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arwickshire

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Inward Investment magazIne Issue one

C&W Top 10Follow the big brands – 10 reasons why Coventry and warwickshire is a smart investment destination

KnoWledge eConomyHi-tech companies investing in the future, now – with innovation, imagination and expertise in good supply

affordable housingdevelopments are delivering on demand for housing in the social and private sectors, with schemes for first-timers

sKills and TrainingHow training providers are helping the workforce to meet the needs of this sub-region’s businesses

aston martinrolls-royce and Jaguar land roverDeep roots in coventry anD WarWickshire

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0121 609 8308gva.co.uk

Ian StringerRegional Senior

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Working with business to tackle global challengesResearch occupies a crucial role in helping to overcome some the major challenges facing the modern world. Coventry University’s forward-looking, business-facing philosophy has helped us build an impressive record of research partnerships with commercial, academic and government organisations, and was instrumental in our success in becoming the 2011 Times Higher Education Awards ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year’.

Our Grand Challenge Initiatives focus on six global priority areas where our applied research expertise can have a significant impact.

Low Carbon VehiclesTesting, evaluating and designing vehicles and associated systems to establish low carbon vehicles as viable alternatives to traditional models of transport.

Ageing SocietyAddressing the societal issues of supporting a growing elderly population, including the provision of healthcare and the design of equipment and assistive technologies.

Low Impact BuildingsDelivering practical solutions, knowledge and innovation to help industry and the public sector achieve its sustainable construction targets.

Digital MediaUsing technological innovation and novel, creative content to find new ways to explore and exploit digital environments.

Sustainable Agriculture and FoodFocusing on the challenge of how to develop sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems worldwide by working in areas of policy, social science and management.

Integrated Transport & LogisticsProviding better-informed, more efficient and safer integrated public transport and logistics services.

For more information on the projects and case studies visit www.coventry.ac.uk/gci or read our applied research magazine, Innovate, at www.coventry.ac.uk/innovate. Businesses of all sizes can make use of Coventry University’s research expertise, specialist equipment and facilities, and student placement opportunities. Please get in touch to arrange a further discussion with our Business Development team on 024 7623 6364 or email [email protected]

The University is playing its part in tackling today’s societal and economic hurdles through an integrated applied research strategy – the Grand Challenge Initiatives – which has been established to bring our academic excellence to bear on a range of global issues. Coventry University’s Grand Challenge Initiatives are central to our mission to promote creativity, innovation and knowledge exchange, and are continually enhancing our capacity for business support – particularly around technology transfer, consultancy and professional development. The Grand Challenge Initiatives focus on six global priority areas where our applied research expertise can have a significant impact.

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3 coventry + warwickshire

contents

news a round-up of what’s happening in the regeneration of coventry and warwickshire 04

Industry renewed growth in the former industrial heartlands will contribute to the Uk’s recovery 08

QualIty of lIfe city and county, towns and countryside, culture, heritage and sport – we explore coventry and warwickshire as a place to live 12

housIng developments we look at new developments in the social and private sectors 17

skIlls and traInIng opportunities to gain the skills that businesses need, in coventry and warwickshire’s further education colleges 21

map what’s being built in coventry city centre and the towns throughout the warwickshire region 26

projects a round-up of development projects under way or coming soon in this sub-region 27

Infrastructure improved transport networks and superfast broadband – businesses need infrastructure for growth 36

relocatIon we look at 10 reasons why companies are choosing to relocate and invest in coventry and warwickshire – and what makes them stay 39

polIcy makers strategic directors of warwickshire county council and coventry city council assess potential for growth in this olympic year 42

sustaInable market place we look at economic sustainability among the sub-region’s technological business sectors 44

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Published by 3foX InternatIonal189 Lavender Hill, London SW11 5TBT: 020 7978 6840 F: 020 7681 3468

For Coventry City Councilprincipal inward investment officer: Rachel Baker [email protected] Warwickshire County Council head of inward investment: Sackie Somal [email protected]

Copyright 3Fox International Ltd 2012. All material is strictly copyright and all rights

are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of 3Fox International Ltd is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of 3Fox International Limited or Coventry City Council.

Images: Mischa Haller, Coventry City Council, Taylor Wimpey, Redrow, Studio 14 Designs Leamington Spa, Friargate Coventry LLP, Barratt Mercia, University of Warwick Science Park, Aston Martin, MIRA Technology Park, Warwick Castle, Mechanical Art and Design Museum, Warwick Racecourse and Conference Centre, Loades Ecoparc, Barberry Developments, MCD Developments, Wilson Bowden Developments, Coventry University - Living Labs, Codemasters, Manufacturing Technology Centre, Warwickshire College, Coventry City College, Pixeltrix, BBLB Architects

coventry + warwIckshIreFormerly coventry central city magazine

editor: Siobhán Crozierart direction: Blok Graphicproduction editor: Rachael Schofieldfreelance editor: Sarah Herberthead of business development: Paul Gussarproduction assistant: Jeri Dumontsubscriptions manager: Simon Maxwelloffice manager: Sue Maparamanaging director: Toby Fox

printed by: Wyndeham Grange

Issue 01 march 2012 coventry + warwIckshIre

top Object of desire – the 2012 Jaguar XJ. mIddle Coventry Cathedral, symbol of reconciliation. bottom Knowledge economy – the University of Warwick Science Park, home to 140 companies.

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http://www.candwmagazine.com

Prestige sports car manufacturer Aston Martin will be bringing production of the four-door Rapide back to its Gaydon headquarters in Warwickshire in the second half of 2012.

Restrictions in its Gaydon facility had seen production of the Rapide moved to partner manufacturer Magna Steyr in Austria in 2008.

Aston Martin chief executive, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: “In 2008 production of Rapide at Gaydon would compromise production of our other cars. We were not prepared to do this.

“Three years on things are very different – Gaydon is more established, more flexible and more efficient. While our overall volume has not changed

significantly, we now produce a far richer model mix – eight model lines (plus five variants) compared to three model lines (plus two variants) in 2008 – so Rapide production is now possible.

“I would like to place on record our gratitude to Magna Steyr and their team of dedicated employees who have become part of the Aston Martin family in the last few years and met all our requirements and expectations.”

For more on Aston Martin and other major industries in the sub-region, see page 8.

Aston Martin zooms back to Gaydon

ryton, rugbyThe former home to Peugeot Cars, this site is at the heart of the national transport network. Prologis Park has purchased 26 hectares, with outline B8/B2 planning permission for speculative builds delivered in 24 weeks.

Home Delivery Network has acquired 10 hectares to set up an 18,580sq m distribution centre, creating 450 jobs. Remaining land is likely to be earmarked for residential development.

rugby mast sIteThe Rugby Radio Station Mast site has potential to become one of the most important redevelopment sites in the West Midlands. The vision is to create a sustainable, modern and vibrant community.

Situated to the west of Rugby, with good transport links to the M1 and M6, the site totals 680 hectares. It could provide 6,200 sustainable homes, significant commercial development including a strategic rail freight interchange, industrial and office based accommodation and community services.

stoneleIgh parkLaSalle Investment Management, which manages Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, under a 150-year lease from the Royal Agricultural Society of England, has committed up to £50 million investment by 2020 to transform it into a science and technology park for rural and land-based businesses. The first company to relocate to Stoneleigh Park since LaSalle’s involvement is dairy industry market leader, GEA Farm Technologies. Plans are also under way for a national equine centre and a renewable energy cluster, alongside Stoneleigh’s thriving showground and conference facilities.

details of further projects are on pages 26–34

we look at some of the investment and development stories about schemes, initiatives and awards happening in coventry and warwickshire.

project round up

GoinG places with GrowinG placesThe Coventry and Warwickshire (C&W) area has been allocated £8.67 million through the Growing Places scheme, a £500 million Communities and Local Government fund, designed to stimulate growth by improving infrastructure in projects that support jobs and homes. The C&W local enterprise partnership (LEP) applied to be able to fund repayable capital investments in projects that are ready to deliver and can generate employment and growth opportunities.

The Growing Places scheme will unlock stalled developments in C&W and facilitate economic growth. The fund will be launched soon and further details will be made available on www.cwlep.com.

Olympic soccer for RicohCoventry City’s Ricoh Arena can proclaim to be the only stadium in the West Midlands to host the Olympic games. Renamed for the occasion as The City of Coventry Stadium, it will be one of the venues for the Olympic Football Tournament. Olympic supremo Lord Sebastian Coe visited the stadium and was told of the £7 million investment taking place in the city centre as a result of the Games, and the subsequent transformation of Broadgate and Far Gosford Street. Coe’s visit is seen as another landmark in the city, bringing pride to Coventry as it builds its reputation as a co-host city for the Olympics. Holding the world’s second largest football competition presents an opportunity to showcase Coventry to the world as an attractive and prosperous city.


link is a key element of our transport strategy and will make a fundamental difference to the economic regeneration of the area.

“Once it is completed, the scheme will give people better access to jobs and open up new possibilities for leisure and services.

“In the future, we will see even more growth in the corridor between Nuneaton and Coventry, and this scheme will help to reduce traffic congestion and deliver more reliable trains between the two destinations.”

For information on further infrastructure developments, see page 36.

The Department of Transport has given the go-ahead for an £18 million upgrade to the rail link between Nuneaton and Coventry, known as NUCKLE. This £9.8 million, plus funding from the ERDF, will mean an increase in the frequency of services between Nuneaton and Coventry to every 30 minutes, new stations at Bermuda Park and Coventry Arena, and longer platforms at Bedworth station.

Councillor Peter Butlin, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for high-ways and transport, said: “The NUCKLE rail

To understand the unique strengths of the local economy, from the perspective of inward investors, C&W LEP commis-sioned a study by independent consultant Breeze Strategy.

The report found the area’s greatest strengths are low-carbon transport technologies and intelligent transport systems (ITS)– in which it is arguably

■ Work niche strengths into a clear business case

■ Promote propositions to partners, who can spread the message. Every local business should be an ambassador

■ Create a single ‘invest in C&W’ website

■ Develop external relationships

■ Develop a focused, co-ordinated campaign targeting corporate advisors in the HQ, high-value manufacturing and logistics sectors. No vague ‘awareness-raising’ campaigns

■ Forge international partnerships with areas with similar strengths such as Gothenburg, with its high number of ITS firms.

Local rail near the NUCKLE

olympIc torch made In warwIckshIreThe Premier Group, which is based on Bayton Road Industrial Eastate in Warwickshire, was selected by the London Olympic Organising Committee (LOCOG) as manufacturer of the Olympic torch, designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby. Executives are pictured left with Lord Sebastian Coe.

bIshopgate supermarket talksBarberry’s development of a former Royal Mail sorting office site in Coventry’s Bishopgate was due to begin early this year. The £50 million city centre complex will see hundreds of jobs created by the retail-led scheme to transform the former Royal Mail Sorting Office. The site will feature a supermarket superstore of up to 130,000sq ft, a gym/leisure facility and a multistorey car park providing 585 car spaces.

cathedral’s jubIleeCoventry’s reputation as a city of peace and reconciliation will be supported next year by the celebration of the cathedral’s golden jubilee. As part of the London 2012 Festival, award-winning classical composer, James MacMillan (pictured) has been co-commissioned with the cathedral to present a special piece of music to feature as part of the event.

In brIef

premier group executives george mollison (left)l and gez halton with lord sebastian coe (centre)..

inward investment magazine 5

news

inward investment is a Breezenumber one in the UK – and high-value manufacturing (where there are genuine opportunities), and with untapped potential in computer games and as the location for UK headquarters.

To attract inward investment, Breeze recommends some specific actions.


Waterloo, W2, and 10 years of affordable housing

provide 800 homes, started in 2009, and already many families have moved in, with 60% of the first phase occupied. An application for the second phase, to include 141 homes, was submitted in November 2011.

In 2010, Camp Hill was named Regeneration Scheme of the Decade in the RegenWM Awards and took silver in the What House? Awards 2010 for Best Regeneration Scheme.

Bluebell housing scheme, at Camp Hill in Nuneaton, picked up three awards last November for design and construction, and its effect on the regeneration of the area. It won the ‘volume housebuilding’ category of the annual Brick Awards, ‘best regeneration’ at the annual Housebuilder magazine awards, and a silver gong for ‘best brownfield development’ at the What House? Awards, where Barratt Developments was also named housebuilder of the year. The scheme is a partnership between PinCH, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council, Barratt and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Barratt project director Andrew Dauncey said: “Bluebell is receiving stamps of approval from some of the most important people in our sector. Camp Hill is changing at a great pace, and its success reflects our commitment to partnership working and our relationship with the local community.”

Pride in Camp Hill (PinCH) programme manager Chris Egan said: “These awards give Bluebell’s residents confirmation that their community is one of the best in Britain.”

Work at Bluebell, which will ultimately

triple GonGs for camp hill housinG

A 10-year joint venture between Warwick District Council and Waterloo Housing Group, called W2, has been formally agreed to develop 300 affordable new homes over the next three years.

W2 will deliver energy-efficient and adapted homes for residents both on council and privately owned sites. The first development on a privately owned site will be on Park Road, the former North Leamington School site, where 23 affordable homes will be delivered in partnership

with local house builder AC Lloyd, with completion anticipated for 2013.

Warwick District Council has agreed to transfer its land leasehold at a deferred market value, and ring-fence and recycle back any New Homes Bonus into the scheme. This has enabled Waterloo Housing Group to offer a very competitive proposition for Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) funding to deliver new affordable housing.

Councillor Norman Vincett, portfolio holder for housing and property services,

said: “Even in the current economic climate, with budgets being cut, we have kept the needs of our residents and the community at the heart of what we do. Increasing the provision of affordable housing is a key priority and we are proud to have signed this joint venture even in the most challenging market conditions.”

Anthony Riley, director of development and operations at Waterloo Housing Group, said: “Working in partnership with the council and the HCA we can go some way towards meeting the high level of housing need in the district. We are offering a range of options including helping those on the council’s waiting list and providing shared ownership homes where people can part rent and part buy.”

housing developments are featured on page 17

plaza unIt seeks operatorBelgrade Plaza, the mixed-use scheme in Coventry, has had interest from national leisure chains not currently represented in the city, as it seeks an operator for its last remaining leisure unit.

The £100 million entertainment, leisure and residential complex creates a link from the multistorey car park past the Belgrade Theatre into the city centre.

All 64 apartments in the first phase of the scheme were taken in three weeks, while Premier Inn, Pizza Express and Bella Italia report successful trading.

James Crawford of Belgrade Plaza Partnership says: “We are looking to move forward with the remaining phases in conjunction with new occupiers and are refining and finalising our development plans.

“We hope to attract a quality operator for the corner unit of 412sq m and we are pleased with the level of interest it has already attracted.”

below camp hill will provide 800 homes. and 60% of the first phase is occupied..

Barberry House, Bromsgrove Road, Belbroughton, Nr Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 9XX, Tel: 01562 731300, Fax: 01562 731400

www.barberry.co.uk

Energy. Enthusiasm. Drive. Determination. Vision.

Qualities that make Barberry Developments stand out from the crowd. We’re approaching the future with

confidence and the desire to identify unique property opportunities.

Barberry is recognised as one of the most successful privately-owned property development and investment

companies in the Midlands.

Our impressive portfolio includes developments across the industrial, commercial, retail and leisure sectors.

We are happy to work in partnership or within joint ventures and have a proven track record of establishing

relationships that get excellent results.

To find out more about Barberry Developments visit www.barberry.co.uk or call (+44) 01562 731300.

Barberry House, Bromsgrove Road, Belbroughton, Nr Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 9XX, Tel: 01562 731300, Fax: 01562 731400

www.barberry.co.uk

Energy. Enthusiasm. Drive. Determination. Vision.

Qualities that make Barberry Developments stand out from the crowd. We’re approaching the future with

confidence and the desire to identify unique property opportunities.

Barberry is recognised as one of the most successful privately-owned property development and investment

companies in the Midlands.

Our impressive portfolio includes developments across the industrial, commercial, retail and leisure sectors.

We are happy to work in partnership or within joint ventures and have a proven track record of establishing

relationships that get excellent results.

To find out more about Barberry Developments visit www.barberry.co.uk or call (+44) 01562 731300.

http://www.barberry.co.uk


Industrial revolutioncommentators agree that growth in manufacturing will be an essential component of the Uk’s economic recovery. in coventry and warwickshire’s former industrial heartlands, there’s a resurgence of growth in the technological sectors, with global brands firmly rooted here and others capitalising on the opportunities and relocating to this sub-region. david gray reports

oventry and Warwickshire has been a centre of industry for more than two centuries. The city and surrounding Warwickshire towns have successfully made a variety of products, start-

ing with ribbons, watches and clocks before becoming world famous for bicycles, motorcycles, cars, aircraft and machine tools. Product names historically associated with Coventry include Humber, Daimler, Riley and Jaguar cars, Triumph motorbikes, Massey Ferguson tractors, Rolls-Royce engines and Alfred Herbert machine tools.

Large-scale manufacturing has declined in recent decades, but the sub-region remains a world-class player in automotive research and development – and is now attracting high technology companies in the engineering, energy and other growth sectors.

The city and county’s skilled workforce is an attraction for incoming businesses – recent figures show 18,200 manufacturing employees in Coventry and 30,700 across the whole of Warwickshire. Almost 13% of Coventry jobs are in manufacturing, compared to 10% nationally.

The automotive focus brings together global corporations, specialist local companies and the region’s universities, in developments of great potential for the motor and transport industries worldwide.

Jaguar Land Rover’s R&D facilities at Whitley and Gaydon are working on electric and hybrid technologies for low carbon vehicles. Tata Motors’ European Technical

Centre – based at Warwick University since 2005 – and Tata Technologies has recently decided to relocate its UK headquarters from Luton to Coventry.

The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) is based at Ansty Technology Park – and founder members include Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover and the universi-ties of Birmingham, Nottingham and Loughborough. The University of Warwick is home to WMG, researching hybrid vehicles, while Coventry University has a world-wide reputation for training automotive engineers and developing new vehicles such as the Microcab.

Another rapidly expanding centre of technical excellence is MIRA (the Motor Industry Research Association), which in January 2012 received planning approval for a new £300 million technology park at Nuneaton. MIRA has been a significant force in the region for over 65 years and has grown into a world-class independent vehicle engineering consultancy.

Work on the Nuneaton park should start by the end of 2012 and it will eventually provide 163,000sq m of space.

MIRA’s current strategy plans a tripling of turnover within the next decade and expects to attract inward investment from around the world, particularly China, India and Brazil. According to Dr George Gillespie, MIRA chief executive, Nuneaton is fundamental to ongo-ing expansion plans. “We continue our dialogue with those companies who have expressed a desire to relocate

the £300 million masterplan for.mIra. technology.park in nuneaton..

c

Industry



here, in order to penetrate the European market,” he says.Tata Technologies is making Coventry the focus of

its European operations. Its UK HQ moved from Luton to the Design Hub at Coventry University Technology Park and there are advanced plans to construct a new European headquarters in the city.

Tata Technologies specialises in engineering services outsourcing and product development IT – its customers include leading automotive and aerospace companies. Chief operating officer Nick Sale said: “Coventry is a stra-tegic operation centre for all our activities. The move from Luton was driven by growth in programme work in the region and an overall expansion of our UK operations.” The relocation brings together over 350 highly qualified staff, an important high tech asset for the city and county.

Tata Technologies’ decision to concentrate this opera-tion in Coventry was aided by facilities available from the council’s inward investment team. Alisa Harewood, Tata’s EU operations director in Coventry, says: “The council team has been a tremendous help to the company and our staff; we’ve felt very welcomed and familiar with the city.”

Severn Trent, one of the UK’s biggest water companies, also chose Coventry for its centre. Their energy-efficient building in St John’s Street opened in September 2010 and brought 1,700 employees in a relocation from Birmingham. Director of property Ted Pearce explains: “We conducted a wide search for the right location before settling on the brownfield site in the centre of Coventry.”

There is now a waiting list of staff from other Severn Trent operations wanting to come into the building.

There are so many advantages to being in the city centre: “It’s a single journey destination and you have everything for a good work-life balance,” says Pearce.

The company aimed for its building to be in a multi-modal transport location and Coventry city centre

provides easy access by public transport (rail and bus) and by bike. At previous sites, over 85% of Severn Trent’s staff came to work in single occupancy cars. This has reduced to 40% and continues to fall. Pearce thinks that Severn Trent’s move shows the way for businesses to benefit from relocating to the city centre.

Rolls-Royce – which has been in Warwickshire since the 1930s – recently relocated its Power Engineering division from Ansty to the Iceni Centre at Warwick Technology Park. Project manager Matthew Hill assisted with this move and says that Rolls-Royce has not just remained in the area for historical reasons.

Its central location places Warwick perfectly on the motorway network, providing good access to Heathrow. “From a logistics point of view, it’s a very good place to be,” explains Hill, adding that it also lies conveniently between Rolls-Royce’s biggest UK sites at Derby and Bristol. Rolls-Royce still has a significant presence at Ansty, with other functions running from the site, employing around 900 employees.

The local workforce is an incentive for staying, according to Hill: “There’s a high density of engineers in Warwickshire, due to the significant amount of automo-tive companies that are here. We work in a very complex environment and rely on staff retention and experience.”

Aston Martin’s Rapide, a four-door sports car, will be in production at its Gaydon HQ in the second half of 2012, after initially being built in Austria. Chief executive Dr Ulrich Bez says: “In 2008 we had facility restrictions at Gaydon which indicated that production of the Rapide there would likely compromise production of our other cars. We were not prepared to do this.”

Since 2008, development of the Warwickshire facility has been significant. “Gaydon is more established, more flexible and more efficient,” says Bez. “We now produce a far richer model mix – eight model lines compared to three in 2008 – so Rapide production is now possible.”

Coventry and Warwickshire’s capacity to attract high-end industry is confirmed by the establishment of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at Ansty Park. The £40 million government-backed investment develops innovative ideas from academia, which MTC converts into manufacturing solutions for UK companies.

Steve Statham, MTC’s business development manager, says the new project is already growing quickly since the launch in October 2011. Ansty Park, according to Statham, is just the right location for the MTC: “We needed somewhere close to the border of the East and West Midlands and this gives such easy access to the motorways and the airport.”

Statham thinks scope for future expansion at Ansty Park is also crucial: “There is a lot of unused space here and we have the potential to set up a hostel for apprentices on the site.”

The MTC is part of a consortium of seven centres that are now jointly described as the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The consortium has govern-ment backing of £30 million annually over the next five years, so the MTC is an important addition to the high technology resources of Coventry and Warwickshire.

There’s a high density of engineers ... we rely on staff retention and experience

left jaguar Xj: sports car. meets luxury saloon..

http://www.whitefriarshousing.co.uk


a spectacular event, Godiva Awakes, will be an important part of the Cultural Olympiad, reclaiming this symbol of social justice for the 21st century.

The good of the community and an ability to turn adversity into opportunity are important themes for Coventry, which was badly damaged during the Blitz, with much of the city centre destroyed – most famously, the cathedral.

Having ‘risen from the ashes’ with a world-renowned collection of modern art, the cathedral spreads a message of peace and reconciliation, a vision adopted by the city as a whole. The ruins of the old cathedral lie alongside the new building, and the Ruins memorial project is dedicated to civilians worldwide, who have suffered through war.

Teresa Peace-Minihan says the cathedral, which is celebrating its golden jubilee year, is the single biggest attraction for visitors to the city: “We have 1,000 years of history, and three cathedrals have stood on this site. But it’s art that makes us unique, we have some incredible artefacts created by leading artists.”

Highlights include Graham Sutherland’s tapestry, the largest in the world; Sir Jacob Epstein’s statue St Michael and the Devil, and Britain’s most important collection of modern stained glass, including John Piper’s Nave and Baptistery windows.

But the cathedral’s main purpose is to serve its community. Peace-Minihan adds: “We have outreach programmes, such as our youth ministry, and 40,000 children a year come to the cathedral on school visits. They often return as adults, to say how touched they were by the experience.”

LEFT The ruins of the old Coventry Cathedral,. an international symbol of reconciliation..

The world’s fastest car, the Thrust SSC,. is still unbeaten..

he city of Coventry, and surrounding county of Warwickshire, are rich in legend and varied heritage, married with contemporary success and a drive to innovate.

Visitors to this part of the West Midlands find themselves at the heart of the country, not just geograph-ically, but culturally too. From Coventry Cathedral, voted the nation’s favourite 20th century building, it’s a short journey to the peaceful and picturesque Warwickshire countryside, which nurtured and inspired Shakespeare, George Eliot and JRR Tolkien.

One legend is that of Lady Godiva, who rode, naked, through the streets of Coventry in the 11th century, to free its people from oppressive taxes imposed by her husband. Her act is celebrated annually, and this year

Located at the very heart of england, coventry and warwickshire is also an important cultural and historical centre. while visitors flock in answer to its appeal, this sub-region is packed with opportunities that keep its residents rooted here. Fleur Chapman reports

Merry meetings

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quaLiTy oF LiFE


Coventry is also the birthplace of the British transport industry, and has hosted more than 300 cycle companies, 130 motorcyle manufacturers and 120 car makers. The Coventry Transport Museum, which holds the world’s biggest collection of British road vehicles, reflects this vibrant history by focusing on the life of the people who made it happen, says chief executive Gary Hall.

“We really immerse visitors in the period, for example, the first modern bicycle was manufactured here in the 1880s, and visitors experience a street scene with horse-drawn carts, and all the sounds, smells and clothing of the era,” says Hall.

The museum, which offers free admission, attracts 400,000 visitors per year (100,000 more than the city’s population). Its collection covers the ‘Boom Town’ years, when prestigious companies like Jaguar and Land Rover made the city their base, and is even home to the world’s fastest car, the supersonic Thrust SSC, (pictured here).


“We’re popular with local families, transport enthusiasts and tourists,” says Hall. “Some visitors come from very far away, which shows how integral Coventry is to the transport history of the world.”

Another Coventry gem is the Herbert Art Gallery, winner of the 2010 ‘Best family-friendly museum in the UK’ award. “We pride ourselves on being the ‘people’s gallery’,” says head of communications Jamie Perry. “We have an amazing record of visitor engagement, and have driven up attendance from just 50,000 three years ago, to 320,000 last year.”

With eight permanent galleries, covering archaeology, natural history, social and industrial history and visual arts, associated with the city, plus four temporary exhibi-tion spaces, there is something for everyone, says Perry.

“We work closely with major museums like the V&A and the British Museum to give local people a chance to see high level national exhibitions,” he says. “We also hold our own major exhibitions – in April we’ve got From Highfield Road to Wembley Way, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Coventry City’s FA cup win.

“The whole city went berserk and lined the streets while the team paraded the cup in an open-top bus,” says Perry. “Using photography, film and fans’ and players’ memorabilia, we recapture the excitement of that day, and give visitors the chance to share their own memories.”

The Ricoh Arena is the current home of the Sky Blues, but it’s a lot more than a football stadium. Set in a 16-ha site, the multipurpose venue has top class conference, banqueting, sports, hotel, casino, exhibition and shopping facilities. Jewel in the crown is a 40,000-capacity concert arena that has played host to Take That, Oasis, Kings of Leon and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and will be first stop in Coldplay’s summer tour.

The venue is a catalyst for regeneration; chief executive Daniel Gidney, Midlands Business Person of the Year 2011, steered the increase in off-field activities, and led a successful bid to be the only Midlands venue for football at the Olympics this year. “I’m proud to fly the flag for Coventry,” he says.

Away from the bustle of the city, Warwickshire has over 1700 miles of public footpaths and bridleways, as well as many hundreds of miles of quiet roads, canal towpaths and parkland. Widely believed to have been

I believe the transformation is very important to the town of Stratford. The RSC contributes about £57 million a year to the regional economy


quaLiTy oF LiFE

“There are very few other sporting or social occasions that bring people together from every walk of life – they’ll all rub shoulders quite happily,” he adds. “I don’t know any other events that have the colour, the speed, the vibrancy of racing. The Derby or Grand National may have the glamour, but Warwick has the essence, up close, of what racing’s all about.”

Perhaps Warwickshire’s most famous export is the Royal Shakespeare Company, based at Stratford-upon-Avon. Selling half a million tickets per year nationally, and taking more than £10 million at the box office, the RSC is a major contributor to the cultural and commercial wellbeing of the region.

Last year the company completed a £113 million redevelopment of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, to mark its 50th anniversary, and this year will lead a World Shakespeare Festival as part of the Cultural Olympiad.

Executive director Vikki Heywood says: “The transformation of our theatres has been an enormous team effort. More than 600 people were involved, and the funding came from 60 different countries. But we got there – on time and on budget. What drove us was to create the best performance space for Shakespeare in the world.

“We wanted to create a building that people felt was welcoming. Over 40,000 have booked backstage tours or been up the tower and we’re getting great feedback from the community,” she says.

“I believe the transformation is very important to the town of Stratford. The RSC contributes about £57 million a year to the regional economy,” adds Heywood. Now further investment and improvements to Stratford-upon-Avon will be possible.”

Warwickshire residents need no convincing of the advantages of this blessed plot, where they are enriched by culture, heritage and history, and live in beautiful surroundings.

The county’s central location gives easy access to Birmingham and by train, London is only an hour from Coventry. It has huge educational opportunities, with Warwick soon to be rated among the top 50 universities worldwide. And all over Coventry and Warwickshire there is a good range of housing at great value – all adding up to an enviable quality of life.

LEFT Warwick Racecourse is. one of the oldest in the country..

Warwick Castle is an archetypal. English castle, popular with visitors..

inspiration for the Shire in Lord of the Rings, Tolkien wrote, “A quiet Warwickshire village engenders a particular love of a middle England countryside.”

Set within this rural idyll are visitor attractions ranging from fun family activities, like the Stratford Butterfly Farm and the MAD Museum – that’s Mechanical, Art and Design – of mechanical inventions, to historical treasures such as Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Compton Verney, Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick and Ragley Hall in Alcester.

There are two castles in the region – Kenilworth, one of the most beautiful and spectacular castle ruins in England, and Warwick, considered by some to be the ‘ultimate castle’, where visitors can immerse themselves in 1,000 years of history.

The regency town of Royal Leamington Spa, and Rugby, home of the famous school which gave birth to the modern game of Rugby Union, are also brimming with history, as is Warwick, with its 18th century racecourse.

Managing Director Huw Williams explained that the racecourse came into being as a regeneration project dreamed up by local entrepreneurs after the Great Fire of Warwick destroyed two thirds of the city in 1694.

“And 300 years later, the business is still running,” he says. “We have different racing (we’re one of only 17 dual code courses in the UK), and different challenges. Historically, we had a resident shepherd who lived in the grandstand, and had to vacate his sitting room on race days, when it became a bar!

“The custom lasted till the 1970s, but we’re now looking at making the best of non-race days,” says Williams. “We’re unique in being just five minutes walk from the town centre, so we try to be of use to our local community, hosting conferences, weddings – even comedy nights.

4,435 SQ FTBAR/RESTAURANT/RETAIL UNIT TO LETUNIT 3, BELGRADE PLAZA, COVENTRY CV1 4AJ

www.belgradeplaza.comA development by The Belgrade Plaza Partnership

EATDRINKPARKSTAYLIVE

AT COVENTRY’SPREMIER PLAZAALREADY ON SITE:PIZZA EXPRESS, BELLA ITALIA,BELGRADE THEATRE, PREMIER INNAND AN AWARD WINNING CAR PARK

Andy [email protected]

Adam Jennings - [email protected] Lyons - [email protected]

Belgrade_C&W Mag A4AdREPRO_Layout 1 06/02/2012 18:04 Page 1

http://www.belgradeplaza.com


4,435 SQ FTBAR/RESTAURANT/RETAIL UNIT TO LETUNIT 3, BELGRADE PLAZA, COVENTRY CV1 4AJ

www.belgradeplaza.comA development by The Belgrade Plaza Partnership

EATDRINKPARKSTAYLIVE

AT COVENTRY’SPREMIER PLAZAALREADY ON SITE:PIZZA EXPRESS, BELLA ITALIA,BELGRADE THEATRE, PREMIER INNAND AN AWARD WINNING CAR PARK

Andy [email protected]

Adam Jennings - [email protected] Lyons - [email protected]

Belgrade_C&W Mag A4AdREPRO_Layout 1 06/02/2012 18:04 Page 1

On the movethe residential construction sector is essential to meet the demand for additional homes – and it’s an important driver in the local economy, supporting jobs and supply chains. the current market for new builds in the sub-region is a mixed economy, with activity in both the private and social sectors. Mark Smulian reports

nyone thinking of starting a business in Coventry and Warwickshire, or relocating there, will want to be sure that their staff can be housed locally at affordable prices, whatever type of

home they want. Stretching from inner areas of Coventry to Shakespeare’s county around Stratford-upon-Avon, the area is obviously very diverse, yet all is in easy reach of the principal towns.

The city of Coventry is the main urban centre. The most rural parts of Warwickshire lie to the south, where it eventually reaches the edge of the Cotswolds, while to

the county’s north-east lie the towns of Rugby, Nuneaton, Bedworth and Atherstone.

This makes for a diverse place, with a central location and good connections to the rest of the UK and abroad.

The area boasts a skilled workforce with a notable heritage of engineering skills.

So, where do people moving there live? Like anywhere else, house building in Coventry and Warwickshire reduced during the depths of the recent recession, but data from the construction and planning monitoring service Glenigan shows a recovery is well under way.

Housing associations are increasing. the supply of homes and creating jobs..

a


According to Glenigan, the area’s most active private house building market in 2011 was Rugby, where builders started work on 785 homes. Next came Coventry, with 398 new homes, followed by the district of Stratford-upon-Avon (70), boroughs of Nuneaton and Bedworth (51) and in North Warwickshire – the area around Atherstone, there were 11. It found no new starts in Warwick district. That totals 1,315 new homes, more than double the 632 started in 2010, and not far from the pre-recession level of 1,905 recorded in 2007.

In the social market – rent and shared ownership sector – there was a different pattern, but still clear growth. In 2011, housing associations started work on 113 new homes in Nuneaton and Bedworth, followed by 70 in Coventry, 68 in Stratford-upon-Avon, 19 in North Warwickshire, five in Warwick district and none in Rugby.

buiLding HoMES, CREaTing jobSA massive urban renewal programme in Coventry distorts comparisons for 2010, as work started on Spirit Quarters in the Deedmore Road, Henley Green, Wood End and Manor Farm areas in the north-east of the city. But if we compare 2011’s social housing starts to 2009 there is a 60% increase to 275.

Spirit Quarters is Coventry’s largest scheme, a £360 million public private partnership in the north-east of the city. Project director Kevin Roach said: “More than 3,300 new homes will be built, bringing facilities, green space and play areas to communities. First phase sales have seen a steady increase, with further demand for three-bedroomed properties in the second phase.”

Spirit Quarters is funded and managed by Coventry partners Whitefriars Housing, Coventry City Council, Moat House Community Trust and a developer consortium of Bovis, Keepmoat and Persimmon.

The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has also provided substantial funding for the project.

Private builders are becoming increasingly active. Redrow is developing the 150-home Eliot’s View on a former quarry site at Tuttle Hill, Nuneaton, and a further 129 at Cawston Grange, in Cawston, includ-ing traditional style larger homes. The majority of the development is four- and five-bedroom detached family homes, but there are also some affordable two- and three- bedroom properties.

Matthew Pratt, managing director for Redrow Homes (Midlands), says: “Building new homes is a great stimulus for the economy as for every new home built we create five new jobs.

Although Eliot’s View is not complete, homes have started to sell since it was launched in summer 2010, with 51 taken so far. Pratt says this is partly due to the govern-ment’s FirstBuy scheme, a form of shared ownership designed to make homes more affordable to buyers with a household income of less than £60,000.

Home seekers with savings of around £3,000 could find they only need to secure a mortgage of £72,950 to secure a two-bedroom apartment, for example, with the remaining 20% of the full market value of £94,995 covered by an equity loan, jointly funded by Redrow and the HCA. This is interest-free for five years and can then be repaid when the buyer has more money, or resells. Many housebuilders participate in this scheme.

Bloor Homes is constructing 125 homes at its Nuns Retreat development in Nuneaton, with apartments, three- and four-bedroom houses ranging in price from £159,950 to £239,950. Nuns Retreat is in walking distance of the town and the new Ropewalk shopping centre and twice-weekly outdoor market.

Lovell Homes is participating in the £200 million regeneration project at the former mining area of Camp Hill, Nuneaton. Lovell is building 227 homes for sale, affordable rent and shared ownership, in the project’s second phase, in addition to the 172 new homes created in the first. The phase two homes are built to the Eco Homes ‘very good’ standard.

Taylor Wimpey – the UK’s largest housebuilder by turnover in 2010 – is very active in the area. In Coventry it has homes from £79,995 for sale at the Boulevard in Stoke, offering one- and two-bedroom flats, and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses. From £102,995 Taylor Wimpey offers 43 three- or four-bedroom terraced and detached homes and a two-bedroom coach house at The Chesterfields, Aldermoor Lane, and from £166,995 there are three- to five-bedroom semi-detached and detached homes available at Woodland View, Banner Lane.

Outside Coventry, Taylor Wimpey has two- to five-bedroom homes from £97,995 at Caldecott Manor in Rugby, and from £108,795 there are two- to four-bedroom new homes at Swans Bridge Gardens, Nuneaton, while higher up the market in Warwick, it has three- to five-bedroom homes from £214,995 at Warwick Chase.

At nearby Henley-in-Arden there are three- to five- bedroom houses and two-bedroom flats from £174,995 at Farriers Cross.

aboVE Taylor Wimpey’s development at Caldecott. Manor includes these two-bedroom apartments..

Dummy text investment into Coventry and bring jobs, dummy we have got to make the processes as straightforward

HouSing dEVELopMEnTS

Warwick, Leamington Spa and Stratford, all the places where people would most want to buy if they could,” Rowley says. “The design has to be right because this is an aspirational product, they are looking for something that is modern, fuel efficient, easy to maintain and in which they feel secure. For lifestyle, they want to be able to get out of their car outside and feel proud of their home.”

James Cassidy, a director of Cassidy Group, which builds for both shared ownership and social rent for Jephson, Orbit, Whitefrairs and other housing associa-tions, is building 170 homes in Coventry, mostly for affordable rent. He is seeking planning permission to develop a site at Arley, in North Warwickshire, in part-nership with a housing association. “Shared ownership is not as difficult as it was, but people still need to be able to afford it,” Cassidy says.“You need a better site to make it work, you can build for social rent on a council estate but for shared ownership people expect aspirational housing.”

Across Coventry and Warwickshire developments are springing up to suit all tastes and pockets.

Stratford-upon-Avon, with its historic Shakespeare associations, has long been a popular residential area and Taylor Wimpey markets two- to four-bedroom homes at the Hathaways from £189,995 and in spring 2012, will start to develop its Poppy Meadow site.

The current difficulty in securing mortgages has made many buyers look to shared ownership, where the buyer purchases part of their home’s value and pays rent on the remainder, steadily increasing the proportion they own, as and when their income permits.

In addition to housebuilders, many housing associations offer this. Sue Rowley, regional director, Midlands, for Jephson Housing Association, explains: “Shared ownership needs the right product in the right place and there is plenty of demand for it.

“The difficulty is not people’s interest, but raising the finance needed,” she says. “It is difficult to get the mortgage, even for amounts that are relatively low.”

This market is popular with young people in the early stages of their careers, who have jobs and expect to see their salaries increase, a different group from those who seek Jephson’s social rented properties.

“We have shared ownership properties developed in

More than 3,300 new homes will be built, bringing facilities, green space and play areas to communities

bELoW Redrow’s traditional family. homes at Cawston grange..

Design that shapes a better world

Improving performance for British Energy Since working with British Energy, looking at performance improvement and operational capacity, outages at the company’s power stations have reduced by over 40%.

Securing funding for public transport in Solihull Helping Solihull Council to secure £11m in government funding for a public transport scheme.

Setting the standard for office space Brindleyplace continues to set the standard for office space in Birmingham, attracting many blue-chip clients.

Designing the UK’s first toll motorway The UK’s first toll motorway now provides travellers with a free-flowing alternative to the M6 motorway.

Understanding the implications of low-carbon vehicles One of the first low-carbon vehicle trial programmes in the UK, the CABLED project combines the expertise of Arup, E.ON, six manufacturers, two city councils and three universities.

Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world’s most prominent projects in the built environment and across industry, utilising over 10,000 experts in 30 countries, to shape a better world.

Since 1968 Arup has been working in the Midlands to create value and deliver results that frequently surpass the expectations of their clients.

The Midlands boasts Arup’s largest regional office housing over 500 staff on Blythe Valley Business Park in Solihull. Their work in the Midlands, around the UK and overseas covers a very broad spectrum in terms of scale, client and business sector.

Arup’s contribution to major projects is unrivalled; whether you’re driving across the 7.6km Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong, speeding along High Speed 1 at over 300kph, or walking through the 170 hectare Eastside development in Birmingham, Arup plays a significant role in making a positive difference to the Midlands region and world.

On a smaller scale, but equally significant, Arup has designed and delivered leadership programmes that facilitate outstanding performance among current and future midwifery leaders in NHS East Midlands.

Locally, Arup has been involved in the re-development of Birmingham Central Library, Birmingham City University; identifying route options for High Speed 2; assisting Birmingham Airport with their expansion plans; and providing multi-disciplinary support to Resorts World, at the NEC, one of the largest leisure and entertainment complexes in the UK.

Since 2001, Arup has had a partnering agreement with Warwickshire County Council and have collaborated with them on over 100 projects providing structural design and maintenance, highway design and development, environmental planning services and management advice.

Key projects delivered under the framework include studies for Coleshill Interchange (successfully built major scheme), SPARK bus priority and network improvements (for Leamington Spa and Warwick, achieved programme entry status) and traffic and highway designs for improvement schemes.

Irrespective of project size and value, the people at Arup are driven to find a way to deliver better solutions for our clients and look forward to working with the Coventry & Warwickshire LEP in the future.

For more information, please contact

Des Correia | 0121 213 3200 | [email protected]

www.arup.com

http://www.arup.com

Inward Investment magazIne 21

Smooth operatorsHigh youth unemployment and skills shortages in key industries are placing new demands on training providers. two further education colleges in Coventry and warwickshire are rising to the challenge, as Elizabeth Pears reports

ays after youth unemployment crossed the one million mark in November last year, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband and his shadow business secretary, Chuka Umunna, found

themselves at Warwickshire College’s Power Academy. Based at the college’s new £35 million Rugby campus,

the academy – which opened in September 2010 – is tasked with training highly skilled engineers who will operate the next generation of Britain’s power stations.

Basic skills are guaranteed, but what makes the academy truly special is its partnerships with some of the UK’s leading energy firms. With their input, students are being schooled in the latest technology particularly in areas such as sustainable energy making them valuable assets to the power industry.

Visibly impressed, Umunna said: “[The UK] is facing a situation where China will soon be the world’s largest economy.

“We’re looking at how we can keep our place in the world and a big part of how we can do that is through engineering and apprenticeships. The solution to the challenge is sitting in this room.”

Advantage West Midlands – the former regional development agency – was so confident of the academy’s potential it invested £6.2 million towards the ground-breaking centre.

And with almost 80% of the power industry’s current workforce set to retire by 2025, the project has the full

support of the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB).

None of this has happened by coincidence; the power industry is embedded in Rugby. In fact, its population grew around firms like British Thomas-Houston and later, GEC.

The Rugby campus itself sits on GEC’s old site and is just a stone’s throw away from Quartzelec – a leading electrical engineering firm – and GE Energy, previously Converteam, which specialises in power engineering.

Both firms, alongside Alstom Power (another energy giant based in Rugby), work closely with the academy, offering input on the curriculum or sending their apprentices for first-class training.

LEFT Warwickshire College’s Rugby centre opened. in 2010 after investment of £33 million in its estate..

D

Design that shapes a better world

Improving performance for British Energy Since working with British Energy, looking at performance improvement and operational capacity, outages at the company’s power stations have reduced by over 40%.

Securing funding for public transport in Solihull Helping Solihull Council to secure £11m in government funding for a public transport scheme.

Setting the standard for office space Brindleyplace continues to set the standard for office space in Birmingham, attracting many blue-chip clients.

Designing the UK’s first toll motorway The UK’s first toll motorway now provides travellers with a free-flowing alternative to the M6 motorway.

Understanding the implications of low-carbon vehicles One of the first low-carbon vehicle trial programmes in the UK, the CABLED project combines the expertise of Arup, E.ON, six manufacturers, two city councils and three universities.

Arup is the creative force at the heart of many of the world’s most prominent projects in the built environment and across industry, utilising over 10,000 experts in 30 countries, to shape a better world.

Since 1968 Arup has been working in the Midlands to create value and deliver results that frequently surpass the expectations of their clients.

staff on Blythe Valley Business Park in Solihull. Their work in the Midlands, around the UK and overseas covers a very broad spectrum in terms of scale, client and business sector.

Arup’s contribution to major projects is unrivalled; whether you’re driving across the 7.6km Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong, speeding along High Speed 1 at over 300kph, or walking through the 170

role in making a positive difference to the Midlands region and world.

and delivered leadership programmes that facilitate outstanding performance among current and future midwifery leaders in NHS East Midlands.

Locally, Arup has been involved in the re-development of Birmingham Central Library, Birmingham City University; identifying route options for High Speed 2; assisting Birmingham Airport with their expansion plans; and providing multi-disciplinary support to Resorts World, at the NEC, one of the largest leisure and entertainment complexes in the UK.

Since 2001, Arup has had a partnering agreement with Warwickshire County Council and have collaborated with them on over 100 projects providing structural design and maintenance, highway design and development, environmental planning services and management advice.

Key projects delivered under the framework include studies for Coleshill Interchange (successfully built major scheme), SPARK bus priority and network improvements (for Leamington Spa and Warwick,

for improvement schemes.

Irrespective of project size and value, the people at Arup are driven to forward to

working with the Coventry & Warwickshire LEP in the future.

For more information, please contact

Des Correia | 0121 213 3200 | [email protected]

www.arup.com

22 Coventry + warwICksHIre

One of the college’s trump cards is its full-sized generator, donated by GE Energy, which is used to train students in repair and overhaul techniques.

It gives Power Academy trainees first hand experience of a sophisticated piece of equipment that would normally be unavailable until it had been taken off-line.

Tony Parkin, Power Academy project manager, said: “I don’t know of any other college provider that has the quality of the equipment that we have. The other thing is, we have the staff who can operate it, too.

“What seems like rocket science, is really just common sense – if we are really trying to train our full-time students for a lifelong career in engineering, why not put the product into the classroom?

“Companies want people with knowledge of the right technology, the right skills and the ability to hit the ground running. Our students’ learning curve is on a different level altogether.”

Students enrol at the academy for different reasons; some are sent by their employers as part of their apprenticeship, others are full-time students disillusioned with traditional classroom teaching or want to take an alternative route into engineering. Courses like the Engineering Extended Level 3 Diploma, equivalent to three A-Levels, is a perfect stepping stone to university.

Parkin added: “There is a massive amount of new tech-nology on the horizon but most of it is still in universities at research stage. But whether you are talking about wind,

steam, wave – it’s all made up of mechanical or electrical equipment so the basic engineering skills are the same as they were 20 or 30 years ago.

“As the new technology develops, we will introduce new modules. The companies that we work with are true partners who will donate the necessary equipment to help us keep pace.”

Mariane Cavalli, principal and chief executive of Warwickshire College, one of the biggest further educa-tion colleges in the country, said: “The college is commit-ted to becoming an Entrepreneurial College, linking its activities directly to the government’s economic growth and recovery agenda.

“This will put the development of enterprising, entrepreneurial and innovative skills and behaviours at the centre of a student’s experience at the college and will involve businesses even more closely in its activities.”

Warwickshire College doesn’t have the monopoly on good relationships with business, as neighbouring City College Coventry long ago recognised the benefit of working with employers to develop courses that do more than just get bums on seats, said Neal Turner, head of faculty for technology.

He added: “Companies have a big input on our curriculum. We look at labour market intelligence and tweak our courses to suit. Our aim is to get apprentices into the trade of their choice and the key driver is asking businesses what they need.”

MPs Ed Miliband and Chuka.Umunna. visit Warwickshire College’s Power Academy..

skills and training


Students are offered six-day blocks across trades such as construction or plumbing. They learn the basics and, at the end of it, get a qualification as well as some knowledge of the options available to them.

Many may choose to enrol on a light vehicle engineering course – one of the college’s key strengths.

City College is also a national centre for Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) Engineering, catering to Arriva, First Group, National Express and Go-Ahead Travel, who send apprentices from across the country for training.

It builds on Coventry’s long history with the motor industry – the first British motorcar was made here. Jaguar Land Rover, one of Britain’s leading car manufacturers – now owned by Indian automotive giant, Tata – still has a base in the area. In fact, the firm recently announced plans to recruit 1,100 people to fill design and manufacturing jobs as well as create 133 apprenticeships for young people over the coming year.

All of this spells good news for the college, says Turner. “Engineering remains one of our most over-subscribed courses. And as Jaguar expands, there is a knock-on effect on its suppliers many of whom send their apprentices to us. Long ago we realised that working with firms of all sizes from small to medium enterprises and national businesses was the best way to go about things – it spreads the risk.”

The government has also created a £1 billion package for its ‘youth contract’ programme with incentives for businesses to take on apprentices and create 410,000 work places for young people aged 18 and 24.

Referring to the need for more engineers to replace an ageing workforce, Turner said: “Through apprenticeships young people have the opportunity to gain experience from experts in their fields before they retire. “The more people we get under the wing the more chance we have of these industries surviving.”

To further achieve this goal, the college teamed up with Coventry City Council, BAM Construct UK and Whitefriars Housing last year to create 30 construction apprenticeships for its students aged between 16 and 18.

As part of the scheme, students will be officially employed by BAM, one of the UK’s largest construction companies, and placed on projects around the region.

Turner said: “One day in college is not the same as a day in the workplace, where you are being mentored by a senior supervisor. It helps balance the theory and comfort of a college environment with real experience.

“The wonderful thing about an apprenticeship is that it can kickstart a lifelong career, without a university degree. For example, you can go on to become a site manager then regional director.”

To entice young people into training, the college designs taster courses for school leavers who are unsure of their next step and at risk of falling through the cracks.

AbovE Industry standard equipment gives. Power Academy students live experience..

LEFT Coventry City College runs taster. courses for prospective students..

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1

Project update we look at some of the major developments under way or coming onstream in Coventry and around warwickshire – who is involved in regeneration and where are the new opportunities for investment?

CITy CEnTRE SoUThCoventry City Council launched its public consultation in February on plans to redevelop the south side of the city centre. The council has worked in partnership with Aviva Investors – the other major landowner – on a £300 million plan, which covers Bull Yard, Shelton Square, City Arcade, Barracks car park and Hertford Street. The blueprint is based on comments received during a previous consultation in 2009, which resulted in the Jerde vision.

The proposal reflects the city’s heritage and is partly inspired by the 1950s Gibson plan – recreating the iconic cross layout and better connecting Market Way, Hertford Street, IKEA and the market.

It also aims to fit with other regeneration projects, such as Friargate at the station and the transformation of Broadgate as the city’s main events square.

Plans to be submitted for outline approval include a new anchor store, a 1,200 space car park, cinema complex, hotel, apartments, new and refurbished retail units of the right size to attract new shops and the reintegration of the market into the scheme.

The configuration, size and number of the new units proposed are designed to attract the big stores and quality brands people would expect to see in a centre as large as Coventry.

The scale and viability of the scheme has been carefully planned to provide the best opportunity to attract the right developer and range of retailers.

The new 11,000sq m anchor store, located towards Bull Yard, will provide retail over three floors. It has been positioned and designed to maximise its appeal to top retailers and includes a new car park. The nearby hotel will include shops below and the scheme incorporates a cinema at first floor level, with a restaurant at street level.

Gary Cardin, head of Drivers Jonas Deloitte, Birmingham office, says: “Coventry has a major

opportunity to consolidate and develop its retail offer in a new development that will add to the vibrancy of the city core, provide a new setting for the successful market and create new improved public realm. We are delighted to be working alongside Coventry City Council and Aviva on this project.”

John Whateley of Aviva Investors adds: “We have worked closely with Coventry City Council, taking on board comments from community consultation, in order to outline a comprehensive redevelopment blueprint for the southern Precinct. The emphasis has been on the deliverability of the scheme, with the proposal seeking to positively enhance Coventry city centre as a retail and leisure destination.”

Councillor Linda Bigham, the council’s cabinet member for city development, says: “This blueprint gives a real feel for the way the area will be developed. It builds on our work already under way in Broadgate and on the Station to Bull Yard route, which was always aimed at kick-starting the regeneration of our city centre.”

bELoW The southside of Coventry ‘s city centre. would be transformed, if consultation is positive..


aims that this will become the most advanced, inde-pendent transport technology development in Europe, generating more than 2,000 jobs over the next ten years.

The MTP development will cover 87.5 hectares and comprise 155,000sq m of developed space for transport technology businesses to establish R&D operations. It will host a new 43,000sq m state-of-the-art engineering centre, featuring modern, environmentally sustainable office space for MIRA.

The first building on the MTP is scheduled to be finished on 30 March. The building is in two parts. The first block of four storeys is partly allocated to office space for both MTP staff and tenants, and partly to replace the existing control tower for the test track. It also houses premium conference and meeting facilities, with a top floor pavilion, for exhibitions or events, with sliding glass walls that open on to a terrace.

Alongside, joined by the reception space, are six new customer project centres. Each one is totally secure, for confidentiality, and contain very large double-bay workshops, and a flexible two-storey office space.

The MTP has also received £19.4 million from the Regional Growth Fund, (RGF) which will be used both to improve the road infrastructure surrounding MIRA – specifically key junctions along the A5 – and accelerating the pace of the redevelopment of its site by reducing the amount of private investment required.

On top of Enterprise Zone status – which gives cheaper business rates, superfast broadband and lower levels of planning control – this RGF boost is further evidence that the engineering business’ planned £300 million expansion – and ambition for its develop-ment – is attracting interest and considerable support at the highest levels.

The first MTP building was approved separately to the main masterplan, which was given planning approval in November 2011. Development of the rest of the MTP is scheduled to commence early next year, with the phased upgrading of key infrastructure and construction of the first of the new R&D centres. These will be commissioned to the exact requirements of customers.

The technology park specialises in transport research and development, focusing on automotive, defence ground vehicles, and an increasing amount of aerospace

FoRD FoUnDRyThe old Ford Foundry site in Leamington Spa, disused since 2007, will see a new lease of life as a major super-market and mixed-use community, with the site decon-taminated, cleared and turned into a parkland setting.

In August 2011, Warwick District Council granted Trilogy detailed planning consent for a 7,000sq m Morrisons supermarket, and outline consent for the remaining masterplan which will include a 120-room hotel, 10,000sq m of offices, light industrial units, 1.5km of cycle routes and public footpaths.

Trilogy will also provide a £52,000 grant to establish a community group to manage a sustainable community woodland on a triangle of land north of the railway line.

The food store has been designed as an elegant pavilion, according to the architect, set back from Old Warwick Road to allow the tree-lined walkway/cycle way to run alongside. It includes a double-height cafe on Old Warwick Road, which will look out over the new offices and the Grand Union Canal.

Groundworks started in October 2011, with remediation due to be complete by March 2012, and the supermarket, roads, landscaping, park and cycleways by the end of 2012. The aim is for offices to be on site in spring 2012.

Trilogy Developments managing director Patrick Stones said that the development will create 1,200 jobs.

FRIARgATEFollowing consultation with residents and Coventry City Council to mitigate traffic generation, a revised masterplan of the Friargate development was prepared and planning consent obtained in July 2011.

Friargate is an office-led, mixed-use city centre development right next to Coventry train station. Covering 15-ha, it will provide 300,000sq m of space in 26 new buildings, designed to meet high standards of sustainability and energy performance.

The master plan by Friargate Coventry LLP (a development vehicle for Cannon Cannon Kirk), shows how 14 Grade A office buildings, two hotels, new homes and streets with shops, restaurants and bars could be designed around new public spaces.

The high quality office buildings – with restaurants and shops at ground level – will face on to Warwick Road and to a public boulevard to be created in front of the train station.

The new homes will be located around Grosvenor Road and Manor Road.

The scheme, designed by Allies and Morrison, is bisected by Warwick Road and bounded by Station Square, Manor Road, Greyfriars Green and Grosvenor Road in the centre of Coventry.

MIRA TEChnoLogy PARkMIRA, the advanced engineering, research and testing facility, has been awarded Enterprise Zone status for creation of the MIRA Technology Park (MTP). MIRA

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AbovE An Enterprise Zone has been agreed. for establishment of the MIRA Technology Park..


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STRATFoRD PARkWAy STATIonA new station for Stratford-upon-Avon is due for construction in early 2012. Trains from the new Stratford Parkway at Bishopton, 2km from the town centre, will also serve the existing Stratford-upon-Avon ‘town’ station. It will provide additional parking and facilities for the increased demand envisaged when the Stratford to Birmingham Railway increases its service frequencies, as well as encouraging train use, and thus reduce pollution from cars.

The 0.7-ha site is next to the existing bus-based Stratford Park and Ride, and the two facilities will share the existing car park. The new station will comprise two 147m-long platforms with shelters and a connecting footbridge, ticketing facilities, a walkway from the existing car park, a turnaround area, 20 cycle parking spaces, and additional parking and drop-off areas.

Outline permission was granted in April 2011, with construction due to start in 2012. The station will open in December 2013.

and rail research. The plans are for the MTP to concentrate on smart-vehicle and low-carbon technologies, and the park will be equipped with charging points, and filling facilities for alternative fuels, such as hydrogen and LPG.

EARLSDon PARkPhase two of the Earlsdon Park scheme has now been completed. This stage of the seven-phase development in the heart of Coventry has converted the listed art deco design and technical college into restaurants, bars and retail space on the ground floor, 3,700sq m of office space above, and a 100-bed Premier Inn hotel on top.

The top storey of the £6 million scheme, designed by the Space Studio, used whole bedroom pods fabricated off-site for quicker construction time. The hotel will open in January 2012.

Phase one of the MCD Developments scheme comprised an 7,800sq ft BREEAM ‘excellent’-rated new office building, a multi-storey car park and retail units, together with a block of apartments.

When complete, the seven-phase £110 million scheme will also include 554 apartments, further retail units, a 650-seat theatre (extending the existing Albany one), and a new public piazza at the rear to provide external performance space.

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bELoW Coventry’s Earlsdon Park. will be developed in seven phases..

http://www.aja-architects.com


PRojECTS

bELoW An artist’s impression of plans. for Coventry’s bishopgate development..

vICARAgE STREETAn opportunity to develop the area around Vicarage Street in Nuneaton’s town centre has been met with enthusiastic interest from nine developers.

The project has been put forward jointly by Warwickshire County Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

The 1.6-ha site, which is opposite the Justice Centre, could provide a mixed-use scheme, including office, hotel and a small scale retail development, as well as a cafe, replacement car park and new library.

Following the initial assessment process, three of the developers will be invited to expand their ideas, working alongside the two local authorities, in order to establish options for the area.

bIShoPgATEA major new mixed-use scheme in the north of the city centre is on course for development, opposite the city’s historic Bishopgate. The 1.4-ha site will be anchored by a superstore, and also include a state-of-the-art health and fitness club, and about 585 parking spaces.

Barberry Developments was granted outline permis-sion in summer 2011 for demolition of the Post Office sorting office, a 12,000sq m foodstore with car parking above and a 1,850sq m leisure centre. The proposals include replacing the pedestrian bridge across the ring road to the canal basin with a ground-level crossing, improving the connectivity of the city centre and the canal basin. Public realm improvements include creating boulevard-style pedestrianised zones, landscaping, high quality street furniture and paving. The scheme will have a 700sq m green roof.

According to Henry Bellfield of Barberry, the developer is in dialogue with the large supermarket operators to work up detailed scheme(s). Once they’re finalised, which will be in 2012, Barberry will submit a detailed planning application with a named operator.

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Invest inCoventry & Warwickshire

Coventry & Warwickshire is the perfect place for your business - centrally located, easilyaccessible and with over 25 development sitesin the pipeline, there’s never been a better time to be part of it.

Contact Warwickshire on 01926 412140 or email [email protected] Coventry on 024 7683 1234 or email [email protected]

cov&warwick_invest_adv2.indd 1 2/3/2012 11:37:06 AM

http://www.coventry.gov.uk

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk


PRojECTS

created to the existing Royal Priors Shopping Centre and Parade, the town’s prime shopping street.

The 19,000sq m, £90 million scheme by Wilson Bowden Developments, will generate over 750 new jobs.

Wilson Bowden Developments is working with Warwick District Council to prepare a planning application that defines and meets the retail needs and aspirations of the town centre.

This would create a sustainable and vibrant retail centre in Lemington Spa, able to compete effectively against other town centres.

RICoh AREnA STATIonCoventry’s Ricoh Arena could see its very own railway station, with trains running every 30 minutes, or 15 minutes on match days, if a new railway scheme is approved by the government.

The new station would serve the existing Coventry to Nuneaton line, and is one of 23 schemes bidding for a share of a funding pot worth £630 million. The £19.2 million proposals passed the first round of bidding in December 2010 and were subject to public consultation by the Department for Transport in September and October 2011. The railway scheme was given the go-ahead at the end of 2011.

The plans also include longer platforms at Bedworth, a new platform at Coventry station, and a new railway station at Bermuda Park.

FAR goSFoRD STREETRestoration and regeneration of one of Coventry’s most historic streets is coming on apace. The return to former glory of 38-40 Far Gosford Street is complete, making the most of the original features, and generating strong interest in its retail units.

Also finished is the Scala office development, on the site of the old cinema of the same name. The first floor of the new development – which comprises a total of 475sq m of office space over three floors – has been let to Coventry & Warwickshire Co-operative Development Agency. The second-floor offices, and ground-floor retail unit, are both under offer.

In addition, the former Hand on Heart pub is in the process of being let to a vintage retailer and a restaurant.

Refurbishment of the old Far Gosford Street industrial estate into a centre for creative enterprise has taken a major step forward after the city council issued compulsory purchase orders on a number of properties enabling the £12 million development to go ahead. Known as FarGo Village, it will provide a unique environment for visual and performance arts, crafts, design, fashion, digital media and music businesses in an atmosphere of enterprise, dependency and common purpose, and act as a ‘marketplace’ for creative enterprise and products.

Next on the agenda is the refurbishment of another tranche of shops and the large-windowed units above them (where the goods used to be made) called ‘topshops’. According to Barry Butterworth of Coventry City Council, the programme will be worth nearly £1 million.

CLAREnDon ARCADEAfter much negotiation, Leamington Spa is on course to see its retail offer complemented by the Clarendon Arcade, with about 25 shops, a major anchor store, additional car parking spaces and new housing. Strong pedestrian links will be

AbovE Royal Leamington Spa’s retail offer. will be enhanced by the Clarendon Arcade..

Invest inCoventry & Warwickshire

Coventry & Warwickshire is the perfect place for your business - centrally located, easilyaccessible and with over 25 development sitesin the pipeline, there’s never been a better time to be part of it.

Contact Warwickshire on 01926 412140 or email [email protected] Coventry on 024 7683 1234 or email [email protected]

cov&warwick_invest_adv2.indd 1 2/3/2012 11:37:06 AM

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RUgby ToWn CEnTRERugby will see a new leisure centre – complete with competition-size swimming pool – by summer 2013. Built on the car park of the 40-year-old Ken Marriot Leisure Centre, which will be demolished when the new facility opens, the new centre is designed to be visually permeable, and to fit sensitively on to the site.

The new facility has been designed by B3 Architects to cater for the sports and leisure needs of the people of Rugby well into the future. It will include:

■ a fitness suite double the size of the existing facility■ a 25m, eight-lane swimming pool, suitable for

regional competitions■ a 17m x 8m state-of-the-art studio pool with

moveable floor■ a feature climbing wall■ a four-court sports hall■ spaces suitable for dance classes, martial arts,

children’s parties and crèche■ a coffee shop, open to non-centre users■ space for future expansion

Construction is expected to start in February 2012 using sustainable techniques and to the highest energy efficiency standards. The new centre should be fully open in July 2013.

As well as B3 Architects, other professionals used on the project include Press and Starkey (cost consultants), Furness Partnership (structural engineers) and Building Services Partnership (mechanical and electrical designs).

Meanwhile, in the town centre, the High Street and Sheep Street areas are undergoing pedestrianisation, and traffic is being re-routed.

MAnUFACTURIng TEChnoLogy CEnTREThe first 12,000sq m building of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at Ansty Park, a £40 million flagship research facility, has been completed.

The MTC will focus on high-value manufacturing and provide access to technical expertise and state-of- the art equipment for industry and academia all under one roof, to develop new manufacturing processes in a neutral industrial setting, while reducing the associated financial risks.

Covering a range of sectors including aerospace, automotive, ICT, energy, food and beverages, the MTC specialises in manufacturing processes such as high-integrity fabrication, net shape manufacturing, advanced tooling, intelligent automation, manufacturing systems modelling and operational efficiency.

The centre brings together industry members such as Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Aero Engine Controls and the National Physical Laboratory, along with research partners, the Welding Institute, the University of Birmingham, Loughborough University and the University of Nottingham.

The MTC has also become one of a consortium of seven centres forming the high-value manufacturing Technology Innovation Centre. TICs are a government initiative, announced in March 2011, to bridge the gap between blue-sky innovation and commercial success, and to enable UK industry to take advantage of world class research and become more competitive in global markets.

Over the next 10 years, the high-value manufacturing TIC is expected to lead to approximately £2 billion of additional manufacturing R&D and the creation of up to 3,000 new skilled high-value engineering jobs.

LoADES ECoPARCA new eco commercial estate is being developed by Loades, three miles north of Coventry, near the M6. The 6-ha Loades Ecoparc is designed to attract high-quality, technology-driven business and create hundreds of jobs over the next few years.

Construction work started in September 2011 on three buildings, containing seven units, of 130sq m, 232sq m, and 278sq m, with completion scheduled for March 2012.

As well as using the latest eco-conscious build techniques, the units also include photovoltaic panels and other innovative design features.

The park will also be the first new industrial development in Warwickshire to provide electric charging points for vehicles.

The park has outline planning consent for larger units, which will be progressively developed over the coming years.

RIghT hundreds of hi-tech jobs could be based at. the Ecoparc, scheduled to complete in March..

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Jephson Advert_OL.indd 1 9/2/12 16:22:16

http://www.jephson.org.uk


Superfast broadband is in high. demand for businesses to expand..

Online and on track

The project includes a critical demand assessment for superfast broadband so a wholesale network can allow successfully bidding suppliers to reach thousands of customers in outlying rural areas. “People need to register their demand so we can tell potential suppliers where superfast services are needed,” says Hunt.

People can register as either businesses or residents on the project’s website. “If people work from home they should register as both,” advises Hunt.

The project only targets areas designated as having no superfast broadband at all. Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull have secured up to £4.07 million of the govern-ment’s national £540 million funding for the provision of superfast broadband. Match-funding will take this to £8 million provisionally with Warwickshire receiving just over £3 million. A further £16 million will be invested from private companies.

All premises must be covered at 2 megabits per second. “That’s fast enough to use an i-Player without the little wheel spinning, and Skype,” explains Hunt. “Vitally, this speed also allows people to use tele-care in their homes.”

In Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull, 90% of premises must be covered at 24mb per second. This will allow multiple computers to be connected to the internet simultaneously and to access ‘cloud’ computing.

‘Champions’ will distribute printed demand registra-tions so people in rural areas without current access can also say what they need. “Not everyone who will use superfast broadband in the future has a computer now,” says Hunt.

any Warwickshire farmers diversified their farms and turned barns into business units during the past decade. Small enterprises leasing those units now need superfast

broadband to expand.“Businesses expect superfast broadband coverage

when taking on a lease,” says Leigh Hunt, e-Business adviser at Warwickshire County Council. She adds that many people have moved out of cities into homes in Warwickshire villages only to find weak online connectivity: “Some of these people work creatively and need to upload and download big files.”

Hunt is busy spearheading a vital project that will match Coventry and Warwickshire customers needing enhanced connectivity with superfast broadband suppliers looking for new long-term markets.

online and on the railways, coventry and warwickshire are at the heart of the Uk’s infrastructure upgrades, as Paul Coleman reports

LEFT A new rail station at Ricoh Arena will provide an. efficient service to and from Coventry city centre..


INFRASTRUCTURE

The station opens in December 2013 when London Midland runs more weekday off-peak services. Later evening and weekend services will start running this year.

ChILTERN UPgRAdESChiltern Railways have long recognised Coventry and Warwickshire as one of its most vibrant markets. The company has invested over £150 million in upgrading tracks and stations between London and Warwickshire.

Newly refurbished trains have increased capacity and train speeds. Competitive and simplified fares have led to passenger numbers and satisfaction levels rising.

Journey times between Warwick Parkway and London Marylebone are now just 70 minutes. “Our free Wi-Fi, plug points and tables provide Warwickshire business travellers with an environment conducive to high productivity,” says Malcolm Holmes, general manager of Chiltern’s new mainline service.

Chiltern Railways built Warwick Parkway station over ten years ago. The station attracts thousands of commut-ers each day. Another car parking deck will be installed later this year. Chiltern also manages Leamington Spa and Warwick stations.

“Chiltern Railways support the regional economy through the delivery of a high quality, fast service to both London and Birmingham,” says Holmes. “Our faster services have made Warwickshire a viable commute to London and I would expect the property market to begin to reflect this.”

NUCKLE ANd RICohA £19 million Coventry-Nuneaton rail upgrade scheme – known as NUCKLE Phase 1 – received government approval in late 2011. Train service frequency will increase between Nuneaton and Coventry and will run up to every 30 minutes.

A new station at Coventry’s Arena Park will serve the Ricoh Arena, a growing residential and retail area to the north of the city. Its location next to the arena will mean football fans or event-goers can to travel between Coventry and the stadium by rail. It is expected that additional services will be provided between the station and Coventry every 15 minutes on match or event days.

NUCKLE, promoted jointly by Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and Centro, also sees a new bay platform at Coventry station, a longer platform at Bedworth and yet another new station at Bermuda Park between Bedworth and Nuneaton.

“The idea is to improve connectivity between the north and south of Warwickshire,” says Harvey. “That’s bringing major benefits to the region’s economy.”

“Good connectivity will enable people in rural areas to access services, kids to do their homework, and help young people to get a good job,” adds Hunt. “Our Broadband Plan is well underway.”

Millions are also being invested to improve Coventry and Warwickshire’s rail infrastructure. Stratford-upon-Avon, one of the country’s most popular tourist destina-tions, brings over £350 million to the UK economy each year – and thousands of cars flock to the town.

Special rail enhancement measures worth £8.8 million will entice people out of their cars through the provision of a new Parkway Station to the north of the town, and by increasing weekday off-peak Stratford-Birmingham trains and adding more evening and weekend services.

The measures are being promoted by Warwickshire County Council, with support and funding from the Department for Transport and Centro, the West Midlands passenger transport authority. The project will also include a package of ‘Smarter Choices’ measures to encourage people to access the station in a sustainable manner, enhanced bus services, electric vehicle charging points and a cycle hire scheme.

John Harvey, senior transport planner at Warwickshire County Council and Stratford Parkway project manager, says an estimated 140,000 passengers will use the station from its opening year, including a modal shift of 66,000 people from road to rail. A study commissioned by Warwickshire County Council says the new station will help to save almost 4,000,000 vehicle kilometres each year.

“People will find it easier to get in and out of Stratford and commuters in the town’s rural hinterlands will enjoy more relaxed journeys to Birmingham, thanks to the new station and train services,” says Harvey. “Smaller companies, especially manufacturers, will find roads less congested when making deliveries and showing around new customers.”

The new two-platform station will offer 725 parking spaces for commuters. Harvey says it is hoped that visitors may also be able to benefit from joint offers from tourism destinations and train companies.

if you want to register your demand for superfast broadband, visit www.cswbroadband.org.uk

For more info, email: [email protected]

For more information about these companies, visit www.candwmagazine.com/links

Coventry and Warwickshire partners group Joining together to support the sub-region

AP Commercial Andrew Pittaway

[email protected]

Bromwich Hardy Tom Bromwich

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DTA Simon Tucker

[email protected]

Jaguar Land Rover Les Ratcliffe

[email protected]

Martineau Clive Read

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Stoford [email protected]

Wootton Park Mark McCall

[email protected]


http://www.apcommercial.co.uk

http://www.bromwichhardy.co.uk/

http://www.dtatransportation.co.uk/

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Top 10 reasons to invest

Coventry and Warwickshire are home to major international brands and continue to attract businesses looking to relocate to this well-connected area at the heart of the country. Sarah herbert reports on what draws them here – and why they stay

The area is rich in competitively priced high-quality business parks and land, with more being added all the time. Construction by St Modwen of the 38-ha Whitley Business Park, next to the A45/A46 junction has started, and will ultimately provide 100,000sq m of office and industrial space and up to 2,000 new jobs. Similar develop-ments are nearing completion at Prologis Park, and Earlsdon Park, close to Coventry railway station, which will offer over 5,575sq m of ‘London-quality space delivered to the regions’, and has recently opened its second building.

Another sure advantage is affordability. Grade A offices in Coventry let for £16.50 per sq ft, and £17 in Warwick, compared to Birmingham’s £27.50. Prime industrial can be as low as £3 to £4 for larger premises.

2_AcAdemic excellence Thanks to its strong reputation for academic excellence, C&W has a pool of skilled graduates with the right talents for the future. The jewel in the crown is the University of Warwick, one of the UK’s top ten, acknowl-edged for excellence in research, teaching and innovation. With 4,000 graduates a year, it is the second most-targeted UK university by top employers. An expansion programme to add 171,000sq m to its campus – to put it into the top 50 universities in the world by 2015 – has started, with a new materials and analytical sciences building and new halls of residence. Its business school is in the global

top 30, and ranked fourth in the UK.Coventry University, in the city centre,

is known for its expertise in automotive engineering (it was originally focused on the needs of major car companies such as Jaguar, Land Rover and Ford) design, health and digital media. In top ten of post-1992 universities, it has 23,000 students from almost 100 countries, and is undergoing a £100 million, 10-year redevelopment.

Warwickshire is home to several out-standing colleges, including Warwickshire College (which includes the Rugby Power Academy, see ‘sustainable region’, over), North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, Stratford-upon-Avon College and King Edward VI College, some of which have been awarded centre of excellence status in key areas of expertise.

1_Best for Business In July 2010, 74% of businesses rated Coventry and Warwickshire as good/excel-lent for doing business (C&W Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Survey). A fact not lost on such international big hitters as Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, IBM, Rolls Royce, BMW, Dairy Crest, E.ON and Stadco, all based in the area. Such illus-trious neighbours are attracting new arrivals, such as Ocado, which is opening its second UK distribution centre in Birch Coppice, North Warwickshire, creating 2,000 jobs, and Gerberit, which opened its UK head office in a purpose-build high-spec office in Warwick.

BELoW St Modwen’s Whitley Business park,. set in 37 hectares on the A45 in Coventry..

ABovE Coventry University Business School,. with the library in the background..


4_ AccessiBle It doesn’t get much more central than Warwickshire: Meriden, near Coventry is the traditional centre of England, and is even marked by an ancient monument.

The area is within a five-hour drive of 95% of the UK mainland, thanks to its motorway links to the M40, M42, M6 and M1. One mil-lion people are within a 30-minute drive, and six million people within a one-hour drive.

On the trains, it’s less than 60 minutes to London from Coventry, 67 minutes from Leamington Spa and 50 minutes from Rugby.

For tourism and exports, Birmingham International airport has flights worldwide, and Coventry airport operates business and freight, with passenger flights planned.

And it’s not just transport accessibility: around 4,800 more homes and businesses in C&W are poised to benefit from superfast broadband as part of BT’s £2.5 billion roll-out of fibre optic broadband in 2012, taking the number in the region on the new network to more than 82,000.

5_top for tAlent C&W has a highly skilled workforce and pool of innovative talent of 425,000, more than 160,000 residents with NVQ level 4 and above, and direct access to 50,000 students. Over a quarter of Coventry’s population is educated to degree level, while Warwickshire has a higher than average number of residents with NVQ4 and degree-level skills.

And they put these skills to good use. Warwickshire has a higher rate of business start-ups (52 per 10,000 people, 2004-2009) than the UK average, with Stratford having 67 per 10,000, one of the highest in the country. Over 15% of Coventry’s workers are employed in skilled, professional occupations, higher than the rest of the West Midlands (12.7%) and nationally (13%), according to government figures for 2009.

6_industriAl expertise C&W – with its strong engineering heri-tage – is part of a motorsport, automotive and advanced manufacturing cluster of 250 companies worth over £5 billion, and employing over 4,300. Companies based here include car-makers Peugeot, Aston Martin, and Jaguar Land Rover, as well as engineer-ing partners such as Brose and Penso. Independent research has identified C&W as global leaders in areas such as low-carbon vehicles, intelligent transport systems and serious gaming.

It has one of Europe’s fastest-growing ICT and software clusters in Europe, home to the largest concentration of IT companies outside London, and a quickly advancing medical technologies sector. Between 1998 and 2008, the number of businesses grew by 26.4%, more than the UK average.

The wider Midlands has over 700 aero-space companies, employing 45,000 people, with shared technologies, proficient talent and amalgamated supply chains – a localised knowledge base with global significance.

The business services sector is also very strong, especially in the technology and manufacturing aspects of knowledge-intensive businesses. This is now the largest source of employment, with Warwickshire home to over 9,500 business and professional services companies, which employ around 54,000 people.

3_QuAlity of life Vibrant city and town centres, rich cultural heritage, great leisure and shopping facilities, and acres of beautiful countryside, make for a high standard of living at an affordable price.

In February, Coventry City Council unveiled its consultation on a £300 million plan for regeneration of the southside of the centre. The proposals have been developed in partnership between the council and Aviva, the other major landowner.

The city is investing £9 million in public realm to prepare for its part in the 2012 Olympics, while many former industrial sites have been transformed into residential and mixed-use schemes. Sporting attractions include the Ricoh Arena, which also hosts pop concerts and events, and Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey.

In Warwickshire, there are world-class attractions including Shakespeare’s birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle, and the spa town of Leamington. As well as fine towns such as Rugby and Warwick, there are nine country parks, offering forests, lakes and cycling routes and adventure playgrounds.

LEFT The international visitor. destination of Warwick Castle..

ToP virgin Trains – fast service to London.. ABovE The sub-region’s well connected bus services..


RELoCATIoN

9_Home of innovAtion C&W is at the forefront of innovation and the development of new technologies. The £40 million Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) at Ansty, sees academia and industry testing new techniques in aerospace, automotive, energy, electronics and heavy-duty construction. For every £1 invested the MTC will return £46, according to economic impact assessments. The MTC is expected to create or safeguard 2,100 jobs, bolster 625 businesses and generate £5.5 billion for the UK economy.

MIRA’s Technology Park will eventually cover 87.5 hectares with 55,000sq m of R&D space for transport technology businesses, including a 43,000sq m state-of-the-art engineering centre. The first building is scheduled to be finished on 30 March.

Such centres will join Ricardo – a global consultancy on high-end applications, such as transmissions, fuel cells and hybrid powertrains, in automotive, defence, marine and motorsport – and Jaguar Land Rover, which has recently relocated its 170-strong, advanced research group to the University of Warwick. The university is also home to WMG research and innovation group, which includes the £50 million Digital Lab research centre, providing technology transfer between academia and industry.

10_ sustAinABle region Coventry rose 10 places to seventh in the Forum for the Future sustainability index between 2007 and 2010, and was third for ‘Environmental Performance’ in 2010. The city council’s electric car pool has run since 1996, it also uses low-carbon diesel hybrid vehicles, and hosts an annual low carbon conference. The city is one of eight “plugged in places”, to install more than 500 electric car charge posts. In 2011, Coventry University with Coventry City Council, was awarded global “Living Labs” status by the European Network of Living Labs.

In Warwickshire, green buses operate in Stratford-upon-Avon and the University of Warwick. Jaguar Land Rover, Tata and BMW, are developing automotive hybrid, electric and hydrogen technologies, while the University of Warwick has several low-carbon research projects. Low carbon vehicles and technology and engineering for renewable energy systems are growth sectors in C&W. The Rugby Power Academy at Warwickshire College is a £6.2 million development to train students to work in alternative energy generation and supply. Wolseley’s Sustainable Building Centre in Leamington Spa is the UK’s first commercial showcase for sustainable building products and construction methods.

Low carbon opportunities in Coventry are worth up to £1.9 billion, cutting edge R&D is under way in both academia and industry, so C&W is well placed to exploit new markets in sustainable technologies and construction.

7_network of support C&W could not have become an economic powerhouse without its business development, company engagement and industry support networks. These include the CW Chamber of Commerce – with advice on business set-up, working with the public sector, or taking advantage of the Olympics – and the profes-sional network of Coventry and Warwickshire First, and organisations such as the Motorsport Industry Association, Renewable Energy Technology Alliance, or Coventry & Warwickshire Aerospace Forum.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust provides loans to organisations to improve the local economy, while CW Local Enterprise Partnership, estab-lished in March 2011, had a flying start with a range of initiatives and successful funding bids.

Warwickshire Investment Partnership, the county council’s inward investment service, and Coventry City Council’s inward investment team, provide potential investors with property and demographic information.

Warwick Business School, in the top 1% worldwide, is a great business asset, acting as a centre of professional support.

8_eQuipped for tHe future C&W recognises the low-carbon sector is a key driver for growth with the potential to add £1.9 billion to the economy, and create 26,000 jobs, according to SURGE, Coventry University’s research centre for sustainable regeneration. It identifies key growth areas as low-carbon vehicles, and technology and engineering for renewable energy systems, with such projects under way as:

RETA – Renewable Energy Technology Alliance, helping to identify contracts for its low-carbon alliance, ensuring the appropriate skills, and stimulating market demand.

CABLED – Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators – largest UK study into long-term low-carbon vehicle use, led by Arup. Coventry is hosting a demon-stration project for electric cars, testing them in a real-world environment. By 2020 five million electric cars could be on the road, a significant proportion from C&W car plants.

RIghT The new Microcab h2Ev, a four-seater,. which can be supplied as a car, light van or a cab..


Making adifference

Working in Partnership toRegenerate Coventry Orbit Heart of England owns and managesover 16,500 homes throughout the Midlands and are part of the Orbit Group.

Orbit can offer• 40 years of experience developing and

regenerating the Midlands.• Long-term neighbourhood management

and community development.• Quality services across the region

provided by local teams.• Over 1,350 homes in Coventry managed

from our Coventry office.• Commitment to working in partnership

to improve the quality of life for communities.

www.orbit.org.uk

To find out more about how Orbit can work with you to Build Brighter Futures contact:

Chris JonesDevelopment Director (Midlands)

[email protected]

Housing Corporation Reg. No. L4526 Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1965. Registered No. 30446R (Exempt Charity)Heart of England Housing Association Ltd. Registered Office: 10 Greenhill Street, Stratford-upon-Avon,Warks, CV37 6LG

Orbit Heart of England Association is an exempt charity and part of the Orbit Group

he once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has brought a wave of excitement to the region, as Coventry’s stadium prepares to host some of the Games’

qualifying football matches. The knock-on economic effect of this international profile is huge for Coventry and the surrounding Warwickshire area – the aim is for a lasting legacy of prosperity.

For leading policy makers in the sub-region, the economic aspirations are to support economic growth, improve accessibility and transport options, create opportunities for people – and particularly the young – to improve their work-related skills, and make the region a place of destination for tourists and visitors.

Monica Fogarty says that Warwickshire will support and grow the industry sectors where it has real potential

to expand – low carbon vehicles, intelligent transport systems, along with advanced manufacturing and head office functions.

“We will look to develop key sites, which relate to these growth areas and link infrastructure projects to generate growth in a targeted and sustainable way,” she says.

The Olympics, which will see eight days of competition hosted at the 32,000 capacity City of Coventry Stadium in July and August, is expected to bring an influx of visitors to Coventry and Warwickshire.

2012 will be a special year for Coventry and Warwickshire, as people from across the world are welcomed to the sub-region. “Arguably, no other region outside London will be the focus of so much Olympic-related activity: athletes and visiting teams training at the University of Warwick, and the county will be celebrating the World Shakespeare Festival and hosting the Olympic Torch Relay,” says Fogarty.

“Young people are the future of this region and addressing youth unemployment is a real priority,” says Martin Yardley. “Success was demonstrated by the local enterprise partnership’s 100 apprenticeships in 100 days.”

The Games bring tangible economic benefits, with tenders won in the West Midlands from the Olympics and associated projects, totalling £517 million, as Coventry + Warwickshire went to press. Success for Warwickshire includes Exhall’s Premier Group producing the 8,000 torches to be used in the torch relay.

The directors intend to secure and maintain further investment through supporting economic growth and improving the sub-region’s reputation as a good place to do business – importantly, with the local authorities being responsive to business needs. The MIRA enterprise zone shows this, with local automotive expertise potentially attracting thousands of jobs. Yardley adds: “We aim to build on our strengths, develop our profile nationally and internationally, specifically in the niche sectors that have been identified as growth areas for the sub-region.”

Business growth in an olympic year – this is the message from warwickshire county council’s strategic director for communities, Monica Fogarty, and Martin Yardley, director of city services and development at coventry city council. they give an upbeat assessment of economic prospects for the sub-region in 2012

Going for gold

ABOVE The City of Coventry Stadium – as the. Ricoh will soon be branded for the Olympics..

T

Making adifference

Working in Partnership toRegenerate Coventry Orbit Heart of England owns and managesover 16,500 homes throughout the Midlands and are part of the Orbit Group.

Orbit can offer• 40 years of experience developing and

regenerating the Midlands.• Long-term neighbourhood management

and community development.• Quality services across the region

provided by local teams.• Over 1,350 homes in Coventry managed

from our Coventry office.• Commitment to working in partnership

to improve the quality of life for communities.

www.orbit.org.uk

To find out more about how Orbit can work with you to Build Brighter Futures contact:

Chris JonesDevelopment Director (Midlands)

[email protected]

Housing Corporation Reg. No. L4526 Industrial and Provident Societies Act, 1965. Registered No. 30446R (Exempt Charity)Heart of England Housing Association Ltd. Registered Office: 10 Greenhill Street, Stratford-upon-Avon,Warks, CV37 6LG

Orbit Heart of England Association is an exempt charity and part of the Orbit Group

http://www.orbit.org.uk


a diverse business base, where hi-tech companies are fostered and thrive, with good infrastructure, innovative research capacity and a pool of talent with relevant skills – these are the elements of the knowledge economy. coventry and warwickshire has wrought its industrial past into a technological future and it’s paying off. Lucy Purdy reports

t one time, almost every other person in Coventry and Warwickshire earned a crust by knocking metal and other raw materials into shape, fuelling the area’s booming heavy

industries. But now residents are more likely to be involved in the engineering of ideas, as the region’s knowledge economy goes from strength-to-strength, helping to reboot Coventry and Warwickshire with a different kind of technological growth.

World-class universities, ground-breaking science parks and innovative, high-growth companies, with not just national – but steadfastly global – horizons, are proud to call the region home. They share a sense of optimism that is driving economic recovery with ever-increasing pace.

From the recently completed Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and its £1 million partnership with Hewlett Packard, to the award-winning video game developer Codemasters – one of the UK’s longest-serving creative digital businesses – the sub-region is home to the type of highly-specialised companies deemed critical to the reinvention of the UK, post-recession.

According to a report published by The Work Foundation last year, only the knowledge economy can produce the kind of balanced growth needed to secure the country’s future prosperity. Its author, senior economist Charles Levy, insisted we must eschew debt-fuelled

The Manufacturing Technology. Centre at Ansty Park..

Technology is power

BELOw Staff work on ideas at the award-winning. video game developer Codemasters..

A

SuSTAinABLE MARkET PLACE


growth and embrace that which is driven by expertise and new ideas.

Codemasters is something of a knowledge economy trailblazer and is today flanked by the likes of Blitz Games Studios, based in Leamington Spa, and the Serious Games Institute at Coventry University.

Founded in 1986 by young game designers David and Richard Darling, Codemasters has achieved 60 video game number one UK hits and was awarded the prestigious Develop Grand Prix Award from the Develop Industry Excellence Awards. It has offices in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and Southam in Warwickshire, and opened an art studio in Malaysia in 2006.

“The UK has always been a stronghold for games development and the West Midlands is at the very heart, with around 25% of the UK industry based here,” says Rich Eddy, Codemasters’ director of communications.

“The games market continues to grow and its reach goes further than ever before. Our reputation for racing games gives us a leading position and we have our own mega-brands, thanks to the talented individuals here,” says Eddy. “We are continually seeking fresh talent to join our studio teams and create games that the whole world will want to play.”

The whole world is also very firmly in the sights of those at the UK Market Access Program (UKMAP), based at the University of Warwick Science Park near Coventry.

The programme encourages overseas firms seeking a base in the UK to choose the West Midlands, and already more than 50 businesses have located here as a result. It offers companies a raft of measures to manage the risk and commitment of setting up the UK, including free company formation and discounted market research and recruitment services.

“This area is particularly attractive to these companies because the whole country can be accessed from here,” says project executive Dirk Schaefer. “You can reach 80% of the country’s population within 150 miles and could potentially have a meeting in the north and another in the south in the same day. There is also a very dense population in the West Midlands, which is very attractive to foreign companies.

“The feeling in the region at the moment is really positive,” adds Schaefer. “There is a lot going on all the time and this is a very positive place to set up.”

UKMAP’s multilingual website also extols the virtues of having nine regional motorways and a major railway centre in the region, as well as Birmingham International Airport, strong universities and two of the country’s top five business schools.

German solar panels firm Altec Solar selected Coventry as its UK base, thanks to UKMAP. It opened a warehouse and sales centre in Binley in December after discussing expansion with UKMAP’s business experts.

SuSTAinABLE MARkET PLACE

The feeling in the region at the moment is very positive. There is a lot going on all the time and this is a very positive place to set up


“Altec had pretty much chosen Manchester as their location because they thought they needed to be in the north. Our understanding of the solar industry made them revise their decision and the region turned out to be the ideal place for them,” adds Schaefer.

As this proves, knowledge is power – economic power – and knowledge is king at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in nearby Ansty Park. The 12,000 sq m purpose-built facility is a hive of activity, where industrial-scale research and development work is carried out to suit clients’ needs.

It serves members across the manufacturing spectrum, with the aerospace and automotive industries currently accounting for the bulk of the MTC’s work, and has experienced rapid growth since its inception in 2010. Rolls-Royce, Aero Engine Controls and Airbus UK are all members.

“In April 2011 we had three founding members, now, fast forward less than a year, we have 21 members,” says business development manager Steve Statham.

“We have long had an issue in the UK in that we are very good academically, developing early stage research and taking ideas from a basic concept to bench-top demonstration stage, but we are not so good at convincing industry to invest. Industry and academia have very much gone down separate paths and there has been no good link between the two. The MTC sits in that gap.

“There was nothing like us in the UK until we came along. It is centres like ours that will really help the UK capitalise on our world-class academic base and help us compete with the likes of North America,” says Statham.

Those at multinational IT corporation Hewlett Packard certainly think the team are doing something right. The company recently struck a £1 million

partnership with the MTC after hearing of its success through fellow-member Rolls-Royce. Statham says that since HP came on board, the likes of Siemens, Microsoft, NEC and Intel have also expressed interest in joining – meaning veritable giants of international IT solution provision are beating a track to Coventry and Warwickshire’s door.

The Digital Lab at the University of Warwick is a £50 million state-of-the-art centre designed to facilitate major collaborative research opportunities. Dr Mark Swift runs its Knowledge Exchange Programme, which gives SMEs in the region free access to expertise and leading-edge technology. He agrees that there is now a real sense of positivity. “In the middle of last year, it was clear that optimism has returned,” says Swift. “It is now a matter of feeding that optimism, feeding the growth.”

Much interest in the region stems from its top class universities. The University of Warwick, with its modern campus three miles outside Coventry, consistently ranks among the top ten in league tables of British universities and enjoys a strong reputation for research and excellent links with industry, from the largest multi-nationals to the smallest start-ups.

Warwick Innovation Centre was created by Warwickshire County Council and the University of Warwick Science Park to extend the university’s features deeper into the region. It offers purpose-designed accommodation and office space on short leases, as well as a wide range of business support services and links to the university.

Coventry University too has a growing reputation for excellence in education and has earmarked £160 million for improvements over the next ten years. Both universities in turn have strong links with the many outstanding further education colleges in the area.

If knowledge is the key to the area’s economic growth then positivity is helping ensure its lasting success. Whether it is the creation of new jobs, spin-off businesses or the transformation of ideas into industries, a sense of confidence permeates the sub-region in 2012.

Knowledge is power – economic power – and knowledge is king at MTC

LEFT warwick innovation Centre, set up in. partnership between warwickshire County. Council and the university of warwick..

BELOw The university of warwick Science Park,. one of Europe’s top academia-linked science parks..

Midland Heart is working locally to createand support vibrant and safe places to live,work and enjoy.

PeopleFrom Carnivals, allotments, art projects, garden initiatives,and environmental improvements, to action groups – wehave a track record of being part of inspiring partnershipprojects.

PlacesWe are proud of our successes to build quality homeswhich transform places and lives - promoting independentliving and quality of life.

ProsperityWe are passionate about creating and supporting localopportunities for jobs, training and education - buildingaspirations and attracting investment and growth.

Midland Heart operates in 54 Local Authority areasworking alongside our customers and their communitiesto understand the issues and find lasting solutions.Our work involves, supporting those who need help to live independently, assisting in regenerating communities and helping an individual to discovertheir own abilities just as much as it involves providingand maintaining homes for more than 70 000 people.

Midland Heart manages 3900 homes in Coventry andhas an office in the heart of the city.

The Midland Heart Way is to help transform lives andcommunities through housing, care and more!

PeoplePlaces

Prosperity

Midland HeartHighfield House - Coventry Office St Nicholas Street, Coventry, CV1 4BN.Telephone: 0870 60 70 300 Email: [email protected]: www.midlandheart.org.uk

housing, care and more

AD AW FINAL:Layout 1 19/02/2011 12:39 Page 1

http://www.midlandheart.org.uk

Coventry + W

arwickshire



Inward Investment magazIne Issue one

C&W Top 10Follow the big brands – 10 reasons why Coventry and warwickshire is a smart investment destination

KnoWledge eConomyHi-tech companies investing in the future, now – with innovation, imagination and expertise in good supply

affordable housingdevelopments are delivering on demand for housing in the social and private sectors, with schemes for first-timers

sKills and TrainingHow training providers are helping the workforce to meet the needs of this sub-region’s businesses

aston martinrolls-royce and Jaguar land roverDeep roots in coventry anD WarWickshire

Issue 01 March 2012 m

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0121 609 8308gva.co.uk

Ian StringerRegional Senior

Director – [email protected]

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