Latest news with #LordBamford
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Lord Bamford accused of ‘strangling' community with eco hotel
Lord Bamford's eco hotel plans have been accused of 'strangling' an Oxfordshire community. The JCB digger tycoon finally had his plans to redevelop the Mill House Hotel approved last August after the exchange of 132 documents with West Oxfordshire district council. But Lord Bamford has asked the council to let him change his plans in a proposal due to go for consultation this month. The changes would include a cycle hire scheme for guests, a private lounge and the conversion of a rustic potting shed into standalone accommodation. A planning statement submitted by Edgars planning firm on his behalf said: 'The demand and challenges of the tourism and hospitality market post-Covid has driven the focus on the highest quality of accommodation and guest experience in competition with the unencumbered world market which has opened with the removal of travel restrictions. 'Operationally, it is therefore best to deliver fewer bedrooms of a high quality and enhance guest experience.' It is the latest chapter of the Tory peer's five-year battle to turn a historic mill into Britain's 'most sustainable hotel', a dream he shares with his wife Lady Carole Bamford, who runs Daylesford organic farm. Lord Bamford had submitted two applications as part of a phased scheme for the redevelopment, which ask for changes to the hotel's communal facilities and 10 holiday cottages, with access roads, parking, service buildings, hard and soft landscaping and associated works. Each cottage will have a private terrace and grassed area, separated by low stone walls. There will also be private gardens where horticulture and the growing of fruit and vegetables will be celebrated, the application states. But the plans attracted the ire of James Price, who called the site an 'excess burden in the making' for local infrastructure. 'The applicant owns several properties in the village and it seems envisages links between the Mill House site and these other interests' Mr Price wrote in an objection. 'This will inevitably generate more traffic with the increased risks of road traffic accidents and additional pollution. 'In the current dry weather, dust clouds rise from the site and may imperil local health. Further development will add to this menace. 'Far from being just an appendage to the village, this development is going to strangle the community with increased road traffic and loads transport on the local services. The applicant may adopt less polluting forms of transport, but I doubt this will be adopted by all their deliveries.' He added that trade vehicles parking in Kingham's narrow streets imperilled road safety and said 'the inclusion of 10 additional households with at least one vehicle each will add to this misery'. The plans have also been dealt a blow by Devinda Kumarasinghe, a senior transport development officer, who recommended the council object, pointing out the vehicular access was proposed to be widened and that no road safety audit had been provided. In the planning statement in support of Daylesford Farm's application, it was argued: 'The proposed development by virtue of a reduction in the overall number of bedrooms being provided, and a reduction in parking, is balanced by a slight increase in floor area over the consented floorspace for these elements. 'The overall quantum of development is therefore not significantly larger than the consented scheme and such are not considered major development in the national landscape. The proposed development would continue to integrate with the site and wider landscape and reflect the traditional village vernacular.'
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
JCB hydrogen engine to debut at The Royal Highland Show
JCB's pioneering hydrogen fuelled engine will be on public display for the first time at a UK agricultural event during the Royal Highland Show, Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 June at Ingliston, Edinburgh. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The engine will be a centrepiece of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Show Society's Presidential Solutions Hub highlighting cutting-edge solutions being developed to help meet Net Zero climate targets. A team of 150 engineers has been working on the £100 million JCB hydrogen engine project for nearly four years, and has produced a power unit that matches the performance characteristics of the company's DieselMAX engine used in JCB's iconic backhoe loaders, Loadall telehandlers and other JCB equipment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Since the first prototype build, 130 evaluation units have been assembled for exhaustive testing and a number of those engines – and the refuelling options that JCB has developed – are being tested in real world on-site situations by several plant hire companies, with very positive results. Lord Bamford with JCB's pioneering hydrogen engine for agricultural and construction machinery. Moreover, some key legislative hurdles have been cleared this year; in January, JCB confirmed that a number of vehicle licensing authorities across Europe have certified the hydrogen-fuelled engine for sale, with others set to follow suit. In April, the UK government paved the way for a change in road vehicle regulations allowing hydrogen-fuelled agricultural and construction machinery to use public highways, and in May the engine received full EU type-approval, allowing its use in JCB and other OEM off-highway machinery as it complies with EU Stage V emissions rules. George Lyon, President of the Royal Highland society, said: 'Over the past year, the RHASS Presidency has been promoting new, innovative solutions that farmers can use to meet the challenge of Net Zero. We are delighted that JCB are contributing to the Solutions Hub at the show with their new hydrogen engine, which represents an opportunity to switch to a 'green' fuel while retaining familiar combustion engine technology.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The RHASS Presidential Solutions Hub will be situated on Avenue 13 opposite the RBS stand, with JCB accompanied by businesses representing the livestock nutrition and breeding sectors showcasing their solutions helping farmers meet the challenge of Net Zero.
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
JCB hydrogen engine to debut at The Royal Highland Show
JCB's pioneering hydrogen fuelled engine will be on public display for the first time at a UK agricultural event during the Royal Highland Show, Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 June at Ingliston, Edinburgh. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The engine will be a centrepiece of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Show Society's Presidential Solutions Hub highlighting cutting-edge solutions being developed to help meet Net Zero climate targets. A team of 150 engineers has been working on the £100 million JCB hydrogen engine project for nearly four years, and has produced a power unit that matches the performance characteristics of the company's DieselMAX engine used in JCB's iconic backhoe loaders, Loadall telehandlers and other JCB equipment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Since the first prototype build, 130 evaluation units have been assembled for exhaustive testing and a number of those engines – and the refuelling options that JCB has developed – are being tested in real world on-site situations by several plant hire companies, with very positive results. Lord Bamford with JCB's pioneering hydrogen engine for agricultural and construction machinery. Moreover, some key legislative hurdles have been cleared this year; in January, JCB confirmed that a number of vehicle licensing authorities across Europe have certified the hydrogen-fuelled engine for sale, with others set to follow suit. In April, the UK government paved the way for a change in road vehicle regulations allowing hydrogen-fuelled agricultural and construction machinery to use public highways, and in May the engine received full EU type-approval, allowing its use in JCB and other OEM off-highway machinery as it complies with EU Stage V emissions rules. George Lyon, President of the Royal Highland society, said: 'Over the past year, the RHASS Presidency has been promoting new, innovative solutions that farmers can use to meet the challenge of Net Zero. We are delighted that JCB are contributing to the Solutions Hub at the show with their new hydrogen engine, which represents an opportunity to switch to a 'green' fuel while retaining familiar combustion engine technology.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lady Bamford's skincare empire hit by security breach as customers told to ‘cancel cards'
Lady Bamford's skincare empire is warning customers to cancel their credit or debit cards after the business was hit by a security breach. Bamford, a lifestyle and wellness brand that sells luxury serums, balms and facial oils, issued the warning amid fears that shoppers' payment details were exposed during an IT incident in March. It urged customers to 'thoroughly check the bank account you used to purchase from us', adding: 'As an additional precautionary measure, you may wish to cancel the card used and request a new one from your bank.' Bamford said it had taken 'immediate action' after discovering the incident and had reported the matter to the Information Commissioner's Office, the data watchdog. It did not provide any further information about the breach, although it apologised in an email to customers. A Bamford spokesman said: 'We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or concern this incident may cause.' It comes after a period of significant growth for Bamford, which recently revealed sales were up 18pc in its latest financial year to £14.5m. This is almost double what they were four years earlier. However, despite the sales rise, Bamford has been struggling to turn a profit. In figures published in January, Bamford recorded losses of £3m, up from £2.8m a year earlier. At the time, the company said Lady Bamford, its owner, had pledged to continue supporting the business to help it stay afloat. It said this meant it had 'reasonable assurance that the company can continue to operate as a going concern'. Lady Bamford, who is married to the JCB chairman Lord Bamford, launched the skincare, clothing and wellness brand in 2004, as a sister company to her farm shop Daylesford. As well as selling its range of beauty products, including £80 stem cell facial serums and £100 firming creams, it also sells luxury cashmere clothes, candles and diffusers. Many of its most popular candle and hand cream lines centre around geraniums, with Lady Bamford evangelical about their health benefits. The Bamford brand has two-day spas where its skincare products are used, the larger of which is located at the Daylesford Organic Farm in the Cotswolds. At the Daylesford farm shop in Moreton-in-Marsh, the business has recently expanded to include a new gym, a garden centre, restaurants, cafes and cottages. Bamford and the Information Commissioner's Office were both contacted for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Expanding Heathrow will put London at greater risk of plane crashes, says Lord Bamford
Plans to extend Heathrow Airport should be reconsidered on safety grounds after recent plane crashes in the US, the industrialist Lord Bamford has said. The JCB chairman warned that building a third runway at Heathrow posed a potential threat to millions of people beneath the flightpath because it would allow more flights over central London. Lord Bamford said he had become concerned about the risk of an accident in the capital after a passenger jet was hit by a military helicopter over Washington last week, closely followed by a crash in Philadelphia involving a medical flight. A total of 74 people were killed. In a letter to The Telegraph, he said: 'It's time for a rethink. If it happened in Washington DC, albeit over the Potomac River, and two days later in a residential area in Philadelphia, couldn't it happen in London?' The Tory peer said he was less worried about the noise impact of expanding Heathrow, but more concerned about the 'risk to life' from planes following the Thames through the heart of London for several miles when coming into land. He said: 'I know of very few, if any, capital cities in the world where commercial airliners fly directly over the city centre or city suburbs on their approach to or take off from international airports.' It comes after Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, urged Heathrow to revive expansion plans that were shelved during the pandemic, adding the Government would support an application for a third runway as a vital contribution to economic growth. Lord Bamford proposed a redevelopment of Stansted, a low-cost base for carriers including Ryanair owned by Manchester Airports Group, as an alternative to expanding Heathrow. While transforming Stansted into a hub would require infrastructure enhancements, including a second runway and improved public transport links, such a solution would take flights over urban areas largely out of the equation, he argued. Lord Bamford added: 'Maybe it's time to make Stansted airport the principal international gateway airport serving London, instead of Heathrow, taking commercial airliners away from the densely populated city centre and London suburbs.' On Tuesday, Stansted launched a consultation on plans to lift annual passenger numbers to 51m, from a current cap of 43m, without adding more flights. It attracted almost 30m passengers in 2024. With the development of an alternative hub, Heathrow could cease operations, Lord Bamford said, creating a 3,000-acre site that could accommodate much-needed housing. Heathrow said it is focused on moving ahead with its plans and declined to comment further. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
