Industrial to Innovative: How the North is reshaping Britain’s future

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John Rayson

Managing director, North region at AtkinsRéalis, Warrington, UK contact form

Once, the north birthed the world’s first industrial revolution, transforming Britain domestically and on the world‑stage. Now, the north must power another kind of industrial revolution ‑ and this time, the stakes are even higher.

For too long, the heartlands of British industry and manufacturing have suffered neglect. Successive governments have struggled with obsolete industry, lost skills, and widespread unemployment. Despite notable bright spots, the broader story was one of dereliction.

At last, industrial strategy is being taken seriously once more. Geopolitical instability, rising inequality, and the growing pressure to meet Net Zero targets has concentrated minds upon revitalising British industry.

From green hydrogen to carbon capture, the north’s legacy skills and infrastructure are being intelligently repurposed in a holistic effort to support transformational change ‑ for locals and beyond. By approaching the challenges holistically, we can create more resilient, better ways of working that level up local industry while making best use of its traditional prowess.

No more isolated policies: joined‑up clusters intensify key strengths, spreading opportunities and giving Britain the chance to capitalise on our renewables potential, just as we once capitalised on coal in centuries past. Transport, so often taken for granted, is regaining its place at the forefront of progress. And across the board, every development will be powered by people, pioneering usage of data and novel technologies.

In the brochure below, you’ll find insights from across the front‑lines of this northern transformation. Freeports, nuclear power regeneration, hydrogen pathfinding: our people reveal the range of challenges and solutions that are changing the face of our future. Above all, this is a story of growth ‑ for the region, for its people, and for businesses like AtkinsRéalis that have long been committed to the north with a proud history of work dating back over half a century.

But the work has only just begun. If we are to meet tomorrow’s daunting difficulties, we must continue to turn decline into development ‑ not as a one‑off, but systematically, working together to deliver schemes that are integrated, inclusive, and far‑sighted.

That’s what it takes to regenerate towards a green, low‑carbon, and prosperous future ‑ not just for the north, but for the next generation.