Wessex Court, on the junction of Clarence Street and Euclid Street, which has lain empty for three years, has been bought by EPOC Properties, a local development company based in Swindon’s Old Town.

The sale was brokered by Daniel Smethurst, a partner with Swindon’s largest commercial property agent Whitmarsh Lockhart.

EPOC’s managing director, James Phillips, says he plans to convert the attractive period property, which was built in the 1920s/30s and extended in the early 1990s, into 20 apartments. There is also A3 planning consent to add a restaurant in the property’s modern extension.

Daniel Smethurst said this is the latest in a run of interest in good quality property in the town.

“This really is a breakthrough in terms of kick-starting regeneration around that end of the town centre,” said Daniel.

“The older part of the building is elegant, with many interesting architectural features, and with 19 on-site car parking spaces it lends itself very well to high quality homes.

“The position of Wessex Court, with beautiful Queen’s Park nearby and the railway station within easy walking distance, is excellent for urban living, and I’m sure the modern extension will be very attractive for anyone looking for excellent premises for a new town centre restaurant.”

The guide price for Wessex Court was £850,000.

EPOC’s James Phillips said he was delighted to secure the property.

“These will be beautiful, upmarket homes with all the space, light and period features that only a lovely older property can offer,” he said.

“There are still original features dating back to its original function as the town’s law courts, and each apartment will be differently laid out and genuinely unique. The penthouse and duplexes on the top floor will have roof gardens and wonderful views as well. We’re expecting a lot of interest in what must be the most exciting quality homes project in the area.”

The survey shows that manufacturers in the region are continuing to enjoy good trading conditions on the back of strong demand in overseas markets, pointing to solid prospects for growth for the rest of the year.

Among South West manufacturers:

• 80% reported stable or increasing total new order volume

• 84% maintained or increased total output

• 86% recorded stable or stronger export markets

Greater confidence across the sector is also continuing to translate into some recruitment, albeit anecdotally this is being driven by temporary or agency working which will give employers flexibility should demand begin to slow.

Uncertainty about future demand had been dampening investment plans, but a number of sectors are now planning to increase in investment. The positive investment intentions posted this quarter breaks the pattern of previous recessions by recovering at an earlier stage in the cycle.

However, the short-term optimism highlighted by EEF’s survey is shaded with a degree of caution about the risks to growth in 2011. As fiscal consolidation really gets underway in the UK and others follow suit, together with the weaker outlook for the US and risks to the sustainability of Asia’s growth path, the recovery could yet falter.

Commenting, Clive Turner, Head of External Affairs for EEF in the south west, said: “Those south west manufacturers with overseas markets have continued to reap the rewards of continued growth in demand over the last three months – Europe in particular turned out to be stronger than expected.

“However, we have to maintain perspective that the recovery is coming from a very low base and the risks to the economy in the medium term haven’t gone away. The rebound in exports and modest improvement in investment will need to become much more firmly entrenched if we are to see a much-needed rebalancing of the economy.”

The South West was the region that gave a higher proportion of its vote to the parties forming the coalition; all but four of the region’s MPs are either Conservative or Liberal-Democrat.

But in the rush to dismantle the regional public sector, the South West risks being marginalised and taken for granted if it does not act now to make its voice heard, says the report Let’s Hear It For The South West.

The report by South West Stakeholders, an alliance of social and economic organisations in the region from  the Confederation of British Industry to Citizens Advice, points out that the South West already receives 9% less government spending than the UK average.

With the most stringent cuts for decades expected in the October Emergency Budget, the fear is that the region will lose out even further unless urgent action is needed to protect the region’s economy and safeguard the vulnerable.

“The Government’s commitment to reversing decades of centralisation creates new challenges for the South West,” says South West Stakeholders chair Nigel Costley, who is also South West TUC regional secretary.

“Other parts of Britain – not just the devolved administrations but the North West and the West Midlands in particular – have shown already the effectiveness of collective lobbying in making their cases to ministers.

“Local authorities, communities and people throughout the South West must find ways of expressing their collective voice to ensure they receive a fair share of limited resources and help put substance to the idea of a ‘Big Society’. We must make our needs known and our voice heard.”

The report says some parts of the South West are more vulnerable to the reductions in public spending because they rely more on public services or are heavily dependent upon defence.

It says: “Just a 6.5% cut in defence spending could mean 4,000 jobs will be lost in the region but this figure could be a lot higher. For every public sector job lost there will be another one gone from the private sector, especially in sectors such as construction, health and social care; 38% of small firms rely on public contracts.

“The Government believes that the private sector will recover enough to grow employment and take up the jobs lost from public services.

“This is a big risk and to get anywhere near the numbers required we must seize every opportunity to promote the region abroad and boost local employment in the big civil engineering projects due to come to the South West.”

The report expresses concern at the speed with which regional bodies are being abolished, pointing out that spatial planning and economic development for a sustainable future are complex matters, requiring long-term thinking and co-ordination of action over a wide area.

It says: “The new Government is clearly unconvinced about the value of regional structures and bodies, but in its drive for reform, it appears to have lost sight of the fact that within such structures and bodies are many skilled and highly committed people who have been doing some great work.”

The report says action is needed to ensure that the skills, expertise and good practice from organisations such as the Regional Development Agency (RDA), Government Office for the South West, Strategic Health Authority and other bodies are not lost in transition.

The store will focus on John Lewis’s key markets such as furniture, homewares, furnishing accessories and electricals.

The new development at the existing Mannington Road site represents a £7m investment and 39,000 sq ft of retail space, spread across two floors.

Dominic Joyce, the John Lewis at home Swindon branch manager, said: “The store will help John Lewis to gain market strength in Swindon.”

Having already opened a new store in Croydon last week, the company wishes to develop further towards its plan of opening a John Lewis store accessible within an hour of any point in the UK.

Over 180 jobs have been created by the new development with some jobs still available via www.jlpjobs.com.

Mr Joyce added: “We have had a fantastic response to our recent recruitment campaign, with over 1,200 applicants received. My new management team starts its intensive two-month training programme next week which I am really looking forward to. The schedule includes hands-on training at John Lewis at home Poole and will focus on team-building and leadership skills.

“The shop is on track for an autumn opening and the new partners and I can’t wait to welcome customers through the doors.”

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) for the six months to the end of June 2010, were £299,000, up from £205,000 for the same period last year. Turnover has increased by 29 per cent, from £1.5m to £1.9m for the same six monthly period.

The results mean the company is firmly on track to meet its goal of doubling its 2009 net profit by the end of the full financial year in December.

Premier Watercoolers supplies mains fed water dispensers on a rental-based arrangement to around 2,500 clients in the UK, including blue chip corporates, household name brands, government and public sector organisations.

Phil Langley, Managing Director, said: “These figures are clearly very encouraging, given the tough trading environment, and give us confidence that we will meet our business plan goal of a doubling in net profits during 2010.

“This is a testament to the efforts of our sales team in developing new partnerships and business opportunities but also confirms that our strategy of pursuing excellence in customer service is paying dividends.

He added: “Furthermore, our business model means the profit margin on existing contracts will continue to increase exponentially as the rental units mature and the initial capital cost of supply is recovered. We therefore face the second half of this financial year with confidence.”

Premier Watercoolers was founded by Langley in 2003. In addition to its core mains-fed water dispenser business, the company now supplies a range of other water-dispensing products including the mains-fed Hot Plus, which provides hot water at the push of a button for drinks such as coffee, tea and chocolate and reduces reliance on kettles which are inefficient both in terms of energy usage and staff downtime.

The company also launched a pioneering Carbon Emissions Assessment Scheme during 2009, enabling companies to measure the CO2 emissions from their existing water dispenser units and make informed decisions in terms of environmental impact in the future.

Peter, 87, passed away peacefully at home in Whelford, near Kempsford, Cirencester on Friday morning. He is survived by his wife, Anne (herself from brewing stock in Norfolk), children James (current chairman of Arkell’s Brewery) Jane Bayley, Rosalind Arkell and Alison Jenkinson and their families, as well as his one surviving brother and three sisters.

Born in 1923, Peter Arkell, the second eldest son of Sir Noel (his older brother died during the war), joined the family brewing business as a director in 1954. A war veteran who served with the RAF in France and Burma, Peter spent a year in hospital after his Lysander aircraft crashed behind enemy lines in Burma.

After the war he considered resuming his degree at Edinburgh University but was offered a job at Hammonds Brewery in Yorkshire – later taken over by Tadcaster Tower Brewery.

In 1954 he returned to join the family business in Swindon as a director and became Chairman in 1971.   Peter’s return to Arkell’s Brewery heralded a new age for the then 91-year old brewery, bringing fresh perspectives from his time in Yorkshire and a new informality within the traditional old brewery reflecting the signs of the times in Britain after the war had ended.

He also spotted early the growing trend amongst consumers for wine and the increased interest in dining out. Responding to this, in 1962 the brewery set up John Arkell Vintners – now a hugely successful and integral part of Arkell’s Brewery’s activities and one of the largest wine distributors in the area.

Peter, who was awarded the OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1997, once said: “My initials are ‘PA’ – Pale Ale. I was born in the brewery and I married a brewer’s daughter – I’m in it up to my neck.”

A number of significant property deals have completed, creating new jobs for the town. These include the decision in June by B&Q to develop a new 796,649 sq ft distribution centre at the Gazeley G-Park, which represented an investment of £77.4 million and is predicted to create 500 new jobs to Swindon.

In February medical products manufacturer Vygon secured planning permission to redevelop the former Motorola site in Blunsdon and build a new 250,000 sq ft warehouse facility, providing numerous employment opportunities for the local area.

Meanwhile Oxford University is progressing with the construction of a new book storage facility for the Bodleian Library on the Keypoint Industrial Development, in South Marston. The £25 million facility will be able to hold approximately four million books when it is completed later this year.

TS Tech also reaffirmed their commitment to Swindon in June and took a new six year lease on 210,000 sq ft of warehouse space in the Spectrum Building. The company, which supplies car seats to Honda, will relocate some of its staff from Highworth to the building but will also be recruiting additional staff locally.

The recent investment is not solely constricted to the industrial market. In May John Lewis announced a £7 million investment in the town. The retailer has taken a new 15 lease on a 59,000 sq ft retail unit on the Mannington Retail Park and will use it for an “at home” store. The store will create around 160 jobs when it opens in the autumn.

James Gregory, partner at Alder King commented: “It is very positive news for the future of our town that even in the aftermath of the recession we are attracting major brands and institutions who wish to invest in property and employ local people. One major factor is Swindon’s location on the M4, which makes it a perfect distribution destination for major retailers looking for a base in the South of England. Swindon can also offer businesses very competitively priced property in comparison to the nearby cities of Reading and Bristol and has a plentiful supply of skilled labour, all key considerations for employers searching for new premises.”

The survey, commissioned by Regen SW, found that there were now 5,100 people working directly in renewable energy. It also found that the value of the industry to the south west economy (GVA) had risen by 17 per cent from £215 million to £251 million.

“This survey demonstrates the huge opportunity for renewable energy to be at the heart of our future prosperity. The 5,000 plus people already employed should be just the start” said Merlin Hyman, Regen SW’s chief executive.  Merlin added: “We will see massive investment in the next decade in meeting our climate change targets. That investment could go to overseas energy and technology companies – or we could equip local companies to win the business and generate thousands of skilled long-term jobs.”

Merlin added: “Regen SW is working with over 700 businesses, local authorities and many other partners on a huge range of exciting projects from wave power to woodfuel to help businesses create green jobs. The survey shows this work is greatly valued by business. It is vital that we build on this work as the new local enterprise partnerships, which are charged with setting the vision for our local economy in the future, are set up.”

Regen SW identified a total of 731 businesses active in the renewable energy and/or energy efficiency sectors, which together directly support almost 10,000 jobs.  The findings reinforce a study by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills* which demonstrated that the environmental goods and services sector is an important component of the regional economy, and that the south west outperforms other UK regional economies of a similar scale such as Scotland and the West Midlands in terms of the level of activity in the sector.

Their ‘Local Authority Network’ is another move to involve local councils, share information and promote best practice.

The network offers special RLA membership to local authorities – sparking a new level of relationship between council members, officials and approved landlords who let local properties.

The local authorities get access to RLA training courses for their staff and local landlords, access to their consultants, speakers for their forums and a special page on the RLA website to share information and promote their events.

Interested landlords, anywhere in the country, who have listed the local authority areas in which their properties are let, will automatically be alerted about the events – which could include networking meetings, exhibitions and training courses.

“It’s a way of developing dialogue and building trust between local authorities and landlords,” said Alan Ward, chairman of the Residential Landlords Association.

“The RLA has spearheaded closer working partnerships between landlords and town halls for more than ten years and we have grown closer as the principal of formally accredited landlords has grown on a national scale.

“Now we work together on training and landlord development courses, are represented on local and national government bodies, speak at their conferences, seminars and landlord events. And the end result includes clearer understanding of the way we both operate, better trained and more professional private sector residential landlords and improving standards of rented accommodation.

“All that adds up to a better foundation for a more trusting future system of accredited self-regulating landlords working more closely with their local authorities.”

The Residential Landlords Association is the leading national organisation whose members own over 100,000 properties in the UK’s private rented sector. The range of members’ services – on www.rla.org.uk – includes advice, insurance, financial services, credit referencing and training.

The new centre will provide full public access to the BPMA’s unique and fascinating collections, as well as providing responsive, flexible storage and conservation facilities. It will also enable a vast expansion of its educational programme and work for young visitors. A phased opening is planned to begin in 2013.

The BPMA combines the collection of the former National Postal Museum and the Royal Mail Archive and contains iconic objects such as red pillar boxes and postal vehicles, as well as every British stamp issued since the Penny Black, original design artwork, posters and photographs.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios LLP are industry leaders in creative re-use and sustainability, and have recently completed such landmark projects as the new learning centre at Hampton Court Palace and the Valence House Museum and Archive for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. They have also designed the National Trust’s award-winning headquarters, Heelis, on the Great Western Railway site and have previously worked on the overall site master-planning for Swindon Borough Council.

Adrian Steel, Director of the BPMA commented: “The BPMA is very pleased to have appointed FCB as architects for this exciting new project. We feel that they are the right partner to deliver the new home our outstanding collections deserve – they have over 30 years experience in the industry with a strong track record and fantastic reputation.”

In June 2010, the BPMA received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) first-round pass for a grant of £2,617,800, including development funding of £117,800 for the project.