Six out of 10 architects are seeing projects cancelled or stalled because of Brexit, a new RIBA survey has found.
The RIBA’s poll of more than 1,100 architects also highlighted rising materials and construction costs, coupled with recruitment and retention issues in the wake of the referendum result last June.
The survey, which opened in December, asked architects about how they expected the UK’s departure from the EU to affect them professionally. Just over 68% said they expected the effect to be “negative” or “somewhat negative”.
A total of 61% of respondents said they had seen projects delayed or put on hold as a result of the referendum, while 37% said projects had been cancelled. Just 12% said new work had arisen because of the “new context”.
Nearly 40% said there had been an increase in the cost of vital materials since June 23 and 35% said they had experienced rising construction costs from contractors. A little over a quarter of respondents said they had experienced challenges attracting or retaining non-UK EU nationals in the months since the vote.
RIBA also asked non-UK European Union nationals working in the architecture profession for their sentiments following the referendum. 40% said they had considered leaving the country in the wake of the vote.
The survey also found slightly more than 20% of respondents indicating an increased interest in sourcing work abroad, both inside and outside the EU.
Presented with a list of options for government support for the profession, “increased public sector investment” garnered the most interest.
RIBA president Jane Duncan said it was vital that the government took steps to ensure that the profession was well supported in the post-Brexit world, with access to the best talent, open doors to foreign markets, infrastructure investment and properly-resourced education, research and innovation opportunities.
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All of these political points applied before Brexit.
As usual our industry is the barometer of economic performance.
Two years to build or lose your land–what rubbish is this– the Planners hardly wake up in two years from any sort of application save tree pruning and house extensions and when they do they always seem to fail to address properly masterplanning issues. Is the Institute doing anything???