Green light for new housebuilding training hub in Cambridgeshire

Planning has been approved for a new apprenticeship hub in Cambs to boost house-building training and help tackle the construction skills shortage. The NHBC Training Hub, Northstowe, will train 200 apprentices a year and will be built by housebuilder Keepmoat, with land and support provided by Homes England, a government agency. Expected to open in early 2026, the new hub at Northstowe – a new town eight miles from Cambridge – will be two-thirds the size of a football pitch and will train skilled tradespeople in key areas such as bricklaying, groundworks and site carpentry. It will also provide traineeships, skills bootcamps, specialist masterclasses and sessions for career changers and others. The new hub is part of a planned network of 12 facilities backed by a £100 million investment from the National House Building Council – which provides new home warranties and insurance – and which together will train 3,000 new apprentices annually. Roger Morton, director of business change at NHBC, said: “We’re not just training apprentices, we’re raising the standard for the whole house-building industry…. Apprentices learn in real-site conditions from day one, gaining hands-on experience in the same conditions they’ll face in the job. It means faster progress, stronger results and most importantly, skilled, site-ready tradespeople.”
Separately, housebuilder Vistry has acquired a 194-acre site to the northeast of Bury St Edmunds paving the way for more than 1,300 new homes as part of one of the region’s largest urban extensions.
Investment management group acquires chartered financial planning firm

Bury-based Beckett Investment Management Group has acquired Absolute Sense Financial Planners, a chartered financial planning firm based in Ely with more than £135 million in assets under advice and over 350 clients. Two chartered financial planners – Paul Waggitt and Russell Hall – will transfer to Becketts to ensure continuity. Following the deal founder Peter Waggitt will retire and as part of the integration, Absolute Sense’s Ely office will close, and the team will relocate to Becketts’ head office in Bury St Edmunds. Ian White, executive chair of Beckett, said: “This acquisition aligns perfectly with our long-term strategy of growing with high-quality firms that share our values and our commitment to clients.”
Materials group wins surface contract on major Norfolk road project

Construction materials provider Breedon Group has been named as the surfacing contractor for the A47 North Tuddenham to Easton road project in Norfolk, part of a new 9km dual carriageway between Norwich and Dereham. It will involve laying 195,000 tonnes of asphalt along the new road, a £250m project being built by Galliford Try for National Highways. The works are scheduled to be completed in April 2027 and all asphalt will be supplied from Breedon’s Longwater Asphalt plant, five miles from the site and where a £3.5 million upgrade has recently been completed. Ed Thompson, Breedon Surfacing Solutions general manager for England and Wales, said: “With our Longwater site so close to Tuddenham, this is a great example of how local capability combined with national strength can deliver projects more efficiently and sustainably.”
New skills and innovation centre in Suffolk ‘topped out’

A new £18.8 million skills and innovation centre under construction at Gateway 14 in Stowmarket has been ‘topped out’ ahead of its opening in June next year. Mid Suffolk District Council’s Stowmarket Innovation Gateway will help businesses adopt emerging technologies – including AI – and growing sectors like the green economy along with new training opportunities. As well as offering office space for start-ups, collaboration and innovation spaces, meeting rooms and a café, the centre will be used for training and working in partnership with colleges and universities in the region. It will be run by Hethel Innovation. Cllr Richard Winch, cabinet member for housing and property at Mid Suffolk DC, said: “This is going to be a fantastic facility, which will not just attract and support innovative businesses and entrepreneurs, it will provide a talent pipeline that allow firms to innovate and grow….” Property developer Jaynic is delivering the project as the development partner of Gateway 14.
Photo: (l-r) Alistair Wilson (Wilten), Sir Christopher Haworth (Gateway 14 ), Cllr Richard Winch (Mid Suffolk DC), Steve Beel (Freeport East), Joe Clarke (Jaynic) and Cllr Andrew Stringer (Mid Suffolk DC) at the topping out ceremony.
Visiting delegation aims to strengthens trade links between Suffolk and India

Suffolk Chamber recently hosted a visit from a senior delegation from the High Commission of India to boost trade ties between the county and the south Asian republic. Led by Nidhi Mani Tripathi, minister (economic), head of the economic wing and the chief negotiator for the UK-India FTA, and Rakesh Dahiya, first secretary (trade), the delegation saw some of Suffolk’s most significant business and innovation hubs including the Port of Felixstowe and BT’s Adastral Park. John Dugmore, chief executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, said: “Hosting the Indian High Commission in Suffolk was a privilege and a clear signal of our shared ambition to strengthen international trade links. The conversations highlighted real opportunities for collaboration in logistics, clean energy, and technology. This visit is just the beginning, we will continue working closely with the High Commission to turn these discussions into practical initiatives that deliver real benefits for Suffolk businesses.” During the visit, Suffolk Chamber signed a memorandum of understanding with ERGO Europe, a UK–India business facilitation organisation.
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Law firm expands Cambridge property disputes team with senior hires

Law firm Birketts’ property disputes team has expanded with the appointment of two senior lawyers. Joining from a top 10 global law firm and a previous chairman of the Property Litigation Association, Stuart Wortley brings wide-ranging expertise in property disputes.The team has also been joined by new legal director, James MacDonald-Pearce (photo, right). He is ranked in the Legal 500 and advises on all aspects of commercial property disputes for developers, investment funds, institutional owners, corporate occupiers and retailers. Lynsey Ellard, partner and lead of Birketts’ property disputes team in Cambridge, said: “They both bring unique and extensive expertise which will be of great value to our clients, and I am looking forward to working with them to expand our practice further in Cambridge and beyond.”
Ipswich-based FM company honoured for environmental responsibility

Ipswich-based facilities management company Vertas Group was last week formally presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise in the sustainable development category. The award was presented by Clare, Countess of Euston, Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk, at an event which showcased Vertas’ innovation in areas such as robotics and virtual reality. A presentation of the King’s Award crystal and certificate was made to group CEO Ian Surtees and non-executive chair Duncan Johnson. The company achieved a 22 per cent absolute carbon reduction in 2023/24, with significant cuts in energy, water, travel, waste, and paper use and a further 15.3pc fall last year. Lady Clare said: “Their commitment to environmental responsibility and positive impact on communities across the region sets a remarkable example for others to follow.”
Photo: Duncan Johnson, Lady Clare and Ian Surtees.
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