High Streets and Town Centres Investment and Development Conference; Sponsored by Lambert Smith Hampton

Homes England – Peter Denton, Chief Executive

Homes England are a major proponent of the government’s £3bn “Build Back Better High Streets” strategy and as a major partner in the English Cities Fund are making a £200m commitment to rejuvenating Salford and St Helens in the North of England. They have entered into strategic partnership with Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Association of South Essex Local Authorities to place housing at the centre of any regeneration strategy. Peter’s team have also provided a £100m infrastructure loan to partners in Enfield as they seek to deliver London’s first new town centre in 50 years. Peter joins the conference to talk about what other schemes he envisages Homes England pioneering to reimagine the high street.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – Joanna Averley, Chief Planner

One of the architects behind the “Levelling Up White Paper”, Joanna’s team is prioritising creating a modernised and effective planning system that empowers communities to support, and local authorities to deliver, the beautiful, environmentally friendly development. As part of the event, she will set out details on how her brief marries up with national town centre and high street planning priorities.

High Streets Task Force – Mark Robinson, Chair

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – Lucy Wilkins, Deputy Director

Lucy is the Deputy Director for Regeneration and Urban Policy at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.  Lucy and her team are working to unlock national potential around city centres and urban spaces, encouraging private sector and local community engagement.  Lucy joins the conference to set out current priorities and hear further ideas for supporting high street rejuvenation.

Capital & Centric – Tim Heatley, Co-Founder

Capital & Centric are ‘re-writing the rules on town centre living’ with their latest plans in Bolton. C&C are planning to create “Neighbourhood Bolton” and are bringing forward plans for the first few areas on 6.2 acres of brownfield sites in and around Bradshawgate. Neighbourhood Bolton is set to regenerate the area around the town’s train and bus stations with the aim of being a catalyst that kick-starts wider regeneration of the whole area. Tim is leading on C&C’s ambitions and will join the conference to outline this scheme as well as the positive progress they’ve been making on their schemes in Wigan, Stockport, and Manchester.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities – Carina Schneider, National Policy Lead for High Streets and Urban Centres

Carina is responsible for working with the High Streets Task Force and town centre stakeholders to activate enabling policies aimed at supporting sustainable investment and regeneration on the high street. Her work centres around creating tangible outcomes for places based on six capitals- physical (infrastructure, machines, housing), human (skills, health, experience of workforce), intangible (innovation, ideas, patents) financial (resource and investment), social (community strength and input) and institutional (local leadership, capacity and capability). She joins the event to connect all the aforementioned ingredients and detail the perfect storm for high street renewal.

U+I – Robert Sloper, Development Director

U+I are working alongside Cambridge City Council, Anglian Water and Town to regenerate the 48 acre ‘Core Site’. Over 5,000 homes will be developed, with 3,000 more on adjacent land and 500,000 sq ft of office/lab and employment space. The £3bn GDV project is currently going through public consultation with a planning application expected to be submitted in spring 2024.

Bruntwood Works – Andrea George, Director of Town Centres and Consumer Brands

Town centre regeneration is at the forefront of post-pandemic revitalisation – companies such as Bruntwood Works are one of the largest property providers in the UK, rejuvenating the high street by creating low carbon retail and leisure spaces. Successfully rejuvenating the city centres with developments such as the multi-million-pound Stamford Quarter Regeneration and recently announcing £200 million Pall Mall, Manchester regeneration. Andrea George – Director of Town Centres & Consumer Brands will be joining us to discuss retail transformation, major developments, the implications for our high streets and the future of town centres.

Lambert Smith Hampton – Chair: Dr Steve Norris, National Head of Planning, Regeneration + Infrastructure

Steve is the National Head of Planning, Development & Regeneration (PDR) at Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH).  He has almost 30 years’ experience advising the public and private sectors on the planning, development and regeneration of towns, shopping centres and complex sites/buildings across the UK.  Over the years he has prepared much evidence-based visions, strategies and plans for centres – underpinned by wide-ranging engagement and consultation – to help inform plan-making, unlock funds, and deliver new commercially viable and sustainable development and regeneration projects.  For example, he has recently prepared bids and Town Investment Plans (TIPs) for the Future High Street and Town Deal Funds to help deliver key regeneration and infrastructure projects; ranging from new healthcare, education and youth facilities in centres, to improvements to station gateways and digital connectivity.  Steve has also recently been appointed as an expert adviser to the UK Government’s High Street Task Force and is an active member of Revo and the Association of Town & City Management (ATCM).

Urban Development Partnerships – Julie Pears, Co-Founder

The Urban Development Partnership are pioneers in economic, social and environmental frameworks and driving inclusive and with an emphasis on public sector JV partnering to secure sustainable retail and communities for the past three decades. The co-founding partner of Urban Development Partnership -Julie Pears a chartered surveyor, has over 30 years’ experience in the property industry. She will be joining the session to provide perspective on the city centre investments, the challenges of delivery, levelling up and town centre regeneration.

BCP Future Places – Cllr Philip Broadhead, Chairman

Formed in late 2021, BCP Future Places is a regeneration company designed to bring forward schemes for BCP Council. In addition to his role as Chairman, Philip serves as Deputy Leader of BCP Council and the Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economic Growth and Strategic Planning. He is passionate about innovative and sustainable placemaking, thanks to his professional background encompassing over 15 years’ experience in the property and development sectors. Their first scheme is set to be the redevelopment of former council offices and it has 18 other sites in the pipeline. Philip joins the event to detail the journey his organisation are about to undertake.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council – Cllr Abi Brown, Leader

Cllr Brown has successfully led Stoke-on-Trent Council to securing the most levelling up funding of any town or city across the UK, receiving £56m to unlock a range of city centre development and infrastructure projects. She pledges to bring forward two major sites over the coming two years. Firstly, the 7.2-acre Etruscan Square Site which will be home to 285 residential units, a 3500-capacity arena and 82,000 sq. ft of commercial space and a large multi storey car park. Secondly, in a JV with Capital and Centric the council are revitalising the disused Goods Yard, providing high quality residential options for the city’s burgeoning talent. Abi joins the conference to talk about their journey on these projects and more coming forward.

Queensberry – Paul Sargent, Chief Executive

Masters at delivering town centre regeneration, Queensberry are a highly sought-after development partner for local authorities across the UK. Their latest scheme is the £250m Kirklees Cultural Heart which will create an inclusive space where families, residents and visitors can enjoy a vibrant mix of music, arts and food in one central area, overlooking a stunning new urban park. A brand new multi-purpose conference and event venue for 2000 people and a vibrant new food hall that will celebrate local and independent traders and provide a new hub for social dining. They are also involved in the £20m, 15 year re-thinking of Nuneaton Town Centre in the West Midlands which will bring affordable housing onto the high street and several new mixed use assets. Paul joins the event to impart his extensive knowledge of reviving urban centres and detail future Queensberry ambitions.

Wakefield Council – Jane Brown, Service Director for Regeneration and Economic Growth

Wakefield Council is investing millions in major repurposing and revitalising the city. With £80 million masterplan to transform transport, regeneration, digital infrastructure, connectivity, skills and culture. Jane Brown will be joining us on the session to discuss current plans for town centre redevelopment, strategies to accelerate placemaking and the challenges of town development.

Mission Street – Artem Korolev, Managing Director

Mission Street are a specialist investor, operator and developer focused on the delivery of creative solutions for the Science and Innovation sector. They have a rapidly growing development portfolio, with in excess of 1,000,000 sq ft of committed projects in strategic locations within Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol. They recently announced a £100m innovation and R&D facility in Oxford which aims to ‘put science on show’ and integrate in to wider placemaking projects.

Schroders Real Estate – Charlotte Jacques, Head of Sustainability and Impact Investment Real Estate

As striving towards a more sustainable planet becomes the norm, this is reflecting in the built environment, corporate and developing investment sustainability. Companies such as Schroders Real Estate are global investment managers with expertise in sustainable investment and £731.6 billion in current wealth and investment.  Charlotte Jacques – Head of Sustainability and Impact Investment Real Estate will be joining the session to discuss sustainable investment, ESG and the challenges and impact of sustainable investments on city centres real estate.

RivingtonHark – Mark Williams, Executive Director

With 14 live projects and a host of strategic assets in major towns and cities, Rivingtonhark’s expertise has been called upon by some of the most influential investors, local authorities and operators. Mark joins the event to discuss in detail how the assets they are working on are modernising and being refreshed in the coming years.

City of York Council – Tracey Carter, Director of Housing, Economy and Regeneration

York Central is the UK’s largest city centre brownfield land development lead by City of York Council and it’s JV partners Network Rail and Homes England. In Q3 2022 the team are looking for a development partner with plans to deliver 2500 new homes, 1m sq feet of commercial space and improvements to the land surrounded the train station. Tracey joins the conference to lay out full details of the project, timelines for delivery and collaboration opportunities while also unpicking the complexity and impact of what her team are trying to deliver.

British Retail Consortium – Tom Ironside, Director, Business and Regulation

The British retail consortium is the trade association for UK retail businesses, tackling issues like inclusion, diversity and climate change. Aiming to deliver NetZero in supply chain and retail property by 2040 on the high street. Tom Ironside – Director will be joining us to discuss retail transformation and post pandemic implications for our high streets and other commercial locations, Meeting customer requirements and policies to support positive change.

AEW – Rachel McIsaac, Managing Director

AEW are one of Bristol’s key property stakeholders and own a number of retail and office sites across the city. They have made several acquisitions in the city over the last 18 months, including the vacant former Debenhams site in the city centre. Plans for the site are in the early stages but Mayor Marvin Rees discussed the possibility for a major mixed use redevelopment in his New Year’s address. Rachel will be on hand to discuss AEW’s long term ambitions in the city.

City of Wolverhampton Council – Richard Lawrence, Director of Regeneration

Richard leads the council’s major regeneration team who are aiming to deliver £1bn worth of renewal and improvements to the city centre. This includes the £100m Springfield Campus scheme, the £20m learning quarter project that will see a new college campus developed on the site of a former nightclub and one million square feet of commercial office space. The council also aim to bring 2000 new homes into the city centre with three sites identified for growth at The Brewers Yard, Canalside and the Royal. Richard joins us to talk through their masterplan and detail how the levelling up grant is going to enable this work and much more.

Lincoln City Council – Kate Ellis, Major Development Director

Lincoln City Council is set to reach new heights with £24 million in Levelling Up funding to regenerate and renovate the city centre. Recently securing £1.7 million in funding though the high street heritage fund to develop community, cultural and architectural programmes.  Kate Ellis will be joining the session to discuss the to discuss the revitalisation of Lincoln city centre and the strategies to re-establish heritage on the high street.

Legal and General Investment Management – Pete Gladwell, Social Impact and Investment Director

With over 700 properties valued at more than £21bn, the UK real estate portfolio at Legal & General Investment Management is a critical segment of Legal and Genral’s path to being net zero by 2050. LGIM Real Assets is focusing on how to ensure not only that new projects are in line with the UK’s 2050 goal, but also that its existing offices, warehouses, shops and homes across the UK are part of their journey to net zero.

Shoosmiths – Kirsty Black, Partner

Kirsty is a partner in Shoosmiths’ real estate disputes team and specialises in all aspects of contentious property advice. Kirsty is particularly recognised for her work in the retail and leisure sector, advising numerous high street retailers, developers and investor landlords on their property portfolios, and has a keen interest in the future of the high street.

Muse Places – Michael Orr, Development Director

As one of the UK’s leading placemaking focused developers, Muse are delivering a multitude of city centre focused projects. As part of the English Cities Fund they are spearheading the £2.5bn Salford Crescent Masterplan, a 20 year reimagining of St Helens in the North West and in partnership with the Greater London Authority to deliver high street housing in Canning Town. They are also leading the One City Park project in Bradford which will go hand in hand with their forthcoming hosting of City of Culture in 2025. Michael joins the event to talk about all their projects and a wider ambition to support high street and town centre rejuvenation across the UK.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield – Sukkanya Siva, Residential Development Director

As owners of over 60 major retail and leisure assets globally – developing projects such as their £670 million Cherry Park Masterplans, bringing new vision to Croydon’s Village Outlet which has stood empty for three years. Also announcing the upcoming Coppermaker Square development – building 1,225 new built-to-rent units due to open in January 2023 adjacent to Westfield Stratford City. Sukkanya will be joining the conference to discuss the upcoming Coppermaker Square development and URW’s wider regeneration strategy.

Milligan – Stuart Harris, Chief Executive Officer

After a turbulent couple of years, the high streets are slowly coming back to life, through development of homes, spaces to work and becoming the hub of competitive socialisation.  Developers such as Milligan are innovators in city revitalisation, creating inclusive placemaking and heading the development of over 10 new city centre developments. They have recently announced £750 million, 20-year Swansea regeneration project – redeveloping housing, hospitality and civic spaces. Stuart Harris – Chief Executive officer will be joining us to provide perspective on revitalizing our city centres, challenges of the high street and the evolution of retail spaces.

Savills – Tom Whittington, Director, Commercial Research

Tom specialises in store location strategies, consumer and catchment analysis, retail turnover modelling, shopping patterns and trends, development strategies and Geographical Information Systems. Through his development of retail performance models and predictive analytics, Tom has assisted retail and leisure landlords, developers, investors and retailers for 16 years. His analysis has clear implications on development and Investment strategies, asset management, planning, and leasing.

Bath & North East Somerset Council – Wendy Maden, Principal Urban Designer

Bath & Northeast Somerset Council is in process of revitalising their high streets, with town centre and high street projects in Bath, Keynsham, Radstock and Midsomer Norton to be carried out. The Council are also planning an ambitious regeneration of Milsom Quarter in Bath, which will see 180 new homes developed and the transformation of the area into a nationally renowned fashion destination centred around a new location for the museum.

Sheffield City Council – Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee

Sheffield city centre is going through £470 million of transformation – The Heart of the City scheme aims to develop new bars, restaurants, shops, and thousands of new homes in efforts to build healthier, more sustainably resilient city for generations to come. The city centre vision aims to provide inclusive spaces, retail and transport – CLLR Mazher will be joining us to discuss the future of the high street, sustainable infrastructure and the evolution of the city centres.

Mott MacDonald – Oliver Steele, Cities Studio Leader

Extensive experience at the most senior levels of Government in the UK and Australia, primarily in the infrastructure and urban regeneration sectors. Experience includes policy advice and investment prioritisation, economic strategy development and implementation, detailed economic and funding analysis and project finance. Particular interest in the economics and governance of cities, the interaction between land-use and transport planning and alternative infrastructure funding and financing mechanisms.

Maybe* – Polly Barnfield OBE, Chief Executive Officer and Founder

Maybe* collects the social media data on 3.9m businesses  across the UK turns it into tools and training are used by over 25,000 businesses to improve the way they connect with their customers.

Shoosmiths – Darren Cleveland, Senior Business Development Manager

More information to follow.

Savills – Daniel Collins, Director

Daniel, economic director specialises in economic benefit, socio-economic impact assessment, employment land, social infrastructure demand studies, and strategic planning projects.  will be joining the session to discuss the challenges of Net Zero on highstreets and town centres regeneration.