AS the end of April draws near, anticipation is building across the country. No, I’m not talking about that first glimpse of the soon-to-be Princess Catherine’s dress, but within industry circles there is the expectation that surrounds the announcement of the growth figures for the first quarter of 2011.

Will we see positive growth, stagnation, or even confirmation of the country slipping into recession?

For those of us in the construction industry, it will be very difficult to get carried away, even if we do see positive growth.

That is because, since the start of the second quarter, we have continued to see the sort of negative news which has been blighting the construction sector throughout the years of economic hardship.

First, we had the news of the UK arm of McInerney Homes being put into administration, following the delisting of its parent company from the Irish stock exchange in November.

In the same week, Northern Bear reported that its profits for the year to March 31 would be “below market expectations”, following the severe weather in November and December. However, the company was positive about the start to 2011, when work had picked up.

On the same day that the Northern Bear news was in the press, it was reported that administrators had been called in for Dumfries-based contractor R&D Construction.

With such news all coming in the same week, it is hard to forget that the construction sector has been hit harder than most, for longer than most.

Whatever the figures say on April 27, we are not out of the woods yet and there is a long road ahead until any sort of stability returns to construction.

The good news is that there are a lot of very strong businesses in our sector, which have so far survived the recession and continue to trade.

From this base, working with the pool of skilled construction workers who are ready to pick up their tools and return to work when the opportunity arises, there is a foundation upon which our industry can be rebuilt, albeit slowly.

For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North East, please contact chief executive, Catriona Lingwood, on 0191 374 0233 or catriona@cene.org.uk.

Catriona Lingwood is chief executive Constructing Excellence in the North East.