Greater Manchester Development Conference

Salford City Council – Paul Dennett, City Mayor

As the portfolio holder for housing in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority cabinet, Paul is across decision making and policy advising on all areas of housing growth in the region. In 2022, Paul announced that social housing would form a major part of Salford’s regeneration strategy going forward with ambitions to upscale the current 280 new registered provider homes being built year on year. He joins the event to update delegates on key residential initiatives for 2024 and beyond.

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council – Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive

The council have been working to deliver their exciting £1bn transformation vision to become the ‘Coolest, Greenest’ town in the UK by bringing forward 3,500 new homes and over 1 million square foot of new employment floorspace to be built between now and 2025 – reshaping Stockport as a place to live, work, connect, and visit for the decades to come. Caroline will join the conference to update on the progress of Stockport’s transformational development for the town as well as discussing the council’s role in creating a northern global capital for investment.

Far East Consortium – Gavin Taylor, Executive Director of Property

Far East Consortium’s already huge plans for 4,000 homes at Red Bank in Manchester have now got even bigger having fleshed out the original idea to redevelop three plots along Dantzic Street with an additional 1,500 homes. As the development partner of Manchester City Council, the £4bn Victoria North regeneration project aims to submit an application for at Red Bank this year. Gavin will join the lunch to discuss their plans for the 37-acre site set to transform the Red Bank area of the city.

MAG – Alistair Andrew, Strategic Planning and Investment Director

Alistair is currently Strategic Planning and Investment Director for Manchester Airports Group, covering Manchester, East Midlands and London Stansted Airports, working for the business for over 10 years. In his time, he has overseen London Stansted’s Transformation Programme including the 35+ planning appeal; the successful bid for an East Midlands Freeport; as well as the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme and master planning for Airport City.

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Manchester City Council – Cllr Bev Craig, Leader

Manchester is thriving and is at the start of its next era of investment and development. Pledging to make the city a more inclusive place to live and work, Bev is leading on the charge to implement the vision she set out in 2022. Bev joins the conference to talk about some of the projects that the council are keen to move forward with in the coming year including Gorton Town Centre regeneration and the 1500 home Wythenshawe vision.

Capital & Centric – Tim Heatley, Co-Founder

Manchester based Social Impact developer Capital & Centric have a multitude of development projects in the pipeline in Greater Manchester – with their ongoing regeneration of Piccadilly East in Manchester chief amongst their plans, as well as the Weir Mills redevelopment in Stockport and their Farnworth scheme in Bolton. Tim will join the conference to discuss their ongoing investment plans in the region – which is set to deliver over 500 homes, provide over 600 hotel rooms and hundreds of millions of pounds worth of investment over the coming years.

Wigan Council – Alison McKenzie-Folan, Chief Executive

Wigan is undergoing major redevelopment which is being driven by the council in partnership with Cityheart – namely the regeneration of Galleries Shopping Centre which will see an array of leisure facilities developed as well as a new hotel and 464 new homes. The £135 million scheme will generate over 600 jobs for the area as well as much needed housing and Alison will be on hand to discuss this major scheme for Wigan as well as the council’s future regeneration and housing plans.

Bury Council – Paul Lakin, Executive Director of Place

Bury Council are behind the transformative £100m plans to develop ‘a new community heart’ for Prestwich, centred on the Longfield Centre area. The council and JV partners Muse are now working together on a vision to redevelop the centre, with new spaces planned for independent businesses, alongside a mix of homes, outdoor spaces and a new community hub focused on health and wellbeing. Paul will join the conference to delve into these plans as well as the Council’s wider regeneration plans which include Ramsbottom Town Centre and, the redevelopment of Bury Market and the ongoing Radcliffe regeneration.

University of Salford – Professor Helen Marshall, Vice Chancellor

The University of Salford are part of the team that are behind the transformative £2.5bn Crescent Masterplan with Salford City Council. One of the first projects to be announced from the masterplan, the ‘Salford Rise’ scheme, is expected to kick start over £200 million of commercial development leading to the creation of 6000 additional jobs over the coming years. As Vice Chancellor of the University, Helen will be well placed to discuss the wider masterplan and the University’s role in creating further investment, development and growth opportunities – as well as their role in creating the skilled workforce to take Greater Manchester forward.

Homes England – Carl Moore, Head of Cities and Major Conurbations

In June, Homes England and Greater Manchester Combined Authority entered into a Strategic Place Partnership with the aim of delivering 30,000 good quality, truly affordable net zero carbon homes by 2038. The partnership will be a pilot of a new model for working between the government’s housing and regeneration agency and local authorities. The is aimed at sub-regions with the most ambitious proposals for housing growth as part of their broader social, environmental and economic vision for the area with a strong pipeline of potential opportunities to deliver these ambitions. In Greater Manchester, this means a shared focus on the delivery of growth locations, affordable housing and town centre regeneration and Carl will join the conference to discuss the partnership and how they will achieve their ambitions.

LCR – Simon Taylor, Regional Director

LCR is collaborating with prominent members of Greater Manchester’s transport and sector to develop the city region’s stations into quality gateways between communities and the railway. The Greater Manchester Stations Alliance is made up of Transport for Greater Manchester, Network Rail, relevant rail franchises and LCR, with the aim of supporting the changing needs of passengers, residents and visitors. With delivery led by LCR, more than 20 sites have been earmarked for development, with the potential to create over 3,000 new homes and Simon will be on hand to discuss these strategic sites for the region as well as updating on the progress of the £1.4bn Mayfield Partnerships scheme near Piccadilly Station.

Glenbrook Property – Shannon Conway, Residential Director

Glenbrook are major players in the Greater Manchester BTR market having delivered Manchester’s first purpose build BTR scheme in 2019. Having also built award winning sites in Salford and Castlefield the developer has now got permission to build 639 homes in a £160m scheme as part of Bruntwood and Trafford Council’s Lumina Village project. Elsewhere Glenbrook are also bringing forward major employment schemes in Stockport and Wigan and Shannon will be on hand to discuss their activity in Greater Manchester and the growing BTR sector in the region.

Bruntwood – Chris Roberts, Chief Development Officer

The town centre regeneration pioneer Bruntwood have recently announced 2 major projects in Greater Manchester working together with Bury Council and Trafford Council to revitalise. The Trafford project will see 27 acres near the Stretford Mall redeveloped into over 300,000 sq ft of commercial and local community space, with 800 homes built whilst the Bury project will see the 15 acre site regenerated into a mixed-used development incorporating retail, leisure, hospitality and residential, with sustainability, education and wellness at its heart. Chris heads up these schemes on behalf of Bruntwood and will join the conference to reveal more intel on these exciting schemes for the region.

Manchester Metropolitan University – Professor Sharon Handley, Pro Vice Chancellor, Culture and Community

Manchester Met are creating a new state-of-the-art building for their Faculty of Science and Engineering which will provide additional teaching, research and landscaped green spaces. We will also be refurbishing some of the existing spaces within the John Dalton buildings. The £115 million multi-phase project will take place on the University’s existing John Dalton complex and is a direct investment into STEM education and research, transforming the way they teach and how their students learn. Sharon will be on hand to discuss their investment as well as the university’s role in creating a “place for everyone”.

Cole Waterhouse – Simon Gallanders, Managing Director, Residential

Cole Waterhouse are continuing with the expansion of their residential arm with one of their latest projects seeing 290 BTR homes being delivered on Salford Quays. The development will also see over 6,000 square feet of private residential amenity over multiple floors; including co-working spaces, a screening room, a landscaped podium garden, roof terrace, a private dining suite and fitness studio. Cole Waterhouse are also active in the region with plans submitted for a 16 acre logistics site close to the proposed Port Salford tri-modal fright hub. Simon will join the conference to discuss these schemes and their future plans to develop residential and job creating schemes in Greater Manchester.

Europa Capital – Lynn Smith, Managing Director – Head of Sustainability and Development

Since its formation in 1995, Europa Capital has collectively raised 13 real estate funds and committed to over 150 transactions totalling more than €12.7 billion across 21 European countries. Greater Manchester is a target growth area for Europa and as Head of Sustainability and Development at Europa Capital Lynn is well placed to discuss Europa’s current and future commercial and BTR property investment in Greater Manchester.

MIDAS – Rhys Whalley, Acting Managing Director

MIDAS is the inward investment promotion agency for Manchester, with a strategic aim to secure significant levels of new investment for the city region to create and safeguard jobs.
This is achieved through the global business marketing of Manchester key sectors and the provision of an extensive package of free advice and assistance for potential investors and location consultants. Two special purpose vehicles – Manchester China Forum and Manchester India Partnership – sit within MIDAS, helping to strengthen business, culture and tourism relationships between Manchester and the two respective regions. MIDAS has helped hundreds of businesses successfully relocate to or expand in Greater Manchester.

DAC Beachcroft – Gemma Leonard, Partner

Gemma is Head of DACB’s Residential team and a member of the Real Estate Executive. She specialises in all aspects of land acquisition and development for clients including: Bellway, Vistry, Ilke, Crest and Taylor Wimpey, as well as specialist BTR and affordable housing providers. Her advice covers, for example: site assembly acquisition, option agreements and conditional contracts, overage, joint ventures, promotion and collaboration agreements. Gemma joined the firm in 2003 as a trainee and was admitted to the partnership in 2015.

Therme Group – Richard Land, UK Chief Development Officer

Therme Group are bringing forward the £250m worlds most advanced wellbeing resort which harnesses nature, technology and culture and becoming a significant destination for residents and visitors to the region alike. Covering 28 acres, the scheme will unlock thousands of jobs and aims to promote social cohesion across Greater Manchester communities. Richard joins the event to update on project progress while also talking about the other four target cities which his organisation will be delivering development within in the coming years

SGPR Smith Goodfellow – Jen Heil, Director of Business Development

Stockport based construction PR firm Smith Goodfellow has been delivering expert PR, marketing and creative services to the industry for over 40 years. Specialists in communicating the potential of the built environment, they work with a range of clients from small local businesses to global manufacturers. Jen will join the conference to share best practice in communicating sustainability and the opportunities for Greater Manchester to lead the way in this important arena.

Muse – Mike Horner, Regional Director

With more than £3.5bn pipeline in projects across the North including Salford and Stockport, Muse are a key driver of responsible growth and development in the region. Sustainability is one of their core focuses and the £1bn Salford Central scheme, and the £2.5bn Salford Crescent Masterplan they are bringing forward alongside the English Cities Fund are designed to be exemplars of sustainable development. Muse are also heavily involved with the ongoing transformation of Stockport, partnering with the council on the place-changing £145m Stockport Exchange scheme. Mike will discuss how their developments are contributing towards a sustainable and inclusive Greater Manchester and Northern Powerhouse.

Hyperoptic – Jo-Anne Dunning, Business Development Director

Jo-Anne has spent all of her career within the telecoms industry and has spent the last 4 years delivering customer focused fibre propositions in the UK market. At Hyperoptic she is responsible for ensuring that all customers who are buying a new build home have the opportunity to buy Hyperoptic’s Fibre Broadband.  She is passionate about putting customers first and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to have excellent connectivity at a competitive price.

Cundall – Paul Kenyon, Partner

Paul is Managing Partner for Cundall’s Manchester Office and is responsible for technical and commercial delivery of all Manchester projects, customer care and compliance with our quality assurance standards. Paul also delivers technical seminars to external companies on sustainable design and carbon reduction measures. He specialises in projects, where capital and running costs impact on building services design and the need to consider future occupation options and flexibility.

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.

Lexington Communications – Paul Boyfield, Group Head of Property UK

Paul Boyfield is Head of Built Environment at Lexington and is the founder and Managing Director of Lexington North.  Paul has over twenty years’ experience as a political consultant and has led communications on a series of major projects in housebuilding, commercial development, energy facilities and infrastructure across the north of England.  In addition, with the advent of regional devolution, Paul is advising clients from a range of sectors including healthcare, transport and property on the opportunities presented by city regions.

VU.CITY – Matt Evans, Regional Business Development Manager

Matthew Evans is the Regional Business Development Manager at VU.CITY, concentrating on the Midlands and Northern regions”. Having spent the last 9 years working with leading Proptech brands in Estate Agency, Matt’s move was brought about by his passion for innovative technology. VU.CITY’s accurate 3D city platform allows for collaborative and virtual feasibility and impact studies for proposed developments across 30+ cities in the UK and internationally. He now focuses on helping professionals in the built environment use Digital Twins to better understand their proposals in the full context of our towns & cities, and prepare for the digitisation of planning.

Built Environment Networking – Fahmida Nisa, Host & Event Manager

Nisa is a research, marketing and content specialist at Built Environment Networking. She will be hosting a number of the sessions throughout the day, running the day’s proceedings and managing the interaction between our virtual delegates and the speakers.

Handley House – Jacob Perkins, Head of Client Development

More information to follow.