Business activity and confidence picks up as demand stabilises
Private business activity in the East of England picked up in May with the first rise in output for seven months and an improved 12-month outlook as new orders stabilised, according to a key survey of purchasing managers. The NatWest East of England growth tracker business activity index rose to 51.4 in May – above the no-change mark of 50.0 – and up from 47.9 in April. Private sector demand showed signs of recovery in the region and confidence improved as, after five monthly falls, the volume of incoming new business in May was stable. Firms were more optimistic on growth over the next 12 months, although confidence remained below the long-run trend and the rate of job-shedding in the East was among the fastest in the UK. Meanwhile, companies in the East raised their own charges at the slowest pace in nine months in May and input inflation ticked down. Sebastian Burnside, NatWest chief economist, said: “There was welcome news from the East of England’s private sector companies in May, as output rose for the first time in seven months. …The East of England was among the best-performing areas of the UK in May, ranking second for the business activity, new business and outstanding business indicators.”
Alliance set to deliver 260km of new pipeline to transfer water to drier parts of regions
A group of contractors and consultants, Strategic Pipeline Alliance , is to deliver 260 km of new pipeline for Anglian Water. It will enable the utility to transfer water from wetter’ parts of the region in north Lincolnshire to ‘drier’ parts, including Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. The group, comprising Costain, Farrans, Jacobs, and Mott MacDonald Bentley, will deliver pipelines by 2030 to help secure the region’s water supply. The extension builds on the existing SPA interconnector work and will take the total length of the strategic pipeline to 580km. The East is one of the driest regions in the country, with only two-thirds of England’s average rainfall but is also one of the fastest-growing, with the potential for population growth of one million by 2045. Anglian Water’s interconnector programme will reduce reliance on water abstraction from sensitive areas such as chalk streams and forms part of a wider programme of work worth £11bn – the utility’s largest-ever and almost double that of the previous five-year period. Costain and its alliance partners have been appointed since 2020 and have a track record of working collaboratively. Jason Tucker, director of commercial operations at Anglian Water, said: “As we head into the next five years, which will see us deliver our biggest ever investment programme, our alliancing model continues to be an exemplar in the infrastructure industry, crucial to our success and meeting the demands of a growing population and climate change.”
Government to invest £14.2 billion in Sizewell C
The government has announced it will make a £14.2 bn investment to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast. The plant, being built by French energy group EDF, is set to generate enough electricity for six million homes and will take a decade to complete although preparatory construction has started. Energy secretary Ed Miliband is reported as saying: “We need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance”.
Mid-market firms exploring options on US tariffs but stay ‘cautiously optimstic’
Mid-market businesses remains broadly optimistic in the face of uncertainty driven by tariffs, according to Grant Thornton UK’s latest business outlook tracker. The survey of over 600 UK firms taken in April (before the UK-US trade deal was announced) found that whilst most respondents see the US as a core growth market, some 61 per cent agreed that tariffs will have a negative impact on the growth of their business. Mid-market leaders are exploring options and remaining cautiously optimistic about cross-Atlantic trade. Of those businesses currently trading with the US, nearly half (45 pc) expect to stop trading with the US completely, and 25 pc expect to scale down trading with the country. Rob Thomson, director of tax for Grant Thornton UK in East Anglia, said: “Having faced the considerable challenges of the last five years, dominated by the pandemic and its after-effects, many businesses are now hard-wired to withstand sudden shocks and have built resilience into their business model…According to our research, businesses are moving quickly to consider all options on the table, from exploring alternative markets, to setting up US operations to moving elements of the supply chain back to the UK.”
Green light given for over 200 energy efficient homes in Suffolk
Planning consent has been granted for over 200 homes at a site in Thurston near Bury St Edmunds to be built by housbeuilder Barratt David Wilson on a 22 hectare site. Reserved matters consent was secured by consultancy Carter Jonas for the land to the east of Ixworth Road, where BDW plans to build 210 energy-efficient homes, 74 of which will be affordable housing. The plans include planting and landscaping, a play area and all homes will feature air-source heat pumps, provision for solar panels and EV charging points. A range of homes as well as accessible bungalows will be built and the scheme will feature a car club to encourage sustainable travel. James Stone, associate partner at Carter Jonas in Cambridge, said: “This application received a unanimous vote of approval at the planning committee which is a great endorsement of the scheme that places biodiversity and energy efficiency front and centre.” Construction is due to start in spring/summer 2025 with completion set for 2028. Thrive Architects, Richard Jackson Ltd, Elwood Landscape Design, CSA Environmental and Ground Control also worked on the planning team.
Separately, Vistry Group, a provider of affordable mix-tenure homes, has appointed three experienced senior executives to drive operational performance in East Anglia: Alex Stark as managing director, Mark Fowler as financial director and Jitesh Radia as commercial director.
Law firm marks 10 years in Cambridge with move to new offices
Law firm Howes Percival has moved to new premises in Cambridge to house its growing team. It also marked the 10th anniversary of its office in the city with a party for clients and contacts in the Whale Hall of the Museum of Zoology on Downing Street. Having opened its first office in Cambridge in April 2015, the team has since grown to over 40 staff. It has taken new space on the first floor of Terrington House, following a bespoke refurbishment. Cambridge partner Matthew Potter said: “… We have successfully built teams in Cambridge offering a complete client service over the full spectrum of commercial and private client services….The new offices afford staff the best possible working environment, whilst also giving us the space we need to keep on investing in growth, people and the services we offer to the city and the eastern region.”
Photo (l-r): Howes Percival partners Matthew Potter, Steven Beach, Simon Murphy, Michaela Henson at the event at the Museum of Zoology in Cambridge.
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Warehouse letting to games firm creates new jobs in Norfolk
A major 32,000 sq ft warehouse in Shipdham in Norfolk is to become an additional UK fulfilment and distribution centre for a leading games distributor, Norwich-based Zatu Games, creating up to 15 new jobs. The site, near Dereham, adds to two existing fulfilment centres for the firm, which ships a wide range of board and role-playing games to customers worldwide. It comes months after a deal on the same site brought Polish company Dako Furniture to Shipdham. Norfolk property services firm Arnolds Keys arranged both deals – involving a total of 92,000 sq ft on the two large buildings on Shipdham Airfield Industrial Estate – for owner H.G.Pledger (Storage).
Photo: Nick O’Leary, Arnolds Keys; Dominic Martin, Zatu Games and Philip Pledger, HG Pledger.
Cambridge’s range of venues attracts global event
Cambridge has hosted the Synuclein Conference, a four-day global event which brought together 400 delegates from 33 countries, uniting leading researchers, early career scientists, and individuals living with Parkinson’s disease. Following previous events held in Leuven, Lisbon, and Athens, the 2025 Synuclein Conference chose Cambridge for its mix of venues, accessibility, and academic heritage. Andrew Bell, head at Meet Cambridge, the official conference and events bureau for the city, said: “Cambridge continues to attract events that foster breakthrough thinking and real-world impact. We are able to offer a range of venues that not only offer a unique history and prestige, but also prioritise accessibility and inclusion.”
Cambridge company wins award for internal communications
Cambridge-based coding and marking company Domino has won a national accolade for its internal communications strategy. The company secured gold for ‘Best Evaluation Process of Internal Communications’ at the Internal Communications & Engagement Awards held in London recently. The award recognises the embedding of evaluation and research into the company’s internal communications strategy, using data and insights to drive engagement and support its wider business objectives. Sharon Viccars (photo), internal communications manager, said: “Engaging our employees – across multiple locations – has always been key and this award shows that our efforts have reaped rewards.”
Norwich-based holiday company nominated for awards
Norwich-based Landal UK, a growing back-to-nature holiday company, has been nominated for four awards in this year’s British Travel Awards 2025. The holiday resort specialist is nominated for Best Company for UK Family Holidays, Best Company for UK Parks & Lodges Holidays, Best Company for UK Short Breaks and Best Company for Romantic Getaways.
- Tariffs continue to take centre stage
- Discover more insights in Brown Shipley’s latest market and investment update: Markets and Investment Update – 02.06.25
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