Participants

• Craig Anderson, director of smart energy and sustainability at Hydrock
• Bec Bennett, assistant director of sustainability at the University of Salford
• Chris Bowie-Hill, director of innovation delivery at Hydrock
• Helen Cutts, head of sustainability at the University of Central Lancashire
• Alex Edwards, sustainability director at Bruntwood
• Heather Evans, national head of sustainability at Rider Levett Bucknall
• Sunny Johal, development director at Glenbrook
• Aleksandra Przydrozna, associate director at Mace
• Sheldon Walsh, partner at Ryder Architecture
• Chaired by Julia Hatmaker, editor of Place North West

Key talking points

There is no ignoring that if the UK is going to meet its net zero targets then the country needs to get serious about retrofit. While the need for improving existing estates is clearly evident, it can still be a hard sale for investors and portfolio holders.

This is where data comes in, according to roundtable participants who pointed out that if you take the time to measure and examine energy usage, space utilisation, backlog maintenance, fire safety compliance, etc. then retrofitting becomes the best-case scenario.

That data can also inform a decarbonisation strategy, pointing out where the problem spots are and helping you target those areas.

The discussion also focused on best practices for retrofitting. The necessity of having a clear brief was mentioned repeatedly. Having every team member on board with the project’s goals right from the very beginning can save time and, ultimately, money.

Appointing sustainability consultants and engineers early on in the design process was another top tip shared by the roundtable, while others highlighted the importance of fabric-first design.

All the participants agreed that sharing information on what worked and what didn’t work on a retrofit project would do a lot to helping the industry better enact decarbonisation strategies.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel. Learn more about Hydrock at hydrock.com.

The post VIDEO | Best practice for decarbonising real estate portfolios appeared first on Place North West.

So how do we unlock the potential of people, places, and partnerships to bring about meaningful change? That was the focus of this roundtable discussion, hosted by Place Capital Group.

Participants

• Caroline Baker, North West managing partner at Cushman & Wakefield
• Claire Griffiths, chief executive at Cobalt Housing
• Mark Howden, chief executive at Peaks & Plains Housing Trust
• Rob Loughenbury, director of strategy at Onward Homes
• Karen Mitchell, chief executive of Southway Housing Trust
• Kevin Ruth, chief executive of Together Housing Group
• Vicky Savage, group director of development and sales at L&Q
• David Smith-Milne, chief executive and founder of Place Capital Group
• Chaired by Julia Hatmaker, editor of Place North West 

Key talking points

Filmed just hours after Homes England’s announcement that it would expand its Affordable Housing Programme to include estate regeneration, the roundtable started out with reactions to the news.

Most were optimistic about the proposals, saying that this would bring in some much-needed funding that could make a real difference on housing estates. Others were concerned about the timeframe attached to the money with its start-on-site date of 31 March 2025.

That timeframe adds pressure, but it was agreed housing associations should not rush into any project. Time still needs to be spent on ensuring that the scheme is the right for the area and meets sustainability goals, it was agreed.

The funding programme will also only make a difference if it focuses on social rent, according to those at the discussion. Several of the housing association chief executives spoke about how great the demand is for that tenure and, while it is important to have mixed-tenure estates, if the programme involved removing social rent homes and replacing them with affordable rent properties it would be less effective.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel. Learn more about Place Capital Group at placecapitalgroup.co.uk.

The post VIDEO | The key to renewing housing estates appeared first on Place North West.

Participants 

• Paul Boyfield, group head of property at Lexington 
• Rhiannon Thompson, director and head of built environment at Lexington 
• Rebecca Caines, senior director at Lichfields 
• Charlotte Leach, associate director of stakeholder engagement at Peel L&P 
• Jeremy Hinds, director at Savills 
• Samantha Campbell, head of planning at Liverpool City Council 
• Rob Haslam, regional head of planning at Harworth  
• Chaired by Dan Whelan, senior reporter Place North West 

Key talking points 

Public consultation is an increasingly important part of the planning process. However, at present, not enough people are engaging.  

Those who exercise their right to have a say on development proposals in their area are generally against them, according to the panellists. This can result in an unbalanced perception of a scheme. 

By holding digital consultations and keeping channels of communication open, developers can reach a wider audience, have more meaningful conversations, and, as a result, have a better chance of garnering support for their proposals. 

In addition, making productive use of data, artificial intelligence, and 3D modelling could all contribute towards a more streamlined and swifter planning system, according to the panel.

However, for the digitisation of the planning to be truly effective, processes must be standardised across the country to help make things easier and more efficient for users of the system, the panel said.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel. Learn more about Lexington at www.lexcomm.co.uk.  

The post VIDEO | Creating a planning system fit for the future  appeared first on Place North West.

Participants

• Artur Grzybowski, innovation director at Salford Innovation Forum
• Derek Hales, lecturer in architecture at the University of Salford
• Laura Harper, digital, commerce, and creative partner at Lewis Silkin
• Anthony Hatton, innovation programme director at MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub
• Stephen Kirk, head of asset management for MediaCity
• Nigel Moore, production director at Fuzzy Duck
• Audrey Peers, head of business development at MIDAS
• Adrian Toland, senior principal for innovation policy and strategy at Greater Manchester Combined Authority
• Matt Wall, technology, architectural, and cyber lead at Salford City Council
• Chaired by Paul Unger, publisher of Place North

Key talking points

Innovation hubs are meant to be the central point where new technologies emerge and businesses grow from a seed of an idea to a full-blown tree of success. So how do we craft spaces where businesses can come, learn, and grow?

This roundtable discussion, sponsored by MediaCity, looked into what occupiers, government, and landlords were after when it comes to crafting innovation hubs.

One of the key takeaways was the importance of location, having a place that was close to universities and that could pull in a diverse amount of talent. Because these spaces need to also function as recruitment tools, the importance of ESG, amenities, and community spirit cannot be overestimated.

Another aspect of a successful innovation hub was flexibility, with options for a business to scale up without having to move too far away.

MediaCity has become a base for immersive technology, including augmented reality that can be used in television media and architecture. The roundtable briefly discussed why this technology was so important – and how Greater Manchester is positioning itself as the world’s leader in this field.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel. Learn more about MediaCity at mediacityuk.co.uk.

The post VIDEO | Crafting innovation hubs appeared first on Place North West.

Participants

• James Blakey, planning director at Moda
• Ed Britton, director at Deloitte
• Shannon Conway, residential director at Glenbrook
• Joanne Harding, local plans manager at Home Builders Federation
• Victoria Hunter, senior development manager at Far East Consortium
• Mark McNamee, managing director of Cityheart
• Darren Muir, director of planning at Pegasus
• Colin Muller, founder and chief executive of Muller Property Group
• Ellie Philcox, director at Euan Kellie Property Solutions
• Paul Smith, managing director of Strategic Land Group
• John Walker, head of UK and Europe real estate and infrastructure at C|T Group
• Anna Wrigglesworth, director at C|T Group
• Chaired by Dan Whelan, senior reporter at Place North West

Key talking points

The roundtable began with a presentation of survey results from strategic advisory company C|T Group, which asked voters in England their thoughts on what the term “Green Belt” means and how that impacts their feelings on building on land with that designation.

According to the survey, 69% of those asked felt Green Belt was solely aimed at protecting countryside and landscapes. However, when these same groups were presented with an accurate definition of the term, which also plays a role in preventing urban sprawl, feelings on development on Green Belt shifted.

Once it was clear it was not only about greenfield and could include brownfield sites, only 15% maintained a stance that no development should take place on Green Belt.

Those attending the roundtable agreed that the results made clear that more needed to be done to educate the public on the nuances of Green Belt. A rebrand of Green Belt was even suggested, given the name evokes the image of countryside more than, perhaps, it ought to.

The discussion was about more than just Green Belt, however. Time was also spent on best practices for consultation and how to drive support for a project.

Too much time is often spent on trying to convert those that oppose a scheme, it was argued. That time could be better spent on getting supporters engaged.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel. Learn more about C|T Group at ctgroup.com.

The post VIDEO | Digging into the public perception of planning appeared first on Place North West.

The Building Safety Act was passed as a reaction to the 2017 Grenfell Tower tragedy, where a 24-storey apartment block in West London caught fire and killed 72 people.

BSA will impact the design, construction, and operation of buildings throughout the country, requiring a ‘golden thread’ of information and records. Starting in October, these rules will be enforced by the Building Safety Regulator.

That means there is no time to delay understanding the legislation. That’s where Project Four comes in, offering a series of seminars and training sessions to help explain the different facets of the BSA. You can learn more about the importance of these workshops in the video at the top of this article. The video is also available on the Place North West YouTube channel.

Not every class is a three-day intensive on fire safety. Project Four also conducts smaller, specialised courses, as well as monthly 30-minute briefings on BSA. The next briefing is on 12 July and will be held virtually. Reserve your spot.

You can learn more about Project Four at projectfoursafety.com.

Learn more about the Building Safety Act

• PODCAST | Building Safety Act summary
• Building Safety Act: What you need to know about the coming changes
• There is no time to waste on Building Safety Act compliance

The post VIDEO | Project Four offers Building Safety Act training appeared first on Place North West.

Participants

• Matthew Ainsworth, director of skills, work, and inclusive economy, Salford City Council
• Sophie Bevan, director of development and major projects, Liverpool City Council
• Lowri Bond, development manager and footprint lead, igloo
• Alan Hall, projects director, Genr8
• Dan Heffernan, social value lead, Faithful + Gould
• Malcolm Jackson, chief operating officer, Langtree
• Rachael Patterson, head of partnerships and external relations, Knowledge Quarter Liverpool
• Dirk Pittaway, managing director North West, Robertson Group
• Chaired by Julia Hatmaker, editor, Place North West

Key talking points

From the discussion, it was clear that for social value schemes to have any impact they have to be developed with community input. Social value delivery, the panellists agreed, does not work well when it is formulaic.

It is important that we do not get hung on the metrics when it comes to delivering social value. While it is nice to be able to quantify success with figures like the number of apprenticeships or the number of school visits, some impacts cannot be measured. The legacy of a kitchen built at a food bank, which enables those in need can take cooking classes and feed their family, is hard to evaluate. You’d have to take into account every single person who took a class and follow them after, as well as every kid who was fed and their future. Meaningful social value has a long-term impact.

It is also good business, the panel agreed, sharing how it has helped with retaining staff, securing repeat clients, and attract a more diverse workforce.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel.

The post VIDEO | How to deliver meaningful social value appeared first on Place North West.

Watch the video above or follow this link

Rochdale Development Agency is dedicated to promoting Rochdale as an investment location and actively supporting existing investors.

The agency has strong links with the council and the commercial sector and has helped businesses relocate to the area, including Dachser, JD Sports, Asda and Takeuchi.

The RDA formed in 1993, born out of the idea of a local prominent manufacturer, Barrier Bernstein. Lacking support from the council at the time, Bernstein had been forced to move his kitchen manufacturing business employing more than 1,300 people from Middleton to Bolton.

As a Rochdalian, he was never happy with this and decided that an agency to support businesses moving to Rochdale would greatly benefit the area.

Together with John Hudson, head of planning at Bolton Council at the time, who had worked with Barrie Bernstein on his relocation, they began discussing the idea with Rochdale Council. After lengthy negotiations, the agency was established with Bernstein as chair and Hudson as chief executive. Bernstein would go on to chair the RDA for 13 years.

Three decades later and the borough continues to move forward, with schemes like Atom Valley, the Advanced Machinery & Productivity Innovation Centre, and the high-quality housing development Upperbanks, to name a few, progressing this year.

The post Rochdale Development Agency turns 30 appeared first on Place North West.

In conversation with Place North West senior report Dan Whelan at UKREiiF, Genr8 Developments partner Richard Ingham and Kajima Europe regeneration director Kate Pix discussed the secrets to the joint venture’s success in winning these opportunities. 

“There has got to be a tenacity and a willingness to look long term,” Ingham said. “Once you have a track record in delivering regeneration and delivering challenging projects, winning the next one becomes an easier task.” 

Genr8 Kajima Regeneration has won the first three jobs it has bid for since forming in 2021, including the regeneration of Huyton town centre. 

This 100% success rate is down to the adoption of a considered approach to the opportunities available, according to Pix. 

“We are quite selective about what we bid for,” she said. “We get under the skin of what a project could be. It is about understanding the community and the neighbourhood.” 

Watch the video at the top of this article, or on the Place North West Youtube channel, to listen in on the discussion.  

You can find out more about Genr8 at Genr8developments.com. To learn more about Kajima Europe, head to Kajimaeurope.com. 

The post VIDEO | Genr8 Kajima on the secrets to partnership success  appeared first on Place North West.

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017, Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of the construction industry led to the Building Safety Act.

It’s clear that this is set to have an enormous impact on the way buildings are designed, built, and maintained, with one of the biggest changes being the weight of responsibility of building managers. One year on, has the industry started to get to grips with the repercussions of this game-changing legislation, or do we need to brace for shock?

That was the big question posed at UKREiiF. As part of a session titled The Building Safety Act: Culture change or culture shock? sponsored by Hydrock, an engineering design, energy, and sustainability consultancy, we heard some of the industry’s most influential people weigh in with their thoughts around one of the most complex challenges facing the construction industry.

Panellists included:

• Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council
• Fiona Fletcher-Smith, chief executive, L&Q
• Lee Powell, chief executive officer, GMI Construction
• Rob Perrins, chief executive, Berkeley Group
• Todd Marler, senior director of operations, Greystar
• Will Freeman, director of building safety and information management, Hydrock
• Jane Groom, London Communications Agency (Chair)

L&Q’s Fletcher-Smith began by setting the scene and reminding the room of how important fire safety is, with the underlying revelation that this is set to be the biggest change in legislation for decades. Fire safety is something that the industry, people, and politicians have to get right.

“What we found behind the cladding itself really told a story about the construction industry,” she said.

However, she warned that, while everyone wants to do the right thing, there’s a skills gap that the UK needs to address, otherwise it will fail to implement the Building Safety Act.

“There simply aren’t enough people to do the work — they’re not out there. We need to get a grip on the skills issue,” she added.

Diving into the human side of the debate, she pointed out the inadvertent stress that both the skills shortage and the messaging around the Building Safety Act are creating among leaseholders and residents.

“People living in our buildings are living in fear. We’ve created an environment of fear. Let’s sort it out to give people peace of mind,” she pleaded.

Berkeley Group’s Perrins shared his view that, at its core, the Building Safety Act is an industry and government issue.

“In terms of looking forward, we welcome the new changes and working closely with the regulator. But there just needs to be some firming of the policy. The government needs to decide quickly what the rules are around a second staircase, so we have certainty.,” he said.

The London Fire Brigade has found that fire-related deaths are down 65% over the last 25 years.

Opening up the debate, Perrins said that tenants are not as concerned with their safety as they are with getting a mortgage and the timescales associated with that.

“We have to have the debate as to whether it’s about protection of the building or people. In my opinion, we have to start embracing the science,” he added.

GMI’s Powell backed the principles behind the changes which the Act is introducing.

“First and foremost, and speaking on behalf of the industry, let me state that we welcome change,” he said.

However, he warned that, in his opinion, the legislation is being forced through before the industry has had time to adequately prepare or understand the new laws. Particularly the introduction of the gateways and role of the Accountable Person, which there’s a lack of clarity around.

“Our concerns are around how the building gateways are going to operate. Uncertainty worries us. Where there’s uncertainty, there’s risk. That frightens us,” he added.

His fears were echoed by Greystar’s Marler, who considers the regulation to be “ambiguous and convoluted” and added that, where compliance is concerned, a lot of companies out there don’t even know where to start.

“Ownership structures are not simple. For us, trying to understand a huge portfolio of buildings is taking huge amounts of money when it comes to understanding the Accountable Person on each,” he added.

For Cllr Rodwell, the new legislation would have been better lending from the time when, particularly for local authorities, the Clerk of Works role was more of a feature to ensure compliance and maintain standards across the industry.

“It wasn’t perfect then, but you can’t tell me where we are now has improved. I’m worried that what we’re doing is complicating a system that needed to be pragmatic,” he said.

In his capacity of leading Hydrock’s response designed around the digital golden thread of information, Freeman summarised the challenge ahead as being mainly about the industry ‘joining-up’ to raise the bar for the future.

“Throughout my career, I’ve seen the challenges through most lenses. For me, this isn’t just about fire safety. This is systematic in how we operate,” he said.

Rounding off the session, chair Groom asked all the panellists “What their one ask of government would be?” given the opportunity:

• Perrins: “Firm-up the rules around policy.”
• Fletcher-Smith: “Take the skills shortage seriously.”
• Powell: “Certainty around the gateways.”
• Rodwell: “Take the politics out and come together to identify design value.”
• Marler: “Take more time to understand what the impacts will be.”

Visit Hydrock’s website for more information about how the consultancy is helping to safeguard communities, businesses, and assets across the built environment.

The post VIDEO | Building Safety Act: Culture change or culture shock? appeared first on Place North West.

In conversation with Place North West senior report Dan Whelan at UKREiiF, Purcell partner Jo Bartle and head of sustainability Laura Baron discussed the importance of getting to know a building intimately before any work takes place. 

This knowledge, they said, can prevent problems rearing their heads further down the line and ultimately keep costs down. 

“Some of these buildings have been standing for hundreds of years,” Bartle said. 

“They’ve stood because they’re well-built and well-understood. We want to make sure that that happens in the future.” 

The pair spoke about the biggest challenges that arise when working with heritage buildings, the role conservation can play in addressing the climate crisis, and pondered over whether a blanket ban on demolishing buildings should be considered. 

“It’s definitely the right conversation,” Baron said. “Whether or not it’s the right solution is still up for debate.” 

Watch the video at the top of this article, or on the Place North West Youtube channel, to listen in on the discussion. 

You can find out more about Purcell at purcelluk.com. 

The post VIDEO | Protecting and promoting heritage assets  appeared first on Place North West.

In conversation with Place North West editor Julia Hatmaker, Mansell managing director Angela Mansell and Forum for the Built Environment regional chair Ged Couser spoke about the ways they are seeing offsite construction used and how the property world can maximise its potential.

Along the way Mansell dispelled a few myths about this construction method, explaining how it is more than just fully assembled modular homes being delivered to a site. Instead, offsite construction can focus on pre-fabricating elements of a scheme for quick on-site assembly.

Couser, who is also a principal architect at BDP, shared how offsite construction is being used in the healthcare sector.

Watch the video at the top of this article, or on the Place North West Youtube channel, to listen in on the discussion.

You can find out more about Mansell Building Solutions at mansellbuild.co.uk.

The post VIDEO | Why offsite construction is the future appeared first on Place North West.

Participants

• Jenny Buterchi, partner, PRP Architects
• Rebecca Shafran, senior associate director at, BNP Paribas
• James Willcox, head of sustainability, Inspired Villages
• Sam Dalton, policy and external affairs manager, Associated Retirement Community Operators
• Olivia Nordgreen, development director, Riverstone
• Olaide Oboh, executive director, Socius
• Martin Williams, director of debt finance at OakNorth Bank
• Phil Grant, director, Axis Land Partnerships
• David Roberts, partner, Mills & Reeve
• Emma Purton, principal associate, Mills & Reeve
• Laura Ludlow, principal associate, Mills & Reeve
• Chaired by Paul Unger, publisher, Place North West

Key talking points

Later living is still a new concept to many property developers and investors, which makes valuing developments and securing finance more difficult than traditional commercial or residential projects. There are numerous different models with greater or lesser on-site care provided, which can make  operating margins and viability more complicated to calculate.

Social value is a vital part of the offer when catering to the elderly market; the right blend of on-site wellbeing, retail and care services is essential to attracting occupiers. Linking to the local community beyond the ‘red line’ boundary of the development area is desirable but not always planned in from the outset or recognised by local authorities and residents.

Connecting to the energy grid remains a major hurdle to overcome for new projects and managing connections, predicting capacity need in tandem with emerging forms of renewable energy and pro-ESG design forms is an ongoing challenge.

Measuring carbon was a recurring theme of the discussion. Solar panels might be measured positively for not emitting carbon but negatively for the amount of carbon contained in their manufacture. This was one of several examples raised that show how fickle and sensitive the scorecard systems property companies follow can be.

All agreed it was early days for ESG in later living and the sector as a whole as a recognised asset class and predicted that more entrants would be found in the sector in the coming years.

The post VIDEO | ESG in later living property appeared first on Place North West.

Place North West went on an exclusive tour of Manchester Town Hall on a snowy March day to see the restoration work in progress. You can see our footage inside the historic structure in the video at the top of this article, as well as on our YouTube channel.

A ‘once-in-a-lifetime project’

With more than 670 rooms to update to modern standards, the restoration of Manchester Town Hall is no simple task. The more than £330m project, known as Our Town Hall, started on site in 2020 and its completion is eagerly anticipated.

The pressure is on for all those involved because of the love those in the city have for the historic structure.

“This grade one-listed gem is a real icon of the city,” said Paul Candelent, project director for Our Town Hall at Manchester City Council. He added that the building is viewed as “one of the finest Victorian buildings in the land”.

Because of the affection held for the building, he voiced how important it is to do the job right.

“This once-in-a-lifetime project will safeguard Manchester Town Hall for generations to come while opening up the building and its artefacts to the public and elevating it to modern accessibility and safety standards,” Candelent said.

“It is also leaving a legacy of skills and inspiration through the apprenticeships and jobs created and work with schools and universities to showcase the range of role available in the construction industry,” he continued.

“When we say the building is being lovingly repaired, restored, and upgraded we really mean it. Everyone involved in this project feels privileged and proud to be a part of it.”

It is a sentiment echoed by Andrew Mackay, the Our Town Hall project director at Lendlease.

“From a personal perspective, I was born and brought up in Manchester so I’m really proud to be working on this project,” Mackay said.

He added later: “Does it put more pressure on? Yeah, it does – but in a nice way because you want to deliver your best for every client for every project.

“But I think when it is in your hometown and it’s such an iconic building – you are inspired to go above and beyond.”

Challenges

Logistics have been among the main challenges for Mackay. There are only so many access points for the building and getting the roughly 390 people who work daily on the site in and out, as well as all the needed materials, has been tough.

“The logistics of something of such scale has been one of the biggest challenges,” Mackay conceded.

Those 390 daily workers include more than just Lendlease, they can be designers, supply chain members, the city council, and a series of subcontractors.

To help things move smoothly, Mackay has focused on setting a clear line of communication.

“When time is money, it’s very important that we have the structure in place where you have the right level of communication so that we know what the key issues are and that they can be addressed quickly,” he said.

Adding to complications is just the fact that this project is happening now, at this precise point in time. Since the Lendlease started on site, there has been Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Ukraine war. Supply chains have struggled, and the cost of materials has skyrocketed. Priorities have shifted on the local level as well – with a greater emphasis on sustainability.

Curveballs and other projectiles

The project itself is fond of throwing curveballs at those working on it.

“We are learning new things every day we open the building up,” Mackay said.

The roof, for example, could not properly be gauged until it was opened up. It was only then that the project team could see the actual state of the timber and how it had fared over the past 150 years – and see how that matched with what had been projected.

“There’s a reactive nature to the project,” Mackay explained. “We are poised, ready to try and open up those areas of potential discovery as early as we can so that as a team we can understand what is best to do.”

Despite being more than halfway through, that discovery process is ongoing – which meant Mackay opted not to commit to a specific project completion date.

Not all of the surprises have been bad ones. There have been plenty of quirky discoveries too – including finding sprays of air gun pellets in the paintwork of the Great Hall’s ceiling.

There are a few theories of how these got there, including a worker trying to tackle a pigeon infestation. Another theory is that the pellets are the result of zealous efforts to take down errant celebration balloons.

Then, there was the time the team found bones on the site. When that happened, the area became almost like a crime scene, Mackay recalled – that’s because when bones are found you have to assume that they could be human.

“The guys on site who found it, I think they genuinely thought they had made quite a macabre discovery,” Mackay said.

The bones ended up not being human in the end – but sheep bones, most likely discarded from a reveller at an event in the past.

The past is a constant companion to those working on the town hall. Every room tells a story and you can track how work patterns, habits, and requirements have shifted over time.

The workers are also able to see how much pride was taken in the original work done constructing the town hall.

Mackay cites the chimneys as a perfect example. There are 34 chimneys that are largely unseen from those at ground level, and even from certain parts of these buildings. But the care that went into these invisible structures is immense.

As the project team renovated the chimney, they set about finding out more about the stones that made it up.

“The feedback we had from one of our stone masons was that a piece of stone we were seeking to remove – the quality of craftsmanship on that one piece of stone was as good and as considered as anything you would find in the main entrance,” Mackay said.

“The attention to detail on this project from when it was originally built – it doesn’t matter where on the project the aspect of build was, everything was treated as if it was pride of place and was given the optimum level of attention in both terms of design and quality of build,” he continued.

His team has been trying to replicate that, giving each part of the building as much care and attention as it received when originally built.

Where are we up to now?

It will still be at least another year before the work on the town hall completes. Thanks to the work of the project team, the building is now watertight. The Great Hall has had its leaded windows restored and stone cleaned. Other rooms have been replastered.

Infrastructure to connect the building to the Civic Heat Network has been put in place and five new lifts have been installed to improve accessibility.

You can keep track of the latest project updates on the city council’s Our Town Hall website.

The post VIDEO | Sneak peek inside £330m Manchester Town Hall restoration appeared first on Place North West.

Participants:

• Suzanne Benson, Trowers & Hamlins
• David Boyes, Dalbergia
• Greg Dickson, Barton Willmore, now Stantec
• Ben Fearns, Novo
• Dan Joyce, Close Brothers Property Finance
• Kevin Marren, Eccleston Homes

Key talking points

Place North West senior reporter Dan Whelan chaired the discussion, which piggybacked off Close Brothers recently released report State of Play 2022-2023: Challenges and Opportuities facing SME homebuilders. The conversation covered a variety of challenges facing SME housebuilders: inflation, rising cost prices, labour shortages, and a sluggish planning system.

With a mixture of developers, project managers, planners, solicitors, and finance experts in the room, the discussion managed to attack the topic from a variety of angels.

If real change is going to happen, the panellists agreed that local planning departments need more resources. Several felt there was a need to depoliticise the planning system, noting that applications can be refused despite meeting planning criteria.

The group also discussed how to bring more young people into the field, using Close Brothers’ Tomorrow’s Developer event as an example.

The conversation also touched on the need to boost confidence in the market that they can deliver. The government’s role in this, both on the local and national level, was said to be significant. This includes helping support a stable economy, which would encourage institutional investors to be more active on the SME side of things.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel.

The post VIDEO | What does the future look like for SME housebuilders? appeared first on Place North West.

Watch our short video at the top. Can’t see the video? You can also watch the interview on the PlaceTech YouTube channel.

Ben Wright, executive director, The Instant Group. He said: “I think every industry needs leaders with vision, I think the real estate industry is in a really unique place. Because customer preferences are changing so much. The offices as an employee engagement tool are really at a time they haven’t been in for 100 years, which is a real reimagining. And to get anything done, you need visionary leaders to move us forward in that, towards that future.”

Richard Gerritsen, senior director for Europe at Yardi: “In order to nurture a vision, and to nurture visionary leaders, it is really important that the real estate industry doesn’t only see the industry as different from other industries, but actually learn from industries, from peers in other industries. There are a lot of examples in the financial world, in the investment world, where technology and where innovation is being driven, and has led to a complete or a partial transformation of companies. And that is something that is still lacking in the real estate industry.”

Virginia Scapinelli, real estate innovation lead, Future Places: “My favourite way of displaying leadership at MIPIM is via those conferences, with experts giving us an outlook on what is the future going to look like.”

Adam Burstow, business development executive, AWS: “The next big challenge for real estate in the next three to five years is to broaden the focus from commercial value into social value, obviously aware of trends around sustainability, but it’s understanding real estate’s position across the value chain and how it can deliver social value at each stage. In my role, I focus on aspects of the technology of that. And I think technology has an enabling role to play but broadly that’s going to contribute to bigger questions of social value and the social returns that real estate can offer.”

In addition to property management software implementation and support, Yardi offer a number of services including SEO and PPC management, call center answering and full-service invoice processing and payment.

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Participants:

• Sarah Ashurst, Salford Council
• Max Bentham, Muse
• Roz Catlow-Patterson, Bury Council
• Liz Donnelly, DAC Beachcroft
• Rory Keys, Sigma Capital
• Gemma Leonard, DAC Beachcroft
• John Moffat, Capital & Centric
• Aidan Thatcher, Wigan Council
• Joanne Waller, Sourced Development Group

Key talking points

Developers, local authorities, and housing providers gathered to discuss the future of the build-to-rent market outside of Manchester city centre.

Moving BTR projects to the towns in Greater Manchester will play a role in creating a vibrant city region, according to the participants.

They did agree, however, that the current BTR model of skyscrapers that has proven popular in the city centre is not the right fit for the suburban communities of GM. Instead, the BTR of the towns should be focused on smaller buildings.

A few panellists warned that though the new builds may look different in GM, they needed to keep the same aspirational aesthetic. This means offering a robust selection of amenities – and strong sustainability credentials – to keep suburban living attractive and to encourage more young people to move outside the city centre.

Providing more choices for GM residents is the primary goal for BTR in the region, with several of the local authorities present voicing their hope that it will help retain young people in their towns.

You can hear highlights from the roundtable in the video at the top of this article, as well as on the Place North West YouTube channel.

The discussion was hosted by Place North West editor Julia Hatmaker. The roundtable was held at DAC Beachcroft’s office in Spinningfields.

The post VIDEO | The future of build-to-rent in Greater Manchester appeared first on Place North West.

Place North West spoke to Hadfield, place development leader at the accelerator in Cannes.

Connected Places Catapult exists between the public, private and academic sectors to drive innovation and stimulate growth in the ways that people live, work and travel around their place.

Place North West spoke to Hadfield, place development leader at the accelerator at MIPIM. She said: “We know that places want to learn from and with each other around their approach to innovation.”

“There are so many people that are locked out of our innovation economy, whether they don’t think of themselves as innovators, or entrepreneurs, or they just don’t know how to get involved,” she added. “We need to challenge our perception of what innovation is.”

Connected Places Catapult is creating regional partnerships to support leaders to drive growth and regeneration through innovation based around places.

• Visit Place North West‘s MIPIM Hub to find all our news and videos from Cannes

In the video above, Hadfield talks about inclusive innovation, which is about “supporting our potential entrepreneurs, but also making sure that our communities benefit from the innovation that happens.”

Connected Places Catapult has created an Inclusive Innovation Network to amplify good practice and enable innovation to be designed and delivered by all and the benefits diffused to many.

“Chances are we are already working in your region or we will be soon so reach out to us and get involved,” urged Hadfield.

Find out more about Connected Places Catapult

The post MIPIM VIDEO | Accelerating place innovation appeared first on Place North West.