Industry

An agreement has been signed to transform the site of an old bus station that was demolished a decade ago.

The Greyfriars development in Northampton will include 1,000 homes, an amphitheatre, shops and restaurants.

The 25-acre (10.1ha) site also includes two existing car parks, a disused corn exchange, and a derelict office block.

West Northamptonshire Council said the deal would "revitalise a long-neglected area of the heart of the town centre".

Ever since Northampton's Greyfriars bus station, labelled "the mouth of hell", disappeared in a huge cloud of dust in 2015, the site has been vacant and unused.

The agreement that has now been signed means work could be starting soon on a project that will, according to the council, "unlock the true potential of Northampton".

The signatures on the document are those of the council and ECF which is a joint venture between the government's Homes England agency and private firms Legal & General and "placemakers" Muse.

As well as the bus station site, the regeneration area includes the Mayorhold and Victoria Street Car Parks and the traffic islands either side of the bus station.

There is also the Corn Exchange, built in 1851, and Belgrave House – a giant 1970s brutalist office block.

Under the plans, Belgrave House is set to become a "flexible space for established and emergent businesses".

The Corn Exchange is likely to be turned into art and performance space, alongside a new amphitheatre on what is now the West Island.

A park is included in the plan, occupying the area which is now Lady's Lane.

The plans include affordable, built-to-rent and student accommodation alongside shops, restaurants and leisure facilities.

The council claims 7,000 full-time equivalent jobs will be created during the construction phase and "over £1bn in economic value" will be "unlocked".

James Petter, cabinet member for local economy at the Reform UK-controlled council, said: "The regeneration of Greyfriars will not only revitalise a key part of our town centre but also strengthen our local economy, improve connectivity, and create a more inclusive and vibrant place to live, work, and visit."

Sir Michael Lyons, who chairs ECF, said: "Entering a development agreement will enable us to take the next important step in the delivery of this important opportunity."

He added that both parties would now "move at pace" to deliver a masterplan for the project.

A severe fire overnight at a derelict pub in Dudley is being treated as suspected arson, police have said.

Six fire crews were dispatched to the former Crown Inn in Netherton at the height of the blaze, after it was reported at about 00:30 BST on Friday.

It involved the roof space at the old Simms Lane pub, which closed in 2018. No-one was believed to have been injured, the fire service said.

West Midlands Police has asked anyone with information to get in touch with officers.

The road, which was closed in both directions, has since reopened.

Vandals have caused up to £30,000 in damage to a "beloved" train, a heritage railway in Kent has said.

The Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells said the "mindless attack" on its Class 207 DEMU 1317 happened on Sunday.

General manager Jonnie Pay told the BBC fixing the historic train, which will need completely stripping and repainting, was something volunteers at the railway "really didn't need to do".

"It is very demoralising," he said, adding that they had preserved the train in 2004 after it went out of service in 1985.

Mr Pay said the train was "only one of this type left" and had a "huge historic connection" to the town.

The Spa Valley Railway operates steam and heritage diesel trains between Tunbridge Wells West and Eridge, with stops at High Rocks and Groombridge.

It hosts various days out and educational events. which Mr Pay warned could be cancelled now the train was being repaired.

He said the vandalism was a "sheer disappointment".

"We've not only put thousands of volunteer hours, but thousands of pounds into restoring that train."

Kent Police confirmed the vandalism had been reported.

It said it would visit the site on Wednesday as part of an investigation.

No arrests have been made, it added.

A man is seeking permission to demolish his own cottage in Wellington, near Hereford, because repeated flooding has made it a liability.

However, a Herefordshire Council ecology officer has opposed the bid to take down the former stable near the village's brook.

In his application, homeowner Nick Jones said he had spent 10 years maintaining and repairing his home, including installing flood defences, but Vinery Cottage in Mill Lane was uninsurable, uninhabitable and could not be rented.

Ecology officer James Bisset said the building offered potential features for bat roosting which "has previously been recorded in the locality".

Storm damage costs

Papers said Mr Jones was not able to insure the building or contents, and maintenance and repair costs after successive floods exceeded any realistic rental value.

He said: "I spent 10 years converting it at considerable cost. Then we had the storm damage, which has cost me about £40,000 each time to repair."

He fitted flood gates and reinforced walls after Storm Dennis in 2020, but they weren't enough to keep out two floods last winter, Mr Jones said, adding: "If someone can think of another option I'd jump at it."

The building is not listed and has no adjacent properties or trees that would be affected, the application said.

The closest building is the Vinery, also owned by Mr Jones.

Comments on the plans can be made until 13 June.

Business and charity sectors in Guernsey have identified policy areas for the island's election candidates to consider.

The Voice of Guernsey Business Insight Report said the six key areas were housing and cost of living, the education and skills gap, tax and economic development, connectivity, tourism and transport links, and government delivery and public spending.

Guernsey's general election is set to be held on Wednesday, 18 June.

A spokesperson for the report urged candidates in the upcoming election to "consider their responses" to the issues raised.

The report represents about 1,000 companies and about 20,000 employees in the island.

'Hindering success'

The full report will be published later in April and a briefing for candidates will take place on 2 May.

A report spokesperson added: "We ask islanders who are considering whether to stand for election to think carefully about these priorities – because these complex and interwoven policy areas are currently hindering our community's economic and social success."

The report cited housing affordability, availability and quality as the "top concerns for businesses" and added "alleviating cost of living pressures for the younger generation are crucial".

It said skills shortages and an ageing workforce "pose long-term risks to Guernsey's economy" and government "inefficiency" and "slow decision-making" were "significant obstacles".

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will spend more than £1bn to develop technology to speed up decisions on the battlefield.

The funding will be one of the results of the government's long-awaited strategic defence review which is due to be published in full on Monday.

The government has committed to raising defence spending to 2.5% GDP from April 2027 with an ambition to increase that to 3% in the next parliament.

In February, the prime minister said cuts to the foreign aid budget would be used to fund the military boost.

Announcing the results of the review, the MoD said a new Digital Targeting Web would better connect soldiers on the ground with key information provided by satellites, aircraft and drones helping them target enemy threats faster.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the technology announced in the review – which will harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and software – also highlights lessons being learnt from the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine is already using AI and software to speed up the process of identifying, and then hitting, Russian military targets.

The review had been commissioned by the newly formed Labour government shortly after last year's election with Healey describing it as the "first of its kind".

The government said the findings would be published in the first half of 2025, but did not give an exact date.

Healey made the announcement on a visit to the MoD's cyber headquarters in Corsham, Wiltshire.

The headquarters is where the UK military co-ordinates their cyber activities to both prevent and to carry out cyber-attacks.

Defence officials said over the last two years the UK's military had faced more than 90,000 cyber-attacks by potential adversaries.

Attacks have been on the rise, as has their level of sophistication, they added.

Staff at Corsham said they had recently helped identify and block malware sent to UK military personnel who recently returned from working abroad.

They said the source of the malware was from a "known Russian actor".

Both Russia and China have been linked to the increase in cyber-attacks.

Defence officials have confirmed that the UK military has also been conducting its own offensive cyber-attacks.

Healey said it showed the nature of warfare was changing.

"The keyboard is now a weapon of war and we are responding to that," he said.

He said the UK needed to be the fastest-innovating military within the Nato alliance.

As part of the strategic defence review, the UK's military cyber operations will be overseen by a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command.

The MoD said the Command would also take the lead in electronic warfare, from co-ordinating efforts to intercept any adversaries communications, to jamming drones.

Healey said the extra investment being made was possible because of the government's "historic commitment" to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

However, the Nato Secretary-General, Mark Rutte, is calling on allies to increase defence spending by more than 3.5% of GDP.

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Campaigners have welcomed a much-anticipated review into family visa requirements previously labelled a 'tax on love' by a Bristol MP.

The Home Office said it is considering recommendations which include lowering the minimum income required for a British citizen or settled resident to apply for a visa for their foreign spouse in the UK, currently set at £29,000.

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has reviewed the impact of the current visa process on families, including on children's mental health and the right to family life.

Executive director of Reunite Families UK, Caroline Coombs, from Bristol, said "children are the biggest victims of these rules".

The minimum income requirement (MIR) has long been contested by couples who are unable to meet the threshold and, in some cases, are therefore forced to live apart.

First introduced in 2012, it increased from £18,600 to £29,000 in April 2024, as part of measures by the previous Conservative government to reduce immigration.

The Labour government commissioned an independent review of the policy, which has been carried out by the MAC, and was published on Tuesday.

The current threshold applies only to the British partner or settled resident and does not account for potential earnings from the foreign partner once in the UK – a rule the review is also calling on the Government to reconsider.

When she realised she was about to lose her job, Tracy Moore says her mental health hit "rock bottom".

The 55-year-old, from Leicestershire, said she felt abandoned and even considered taking her life, but instead sought the advice of her GP, who in turn sent her to a social prescriber – a decision she believes saved her life.

Social prescribing is a person-centred approach that connects individuals to community activities, groups, and services to improve their mental health.

This can include anything from singing with a choir or volunteering with a cattery to support with household bills.

The Hinckley and Bosworth Medical Alliance, which represents 12 GP surgeries in the county, estimates that issuing social prescriptions has saved it £70,000 in GP time through reduced repeat appointments over the past year.

Tracy said her mental health plunged while going through redundancy.

"I needed to work to keep my brain active," she said. "I'd worked since I was 15 so the thought of not having a job devastated me.

"I wouldn't have been here if they hadn't intervened at the time they did.

"My social prescriber, Molly, listened to me, to find out what was at the root of my depression and suicidal throughts. Having someone to listen to me was just amazing."

In Tracy's case, volunteering for the NHS as a patient advisor gave her the sense of purpose she needed to improve her mental health.

"It changed my life completely, I can't thank them enough," she said.

Lucy Moore, who shares Tracy's surname but is not related, manages the Social Prescribing team at Hinckley and Bosworth Medial Alliance.

She said social prescribing had resulted in patients seeking fewer follow-up appointments – freeing up slots for people with other conditions.

"One in five GP appointments are not for patients' medical health but for their social health and mental wellbeing," she said.

"We listen to the patient, we can direct them to a social or exercise group and even go with them if needed. Whatever their interest is, we can help.

"But the best thing is that people like Tracy have had their lives transformed."