We should not be surprised by the continued strength of the commercial property market in the North West.
That is because the right economic ingredients are in place to ensure an attractive environment for investment and new development.
Some may scoff at the concept of the Northern Powerhouse, but there are plenty of people who believe in it and the government, particularly Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, could not get away with a simple PR exercise. Money is going into transport and education.
Apart from that, there are plenty of other positive factors. Foreign investment, most noticeably at Manchester Airport, is coming in. That has been underlined by BAM selling an office block in Stockport to South African investors.
Of considerable significance is the improvement in Liverpool, where there is a healthier investment and development scene helped by an increasing population. This has taken decades to achieve and given the vision of Peel for new developments, has a long way to go.
However, the vital fact is that Manchester is still buoyant and expected to have another good year for office lettings. More than anything else, there is a professional class that absolutely believes in the success of the city.
The reality of two major cities as close to each other as Liverpool and Manchester, together with other sizeable areas such as Wigan, Bolton and Rochdale, has always given the region economic clout.