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Over 50 jobs are set to be created in the city, as business advisors Cooper Parry announced plans to expand after becoming the first tenants at Colton Square, in Leicester’s New Business Quarter. The company have taken the ground floor of One Colton Square, the first stage of the New Business Quarter to be completed. The new office is 8,000 square feet larger than the company’s previous office, creating the room to increase their workforce as the company grows in the city. New staff will be joining existing teams and developing new service offerings. Kevin Harris, partner at Cooper Parry, said: “We are looking to increase our staff numbers from 30 to 80 over as short a period as possible. Moving into the larger office space at Colton Square has brought forward our planned expansion. Most of our existing staff are from Leicester and Leicestershire and we will definitely be looking to continue this trend by recruiting more Leicester people.” John Nicholls, chief executive of Leicester Regeneration Company, said: “The New Business Quarter aims to accommodate 4,000 new jobs and this announcement by Cooper Parry shows that making the right kind of space available for business attracts growing companies in strong sectors. We can really see the area taking shape, and I’m looking forward to more businesses moving into Colton Square.” Phase two of Colton Square, also by Goodman, will bring a further 50,000 square feet of office space and a restaurant. This phase of the development incorporates the listed 1930s Charles Street police. City and Thames are building 40 apartments at the same site. The New Business Quarter is one of the five key areas in Leicester Regeneration Company’s Masterplan for the regeneration of the city. Work is now advancing on site in all of the five areas. More than £3 billion is forecast to be invested in the city over the next few years. At the Waterside, archaeological work has been taking place on two sites in preparation for new developments. An archaeological investigation has been completed at Cirrus Property’s Blackfriars development, clearing the way for demolition work to begin this month (October). The development will bring over 600 apartments to the waterside, along with shops, cafes and restaurants. Archaeological investigations are underway at No1 Westbridge, on Bath Lane, the striking trio of hotel and apartment towers designed by world famous architect Ian Simpson. URBED have been appointed master planners for Blueprint’s eco-friendly, ten-acre waterside development. A planning application for the site is expected to be submitted in the New Year, with development beginning in 2010. At Highcross Leicester, the glass fronting of the John Lewis building has been unveiled for the first time. The layers of glass feature a textile and hosiery theme, reflecting the city’s heritage. The £350 million extension to The Shires is due to open in September 2008, with more than 40 per cent of the new retail space already let. Leicester City Council is continuing its renewal of the city’s streets and spaces, with work to transform High Street into a fully pedestrianised area. The street is being repaved in a £6.45 million project, beginning with the area around the clock tower. At Wolsey Island, Morris Homes have started work on a development of 305 units at Abbey Park Road. The scheme is the second to start on Wolsey Island, which has a capacity for 2,000 new homes. Also on Abbey Park Road, the first phase of The Shoe Factory by Sock Island Developments is due for completion this autumn. The £5.4 million development sees the sympathetic restoration of Boston House, a former 1920s shoe factory, into 44 loft-style apartments. At St George’s North, Lee Circle Exchange has started preliminary work on the redevelopment of the Telereal Building in Wharf Street, leading the way for construction to start in the winter. The development of 129 apartments at 40 Wharf Street will adjoin the 86 apartments in Leicester House and marks the first real progress in plans for a new, urban village to breathe new life into the Lee Circle area. Leicester
City Council
has launched
an advertising
campaign
to inform
people
about the
city’s
regeneration.
Posters
are being
displayed
on buses
and banners
are being
put up
at key
regeneration
areas in
the city,
with the
first one
being erected
in High
Street.
People
are being
directed
to the
council’s
updated
website http://www.leicester.gov.uk/regenerationnews for
more information
on the
council’s
projects.
For further
media information:
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