Special Report - Built Environment

Sep 14 2006 North East Vision

Construction builds future on firmest of foundations

The North-East's skyline has changed forever and the new horizon is a testament to the fantastic shape of the construction industry in this region.

In recent years, successful regeneration projects have transformed the region into a world-class, 21st Century living environment that is second to none.

This transformation has been based upon the creation of an infrastructure that has improved transport links and created a diverse range of excellent leisure facilities and quality, affordable housing.

The role that the built environment has played in this revolution cannot be underestimated. After all, iconic structures such as The Sage Gateshead and the Baltic Centre will light up the landscape for years to come.

So how has this been achieved in a region that is bottom of most, if not all Government socio-economic and educational achievement performance tables? The North-East has the best qualified construction workforce of all the English regions and is way above the norm for employees achieving level 3 and higher qualifications.

This goes some way to explaining how we have produced a 21st Century skyline in recent years but also highlights the world class education and training available in our region which is the envy of our more affluent southern cousins and other countries.

And, as the Government Office for the North-East (GONE) points out in this issue of North-East Vision, 81% of people are interested in how the environment looks and feels.

Rightly so, GONE points out that the environment is everybody's business. What is around us shapes our lives and the way we feel in all parts of our lives, from going to work to simply looking out of the window.

Whether it is in the south of the region, at Middlehaven, in Middlesbrough, or in the north, with the banks of the Tyne developments, regeneration can only be a success story if everyone works together. Local authorities, funding agencies, architects, builders, even administrators. All of us have to be in harmony to bring about a change which is not only practical and physically attractive, but also sustainable.

The construction industry in the North-East is one of, if not the largest single employment sector in the region and the future looks set to offer further good news, in terms of growth.

Construction currently accounts for in excess of 100,000 jobs in the North-East, from general operatives and tradespersons to architects, surveyors and project managers. This is set to rise to 107,000 by the year 2010 - and that's a conservative estimate. The sector has seen phenomenal regional growth throughout the last decade and new orders have increased by 97% since 2000.

Over the next five years or so, we will need to recruit an estimated 4,000 new entrants per annum into the industry within the North-East to meet the built environment needs of our region and supply labour to other parts of the UK.

The annual turnover of the sector in the North-East is now approaching £4bn and growth is set to continue for at least another five years, with a strong regional commercial development market forecast to be maintained.

These figures should come as a real boost to young people who are either training for a career in the construction industry, or are considering doing so. Young people can look at this picture of the industry and be assured that the present and future look very positive.

There is a real need to recruit and it is down to organisations, such as Northumbria University and the region's other universities, which run relevant courses, and, of course, CITB-ConstructionSkills, to play their part.

We must ensure a large number of these recruits are new blood to the industry, trained to the highest standards, and I know great work is being done to meet these needs. One of the drawbacks of having a world class construction workforce is that other regions and countries envy us and want our people.

Although the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet phenomenon of 10 to 20 years ago was driven by economic recession and unemployment in the region, current migration of our workforce is by choice rather than economic need.

The industry currently has a "leakage" factor of some 21%, through migration mainly to the South.

This means that for every 100 new entrants that work in the region, we need to recruit and train 121. Again, this is excellent news our young people looking for a career with real prospects, education and training providers in the region and the sector as a whole as it adds to an ever increasing reservoir of new talent.

As a region and a sector we should celebrate, invest in and expand our world class regional construction education and training providers and if that means we become an importer of unskilled raw recruits and an exporter of qualified and wanted workers, then so be it.

We are `top of the table' in this aspect so why do our regional bodies not concentrate and invest in what we do extremely well and stop focussing all the time on our economic and social shortcomings?

So, the future of our industry in the region for those of us already involved, as well as for those who will help to shape the region in years to come, is looking bright and positive as we continue to build the 21st Century North-East.

For more information on Constructing Excellence in the North-East, please contact regional director, Catriona Lingwood, at catriona@constructingexcellence-ne.org.uk

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Quality building design is vital to environment

Surveys have shown that we are passionate about buildings, with 81pc of us interested in how the environment looks and feels - not surprising, because well-planned and well-designed buildings can make a vital contribution to our quality of life by making us feel safer, healthier and happier.

To achieve the Government's aim of sustainable, inclusive and mixed communities, developments need to be attractive, safe, well-designed, and built to a high quality, and this is where Government Office for the North East can make a real difference.

Improving the quality of the physical environment is one of the Government Office's key objectives, and it starts with planning.

Diana Pearce, Government Office's Director for the Built Environment, said: "To help maintain the distinctive character of the North-East we work closely with the main bodies concerned with the natural and built environment, including English Heritage and the Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)."

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced major changes to the planning system, with the phasing out of county structure plans, stronger regional spatial strategies and new flexible local development frameworks.

"The reforms have made it easier for local authorities and developers to deliver the quality of development that's needed, and the introduction of design coding - as piloted in Walker Riverside in Newcastle - will bring more certainty to the design process," she added.

For planning to be truly effective though, it has to be backed up with action and delivery, and the North East Housing Board, first chaired by Government Office Regional Director Jonathan Blackie, and now by the Regional Assembly by Councillor Alan Napier of the Regional Assembly, is helping to turn the plans into reality.

The Board oversaw the production of the first North-East Regional Housing Strategy in 2003 and an update was produced last year. One of its principal objectives is to help ensure that residents have a good choice of good-quality housing.

The Board organised a housing design workshop in February this year and it has provided funding totalling £350m for the period 2004-2008, with quality being a major feature of schemes supported.

Poor quality and design can also contribute to wider housing market failure, and Government funding provided to the region's housing market renewal pathfinder Bridging NewcastleGateshead (BNG) is helping to drive up the quality of the built environment on Tyneside.

Pathfinder proposals must incorporate high standards of urban design in buildings and public spaces and also value the heritage of existing buildings and landscapes.

In assessing BNG's latest bid for funding, Government Office recognised its strong sense of the importance of design quality.

A representative from CABE sits on BNG's quality and design working group, and innovative schemes such as the Byker Design Competition and the Walker Community Enquiry by Design have brought together world-class designers and local communities in St Lawrence Square, South Byker and Walker Riverside.

Additionally, a Housing Expo planned for Scotswood will be a showcase for high-quality urban design and best practice.

"We'll continue to do all we can to help raise standards in building design for the people of the North East," added Ms Pearce.

On page 2:
Setting out to restore some of the old skills our heritage needs plus Developing the future.