Date: 13 February 2025, 8:00 - 12:00
Location: INNSiDE by Meliá Manchester 1 First St, Manchester M15 4RP, UK
Email: events@placenorthwest.co.uk
Company: Place North West
The Role of SME Housebuilders in Delivering the Nation’s Housing
Date: 13 February 2025, 8:00 - 12:00
Location: INNSiDE by Meliá Manchester 1 First St, Manchester M15 4RP, UK
Email: events@placenorthwest.co.uk
Company: Place North West
Join us for this half-day conference digging into the barriers facing SME housebuilders and how the industry can work together to boost delivery.
The government has made bold commitments to boosting housing delivery but has shared little detail so far on the ways and means by which it will achieve its ambitions. How can SME housebuilders play an increasing role in meeting housing needs and helping the government hit its recently increased housing target of 1.5m by 2029 (370,000pa).
What needs to change across design, planning and delivery to make it happen?
This event will gather together experts from across the industry to discuss key issues such as the skills shortage, planning and financing SME projects to drive action.
Agenda:
08.00am Arrival, networking and breakfast
08:55am Welcome from Dan Whelan, deputy editor, Place North West
09.00am Speech by Paul Dennett, City Mayor, Salford City Council
09.15am Fireside chat:
Jonathan Bloor, managing director, Richborough
Emily Williams, director, Savills
09:35am Fireside Chat:
Brian Burt, head of development finance , Midlands & North West, Homes England
Sam Stafford, planning director, Home Builders Federation
10:05am Refreshment and networking break
10:35am Panel Discussion: Responding to the Challenge
Chris Williamson, president-elect, RIBA
Phil Cooper, director, Hope Architects
Angela Mansell, managing director, Mansell Building Solutions
Andrew Evans, deputy chief executive officer, VM Finance
11:15am Comfort break
11:25am Fireside Chat:
Jeremy Whittle, managing director, Tyson Construction
David Saville, managing director, North West, Caddick
12:00pm Closing remarks, lunch and further networking
Companies attending this event include Vector Homes, Northstone, Anwyl, LCR Property, Placefirst, Deloitte, Mills & Reeve, Warden Construction, Innova Homes, Turley, Andmore, ADP Architecture, Hive Homes, Brabners, Savills, Richborough Estates, WSP, and Castle Green Homes.
- ANGELA MANSELL, MANSELL BUILDING SOLUTIONS | Angela has been managing director of Mansell Building Solutions since 2019 following a 17-year tenure as operations director. Angela is an advocate of off-site construction and isn’t afraid to voice her opinions regarding what needs to change within the sector to ensure sustainable construction. With a focus on social value, Mansell is committed to building homes for local people, by local people – a simple aim it believes could have a long-lasting legacy for people who live in the communities within which it operates.
- DAVE SAVILLE, CADDICK CONSTRUCTION | Caddick Construction is an award-winning contractor which saw turnover rise 38% to £318m in recent trading results. With over 30 years’ experience in construction, Dave’s position in the business has powered the delivery of a huge number of successful residential projects, including 131 new-build homes at The Guinness Partnership’s 11 storey, landmark development in Stockport.
- JONATHAN BLOOR, RICHBOROUGH | Richborough is committed to supporting SME housebuilders and their role in boosting housing delivery. Jonathan contributed to the recent Land Matters report, undertaken by Richborough, the Land, Planning and Developers Federation, and Savills, which explains how smaller sites delivered by SME housebuilders are key for the government to achieve its ambitious target of 1.5 million homes by 2029.
- PHIL COOPER, HOPE ARCHITECTS | Phil is a chartered architect with a drive to deliver homes that people will cherish and make memories in. With a professional focus on land and build efficiency, data-driven design and people-focused places, he’s committed to unlocking the potential of sites and creating homes that people want to live in. Phil is passionate about fostering a positive future for the UK’s housing landscape. Creative architecture and rational masterplanning are his weapons of choice when it comes to achieving it.
- EMILY WILLIAMS, SAVILLS | Emily is a director in the Residential Research team at Savills. She joined the department in 2012, and now manages the development thought leadership programme, primarily focusing on the housing development pipeline and planning policy, and mainstream market forecasts. Her recent work has included the development of green premiums, the new homes market after the end of Help to Buy and the impact of changes to the NPPF on land supply.
- CHRIS WILLIAMSON, RIBA | Chris is the co-founder of WW+P now part of the Egis Group. Chris was recently elected the next President of the RIBA 2025-27 and will combine this position with his new role as global ambassador for the Egis Architecture Line. Chris is particularly keen to increase the reputation and influence of the architectural profession and make it more diverse and better paid by developing architects’ skills through life long learning.
- SAM STAFFORD, HOME BUILDERS FEDERATION | In 2014 Sam joined Barratt Developments and his work as a regional strategic land director involved liaising with the Divisional Barratt and David Wilson businesses in the North West and the West Midlands on their strategic land portfolios. Sam joined Home Builders Federation as a planning director in 2022 and his role is to promote the interests of the housebuilding sector through local and national planning policy.
- ANDREW EVANS, VM FINANCE | Andrew joined VM Finance in June 2018 after an extensive career in corporate and commercial banking. With years of experience working with a diverse portfolio of clients in development and investment financing, he is responsible for strategic planning and operational oversight at VM Finance. Andrew and his team provide financing and support to SME developers who deliver good quality, viable projects up and down the UK.
- PAUL DENNETT - SALFORD COUNCIL Paul was elected as Councillor for Langworthy in 2012, and held the role of Strategic Assistant Mayor, where he championed equalities, technology innovation, urban regeneration, and workforce development until 2016. His focus on fostering inclusive prosperity and sustainable growth laid the groundwork for his future leadership. Since being elected as City Mayor in 2016, Paul has been campaigned for equality, financial inclusion, and the real Living Wage. He has worked to embed social value across the public and private sectors, with a particular commitment to tackling poverty and addressing the housing crisis. His leadership has helped create an environment where innovative solutions to Salford’s housing challenges can thrive.
- JEREMY WHITTLE, TYSON CONSTRUCTION Jeremy is a chartered surveyor and MD. Since 2003, Jeremy has driven the organisation to become an established award-winning SME contractor, delivering new build housing developments for housing associations and local authorities across the North West, with a strong focus on sustainability and net zero. The company has a current turnover in excess of £35m.
- BRIAN BURT | HOMES ENGLAND Homes England is the government’s housing and regeneration agency. Brian and his team of regional experts provide flexible development finance to SME housebuilders & developers. They offer tailored funding solutions for residential-led development projects, across a range of tenures, encompassing both new build & conversion schemes. The team supports new entrants and existing SMEs to grow sustainably. They work collaboratively to provide facilities that can evolve and adapt to changing market dynamics, including fluctuations in costs, values, sales rates and timelines.
This event is sponsored by VM Finance, Hope Architects, Mansell Building Solutions and Trowers & Hamlins
