The Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) South West region has elected Phil Bisatt as its new chair. Phil, Taunton Deane Borough Council’s planning policy officer, has worked in local government for more than 30 years in a variety of planning and transport policy roles. As well as being a Chartered Town Planner, he is...
A shortage of skilled workers in the South West is hitting the region’s construction industry and potentially holding back essential infrastructure and building projects, according to a new report. Some 44% of construction firms in the South West are witnessing a lack of staff with the right skills, triggering above-inflation pay rises, according the...
Firms in Swindon and Wiltshire ended 2015 on a confident note with higher domestic and international sales and improved cashflow, according to the results of Business West’s latest survey. But with fewer firms planning to recruit over the next three months and lower order figures – along with the slowing global economy – 2016...
Swindon-based franchised motor retailer Cambria has restructured its dealership estate with the acquisition of a Land Rover franchise in Hertfordshire and the sale of a Jaguar showroom in Devon. The ambitious group, which last year bought TH White’s Royal Wootton Bassett Land Rover dealership for £7.56m, snapped up the Land Rover franchise in Welwyn...
Passenger numbers at Bristol Airport soared by nearly half a million last year to reach a record 6.76m – with bosses predicting further growth will lift 2016’s total above 7m. The 7.7% year-on-year increase in 2015 was the sixth consecutive year of growth for England’s third-largest regional airport, which has a long-term plan to...
Swindon Business News wishes its readers, subscribers and advertisers a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. We will continue to provide the area’s most authoritative business news, information and analysis throughout the festive period. Our next weekly Swindon Business News e-bulletin will be published on Friday, January 8.
Beard, the Swindon-based construction company, has appointed a construction director to head its new office in Bristol. Mike Hedges, pictured, a chartered construction manager, joins the £108m turnover company from Wates Construction where he was construction manager for the South West. He will be responsible for the strategic direction and regional development of Beard’s...
UTC Swindon, the town’s University Technical College, has opened its state-of-the-art lecture theatre and is making it available for businesses and organisations to hire. With capacity for 156 people and a retractable seating system, the theatre is one of the town’s largest. It has been financed by Swindon-based integrated circuit firm Dialog Semiconductor, which...
Regional law firm Thrings, which has its largest office in Swindon, has bolstered its commercial property offering with the appointment of Richard Pike as associate solicitor. A highly-experienced commercial property specialist, Richard, pictured, joins from Swindon law firm Clark Holt, where he worked for just over two years. He previously practised for eight years...
Four high-quality office suites in Cirencester have come onto the market as a result of the town’s largest manufacturer centralising its operations on one site. Orthopaedic implants maker Corin Group is to relocate its administration centre from Cirencester Office Park to The Corinium Centre on Love Lane – less than 1km away – where...
