Through boom and bust, Manchester continues to perform as it follows the long settled path of being a world-class city to match its soccer teams and music scene.
The ambition is being stepped up at MIPIM with an enlarged corporate participation in a pavilion on the Croissete. The market is also holding up in all areas with the city centre notching up a big take up figure again and steady performances in Warrington, south Manchester and Salford Quays to complete the picture.
The outlook for new development in the city centre is favourable, particularly because of a shortage of prime stock and further indicated by the forward momentum of the major NOMA scheme by the Co-op and Hermes. Bew development is also occurring elsewhere in the region, such as another town centre project in Rochdale.
An important part of the equation is that former Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne’s enthusiasm for the Northern Powerhouse is continuing with sufficient energy behind the campaign to make it work.
The other important dimension is that Liverpool appears to have broken out of the decades long cycle of decline and has lots of positive things happening in the economy and property industry.
The fact that it has a growing city centre population of young professionals surely says something about its attractions.