We must all hope that the UK economy continues in its growth phase because that is changing the face of the urban environment in many towns and cities.
That is certainly true of the North West where Manchester is underlining its status as a major European city, a position it clearly enjoyed in the 19th century.
It could be argued that the next phase is of huge importance and depends on the ability to put into operation the Northern Powerhouse concept. At the heart of this are transport improvements, notably rail such as HS2.
Equally important is the coordination of policies between local authorities to put flesh on the bones of the growth vision. Here there is a worrying report of secondary schools’ poor performance. On the other hand, the region has top universities with world class science.
It also has a pool of active and imaginative developers that can provide the new space.
Certainly, central Manchester is getting new office space. The ambitions of Manchester Airport are also vital to the economic wellbeing of the north west with its widening route network across the world, notably to the US and Far East.
The longer the government delays a decision on a new runway in the south east, the more Manchester will gain. Apart from anything else, it is in the interests of the whole UK that the Northern Powerhouse is a success and does the job intended of rebalancing the UK economy.