Business News

A Tameside business has announced ambitious plans for one of the town's major regeneration areas.

Goldgem Properties, a locally owned business, are behind a £25million redevelopment of a site on one of the main routes into Ashton town centre.

They have drawn up plans for the Gateway – a stunning 3,000sqm development that includes luxury suites, apartments, office space and retail units.

The site at the junction of Katherine Street and Cavendish Street is already occupied by Goldgem Limited and will be transformed into a state-of-the-art complex with underground parking.
The development will feature 1,600 sqm of retail space on the ground floor, topped by office space that will be available, on a priority basis, to local businesses. Above the first floor will be 110 family-sized residential units with a number of luxury suites on the top two floors.

The complex will bound two sides of the development site and will surround a private, gated courtyard with secure access and 70 parking spaces.

An underground car park will also be created with parking spaces provided for an additional 108 vehicles belonging to residents.

The entire complex will be monitored by CCTV cameras which will also be used to cover the adjoining residential area owned by Ashton Pioneer Homes.

Local architects, Jennings Design Associates, provided the designs and drawings, including 3D models for the new building, that were recently submitted to Tameside Council for outline planning permission and approved.

Tahir Ali, one of Goldgem Properties' directors commented: "We have worked closely with community partners, Ashton Pioneer Homes, St Peter's Partnership, Ashton Regeneration Office and Tameside Council to reach this stage of our plans.

"It's an exciting development that will boost the area and provide visitors entering the town with a real ‘wow' factor."

And he added: "We are committed to the regeneration of this part of Ashton and look forward to working with all our community partners for the benefit of the area in the future."

Bill Jennings from Jennings Design Associates commented: "We are proud to have worked with Goldgem and Tameside Council to produce a quality development that has been praised by planners. This scheme will continue the much-needed development of Ashton town centre."

St Peter's Ward Councillor Jack Davis who has championed the development commented: "Goldgem's vision and drive to create the plans for this development has been tremendous. I am delighted with the continued support they have shown for the regeneration of this part of Ashton town ."

Karen Butigan, the manager of St Peter's Partnership, has worked with Goldgem properties to help them ensure that their development plans have been presented to the local community.

She commented: "These are exciting times for this area. Goldgem have been keen to work with us and, more importantly, with local residents to deliver housing, retail and offices that are best-suited to the needs of the community. This development also has the potential to create good quality training and job opportunities for local people."

Top honours for restaurant

Awards are nothing new to the Indian Ocean restaurant in Ashton, but this year sees them winning a unique double. They have been recognized as the best curry restaurant in the North of England by Menu magazine's readership in their ‘Best-in-Britain' annual awards. As well as this, curry expert Pat Chapman's renowned Cobra Good Curry Guide, has awarded them the accolade as the best restaurant in the North for 2007 and 2008.

The restaurant won the most innovative use of IT award at the e-tameside awards in February. It is featured on the www.tamesidebusiness.co.uk website.

By bringing authentic dishes such as Chicken Harri Boti and Punjabi Karahi Gosht from their region of origin and putting them together with English national favorite curries such as Madras, Bhuna and Rogan Josh, the Indian Ocean has created a fun dining experience. All dishes are prepared by their team of highly experienced chefs.

Owner Nahim Aslam said: "Everyone expects a friendly efficient service, it's the least a restaurant should offer, but we also train our staff to be knowledgeable about the food they are serving. Some of our recipes date back hundreds of years and guests enjoy knowing their background and appreciate it when their server can help them make an informed choice from the menu when they want to try something new."

Business Briefs

New business is on the up

Karsons lettings , who have created businesses in the local area for generations, have just launched a family friendly letting agency . The Karsonsletting.co.uk venture is just one of the many new Tameside based businesses that have been successfully helped by the Ashton Regeneration Project and its part of the entrepreneurial revolution.

"It is this kind of enterprise with a family and local background made by forward thinking people of our region that we want to be able to help more and more. So not only they succeed but also the community does as well", said Mayor Mike Smilth.

The family based, family founded landlords letting and tenant sourcing company was started in response to landlords in Greater Manchester wanting an honest and reliable agent to find their fair deals and responsible tenants. Help from the Ashton Regeneration Project the company is going from strength to strength.

Mayoral visits

The New Civic Mayor, Cllr Mike Smith, has visited two businesses in Ashton and shown support for new ventures emerging in Ashton Regeneration Area.

The Civic Mayor was invited to open the new branch of Labour Ready, Oldham Rd, Ashton and in July opened ‘The Orange Tree' on Penny Meadow, formerly known as the Tameside Vadic Holistic therapy centre which has been re-furbished recently.

French work placement

Tameside Council and Ashton 6th Form College have teamed up to explore opportunities for local young people to carry out a work experience placement in Montigny le Bretonneux, in the suburbs of Paris. The Economic Development Unit has submitted a bid for Leonardo Da Vinci funding to the European Commission to send 10 Business Studies students to France for a 2 week placement in 2009. The project will act as a pilot for widening transnational links with our European partners and build a European wide network of partners across Europe.

JobsFair

Following two very successful annual JobsFairs, Tameside Employment Partnership are planning another event, to take place in Ashton Town Hall on Tuesday 29, January 2008.

A number of enquiries have already been received from companies eager to use the occasion to recruit from the large number of visitors attending the event. About 20 organisations with job vacancies will attend.

As in previous years, support agencies will also be on hand to give advice and guidance on a range of work-related issues and the successful Steps 2 Work seminars will provide topical hints and tips on how to get that job.

Pledge of support for disabled children

Families with disabled children in the borough can expect to receive more help and support, as Tameside is one of a handful of local authorities across the country to sign up to the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign charter.

Local authorities have the responsibility for delivering education and social care services to families with disabled children. As many as one in five families in Tameside have a disabled child. By signing up to the Charter, the borough has pledged to achieve specific objectives in relation to the support offered to disabled children by January next year.

• establishing a key worker service to work with families who need support from more than one agency
• ensuring all staff have the training necessary to work with disabled children
• involving disabled children and their families in planning and delivering services

Cllr Alison Gwynne, executive member for children and young people said: "The Charter is a set of voluntary commitments that we have made to show that disabled children and their families matter. We hope we can make a real difference to their lives."

Steve Broach, Campaign Manager for Every Disabled Child Matters said: "The campaign team are delighted that Tameside has signed up to our Local Authority Charter. Families with disabled children will see this as a real sign of political commitment to disabled children. They will look forward to seeing work put in place to achieve the objectives in the Charter."

The council is putting together a strategy for services for children with disabilities. You can view and comment on this document through the council website.

Flying the flag

Tameside parks are amongst the best in the country after the council was awarded its highest number of Green Flags.

The Green Flag Awards are the national standard for parks and green spaces across England and Wales. Winners are judged to be welcoming, safe and well maintained and involve the local community
This year the council submitted eight applications for different locations and all eight were successful, recognising the work which is done to improve and preserve the heritage, character and use of the borough's green spaces.

The awards have been given to Hyde Park, Hyde, Victoria Park, Denton, Park Bridge Heritage Centre, Ashton, Lymefield Visitor Centre, Broadbottom, Werneth Low Country Park, Hyde, Denton Cemetery, Denton, Oxford Park, Ashton and Ryecroft Hall, Audenshaw.

Community groups around Tameside have also been supported in winning four Green Pennant applications. This national award recognises high quality green spaces that are managed by voluntary and community groups. Green Pennants have gone to Tower Street, Dukinfield, Haughton Green Playing Fields, Denton, Gorse Hall, Stalybridge and Doorstep Green Ashton.

Executive council leader, Cllr Roy Oldham said: "Our Green Flag success proves that Tameside's green spaces are the equal of any in the land.

"It's a ringing endorsement of the great work done by all council staff who work tirelessly to ensure that Tameside's green spaces are always a pleasant and attractive place to visit.
"I'd also like to congratulate the community groups whose fantastic efforts earned the Green Pennants. It's the dedication and neighbourhood spirit of those people that make Tameside such a great place to live in."

Community diary crucial in conviction

An off-licence has lost its licence to sell alcohol after evidence provided by the residents' innovative community diary was used when the application was reviewed.

The Licensing Enforcement Panel took the decision to revoke the licence to sell alcohol from the Hyde Road, Denton shop after reading compelling evidence that underage drinkers were obtaining their alcohol from the premises.

As well as the diary entries from nearby residents, Tameside Trading Standards also carried out a successful test purchase (sending in a person clearly under the age of 18 to see if they are served alcohol) as well as videoing adults buying alcohol for and on behalf of youths congregating outside the shop.

Video evidence also showed that the premises were a congregation point for youths which was seen as intimidating especially to vulnerable residents.

In a report heard by the panel, trading standards said: "We do not believe that the premises have been or would ever be in control of the sale of alcohol from their premises and they continue to tolerate youths congregating outside their premises consuming alcohol. They are therefore unable to meet and maintain the four licensing objectives, ie the prevention of crime and disorder, the promotion of public safety, prevention of public nuisance and the protection of children from harm."

The panel also received a catalogue of crucial information from the police on incidents detailing how many times the shop had been associated with anti-social behaviour in the area resulting from underage drinkers who had bought their alcohol from the shop.

Executive member for environmental services, Cllr Catherine Piddington said: "The evidence provided in this case just goes to show what an excellent idea the community diaries are. The details sent in by the public proved to be a crucial part of the investigation and greatly assisted the authority in identifying that underage sales activity was occurring from the premises

"I would like to take this opportunity to reinforce to the public how important it is that they keep up-to-date community dairies to provide us with evidence of anti-social behaviour like that used in this case.

"It's only through reading residents' first hand accounts of the problems that we are armed with the information we need to investigate the premises further which could ultimately result in a revocation of the licence".