Two new occupiers have taken offices at Kings Court, a secluded courtyard development off Railway Street, Altrincham.

Architects, View Associates, has taken a one year lease on Suite A, comprising 750 sq ft at a rental of £1,000 per month on an all-inclusive basis

View Associates, founded in 2013, has grown into a well-respected studio delivering large city centre commercial projects, as well as working with leading house builders, private residential clients and business owners.

Ian Jones, founder, said: “We have steadily grown the practice and outgrew our former office. We needed to increase our occupational requirement to accommodate the expanded team and future growth.

“Kings Court is ideally located in the heart of the town centre where we are currently working on several projects including the former St. John’s Medical Centre and 16 Old Market Place.”

Vitkovice Machinery UK Ltd (VMUK) has taken Suite D providing 400 sq ft on a one year lease at an all-inclusive rent of £900 per month.

VMUK specialise in supplying its clients with seamless steel gas cylinders which are used in a variety of sectors including the industrial, beverage, food industry, health care and scuba diving as well as for hydrogen the much vaunted clean fuel of the future.

Pavel Slowik, general manager, Vitkovice Machinery UK Ltd, said: “We needed larger offices to accommodate our expansion in the UK/North West and Altrincham provides the ideal base with its excellent transport links across the UK along with the office’s location, just a stone’s throw from the trendy market, eateries, leisure and retail offerings for our team and a great spot for our clients to visit”.

Daniel Lee, director, Regional Property Solutions, who acted for the landlord, Wizard Trading (Europe) Ltd, in the lettings, said: “Kings Court is built around an attractive and secluded courtyard and is an established and popular leisure and office destination, both of these vacant suites are moderately priced and let very quickly.”

An Oldham-based social enterprise has been selected for the NatWest SE100 Index, the annual listing of the UK’s top 100 social enterprises.

This achievement for Upturn – which launched in 2004 operates from Peter Street in the town – is the equivalent of the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies for social enterprises and a massive achievement for the organisation.

Upturn’s core mission has always been to unlock the potential and improve the lives and health and wellbeing of people from diverse groups and disadvantaged communities across Oldham and the wider region.

Upturn is split into three core areas: Upturn People, which aims to unlock talent and aspirations, Upturn Communities, which enables communities to prosper and safe spaces to be created, and Upturn Enterprise, which helps entrepreneurs through the key stages to start their own business as well as working with established companies to strengthen local community ties.

The top 100 social enterprises were selected for the SE100 Index by judges on a range of criteria including business sustainability, innovation and social impact.

Together they tell a convincing story of growth and optimism in the sector, posting a combined total turnover of more than a third of a billion pounds (£388m), up from £335m the year before.

The group made a combined profit of nearly £15.5m – significantly higher than the year before, during the height of the Covid pandemic.

And the average growth in annual turnover for the top 100 was 84% – suggesting that the UK’s top social businesses are bouncing back strongly from one of the most challenging periods in recent times.

Anwar Ali, CEO of Upturn, said: “Being listed on the SE100 Index is brilliant recognition for everything we’re trying to achieve as a social enterprise, especially as the list covers the whole of the UK and not just our local area.

“The full list includes makers of underwear, tea, jewellery and upcycled furniture, as well as providers of diverse services, such as dental care and music therapy. We’re incredibly proud to be listed on there as a social enterprise designed to unlock the potential and improve the lives of people from diverse groups and disadvantaged communities.

“Like everyone else, our jobs were made harder by the pandemic, but we’ve always remained steadfast and true to our core mission. Nothing will stop us reaching those who need us the most in our community.”

Tim West, founding editor of Pioneers Post, who created the SE100 in partnership with NatWest more than a decade ago, added: “With average growth of 84% among our top 100 – and 88% of SE100 applicants reporting that they are making a more positive impact since the Covid crisis – the indications are that the UK’s social enterprises are on the way up after experiencing some very challenging times.

“In times of uncertainty, including more economic discomfort ahead, it would be understandable – perhaps sensible too – for any organisation to focus on their core business aims.

“But social entrepreneurs are a stubborn breed: not only do they want to do better in terms of their profitability and impact, they also want to be better in terms of the way they operate and the values that they stand for.”

A row of historic cottages in Manchester which lay empty for nearly a decade have been brought back to life as affordable homes following a £1.1m refurbishment project.
The six terraced houses known as Westwood Cottages, which have Grade II listed status and are owned by One Manchester, have been given a facelift by Salford-based contractor MC Construction.
The cottages, in Raby Street, Moss Side, were built in 1876 as alms houses by prominent industrialist John Robinson in memory of his sister, Edith Marianne Robinson. They stand as individual dwellings in one block built in Flemish Gothic style.
The cottages were vacated almost a decade ago and their condition subsequently deteriorated. They became a target for vandalism and anti-social behaviour, and many of their original features were removed.
One Manchester, which provides housing and community services across the city, appointed MC Construction to carry out the renovations following the granting of planning approval and listed building consent.
The cottages are in an area of Moss Side earmarked for regeneration, including the delivery of new and suitable housing stock.
MC Construction’s team carried out a comprehensive programme of internal and external repairs and refurbishments and the cottages have now been returned to use as two-bedroom homes for affordable rent.
The project team worked closely with planning and local heritage officers to ensure the building was sympathetically refurbished. This involved retaining and restoring key features, including original gothic arched front doors, and using heritage-approved materials such as cast iron guttering, timber framed casement windows, and ironmongery.
Each cottage has had a complete internal refurbishment, including the installation of a new kitchen, bathroom, boiler and heating system and a rewire. Additional living space has been created at each property with a single-storey rear glazed extension to form a conservatory, making the homes more suitable for family accommodation.
Historical features such as mosaic porch floor tiles and the front doors have been retained.
The external works have included a refurbishment of the roof, new windows, repairs to the brickwork, chimneys and stonework, and landscaping.
David Lowe, managing director at MC Construction, said: “The refurbishment of Westwood Cottages has been a tremendously satisfying project for MC Construction.
“Working closely with a number of key stakeholders, we have successfully retained a part of the city’s heritage while giving a new lease of life to this historic building to provide affordable and energy-efficient homes for families in an area where there is a need for this type of accommodation.
“It has been a pleasure working with One Manchester, the city council and the other parties involved to bring this scheme to a successful conclusion.”
One Manchester chief executive Nicole Kershaw said: “I am delighted to see the Grade II listed Westwood Cottages back in use as affordable homes for local families.
“The cottages had been empty for several years, and we have worked hard to create light and spacious contemporary homes internally, whilst preserving the heritage qualities and landscaped shared gardens.
“We have also improved the insulation levels to achieve our 2030 energy efficiency targets, meaning the homes will be warm and affordable to run.”