Womble Bond Dickinson has this month been accepted as a member of the Government's Northern Powerhouse Partnership Programme, demonstrating its commitment to promoting the strengths of the North and supporting the Northern economy and Northern Powerhouse initiative.
The appointment is recognition of the contribution the firm has made to the Northern Powerhouse. It has advised clients on a number of significant projects in the North such as:
- Leeds City Council on the Victoria Gate Shopping Centre which in 2017 was named as Best Shopping Centre in the world at the prestigious MIPIM Awards in Cannes
- Commercial Estate Estates Group on the infrastructure and rail halt works for its £400 million Kirkstall forge development in Leeds
- Doncaster Council in relation to the Unity Project - a project of great regional significance. The scheme involves the construction of a new road linking Junction 5 of the M18 with the former Hatfield Colliery and will provide c. 3,100 new homes over a period of 20-30 years. The scheme is expected to generate up to 9,000 jobs and in excess of £400 million of investment over its first 12 years)
- Advising Newcastle Gateshead Initiative Limited in relation to The Great Exhibition of the North
- Providing legal advice to the South Tees Development Company on the regeneration of the former SSI steelworks site in Redcar (£123 million of funding for which was announced in November 2017 budget).
Mark Owen, Head of the Leeds Office, commented:
"As a firm, we are absolutely invested in supporting the Northern Powerhouse and are delighted to become a Northern Powerhouse partner. We have worked extensively with the public sector and private sector already to contribute to the delivery of the Northern Powerhouse. We will continue to work in partnership with Government, businesses and other stakeholders to ensure Yorkshire and the Northern cities can secure investment, improve employment and training opportunities, transport and infrastructure links and deliver economic growth. Our recent US combination also provides us with opportunities to showcase the Northern Powerhouse to US investors and clients and to help facilitate US inward investment to the region."
Kevin Robertson, Head of the Newcastle Office, commented:
"The Government's industrial strategy and the scale of benefits that could be achieved from delivering a successful Northern Powerhouse are crucial to the success of the North. The Northern Powerhouse will receive a significant boost in 2018 from the Great Exhibition of the North, which represents a fantastic opportunity to showcase to the world the cultural richness, cutting-edge technologies and thriving business community within the North. We are proud to have advised Newcastle Gateshead Initiative Limited in relation to this and look forward to promoting the Exhibition and the successes of the North over the course of the year."
Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, said,
“As a transatlantic firm with offices throughout the UK and US as well as partnerships across Europe, we have in Womble Bond Dickinson a Northern Powerhouse Partner with a global reach. I’m thrilled to have Womble Bond Dickinson as our newest Northern Powerhouse Partner and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together from promoting the Great Exhibition of the North to furthering the global connections of the Northern Powerhouse.”