Columnist

From London to North East England; Why the UK continues to be a good place to invest

By Guy Currey, Director, Invest North East England

As the saying goes, it’s ‘as safe as houses’, and for investors and property developers, the UK continues to be a good place to invest.

And it’s not just London that’s seeing the impact of this. Major cites and key employment sites across the country are all benefitting from UK and foreign investment in a range of property sites; from enterprise zones and out of town sites, to mixed-use city centre regeneration sites.

In October, for the fourth year in a row I’ll have the pleasure of representing Invest North East England at MIPIM UK, the UK’s largest property event. Born out of the international MIPIM event in Cannes, France, MIPIM UK attracts more than 3,000 participants and welcomes over 300 investors and financial institutions.

It’s a chance for investors to learn more about property development opportunities across the UK and meet with public and private sector partners involved in the projects. I’ve attended many times and always find the event generates lots of positive leads.

This year I’ll be joined by colleagues from all seven of North East England’s local authorities and a host of private sector partners from the property sector. Together, we’ll be championing some of the major property development sites in our region; from city and town centre projects in Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead and Durham, to out of town projects in Northumberland and North and South Tyneside.

Having a presence at MIPIM UK allows us to show investors, developers and end-users that there is money to be made in the North East. Fresh from hosting the Great Exhibition of the North in Newcastle and Gateshead, there is a real sense of excitement around North East England and the wider Northern Powerhouse. We have one of the fastest growing knowledge economies in the UK, the highest university provision per capita and a visitor economy worth £4bn. As a region we are thriving. It’s this kind of environment that excites and interests developers. An area brimming with talent and ambition is a good place to invest.

This year I’m particularly excited to talk to investors about the opportunities around the Gateshead Quays development, which will see NewcastleGateshead’s world-famous quayside welcome another significant landmark in a £220m mixed use site.

Our Enterprise Zones provide another fantastic investment opportunity and support many of the region’s sector strengths including offshore energy, pharmaceuticals, life sciences and financial, professional and business services.

During MIPIM UK, we’ll be hosting a Business Showcase about digital connectivity in the North East and how it’s a significant benefit for property developers and investors. We’ve also produced a development opportunities brochure that will be available on our stand and an accompanying video showing some of the sites in more detail.

Please do come and speak to me and my colleagues on the Invest North East England stand. We’d love to talk to you about why now is a great time to invest in the North East. You can find more information about our development opportunities on the Invest North East England website.

You can also search our extensive property database, which lists more than 400 available premises and 83 strategic employment sites prime for development.

I look forward to seeing you at Olympia London on 17th and 18th October.

Guy Currey Director Invest North East England

With very special thanks to our private sector partners: Newcastle International Airport; The Hanro Group; Naylors; Bradley Hall; Lambert Smith Hampton; Quorum Business Park; Highbridge Properties; Siglion; Ryder Architecture.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Invest North East England .