Member Article

Region achieving despite tough times

IF YOU want a litmus test of the region’s construction and development sectors, then you should look to the 2013 North East Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Renaissance Awards which were held at Newcastle’s Civic Centre last Friday.

If you follow the economic, property and construction sector news you might think there has not been much to cheer about over the last few years. However, the scope and character of the award entries leave me with a positive feeling that actually there are some very interesting things going on in the region despite the tough market.

Consider this. There were an impressive 105 entries involving more than 60 individual projects all of which had come to fruition in the last three years and that is the highest number of entries the awards have recorded in their 10-year history.

Anyone reading this column recently will have noticed the emphasis that I have placed on investing in transport infrastructure in the North East.

So I was delighted that the Project of the Year Award went to the New Tyne Crossing.

The £260m project added two new traffic lanes under the River Tyne and saw the refurbishment of the original tunnel built in 1967. It has significantly reduced congestion and has gone a long way to improving how we can move around in the region.

It has been a major plank to my argument over many columns that economic growth will only be accelerated by better infrastructure. Anything that helps us get into and out of the region as well as moving around it improves access to markets and commercial and industrial development areas.

Perhaps the lesson to be learnt is that such essential infrastructure works do have a major impact. They are usually not high profile or “sexy” enough to attract much attention from the media and the value of the RICS Awards is in highlighting just how essential such works are.

David Furniss, chair of the judging panel, said the New Tyne Crossing “has been enormously beneficial and life-changing for many people”. David and the panel of 14 judges do an excellent job, assessing each entry.

It was also good to see that the other winners on the night spanned the region. They were the earth sculpture Northumberlandia (Tourism and Leisure); the Racecourse housing development at Houghton-le-Spring (both Design & Innovation and the Residential awards); Bolam Coyne flats, Byker, Newcastle (Regeneration); Jesmond Gardens Primary School, Hartlepool (Community Benefit); Plant 5 Tallent Automotive, Co Durham (Commercial Property); and Stewart Park, Henry Bolckow Centre, Middlesbrough (Building Conservation).

This RICS Awards shows what can be achieved by those working in the property sectors even in challenging times – so where from here?

We clearly have the talent and ability to bring forward and successfully complete major projects. We do have a challenge with procurement for public works in having to comply with European Union rules and many in the industry, including RICS, are working with the Government to see how this can be improved and how red tape can be cut in general.

Regionally, last week’s Adonis Commission recommendations were heartily welcomed and the plan for a Combined Authority to deliver infrastructure, skills training and economic development has given the private sector new hope.

As nearly every commentator in The Journal has said in the past week, now is the time for action. There is anticipation and a degree of impatience to move forward in the property and construction sector with a number of schemes waiting in the wings for demand to improve and finance to be identified.

Hopefully, we will soon see them come to life… and be entered into the awards of the future!

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kevan Carrick .