REGENERATION IN THE LIVERPOOL CITY REGION: ARE WE DOING ENOUGH TO TACKLE THE BARRIERS?

Sean Keyes, MD of Sutcliffe, provides a personal perspective on how things have improved but there is still more to do

Having joined Sutcliffe in 1990 when I was in my early 20’sseveral years after I started as a YTS - I have always had a very deep rooted desire to help train, mentor and nurture the future generation in the civil and structural engineering industry. In the past, a lot of workplaces would view apprentices as an inconvenience; a burden on time and resources. That said, this reluctance to help the next generation of engineers was a stumbling block to the regeneration of the Liverpool City Region.

The construction sector that I joined four decades ago has changed massively compared to the modern day, and with technology, state-of-the-art programming and new modern methods of construction now the staple of every project up and down the country, it is the next generation, with their fresh outlook on work and life, that are helping to re-educate our older engineers and help drive the regeneration of the Liverpool City Region forward.

At Sutcliffe, we are dedicated to nurturing the next generation, something I was keen to discuss when I attended UKREiiF in May. UKREiiF presented our team with a range of interesting opportunities, with over 4,000 attendees and a number of incredible investors, developers and familiar peers all in attendance to discuss the importance of regeneration.

From being the first to arrive at the Liverpool stand, to visiting a military museum, to listening to Homes England’s insightful perspective on regeneration, it was a pleasure to hear more about the innovative plans to accelerate and unlock sustainable, inclusive, and transformational investment not only in the Liverpool City Region, but across the UK. I am certainly encouraged by the fact that the public and private sector are pushing in the same direction when it comes to regeneration and investing in the future.

A great example of how Sutcliffe is passionate about both our young people and regeneration in the city region is how Emily Warburton, our BID manager and a member of the future impact board - a collective of young property professionals committed to positive change - spoke passionately about Liverpool’s future and the ongoing investment in the region, as well as focusing on sustainability.

Our young people are the future of the built environment and I am proud to say that Sutcliffe equips our next generation to be some of the best engineers and business leaders contributing to the Liverpool City Region and beyond.

In June I attended the Housing Conference and the issue of regeneration was the hot topic and there was a general consensus that some aspects were outside of our control such as inflation, energy, government instability, and Europe. To change the direction of these will require significant political will and support from the World’s major players.

The two areas that I believe that are within our control are improving our national planning structure and a positive outlook . It simply takes too long for a decision.

We have a national problem at the moment whereby many Local Authorities do not have the resources to operate and manage an effective planning system. The number of high level skills to achieve good planning is often overlooked with over 400 Authorities all managing this system individually. Why can’t these resources be pooled? Nobody in regeneration wants poor planning but we need more Local Authority officers to reduce timescales. These delays cost millions.