SWINDONBUSINESSNEWS

Re-organisation and development of its Wiltshire business is bringing an office rationalisation for property consultancy Carter Jonas in Swindon. The firm is to close its residential sales and lettings office in Wood Street, Old Town, but retain Little London Court, where its professional services team has been based for several years. The residential business will transfer to its other offices in Wiltshire under the leadership of residential partner Rory O’Neill in Marlborough. Carol Conway will continue to manage the lettings business across the county. ... Read More

The latest RICS Commercial Market Survey, for Q4 2009, reports improved letting activity for commercial property in Q4, 2009 for the second consecutive quarter. The improved activity is led by better tenant demand for office and industrial properties, but with retail still lagging behind, with tenant demand still in decline across most regions. The survey also reports that the rate of increase in vacant space is starting to reduce with the turnaround led by office space in London, where supply declined for the first ... Read More

Whitmarsh Lockhart has completed a new five year lease on Unit 9 Isis Trading Estate to Matchbox Services on behalf of Industrious. Matchbox Services offer in-house and outwork solutions for mailing campaigns, fulfilment and pick and pack.  Gary Dee of Matchbox Services commented: “We were already operating from a smaller unit on the estate but due to lack of space with various new contracts won, the landlord was able to offer a simple surrender of the old lease and a new lease on ... Read More

European logistics company TDG, which is now a fully integrated part of Honda’s operations, has taken Unit 11D Broadmoor Road, South Marston Park to facilitate its expansion plans. TDG has taken a sub-lease of the 89,412 sq ft distribution facility, due to expire in July 2012, at a rent of £463,000 per annum. The deal was negotiated by commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), on behalf of Telereal Trillium. South Marston Park is a well established industrial estate situated approximately ... Read More

Medical products manufacturer Vygon, currently based in Bridge Road, Cirencester, has obtained detailed planning permission for redevelopment of the high profile 46-acre former Motorola site in Blunsdon, Swindon. Vygon is purchasing the site from Motorola; the company will retain part of the existing facility and construct a new warehouse facility totalling approximately 250,000 sq ft.  The business will relocate from Cirencester and intends to be fully operational from the new site in 2011. Adam Fletcher of Adapt Properties, who are Vygon’s retained Development Managers, ... Read More

Lettings experts Swindon Home Finders are keeping their fingers crossed for an award that TV presenter Phil Spencer rates as the best in the country. The Estate Agent and Letting Agency’s national award scheme (known as the Estas) is the largest and longest-running award scheme in the estate agent industry. The Estas are unique because there is no judging panel of industry experts involved in selecting the winners. Instead, letting agents are judged by their landlords on the effectiveness of their property management process, ... Read More

UK Commercial Property Trust (UKCPT) and their development partners, Shearer Property Group, have started the demolition and reconstruction of The Parade Shopping Centre in the retail heart of Swindon. UKCPT, who own this important site, are sending the bulldozers in to demolish the existing Bhs store in order to make way for 80,000 sq ft of prime new retail space. This will comprise a new variety store of 45,000 sq ft for the latest Bhs concept, together with six additional retail units. The unit ... Read More

Lydiard House is set to smash records with a 100 per cent jump in annual profits this year according to the conference centre’s general manager Sean Brown. Christmas party bookings have reached an all time high and bookings for early 2010 for the Swindon-based venue point to a 30 per cent increase in annual turnover and doubling of profits for 2009/10 compared with the previous year. To cope with this success, additional staff have been engaged, and several part time staff are ... Read More

The National Landlords Association (NLA), the leading representative body for private-residential landlords in the UK, has welcomed today’s announcement that the Government will explore the reinstatement of tenants’ right to choose if their rent can be paid directly to their landlord. "Supporting people into work: the next stage of Housing Benefit reform", published today by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has acknowledged that problems exist: "some stakeholders have raised concerns about the operation of direct payment of Local Housing Allowance to ... Read More

Acting on behalf of a private owner occupier, property consultants Alder King have sold a warehouse unit at Glenmore Business Park in Chippenham. Alder King sold Unit 6, Glenmore Business Park to Rohmann UK for an undisclosed sum.   The property comprises a mid terraced modern warehouse/industrial unit, which extends to 1,742 sq ft.   It has well presented air conditioned office accommodation at first floor level extending to 487 sq ft and a ground floor kitchenette. Rohmann UK specialise in non-destructive testing eddy current instruments ... Read More