If you missed the Manchester leg of the Estates Gazette Question Time tour, you missed Savills' Patrick Joynson calling the end of the recession, writes Simon Binns.We're all in this together for another five years, according to Joynson, one of the panellists at the Lowry Theatre on Salford Quays. Banks are lending, he said, but sadly, they're lending to firms who don't actually need the money.
I'm pretty sure Tom Bloxham, chairman of Urban Splash, winced at the other end of the panel on hearing Joynson's prognosis. Or maybe that was down to the fact that the famously ardent Manchester Utd fan was sat next to Manchester City's head of infrastructure, Pete Bradshaw, who handled the question on banks' lending policies with the deftest of touches. "We don't really have to borrow, to be honest."
The Co-operative's Ruariadh Jackson, overseeing the firm's new Angel Square HQ and the sale and leaseback of the 21 acre site it sits on, was happy that it's banking arm had been cautious lenders. He was also happy about the new building's BREEAM Outstanding status, as the debate moved on to green developments and retrofitting.
BBC chief operating officer Alice Webb, who's MediaCityUK offices you could see from the window of the debating room, went one better. They've developed a carbon calculator and even given it a name - Albert.
I also spotted Bloxham emailing/texting on his mobile during the debate. Maybe as a fan of social media, he was tweeting about the event, and in this day and age, it seems and appropriate way of summarising.
So, the EG Manchester QT in 140 characters? 'Greater Manchester needs more skills, more money, and to forget about London.'
Simon Binns is Estates Gazette's North of England correspondent
| Tweet |
|
