Trouble could be building for East Anglia's architecture industry if the rights of skilled workers are not secured in any Brexit deal, a sector body has warned.
Britain's architectural industry generates £4.8bn for the country's economy each year with nearly £500m of that coming from exports – primarily to the European Union, according to the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba).
But uncertainty over free movement and a perception that overseas workers may be less welcome in this country have cast a shadow.
Shaun Soanes, partner at Ipswich-based Nicholas Jacob Architects, said he was concerned to hear of staff cuts at some practices.
He said: 'The greatest strength of our sector is the skill of our workforce and the free movement of labour within the EU has been vital to the growth and flexibility. My main concern is that if access to a skilled workforce is restricted by an unfavourable Brexit deal, this would exacerbate the current skills gap in the construction industry. This could have a devastating impact on the whole of the built environment.'
He added the firm was already seeing a wavering in confidence when it came to capital investment.
Many East Anglian practices feel they are distanced from the worst impacts to exported services but there are concerns about an industry slow-down.
Ben Goode, partner at LSI Architects, based in Norwich, said: 'British architects' biggest client is the UK government and more uncertainty is likely to delay projects.
'When you build buildings it requires someone to be spending a lot of money and when confidence is low that is less likely.
'For our small business of around 60 people it takes a construction spend of £300m to £400m to sustain us for 12 to 18 months.'
He added the firm had two projects postponed directly after the EU referendum, with one cancelled outright.
David Cresswell, partner at property and construction consultancy Ingleton Wood, which has offices at Norwich and Colchester, said the region remained in a strong position, but a 'no deal' outcome would undermine confidence.
His practice has been involved in the pan-European Accept project, funded by the European Union, to develop technology for the building site of the future, which he said had been a positive experience.
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