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LINLEY & SIMPSON EXPANDS WAKEFIELD OPERATION AS RENTAL DEMAND CONTINUES TO GROW

YORKSHIRE'S largest residential letting agents, Linley & Simpson, has sealed a deal to strengthen its position in Wakefield - just three months after launching in the city.

As demand for property rentals continues to soar on the back of mounting pressures on the house sales market, Linley & Simpson has successfully acquired the lettings business of neighbouring Northgate agency Ashtons.

This week's deal has resulted in the whole of Ashtons' letting portfolio - which covers Wakefield, Horbury and Ossett - transferring under the management of Linley & Simpson.

"Wakefield is the newest in our Yorkshire network of seven offices and this deal will enhance the service we can offer landlords and tenants across the district," said Linley & Simpson branch manager Ross Harding.

"We only opened the doors to our Wakefield office in June yet we have witnessed a demand for properties that has already exceeded our expectations - a clear sign of the health of the rental market.

"This deal reinforces our position as a major player in Wakefield's residential letting market and enables us to stay at the forefront of its growth."

He added: "It offers landlords and property investors the opportunity of being able to access a wider pool of prospective tenants. Tenants also benefit by having a wider choice of properties to match their needs."

Linley & Simpson director Nick Simpson said the agency has just experienced the busiest ever month in its 11-year history.

"This acquisition marks another important step in the company's growth and gives us a strong platform for further enhancing the high level of customer service and satisfaction that we strive to achieve," he said.

"It paves the way for linking our presence across Leeds with our expanded Wakefield operations, to cater for the increasing number of people who work in Leeds but who choose to live in the Wakefield district."

The privately-run company has its roots very firmly in Yorkshire and has three sister branches in Leeds - the city centre, Horsforth and Oakwood - as well as offices in York, Harrogate and Wetherby.

Its dedication to customer service has led to it achieving the strict criteria required to secure accreditation to both the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA), and the National Approved Letting Scheme (NALS).

Linley & Simpson's Wakefield office can be contacted on 01924 375245.

Coming soon - Wakefield's spectacular new market

The countdown to the opening of Wakefield's prestigious new market, which opens for business on June 23, has begun.

Designed by leading architect David Adjaye, the new building is in a prime position on Union Street, opposite the old market and the bus station.

An official opening will be held later in the month after trading has begun at the market hall, which will house 49 general indoor units, 11 retail areas in the food hall and nine shops fronting onto Union Street. A new open market will sit alongside the market hall with 45 outdoor stalls and room for three mobile catering units.

The Council has already signed up several local speciality food companies for the market hall in a bid to improve customer choice and to reduce the city's carbon footprint. Many familiar faces from the old market will be there and newcomers include a Polish deli and a Yorkshire tapas bar.

Outdoors, there will be an emphasis on high quality, locally produced produce on general market days but we also have some exciting new initiatives. Each Thursday there will be a global and ethnic market. This will offer high quality food, clothing, soft furnishings and other household goods from around the world. On Tuesdays there will be a reuse market where quality, fit for purpose, second hand items can be sold.

The new market hall is part of the Trinity Walk development by Modus Properties and Simons Developments, with the main contractor for the scheme being Shepherd Construction Ltd.

It is set transform the Marsh Way area of the city and in addition to the new market hall, includes:-

• more than 500,000 sq ft of retail accommodation including new stores for Debenhams, Sainsbury's, Next, H&M, Peacocks and New Look
• 72 residential units
• a 957 customer space car park
• a new library

Opening hours
Market Hall and Food Hall
Monday to Saturday 8.30am - 5pm

Open Market
Monday, Friday, Saturday 8.30am - 4pm

Re-use Market
Tuesday 8.30am - 4pm

Global Market
Thursday 8.30am - 4pm

Wakefield waterside apartments sold in record time

Due to high demand to live at Waterside, the most significant regeneration project in Wakefield to date, the apartments in phase one sold in record time. They were bought by private individuals, regional investors and Wakefield investors, all keen to take advantage of the luxury apartments, many of which benefit from a riverside view. The mixed-use development forms an outstanding peninsula on the south side of the city, with the River Calder to the east and the Hebble Navigation to the west. Developers Waterside (Wakefield Ltd), contractors J F Finnegan and the project management team were all involved in the 77-week contract to build the luxury apartments, which alone have a development value of some £15 million. Paul Hammond, development director for Waterside, said: "We're delighted with the amount of interest we have had in all aspects of the scheme and developments on site are progressing well and in accordance with our projections.

Over £5.5 million redevelopment of waterfront site in Wakefield city centre

Yorkshire Forward was set up by the Government to promote sustainable economic development throughout the Yorkshire and Humber region. One of England's nine Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). They support the expansion and development of business in our region by encouraging public and private investment, and by connecting people to economic opportunity. The organization has approved an investment of more than £5.5million in the redevelopment of the Waterfront site in Wakefield City Centre. Working in partnership, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) has also earmarked more than £8 million Objective 2 funding for the project. This is the first major investment in the city following the creation of the masterplan for the renaissance of Wakefield, and will see the development of 0.76 hectares of the 4.55 hectare site. The Yorkshire Forward investment will enable flood prevention works, highway improvements to provide access to the site and site infrastructure works to ensure that development of the site is not impeded. Within this vital first phase of works will be the restoration of the Grade ll Calder and Hebble Navigation warehouse to provide 2,600 sqm of commercial floorspace, the development of a new office building and 52 new residential apartments.

Wakefield Wildcats' Belle Vue stadium to be replaced by 120 homes?

Wakefield Wildcats' Belle Vue stadium could be replaced by 120 homes if a planning application is successful. The club, along with Cala Management and Tillion Partnership, has applied for permission to build 120 homes on its current ground site. About 78 houses, including a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, 12 apartments and 30 affordable homes form the bulk of the plans. The news came as Wakefield Council chiefs met to discuss the planned 12,000-capacity stadium and sports village at Thornes Park. The council's cabinet was told of feasibility study results, which said a stadium could be built on the footprint of Wakefield College's Thornes Park campus. A business plan, including funding options and an investigation into sustainability of the stadium, will be put together ready for late summer. A statement from the Wildcats, tenants for the proposed stadium, said: "We have taken steps to apply for full planning permission for housing on Belle Vue, enhancing its current outline permission. This move will reinforce the club's Super League licence application in areas of financial strength and stability. The club will continue to work with the local authority to pursue aspirations for a new community stadium" A council report has also highlighted two timescale options. If the college moves out of Thornes Park campus in 2010, the stadium and sports complex could be completed by summer 2012. If it does not vacate the site until 2012, the facility would be built in stages with the stadium finished in 2012 and the sports village in spring 2014, but council bosses want to build a swimming pool as early as possible.

Mulit-million pound plans to expand Calder Park business centre given the go-ahead

Multi-million pound plans to expand the Calder Park business centre have finally been given the go-ahead. The £19m scheme, which will create up to 1,000 jobs, stalled in January after Wakefield Council's planning committee deferred a decision after concerns were raised over flood risks and whether the drainage was adequate. Peel Holdings and investment partner Gladman Developments have now been given permission to build 10 two-storey office buildings at the business park, off Denby Dale Road. Nick Hey, construction project director at Peel, said: "This planning application follows hot on the heels of Gladman's successful phase one and phase two development and reflects their confidence in Calder Park as a great business location. "We are delighted that Gladman are investing further at Calder Park. "The development will offer further high-quality office accommodation with on-site car parking, set in an attractive courtyard environment. "Despite the current economic climate, this additional investment strengthens Calder Park's position as the fastest-growing business park in the region. "It is the number one choice for occupiers looking for city centre quality office accommodation, but with the added benefits of an out-of-town location like reduced commuting and intercity travel times, hassle-free access to motorway networks and a working environment that is second to none. "Calder Park is going from strength to strength with more than 45 businesses and 1,000 people already working on site."

Hepworth Wakefield Art Gallery to be home to unique casts and sculptures

Amongst the Waterfront regeneration project, the Hepworth Wakefield art gallery will be in the heart of the city, but it will have the city itself at its heart. It will be the home to a unique collection of casts by Wakefield-born artist Barbara Hepworth and sculptures by Castleford's Henry Moore. And when it opens in 2010, the new £26m gallery will have a dedicated Wakefield and Yorkshire in Pictures room, which will house the Gott Collection of more than 1,200 images of the district. And thanks to the siting of the gallery on Wakefield's Waterfront, the room will look out onto the Chantry Chapel, a place that has drawn artists to Wakefield for centuries and continues to do so. Nino Vella, Wakefield Council's senior cultural officer for art, said: "The Hepworth won't just be about modern art - we want to show all of our collection. "We want to create a ripple effect with what we show, starting in the Wakefield Waterfront, then to take it to the city, the district and then to Yorkshire. "Wakefield was on the route of the major tours which artists would take in the 18th century - mainly because of the Chantry Chapel. "We wanted to have a visual connection with the chapel and in the Wakefield room. "We will have a window looking out onto it, with pieces of art inspired by the chapel alongside it." Wakefield Art Gallery is in the process of digitising the 10 volumes in the Gott Collection so they are available to view on the internet. By the time the new gallery opens, the entire collection will all be available online. The new gallery will also have two spaces dedicated to Dame Barbara Hepworth. Mr Vella said: "They will show Hepworth's work and her connections with Wakefield, which will explain why and how she created them. All the display areas will be on the first floor - beautiful and intriguing rooms. The before and after will be remarkable. "Because of the quality of the Hepworth building we will be able to borrow from international collections." Hepworth Wakefield architects David Chipperfield have released new impressions of how the inside of the gallery will look. Work on the building started in November and is set to finish late 2009, with the opening set for spring 2010. A new footbridge designed to give better access to the city has been finalised and is set to be built in the autumn.