Featured Region: North West

Construction activity in the North West is gathering momentum, with growth in output, new project starts and detailed planning approvals. The value of underlying project starts in the region rose 9% during 2013, while output in the third quarter of the year rose across every new build sector, with overall repair and maintenance volumes also increasing.

Manchester is increasingly being seen as the UK’s second city in terms of investment into commercial space, and its reputation is being bolstered by high profile schemes such as Manchester Airport City. Liverpool has weathered the recession relatively well, with a strong private sector replacing jobs lost in the public sector. With construction activity having stabilised in 2012 and gathered pace during 2013, we now expect stronger performance in the region as business conditions improve during 2014.

The North West consists of the following Counties: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Isle of Man.