Latest news with #Hemiko
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Music venue owner says town centre works are 'destroying' his business
A music venue owner says works in a town centre are 'destroying' his business. Howard Kirk owns The Venue, a live music hall and television production facility in Chapel Road, Worthing. Outside the building, Hemiko, an investor, developer, and operator of heat networks, is carrying out works to implement a sustainable network in the town. Mr Kirk has reported that the works are disrupting the day-to-day running of the venue, with no concerts being held this year. He said: 'It has almost destroyed the business. 'Any artists in tour buses or that have trucks are totally out of the question. 'We were down 60 per cent on our music shows thanks to the works and the actions of Worthing Borough Council and we are 100 per cent down on our filming, which is down to access, noise from the works and actions of Worthing Borough Council. Hemiko working on the new heat network outside High Street car park (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) 'They are preventing us from using our building, they have destroyed our business and reputation and robbed us of our livelihood.' Mr Kirk also reported car parking challenges impacting customers, who were previously able to use a car park in Stoke Abbott Road, which is now a medical centre. Grafton multi-storey car park on Worthing seafront was also closed last week due to 'concrete failing'. 'The car park situation is crazy, and again has an impact on us', he said. 'The car park spaces available with the works are next to nothing and to be shared with the Assembly Halls.' A number of other businesses in Worthing town centre have reported being impacted by the works, experiencing a drop in trade and footfall. Worthing Borough Council said Hemiko is looking to speak with Mr Kirk about the issues, adding that works will be paused over the summer holidays. A spokesman said 'We're saddened to see how a number of businesses and residents have reacted to the construction of the Worthing Heat Network. 'Along with Hemiko, our partner delivering the project, we're taking any concerns extremely seriously and have arranged in-person meetings with business owners and representatives of our town centre's traders to understand their worries and, where possible, make compromises to reduce disruption. 'Hemiko also holds monthly sounding board meetings with various stakeholders across the town to provide construction updates, help increase awareness of their upcoming works and take onboard feedback. 'We're approaching the end of this phase of the project, which has unfortunately seen unavoidable disruption caused to key areas of our town centre. "We understand how challenging this has been for businesses, visitors and people living in our town centre, and can only thank everyone for their patience during this period. 'We understand that some residents and businesses are feeling frustrated at the disruption that is taking place right now, but we retain our belief that the network will play a crucial part in not only our decarbonisation journey, but that of the hospital as well and supporting others across the town to connect in future. 'The project will bring sustainable heating to buildings and homes in the borough, cut the town's carbon emissions by thousands of tonnes of year and create hundreds of jobs, with Hemiko expecting to have created up to 500 jobs by 2050.' Hemiko was approached for comment. The first phase of the Worthing heat network is expected to be completed by 2026.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Lincoln's heat network project plans awarded £15.5m by government
A company developing low-carbon heating networks has been awarded £15.5m to supply civic and commercial buildings in Lincoln city government has given the money to Hemiko via its Green Heat Network Fund, which invests in innovative heating projects to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy heat network scheme in Lincoln will involve distributing waste heat from a data centre, using air source heat pumps to warm water that will run through underground pipes to customers.A Hemiko spokesperson said the project would create 40 local jobs over the first five years of the network being built, with construction expected to begin in spring 2026 if plans are approved. Minister for Energy Consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said: "Heat networks will play an important role in our mission for clean power by 2030, helping us to achieve energy independence and lower bills."Initial proposals for the scheme, detailed on the government's website, show 34 buildings in Lincoln could benefit from the project including a hospital, college, cathedral and council offices.A planning application is yet to be company said it planned to build a new data centre to "meet the data needs of Lincoln's businesses, while supplying cheap low carbon heat to the heat network".It is hoped supply to the first set of customers will start in Toby Heysham said the scheme would lead to a "remarkable transformation in Lincoln". He said: "By drawing heat for the network from a co-located data centre, this project represents a dual revolution: the green industrial revolution and the tech revolution. "It's wonderful to see these initiatives working hand in hand to drive growth, create local jobs and attract investment into Lincoln's economy." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Scottish Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Huge fashion retailer with over 250 locations to shut ANOTHER store in just days as closing down sale launched
The High Street has been partially closed since January out of fashion Huge fashion retailer with over 250 locations to shut ANOTHER store in just days as closing down sale launched A HUGE fashion store with 250 branches across the UK is closing another branch. River Island in Worthing will be closing its doors for the final time at the end of the month. 2 River Island stores are closing across the country Credit: Getty The retailer has urged customers to head to their website instead. The store on Montague Street is one of many to have closed down in Worthing town centre in recent months. Traders in the area have blamed roadworks and increased parking charges for the huge dent in footfall. Since January, the High Street has been partially closed for the installation of Hemiko pipework. The parking charges have also spiked in Worthing town centre, with visitors being forced to pay on their arrival, rather than as they leave. The seaside branch isn't the only River Island store to shut over the last few months. The Chesterfield and Corby locations have also closed down. Elsewhere, high street fashion chain New Look has begun to close stores as it scales back its UK footprint. It is understood to be shutting nearly 100 stores - equivalent to around a quarter of its 364 shops. Stores in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, St Austell, Cornwall and Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf have launched closing down sales. Reports suggest that the company has been forced to accelerate the pace of store closures due to tax changes in the Autumn Budget. Other high street names like Sports Direct and WHSmith have also shut stores or announced downsizing in recent months. Charity shops have also been affected, with Age UK in Silsden, West Yorkshire, closing after 32 years in the town. The owner posted on the Facebook group Silsden Gossip last week: "Just a reminder that the Age UK closing down sale (50%) off starts tomorrow. "17th of May is our last trading day and we are not accepting further donations from today as we have plenty of stock to still get out. "It's very sad and the end of an era for our community but let's go out with a bang." Sadened by the news, one shopper wrote: "I always loved this shop, both as a customer, and donated, really sad you are closing, such a shame, you will be missed." Another commented: "It's very sad to see you all go, love a little rummage once a week! "A town without a charity shop is just wrong." Beales, one of Britain's oldest department stores, has launched a closing down sale before it shuts its last remaining shop after more than 140 years. The company will shut its branch in Poole's Dolphin Centre on May 31. The sale includes fashion, furniture, gifts and cosmetics, being sold for up to 70% off. According to the British Retail Consortium, a mix of higher running costs, tax changes, and increased National Insurance contributions are placing a £2.3 billion burden on the retail sector, pushing more shops off the high street. 2 Tax, increased National Insurance contributions, and higher running costs are all huge factors in the High Street's struggle Credit: Getty RETAIL PAIN IN 2025 The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion. Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April. A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024. Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure. The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year. It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year. Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025." Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector. "By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sadness at shop closures in Worthing
People in Worthing say it is "sad" that more than a dozen high street shops in the town have closed shops closed in the West Sussex town in 2023 and 2024, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures, while there was also a 10% drop in retailers across Sussex - a total of 625 residents said there was "nothing to do in Worthing any more" – but others said the town was doing better than other places in the Borough Council was approached for comment. 'It's quite upsetting' "It has been pretty quiet, it can be very up and down," said Lorette Sprackling, owner of Bijou Boutique in Warwick Street."Because we've had quite a bad winter it's not been exactly busy but I think the high streets aren't as busy as they used to be."It's not a good sign to have that many shops empty. It's quite upsetting knowing there's that many shops to let."People also complained about roadworks to install the Worthing Heat Network by Hemiko. The company helped introduce free parking days and bus travel into town to try to encourage shoppers to visit."I think Worthing is one of the lucky places where we have quite low vacancy rates with empty shops," said Paul O'Brien, who has owned sweet shop I Love Candy for the past 18 years. He added: "I think compared to other places in the country we're doing okay."The Hemiko works are hopefully finished and we have done good work with them to bring in free parking days."Worthing resident Claire Szaja said the town was "not doing as well as it used to".She said the roadworks were an issue and that businesses were "struggling with parking prices going up"."I have seen businesses cutting hours and even closing down in the last few months which is sad," she added. Shopper Sally Richards said: "It's sad that there is hardly any big departmental stores now. But we do love coming here, it's central for everything and pedestrianised so it's good."A spokesperson for Hemiko said it acknowledged the challenges businesses were facing but it was "committed to supporting the local economy" and to keep disruption from construction to an "absolute minimum". From 14-18 April, BBC South East will be getting out and about on our region's high streets. Catch up on BBC South East Today on BBC iPlayer and listen to BBC Radio Kent, Sussex and Surrey on BBC Sounds.
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Free parking initiative to boost Worthing high street shops
Residents and visitors can take advantage of free parking in an effort to support high street businesses, says a West Sussex Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and Worthing Borough Council are working with Hemiko, the developer of the low-carbon project Worthing Heat Network, to encourage people to shop said it agreed with the council to sponsor free parking at the High Street multi-storey car park on the first and last Sunday of the month from April until Rita Garner, Worthing's cabinet member for regeneration, said the council recognised the current climate for high street businesses was "challenging". "We hope the free parking offer will be a great incentive for residents and visitors to come and support Worthing's traders and the many events happening in the town," she said the free parking dates coincided with several free events including the Worthing Street Market Party and VE Day Celebrations on 4 May. A spokesperson said the company had also rescheduled the planned Worthing Heat Network works outside the High Street multi-storey car park, which were originally set to take place from 14 to 17 April. They added this was to avoid impacting businesses in the lead-up to the Easter weekend. The works will be moved to a later date. Chris Horner, project manager at Hemiko, said: "We understand the importance of supporting our local businesses, especially during times of disruption. "By rescheduling our works and sponsoring free parking, we hope to make a positive contribution to growth in the town centre."Hannah Manzaroli, manager of Worthing Town Centre BID, added: "Free parking is a fantastic way to encourage more people to visit, shop, and enjoy everything our businesses have to offer."
