New draw at Centrick

Richard Drew, Centrick Property

Centrick Property has boosted its residential sales team with the appointment of Richard Drew as sales manager at its Solihull branch on Knowle High Street.

The new negotiator has more than 19 years experience in the estate agency business, having worked for both John Shepherd and Shipway in Knowle and Shirley respectively.

First standardised school to be built in Rugby

A primary school in Warwickshire will be the first school in the UK to be built using a new faster and cheaper method of procuring and building new schools.

Warwickshire County Council has become the first local authority to purchase one of Willmott Dixon and Scape’s standardised school designs, which they launched last year under the brand Sunesis.

Accolade for innovative Divorce UK iPhone app

Mills & Reeve’s Divorce UK is one of the top 500 apps in the world, according to The Sunday Times App List 2012.

According to The Sunday Times, the app can prove a cost effective solution for those considering the implications of divorce. “Given the cost per hour of legal advice, this app could save you a great deal of money if it reduces the amount of time you spend speaking to a solicitor,” it explains.

Up for the challenge?

Birmingham Law Society is mobilising the city’s lawyers to take part in a charity abseil to raise cash for Acorns Children’s Hospice.

The organisation is hoping that 90 lawyers will volunteer for the controlled descent from the 110ft Wesleyan building, Colmore Row, on Saturday 10 March.

WMCCE to host BIM conference

David Philp

The West Midlands Centre for Constructing Excellence (WMCCE) is hosting a one-day conference at the end of January on the benefits of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) on construction projects.

The ‘Breaking Down the Barriers to BIM Adoption’ conference will bring together leading practitioners from the construction industry to showcase how BIM can make the design, construction and management of projects more efficient and cost effective.

Centrick lures property owners with tempting offer

Property owners instructing Centrick Property to sell or let their home are being given the opportunity to win back their fees.

The Knowle-based estate agency, lettings and property management firm will enter all new clients for 2012 into a prize draw with the winner getting back their fees.

Clare Balding saddles up for Legal Awards

 

Sports personality and TV presenter Clare Balding will be in the saddle as the guest speaker at the Birmingham Law Society Legal Awards 2012.

Best known as the face of the BBC’s horse racing coverage, Clare is an established name in sports broadcasting. She made her television debut in 1995, presenting Royal Ascot for the BBC, following a successful career as a jockey having been named Champion Lady Rider in 1990.

Since then she has gone on to present Wimbledon and the Olympics and will be part of the BBC team at the London 2012 games.

Retail property sector boosted by grocery store development

Britain’s high streets may be having a tough time but one sector of the retail market is enjoying a surge in development activity, according to a new report by property consultants CBRE.

More than 4.5m sq ft of grocery store floorspace is in the development pipeline in the West Midlands, nearly 11 per cent of total planned grocery floorspace in the UK.

Only Scotland, the South East and the North West have more grocery store floorspace planned, with 7.42m sq ft, 5.14m sq ft and 4.82m sq ft respectively.

CBRE appoints Ed Gamble from Jones Lang LaSalle

Ed Gamble is to join CBRE from Jones Lang LaSalle as Senior Director, Capital Markets.

Gamble headed Jones Lang LaSalle’s three-man investment team in Birmingham. He joined the firm in in 2004, from CBRE, having trained and qualified at the former Richard Ellis St Quintin.

Willmott Dixon appointed to build new leisure centre in Tipton

 

The Midlands office of national construction firm Willmott Dixon has been appointed by Sandwell Council to build a new multi-million pound pool and leisure centre in the Black Country.

The new £8 million complex, which will include a 25-metre swimming pool, is to be built on vacant land at the junction of Alexandra Road and Thursfield Road in Tipton.