Property People

The commercial property sector has markedly improved since the uncertainty of the election in the first half of 2015 and we continue to see a strong increase in business having just projected a 40 per cent trading increase. This is across all key sectors, from energy and renewables to retail, industrial and commercial, representing a healthy balance of investment.

What is the biggest project you have been involved in?

Britcon’s largest project to date is currently on site in Dagenham London and is the construction of a £13.5m project to deliver a new anaerobic digestion (AD) plant for food waste recycler ReFood (UK) . It follows our successful delivery of a £24m plant in Widnes in 2014 and a £20m plant completed in 2011 at Doncaster, with a subsequent £5m extension constructed in 2014, all for Refood (UK).

What is your favourite building in the region?

It won’t be the first to mind for many in Yorkshire but for me it would have to be the Emley Moor Mast near Huddersfield. It is an iconic structure on my doorstep that is a welcome sight on my way home from business and leisure trips.

If you could change one thing to improve the property industry in the region, what would it be?

I think the planning system has got to be top of the list for a few changes, it just seems to have strayed into many areas not core to planning, and can cause significant delay and cost that is sometimes unnecessary.

Whom do you admire most in the Yorkshire property industry?

Paul Caddick for his skill in business and development, and entrepreneurial investment in regional sports.