Does good news for them mean good news for us???? What do you think??? Real signs of a recovery, claims Bristol property developer 29-October-2013 by Mike Ribbeck, The Bristol Post A property developer who is in the process of putting together a major scheme for Portishead has claimed that there are real signs of the economic recovery picking up pace in the area. Bristol-based Mark Kennedy, the managing director of property firm Loc8, has worked in the sector for almost 20 years and works alongside some of the biggest names in the retail and property market. He specialises in putting together developments for major retailers such as Costa and Travelodge and has also dabbled in property development in Bristol city centre in the past. His latest project will see the retail park close to the marina in Portishead double in size if the scheme goes ahead. The plan is to create three new stores which will house a store specialising in home-wares, a wine merchant and a third operator which is in the process of negotiations. Mr Kennedy, right, has worked for several firms including Lidl and Kentucky Fried Chicken identifying new sites for stores before he decided to go into business for himself in 2005 with the backing of a wealthy businessman. As well as identifying potential sites for firms he also gets involved in the legal and planning process on behalf of the retailers. He said: “Of course things have been difficult since 2008 but there has been a real pick-up in business over the last few months. “There are real signs that people are interested in doing business again, there are companies out there who are looking to invest and looking for opportunities.” He added: “We are really pleased with the Portishead development and it is a really good place to do business. There are plenty of people moving into the area and it is one of those towns that the major retailers are really interested in because it is a really lively market-place.” Mr Kennedy said: “We are busier than we have been for several years and we have got eight schemes on the go at the moment in the South West. There is more business coming in and the signs are really encouraging.” Mr Kennedy added: “We tend to feel things more than other sectors and that was certainly the case this time around. Things started to slow down in 2007 and had come to a standstill by the end of 2008. What we are seeing now is a real pick-up in the market” Mr Kennedy also pointed to the fact that several major schemes in the centre of Bristol have now got under way. As reported in the Bristol Post, work on a major office development in Queen Square and building work on a new office block in the Temple Quarter have now got under way with the recovery appearing to show real signs of gathering momentum. Speaking recently about the start of the work on the new development close to Temple Meads station elected mayor George Ferguson said: “I am delighted to see work starting at Two Glass Wharf. This is great news for Bristol and a real vote of confidence by Salmon Harvester in Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone, attracted by its financial incentives and Bristol’s growing economy. “This is the first major speculative development within Temple Quarter, and a further demonstration that we have an attractive proposition for investors, offering a first-class location, great connectivity, a talented workforce and a major investment in infrastructure over the next few years.” Pictured: A CGI of Portishead Retail Park.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 03:58:22 +0000