Chloe Emily Barrow

SIEMENS | REVITALISING HULL FOR A FOREVER FUTURE

The largest employer in Hull – Siemens, have made plans to expand their company across East Yorkshire, including plans for a £6m rail innovation hub. This highlights Siemens commitment to development in the northeast and Hull. Such a vast increase in manufacturing will require temporary and long term employees. Essentially, Siemens take into consideration the attributed of employer-led housing that has been criticised: the displacement of local residents, amenities and infrastructure. Hull is a city of two halves with a very poor community close to the docks, and a much more affluent community near Cottingham and surrounding Beverley countryside. Any future development should seek to integrate these communities, avoiding creating a ‘them’ and ‘us’ culture between employees and local residents. High quality, subsidised housing which has an emphasis on creating social capital, also ensures companies can support its workforce and the local community. As a result, employers are more likely to attract highly-skilled individuals and improve the retention of employees they have developed. When Siemens construct employer-led housing in Hull, it will inevitably increase the value of housing, which will make Hull a more attractive place to live and work.