A PROJECT manager who was involved in a new teaching and resource centre in York has launched his own consultancy practice.

Nathan Hughes, a York-based construction and property consultant, has set up Gate & Bar despite the ongoing uncertainty posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gate & Bar is based in the city, with the company name and logo inspired by York, and provides a range of services including building surveys, project management, design and health and safety advice.

Clients are expected to include developers, individuals, churches and school trusts, among others.

Nathan said that the impacts of the pandemic have been extensive in property and construction and are set to continue with redundancies and people furloughed.

However, he is confident that there are opportunities for construction and business in general to bounce back and thrive.

Businesses and individuals will be looking to safely implement their acquisition, expansion, move or property improvements in 2021, he said.

Providing support and guidance to construction and property professionals can fuel the pandemic recovery.

Nathan, a chartered building surveyor and project manager, was responsible for the new teaching and resource centre at Archbishop Holgate’s School.

The ambitious project started in February 2020 and weathered the worst of the first wave of the virus to a successful completion for the new term in September.

This project proved that with the right approach construction can be managed successfully and safely through the hardest of circumstances.

Nathan’s approach to be deeply engrained in the client’s project goals from the start is the basis of his new venture.

He said: “Understanding the true drivers and reason for taking on such a development is key.

“The only way we add any value is to appreciate the client’s position, in this case a school during one of the most challenging years for them.

“There were many occasions where changes in guidance and closures lead to a whole scale review of our approach.”

Nathan previously spent many years at a practice in York and, more recently, set up a successful building surveying team in Leeds for a national construction consulting company.