It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade Brick, the independent brickmaker in the north of England.
These are challenging times but I am confident we can maintain the progress we made this year, despite Covid-19 and the uncertainly caused by Brexit, in 2022. We are flourishing in commercial property and education sectors, whilst residential housing, which has been our staple for a number of years, remains strong. In these testing times, it is vital to spread our work across as many different markets as possible.
It is also important to be optimistic. I have been in the brick industry for many years and have seen the peaks and troughs. The signs are that the economy is bouncing back and, when it does, I trust that the housing, construction and manufacturing sectors will be in the vanguard of the recovery. Despite rising inflation, which I hope is temporary, it is important to keep interest rates low.
High-profile contracts that we have either started or completed during the past 12 months include Mount Row, a mixed-use development in the heart of Mayfair; a prestigious residential housing development at Kings Cross; and a new library of Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Looking ahead more generally, it is encouraging to report that brick remains the building material of choice for many architects and specifiers across the UK. Provided the economy doesn’t implode, we anticipate a very successful and enjoyable 2022. We particularly value the contacts we have built up in the last 33 years with architects, planners, self-builders and developers. We look forward to continuing those relationships in the years to come.
