Event: North Wales — A Connected Future Breakfast 2017

With a long history in the North West and Wales, we are delighted to sponsor this Wales Business Insider event North Wales: A Connected Future.

Powell Williams founding partner, Andy Williams, talks about developing the North Wales economy and how the area could gain from links to North West England.

There is a question about how companies from the Northern Powerhouse could make the most of opportunities available within Wales, and we believe it is time for there to be a deeper discussion as to how the North Wales economy could be boosted by closer integration with North West England.

Why have we sponsored this event?

I live in North Wales and founded the business, just over 25 years ago, in Chester. Since then the business landscape has changed considerably, and so have we, growing in size and scope, hand-in-hand with many of our long-standing clients.

So as a company with a passion for, and a long history in both regions, we want to be involved in this essential and game-changing dialogue.

Opportunities are available

When talking to our overseas clients, and those based in the South East, it’s clear that they have recognised a growing momentum for investment and development outside of London and the South East and they have been securing development opportunities in the regions.

From our own extensive involvement within the region, and via our other offices in London, Birmingham and Leeds, we have also seen high levels of interest and activity throughout the North West, particularly within the industrial, manufacturing, office, residential and leisure sectors.

Combined with the infrastructure promises of the government’s Northern Powerhouse agenda, and the energy, enthusiasm and expertise within the region’s businesses, we believe we are on the cusp of something really exciting.

Northern Powerhouse: the ripple effect

So let’s be honest, North Wales has to be part and parcel of the Powerhouse. The line which divides the region from the rest of the North is on a map, and perhaps in people’s minds, but shouldn’t be a barrier to commerce.

As the crow flies, North Wales is as accessible to the Powerhouse hub of Manchester as Leeds or the Lancashire towns, and is already integrated with the myriad of businesses in Merseyside and Cheshire. It is also home to some seriously big hitters with Airbus, Toyota, Iceland, Watkins Jones, and Moneysupermarket all based there.

The government is also talking up huge energy and infrastructure investments, with massive potential for supply chains and providing high quality jobs for our young people.

Overcoming the challenges

While the Powerhouse project is about rebalancing the geography of opportunity and investment to create a more diverse economy, with more jobs and better opportunities for the workers and the families who call this region their home, there is lots more to be done.

We have a major international airport on the doorstep, which is fantastic, but improvements in road and rail connections across the North are absolutely essential. It can’t be right that I can get to our London office faster than I can to the team in Leeds.

There are some of the country’s best universities within the Powerhouse zone; however we lose so many of those brains to the capital on graduation. Well-paid, interesting jobs offering opportunities to advance, with no compromises for those who choose to stay local, is both a goal and a route map to success.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts

The success of the Powerhouse post Brexit will, in part, be down to the commitment of Government to deliver on its promises. However, in the main, it will be the region’s towns, cities and authorities putting aside years of competition to work together towards a joint goal. Collaborative working is the current trend for private companies, in office design and business park development and its the ideal model for local authorities. So making connections and sparking ideas is what we’re all doing here today.

So why not take the lead from property and consider The North to be one giant co-working hub with each region bringing its own benefits to the great Powerhouse Project.