those within the clean energy sector. Lincolnshire Lakes is anticipated to be one of the largest residential development schemes in the region and forms part of a wider strategic regeneration project transforming the overall area, which will also involve delivery of a new primary school, district centre and extensive areas of public open space. It will be masterplanned by Hargreaves to accord with the placemaking principles of a sustainable twenty-minute neighbourhood, with new opportunities created for active travel alongside areas of blue infrastructure and biodiversity corridors. David Travis, development director at Hargreaves Land, said: “Lincolnshire Lakes is a very exciting investment for Hargreaves Land, reflecting our track record and continued focus in successfully delivering large- scale placemaking schemes throughout the UK. This includes our involvement in the on-going development of Unity, another large-scale mixed-use development in South Yorkshire which has a lot of similar constraints, where we are working with joint venture partner Waystone Developments to ensure project success. This deal represents a significant milestone for our overall growth as a business, and we look forward to delivering sustainable development on site over the next few years.” Furthermore, York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce last month (July) publicly pledged support to Helmsley Group’s Coney Street Riverside masterplan. The business support organisation has urged York City Council to approve the planning applications submitted by the York-based property specialist for the scheme, with the positive comments formally submitted to the council as part of the planning process. Proposals for the regeneration project include the creation of 250,000 sq ft of mixed-use retail, leisure, commercial, residential and extensive public realm. The vision also supports the introduction of a boutique, independent retail experience, alongside the rejuvenation of the historic lanes and passageways joining Coney Street and the River Ouse together, helping to make the riverfront accessible to all. Max Reeves, development director at the Helmsley Group, said: “Coney Street Riverside offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver the city’s long-held ambition to reinvigorate a loved but sadly under-appreciated area, reconnect Coney Street with its riverfront, create much-needed public realm of national standing and improve both connectivity and accessibility within central York. It builds on our vision to honour the area’s rich heritage while sensitively taking the necessary strides required to secure its long-term future.”14 Business Link www.blmforum.net ACCOUNTANTS REVIEW © stock.adobe.com/Liubomirwww.blmforum.net Business Link 15 ACCOUNTANTS REVIEW P icking the right accountant or accountancy firm for your business can be a tricky challenge. It may feel like everyone is a financial expert online nowadays, and there are plenty of dodgy actors on the market just looking to take advantage of people. The introduction of AI and ChatGPT has only made this worse, as even some actual lawyers have been caught out trying to use AI- generated briefs in the courtroom that were found to be entirely inaccurate. One of the biggest things to look for in an accountant – beyond the obvious of certification and qualifications – is whether an accountant has had relevant expertise in your industry before. Finance may be finance, but no two industry sectors are the same, and accountants with expertise in The right person for the job The right person for the job Picking the right accountancy to handle your finances could be as easy as calling a number, but is that the best way to find the perfect company, or just the easiest? 16 Á16 Business Link www.blmforum.net ACCOUNTANTS REVIEW manufacturing or agri industries may well be able to direct a customer toward available grants, savings, and benefits that an accountant unused to the industry might not know of. Ideally, your accountant should work in your best interests, and that means being more than a simple bookkeeping service. They should be capable of spotting things others may have missed, highlighting problems and alerting someone within your company to address the issue. Many of the best accountants look to work with companies who are continuously expanding as well, which means they’ll often have departments offering best advice and framework for securing additional capital and may even be in touch with investors. You want to find an accountant who is proactive about saving and making money, and who isn’t going to be stuck and buried doing hundreds of tax returns a year when they could be helping you. With that in mind, it’s always worth interviewing different accountancy firms. It may seem strange, and some might call it a waste, but you would want to interview an accountant you were hiring to work for your firm, so why would you not want to speak to a new supplier who might cost you even more? A good accountancy firm will be happy to speak with you and discuss what they’ve done for other people, and they will be eager to boast and show evidence of satisfied clients. Look deeper than simple testimonial and see if they can provide case studies of instances where they went out their way to save a customer money. Meet the person who would become your personal agent within the company as well, if they’re available, and talk with them. Having a strong www.blmforum.net Business Link 17 ACCOUNTANTS REVIEW channel of communication is integral in terms of continued cooperation, and you should make sure that the individual knows exactly what you expect of them. When it comes to searching however, one of the best things you can do is get in touch with other businesses through social media or networking events and pick their brains. Ask them who they use, how they are, and get a candid response over a glass of wine or can of beer. When people are away from the office and the legal need to be fair and even in all recommendation, they can afford to be more honest and tell you, in no uncertain terms, whether a company is worth talking to or not. Understanding Capital Gains Tax on second properties Acquiring second homes has always been a popular investment option, and with the increasing interest rates and the cost-of- living crisis, some are considering what to do with their assets. It is therefore important to know the tax implications relating to the sale of second homes and how and when to report this. Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is a tax on the profit when you sell (or ‘dispose of’) something (an ‘asset’) that’s increased in value. Each person is entitled to an annual CGT allowance which is currently £ 6 , 0 00 with any gains up to this level being treated at 0%. This can work well for couples as they can double up on allowances, so if you are planning to sell, it may be worth looking at transferring the asset into joint names first if it isn’t already held that way. If you make a gain after selling a residential property, you’ll pay 18% CGT as a basic-rate taxpayer, or 28% if you pay the higher rate of tax. If your income makes you a basic-rate (20%) taxpayer, but you have made a large enough capital gain to push you into a higher-rate tax bracket, you will pay the higher rate of CGT on the amount that takes you over the threshold. There are many considerations when it comes to CGT on second homes including Principal Private Residence Relief and Periods of Absence, so it’s important that you understand the different scenarios and tax implications before making any decisions. To discuss your CGT implications, get in touch. © stock.adobe.com/Elena © stock.adobe.com/ ijeab18 Business Link www.blmforum.net PRINT AND PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT D esigning and executing the best packaging for your brand, identity and product can be a labour of love, often necessary to attract customers in the first place. But it’s worth the attention to detail, down to the literal fine print that can hold consumer attention by providing them with vital information. Even in these smaller details, there are a multitude of functions such as accessibility, placement and appearance to consider. Conveying unique selling points and features – even in just a few words to as many people as possible – contributes a great deal to making an instant emotional connection or being able to tell an intriguing story to anyone spotting a product on a shelf. Whether the focus is image, colour, text or a combination of all three, ergonomic and attractive packaging design is what first grab the eye in a highly competitive retail environment. It establishes brand recognition and loyalty and serves as a marketing tool by creating a visual or narrative identity that distinguishes a product from its competitors. To look, feel and be different from the competition, start by making your print and packaging designs vibrant and unique, but simple and clear in their functionality and communication. A clean and uncluttered design allows consumers to focus on the essential details and helps the product stand out, while consistency with colour, shape, imagery and taglines fosters instant recognition and trust with consumers. Simplicity and speaking volumes aren’t mutually exclusive. A single well-chosen graphic or short phrase can be more striking and resonant than all the words or pictures in the world. Looking at brand image and identity as making the best possible first impression might be helpful when creating or reworking designs. Flashy gimmicks might be handy for an instant buzz but irritate customers in the long term. The key to capturing attention For business looking to communicate brand identity and captivate customers with their packaging, they can’t afford to forgo clarity and sustainability. 20 Áwww.blmforum.net Business Link 19 PRINT AND PACKAGING SPOTLIGHT © stock.adobe.com/WasanNext >