Northern Powerhouse momentum, but not the mechanics, showcased to potential investors

NORTHERN leaders adopted appropriate messaging on Back to the Future day as they stressed the importance of repeating the successes of the 19th century to recreate the Northern Powerhouse in front of a packed audience at MIPIM UK.

 

Representatives from Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and Barnsley shared a stage to make the case for the north of England to site agents, developers, investors – and a large number of northern-based property professionals – on the first morning of the three-day property exhibition in London.

Although the motivation behind the Northern Powerhouse is usually explained as a method for rebalancing the UK economy, the international opportunities for the city regions of the north were being promoted.

Sir Howard Bernstein, chief executive of Manchester City Council, was the first to invoke 19th-century successes to set out the path for the 21st century.

“This is not new,” he said. “Manchester built the Ship Canal to link it to Liverpool and to link people who make things with people who want to trade. This is a clear and continuing pattern.”

Roger Marsh referenced historian Asa Briggs and his book, Victoria Cities, to suggest the potential for northern cities to drive economic growth and also used a quote he attributed to 19th-century US President Abraham Lincoln to say “the best way to predict the future is to create it”.

There was broad agreement from the panel of the need to do just that through identifying “investable propositions” that span the north – rather than just being within a single city region – in order to shape the region’s economic future.

However no specifics other than the transport initiative formerly known as HS3, TransNorth, were mentioned, 16 months after the Northern Powerhouse concept was launched by Chancellor George Osborne.

“It is clear the Northern Powerhouse is developing a strong brand, not just in the UK but across international markets,” said Pat Ritchie, chief executive of Newcastle City Council.

“We need to link that with investable propositions that scale across the north. If we get that coming together we will build on the momentum across the Northern Powerhouse brand.”

Liverpool City Council chief executive Ged Fitzgerald agreed with the importance of collaboration in order for northern cities to compete globally.

He said: “The Northern Powerhouse provides us with the opportunities to meet the expectations of the global marketplace.

“If we try and continue to do these things in an isolated way we won’t be able to compete globally.

“In the Northern Powerhouse, once we articulate our propositions and get our investable propositions in place, we can blend the macro factors with the micro factors developers look at.”