Lancashire Development Conference in association with FI Real Estate Management

Eden Project International – David Harland, Chief Executive

Eden Project International are planning a major development at the Central Promenade Regeneration Site on Marine Road Central in Morecambe. The ‘Eden Project North’ project is valued at £125m and aims to be one of Britain’s most popular tourist destinations with targets to attract one million visitors per annum. The development is designed to accommodate 4,000 visitors per day with a maximum of 750 visitors per hour accessing the site at peak times.

Maple Grove Developments – Karen Hirst, Managing Director

Maple Grove Developments were chosen to partner Lancashire County Council on the massive ‘Lancashire Central’ development which is expected to generate over 2,000 jobs. Industrial developments form a large part of the scheme as well as research and development, retail and leisure hubs. Aside from those plans, Maple Grove are also active across the north of England delivering industrial schemes in Yorkshire and the North West and Karen will be on hand to give insight into these schemes and how they will create future ‘place’ in the north.

National Highways – Stewart Jones, Regional Delivery Director (North West)

Stewart Jones is Delivery Director for National Highways Regional Investment Programme in the North West. National Highways are working on several projects across Lancashire to help develop the region’s infrastructure. They are working in line with Lancashire County Council on the £200m Preston Western Distributor Road (PWDR) project that is being constructed to the west of Preston to a new junction with Blackpool Road at Lea. In addition to the PWDR, National Highways are also delivering the A585 Bypass Project that is valued at £150m.

FI Real Estate Management – Emily Armstrong, Asset & Development Manager

FI Real Estate Management are one of the UK’s most established names in commercial property and asset management. They have managed over 14m sq ft of commercial and industrial real estate and specialise in large-scale, mixed-use developments. Based in Lancashire, the commercial property specialist has ambitious plans to redevelop a 21-acre site at Botany Bay in Chorley. If given the go-ahead, Botany Bay Business Park will deliver over 400,000 sq ft of industrial and commercial space.

Burnley Borough Council – Mick Cartledge, Chief Executive Officer

Over the coming years, Burnley’s town centre is set for a major regeneration overhaul. The council are working with developers to deliver a £23m project which will see a seven-screen cinema, leisure and retail space. Titled the Pioneer Place scheme, the scheme would see 12,750 sq ft of leisure and retail floorspace across five units, centred around a new public realm and refurbished Curzon Street car park. The project is further supported by a £4m investment in improvements to the town centre and the creation of a heritage Action Zone to boost lower St James’s Street.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council – Denise Park, Chief Executive

Under Denise’s corporate leadership, the Council has developed a significant programme of initiatives to build prosperity and foster growth in Blackburn with Darwen. These include the Blackburn Growth Axis, the Darwen Town Investment Plan, the £250m Blackburn town centre major development site and new strategic employment and housing sites. The growth programme will see 7,000 new homes built, 5,000 new jobs created and major improvements in housing, health and infrastructure as the borough recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Calico Group – Phil Jones, Director of New Services

The Calico Group is made up of a range of innovative businesses and charities working together for social profit. Their housing arm Calico Homes owns and manages over 5,000 homes in Lancashire, providing quality accommodation for families, individuals and older people, as well as supported housing and services for homeless people, domestic abuse victims and people in recovery. The group have recently had planning permission approved for a £16.6m development that will be the first of its kind in Burnley. The extra care facility will deliver 93 apartments, and provide specialist assisted living accommodation in a neighbourhood setting.

Progress Housing Group – Jacqueline De-Rose, Group Chief Executive

Progress Housing Group are a Lancashire-based, not-for-profit, housing provider that own and manage over 10,000 homes nationally. Their aims centre around delivering better homes and providing services for those in need of supported accommodation or independent living. They have recently announced the launch of RWP (Reside With Progress) to deliver high quality supported accommodation for people with a learning disability and/or autistic people. The group has recently completed a 55-unit, fully affordable housing development in Caterall, near Garstang. This comes as a part of Progress Housing Group’s annual development programme to deliver 250 affordable homes across the North West and into Yorkshire.

Story Homes Ltd – John Winstanley, Managing Director (Strategic Land)

Story Homes is a UK property developer with over 30 years of experience in developing new homes across Cumbria, the North East, Lancashire and Scotland. They have a significant number of projects planned and underway in the Lancashire Region, including plans for their major Cuerdale Garden Village. Whilst in its early stages the scheme is aiming to deliver 1,300 homes, 1.7m sq ft of employment space, a 420-student primary school and 500-space park and ride facility. Other schemes include a £40m project in Lancaster that aims to deliver 167-homes as well as a 55-home development in south Lancaster.

Igloo Investment Management – Robert Wood, Investment Director

Igloo investment management was launched to manage the funding in their own development as well as separate real estate, sustainable development and urban regeneration. They’re looking to expand their investment portfolio into Lancashire with a multi-million fund for growth and regeneration across the region. Robert is leading on the scheme and joins us to discuss plans for the wider Lancashire County.

Built Environment Networking – Amanda Griffiths, Director

Amanda is one of the Co-Founder’s of Built Environment Networking – formed almost 10 years ago.

She’ll be hosting throughout the day, running the days proceedings and managing the interaction between our delegates and the speakers.

University of Central Lancashire – Stjohn Crean, Pro-Vice Chancellor

UCLan plays a pivotal role in training and retaining a skilled workforce within the Lancashire region. The university also acts as a key player in regeneration, investment and development across the county. Working in conjunction with Burnley Council and Barnfield Developments, the university is working on a £18.5m expansion, creating around 35,000 sq ft of teaching space and an enterprise zone. UCLan and also working alongside Preston City Council to develop a £60m Student Centre to help bring the university and city closer together.