Industry groups RICS and Construction Skills Network predict that Welsh construction is set to improve in 2013

There is a positive vibe running through the Welsh construction industry. It might be faint at the moment, but industry bodies such as RICS are arguing that 2013 is the year that the built environment in Wales will turn a corner. Last week the Construction Skills Network (CSN) said the outlook for Wales will start to look more positive, with modest growth in output forecast from 2014. Last quarter around 15% of surveyors reported they expect workloads to grow and according to CSN figures, the Welsh building industry will see output rise at an average rate of 2.7% per year, between now and 2017 – substantially above the 0.8% UK average.

RICS Wales chairman Neil Brierley said: “Whilst it is encouraging that construction output is predicted to rise slightly in 2013, there remains a concern that the delivery of this projected improvement may be hampered by a lack of capital funding. As ever, the public sector will be a key element of any recovery that occurs and it is hoped that the spending plans outlined in the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan come to fruition.”

Milica Kitson made the same argument in the Western Mail last week. Indeed, CEW is launching the first of a series of meetings for its new Major Project Delivery Task Group in a bid to ensure that the ideas outlined in the WIIP are not just committed to, but enhanced for the benefit of the whole built environment and wider Welsh economy.