Moving on up….North

A lively debate last night at the local – the usual stuff, Yorkshire versus Manchester but outside the pub an alliance is being formed. With recovery under way and a number of proposals being tabled that will bolster the economic regeneration in Northern England – old rivalry is being shelved as we all simply climb into bed with each other for the benefit of the economy.

November saw the Government make a number of pledges to us Northerners; with George particularly highlighting his plans for a Northern Powerhouse (catchy!). Underpinning this will be HS3, a much improved rail network slashing journey times that not even HS2 can achieve. Oh and the best part is that HS3 arrives years (some may say light years) ahead of HS2. Sounds like a good investment to me.

Just look at the improvements in time. HS2 will knock 10 minutes off a journey to London while I’ll be in Manchester in just over 30 minutes (as opposed to the unknown at the moment).

Is all this a sympathy vote though? The North was hit hard during the recession and particularly the construction sector in the North East where the industry contracted by almost 40%, according to the Office of National Statistics.

Now it doesn’t bother me that Manchester are leading the charge, I love Manchester and think the city has such potential. A recent visit to Manchester just demonstrated how far it has come since I left University in 2005. Even my old building has been removed and replaced with a sparkly new one. Large investment and partnerships for residential, Spinningfields and the Cotton Building are all showing that construction is back on track here. But it’s not all about the mancunians.

Leeds, and to a lessor extent Sheffield, are also pushing ahead. The number of speculative buildings is increasing and as we sit in our offices we overlook the impressive Wellington Place that seems to be going up in record speed. In a recent interview Tom Riordan noted that over the coming years there will be companies that surprise us moving to Leeds. Exciting times. Just makes you want to smile.

So each city is moving in the right direction, by 2027 we should be better connected (you never know they may have finished the M1 by then!). I guess you have to request that the roads are invested in. The M62 is still a big thing in the North, and when it grinds to a halt it causes ramifications.

Having a grand vision is one thing, but delivering it is another. Osborne’s “Northern Powerhouse” has much in common with the “Northern Way” - former deputy prime minister John Prescott’s equally grand plan to, yes, improve east to west transport connections. While announced with great fanfare, this project yielded few tangible improvements. Let’s cross our fingers and hope then.

Feel free to contact me 0113 288 2276 or lee.a.wilkinson@uk.pwc.com if you wish to discuss this blog or anything relevant to property and construction.

Enjoy the weekend,

Lee

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