Leeds surveyor named as chair of RICS
LEEDS-BASED building surveyor Colin Harrop has been appointed chairman of the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) regional board for Yorkshire and the Humber.
Mr Harrop is a senior associate with property consultants King Sturge.
During an 11-year career in both London and Yorkshire, he has specialised in the construction and property sectors.
In his new role – which is honorary – Mr Harrop will represent some 7,000 chartered surveyors in Yorkshire and the Humber, many of them holding key positions in land, property, construction and environmental projects going on throughout the region.
He said: “Chartered surveyors are at the heart of major development and regeneration across Yorkshire and Humberside and representing them is a great honour. An important part of my role is to get a clear idea of their views on the sector so a priority will be to listen and to use that information to help inform regional policy and activity.”
In the current economic slowdown, Mr Harrop believes it is doubly important for the region to have a bank of highly skilled property professionals available:
He added: “The credit crunch is certainly presenting a challenge to the region. We have seen a major slowdown in the housing market, major construction projects put on hold and significant shrinkage in the jobs market.
“But it’s at such times that chartered surveyors can make a major difference, using up-to-date knowledge and skills to provide expert advice on the best way forward.
“RICS members are managing and working on some of the most significant public and private sector development projects currently underway in the region and they represent a huge collective pool of expertise.”
Mr Harrop takes over the post of regional board chairman from Kevin Wood, a chartered surveyor with Walker Sime, also based in Leeds, who has carried out the role for the last two years.
RICS is regarded as the mark of property professionalism worldwide and the work the institution does to promote best practice, regulate its members and encourage chartered surveying as a career choice is extremely important.
It is the world’s largest organisation for property professionals, with more than 140,000 members in 146 countries.
