Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, has confirmed a £43.5m deal to refinance 800,000 sq ft of our Urban Splash workspace in the North West of England. Gregor Bamert, at Aviva Investors said he was: “very pleased to have started a lending relationship with Urban Splash” one which Aviva “looks forward to developing further over time”.

The Urban Splash Residential Fund has released its financial results for the year ending March 2022 – a period in which it raised more than £100m of equity, investing more than £30m in new acquisitions. The investment takes the portfolio to 252 sustainable new homes in six UK cities; Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Cambridge, Bristol and Bradford. Other highlights include a profit of £2.2m, a 70% uplift on the £1.3m recorded in 2021, and a net asset value growth to £90.3m.

A range of new businesses moved into our workspaces in Manchester and Liverpool this quarter. Among them were The Prince’s Trust with the charity taking 1,223 sq ft of space at our Vanilla Factory in Liverpool – adding to its existing space at other Urban Splash buildings in Manchester and Plymouth. We also completed deals in Salford, and at Ancoats in Manchester.

The OFSTED Outstanding New Islington Free School has joined the Co-Op Academies Trust. The school – recently called one of the city’s best by the Manchester Evening News – is at the heart of our New Islington, and came to be following a successful bid led by Urban Splash, Manchester City Council and Manchester Grammar School back in 2011. Find out more about its new future on the press link below.

There’s workspace now available at our Vanilla Factory building in Liverpool’s creative and cool Ropewalks district. We converted this former Vanilla store into offices, retail and leisure spaces – combining gorgeous original Victorian features with smart 21st century architecture; you can take a look around on the link below.

More Urban Splash places have been nominated for awards this month, including New Islington in Manchester and Port Loop in Birmingham, both have been shortlisted for a British Homes Award. Park Hill has also been shortlisted – making the nominations for the 2022 Inside Housing Development Awards for Best Regeneration. You can find out more about all our awards (460 of them!) on the link below.

“Urban Splash bags £43m refinancing deal for North West portfolio”
React News, July 2022

“Urban Splash, who have repurposed Beehive Mill into a co-working space, have kept many traces of Sankeys alive”
The Manc, July 2022

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