Recently in North West Category

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

Published Nov 10 

North West offices 
Analysis of the trends and future issues across the North West's key office locations
Contact: David Thame, freelance writer,  01544 262 896, dthame@clara.co.uk

North West Industrial
Analysis of the trends and future issues
Contact: Mark Simmons, freelance writer, 07787 561032, msimmons@sourceform.co.uk

Fracking
Analysis of the impact of the new energy extraction technique in the North West
Contact: Simon Binns, EG North of England correspondent, 07785 387 996 simon.binns@estatesgazette.com
* Please note Simon is the EG news contact for the North of England and is based in Manchester *

Airport
Analysis of future proposals and its impact
Contact: David Quinn, freelance writer, 07841 115601 david@wordsdept.co.uk

Regeneration
Analysis of key projects
Contact: David Thame, freelance writer, 01544 262 896, dthame@clara.co.uk

Market health check
Please contact Stacey.meadwell@estatesgazette.com if you think you can provide data for the key North West office locations, key North West retail locations and North West industrial stats. All must be to end of Q3 2012.

Please contact writers by Oct 15 to find out more details about their specific topics

I went over to Manchester Airport last week for a progress check on its ambitious Airport City scheme, writes Simon Binns.

The marketing suite itself is impressive enough. A whizzy iPad presentation is livened up even more by clear plastic sheets given to prospecvtive occupiers, which they can take away and lay over their tablet then marvel as vacuum-pressed mini-office blocks, hotels or sheds light up at the appropriate times. Even the roads turn bright pink. I even got the requisite press USB stick, although this one was dayglo yello and went around your wrist like a watch.

Dayglo USB wristbands and plastic iPad covers aside, things seem to be cracking on reasonably well with Airport City. Talk is the airport has heads of terms out on 11 deals that would gobble up 1.5m sq ft of space if they all complete. Two of those requirements are thought to be in solicitors' hands, although the airport refused to be drawn.

Ther target is one large occupier by Christmas and something concrete to present at next year's MIPIM. Presentations are one thing, but deals are what will make this scheme fly.

Simon Binns is Estates Gazette's North of England correspondent 

Savills and MAG Developments were the toast of Manchester last night as they emerged victorious to accept EG's North West awards for 2012.

The awards were presented at the RICS's North West Awards ceremony - a swanky balck tie affair held at The Point - the modern conference centre at Old Trafford cricket ground.

Savills' James Evans, Alex Palfreyman and Richard Lowe were on hand to accept the North West Property Advisor of the Year 

award (above right), while it's fair to say that MAG Developments mounted something of a stage invasion (pictured right) as the firm was named North West Property Company of the Year.

A group of staff from the developer - which is the property arm of Manchester Airports Group and is behind the planned Airport City scheme in Manchester - proudly crowded the stage to collect the award. "It's a team effort", chief executive John Atkins said as he accepted it.

Comedian and broadcaster Tony Hawks was the night's compere, joking with the audience that anyone with teenage children had probably led them to expect US skateboard supremo Tony Hawk.

Other EG regional award winners' presentations:

East Midlands

Wales & South West

Three guesses which retailer they might like on the bottom floor (clue: the fly through shows an "@ store dot com" store in residence)

The  lack of development finance in the market is forcing office developers to consider alternatives to traditional grade A product, so says Allied London's chief executive Mike Ingall.

Ingall spoke to EG's Daniel Cunningham this week at the annual North West reception at Manchester's Epernay champagne bar.

You can listen to the full interview by clicking below in which Ingall explains how developers will focus less on the traditional grade A office building. "There will be scope in the next year to 18 months to do something a little bit different," he says.

Mike Hawkins, partner with WHR Property Consultants says that there are 1m sq ft of unsatisfied large requirements focussed on Manchester with new entrants into the city from London and other UK cities.

Yesterday's post based on the Centre for Cities report has provoked an angry reaction from Sunderland. The local council leader has been in touch to says he takes exception to the report and has been contacted by several large and international companies that, he says, would feel the same way. Here's what he has to say about Centre for Cities:

Who's got the power in the North West industrial sector? In our North West Focus in this Saturday's magazine we've published the 'power list' of agents and developers in the region which you can see in full by clicking here.

The top five agents have been ranked by disposals, with some others flagged up as important players. Developers have not been ranked, but the list highlights those that look best placed to take advantage of the next cycle.

The power list is bound to provoke debate - and we welcome it. So, if you disagree with our selection or think that your company should be up there, tell us why by leaving a comment below. 

Let the debate begin... 

 Power On button image by LivingOS from Flickr, used under creative commons licence