Cobalt news

Time for a Change? Advice on Relocating North

25/08/2006

Career changes often come after much soul searching and deliberation, but changing location can pose another new set of questions entirely...

For most people re-location is about being closer to family or perhaps in order take advantage of a complete lifestyle change. Whatever the motivation, a major factor in these decisions is where the move could take your career.

Many surveyors gravitate to the London market and certainly there are opportunities a plenty, but have you ever considered moving on from London life and perhaps pursuing your career in one of the UK's other major cities? If you have, read on as we provide you with a very brief overview of the buoyant state of the property market in the regions.

Manchester & Liverpool

Since the IRA attack in 1996, ironically and perhaps controversially, things have never been better for Manchester. The City has grown in stature and size and through on-going redevelopment opportunities, both local and national developers are aggressively outbidding one another in order to obtain a foothold in the market. Hosting the 2002 Commonwealth Games has increased the City's prominence even further and areas such as New East Manchester and Spinningfield's in the City centre are seeing developers such as Ask, Allied London, Urban Splash and Westbury Homes jostling for position at the forefront of these schemes. The addition of some major retailers including Selfridges followed by Harvey Nichols alongside the Prudential's re-development of the Arndale shopping centre means that retail & leisure is also big business in the city.

Private Practices are understandably benefiting hugely from the resulting, increase in work. Firms, which were previously London-centric are looking to establish offices in the City and recent additions have included the arrival of Gerald Eve and Hartnell Taylor Cook. This in turn has lead to many opportunities within our client base for good quality individuals across all disciplines including General Practice, Agency, Development, Planning and Building Services. Existing local knowledge is no longer essential to enter the market and indeed many employers are encouraging applicants from the South to come forward.

Liverpool too has also seen many changes in recent years. Having won the European City of Culture award for 2008, times are changing on the Mersey. Will Alsop's "Fourth Grace" is about to change the face of the skyline along the river and many investors are again keen to be involved in the City's renaissance. From a property perspective all this is good news but, as in Manchester, employers are finding it a challenge to attract the numbers of professionals they require. Like Manchester, the opening of new offices by the likes of King Sturge and Knight Frank only goes to show the commitment that large companies are making to Liverpool.

Leeds & Sheffield

The property market in South and West Yorkshire is as buoyant as it ever has been. With the large conurbations of Leeds and Sheffield plus the close proximity of Rotherham, Barnsley, Bradford and Huddersfield, working in the Yorkshire real estate market offers great diversity. There are currently around 1200 RICS members working in this market and more are required to support the positions being generated as a result of the development going on in the region.

Leeds was recently voted the UK's favourite City and Britain's Best City for Business with many of the banks and international businesses choosing the area to locate a UK office or second regional office there. This is mainly due to the massive investment in commercial property development and regeneration. There is already £2.3 billion worth of major projects completed with a further £3.3 billion under construction or in the pipeline in Leeds alone. The surrounding industrial towns and cities are all undergoing major redevelopment with local and national developers and government organisations driving things forward. Flagship schemes such as the Brewers Wharf and Clarence Dock mixed use development in Leeds, The Peace Garden and Millennium Galleries in Sheffield, Manningham Mill conversion and Rawson Quarter shopping centre in Bradford are all great examples of the region's rapid progression.

Joint ventures with government guided organisations such as Sheffield One, Yorkshire Forward and East Midlands Development Agency, working in conjunction with local councils, are at the forefront of the large scale redevelopment. In addition, local and national developers such as Town Centre Securities, Henry Boot, Urban Splash and AMEC are all striving to make the region "the place to be". The knock on effect of this has lead to a number of large nationwide practices such as CBRE, Jones Lang LaSalle and Chesterton all choosing to have significant offices in the region alongside some large regional practices such as Eddisons and Storeys SSP.

Due to the extent of investment and redevelopment of the region there are a plethora of opportunities for surveyors across all disciplines and market sectors. The wholescale regeneration also makes the area a great place to live with new amenities and infrastructure being put in place to drive the area into the 21st century whilst the natural beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and Pennines is literally on the doorstep. Housing in the area is also being improved with the trend for stylish city living leading to the development of many world class residential schemes and conversions in the urban centres.

A recent study by the Office for National Statistics has shown that the region's economy is strong and growing and currently houses over 350,000 companies, 1,700 of which are overseas owned. Three-quarters of the FTSE top UK 10 companies have bases here including Jaguar, Siemens and AstraZeneca.

So what does this tell you? Whether you are a graduate, newly qualified surveyor or senior professional looking for a new direction, there has never been a better time to move up North. Due to our expert local knowledge of both the regional property markets, and in turn the facilities available within the regions, we can offer you not only excellent career advice but also direct you to websites and literature designed to make your relocation easier. Give us a call and we will be happy to help.