MIPIM | ‘Great North’ ready to explode as UK’s economic driver

Positive steps taken towards reinvigorating housebuilding by the government nine months into its term are not to be sniffed at – but does the ambition match the reality on the ground? Place North’s MIPIM breakfast conference focused on this topic with a panel of private and public sector experts.

How can the private sector contribute to devolution shaping the future of the North? As the government launched its Planning & Infrastructure Bill, long-term planning, trust, and collaboration were highlighted by speakers from the North East, Greater Manchester, and Liverpool.

Intimate networking events, hard-hitting panel discussions with industry leaders, and high-energy activation sessions make up Place North’s diverse and engaging programme for the 2025 edition of the international property expo.

Small and medium sized housebuilders are uniquely placed to play a starring role in addressing the UK’s housing crisis and contribute to the government’s ambitious homes target, according to Andrew Evans and John Wybar of VM Finance.

What will happen if planning can no longer be blamed for the lack of viability in housing schemes? Plus: Greater Manchester’s game of Cluedo and office-to-resi pivots

The construction firm’s managing director Paul Dodsworth chatted to Place North West about its expansion plans, thriving in a volatile market, and why the company is going to MIPIM 2025.

Tickets for Place North’s 2025 events are selling fast and, with new events launched this year, now is the time to check you aren’t missing out on anything – for the first time, we are also offering a 50% discount on tickets for local authorities and housing associations.

More than 3,000 homes could be delivered as a result of a £300m boost to the Affordable Homes Programme and £50m for the Local Authority Housing Fund.

One hundred Place North delegates heading to Cannes in four weeks gathered for an inaugural preview dinner at hotel voco in Manchester.

Whisper it, but against a backdrop of economic doom and gloom, could the slow pace of the Northern property market’s lower prices be its secret power? Plus: Socially minded pension funds and dead cats.

Wain Homes, Ion Property Developments, Cityheart, Placefirst, and Cole Waterhouse are among the firms to have recently added their voices to our calls for a solution to the North’s viability crisis. You can join them.

There is “no fundamental reason” the UK’s regional towns and cities cannot thrive as long as strong partnerships, creative thinking, and bravery are employed to unlock their potential, according to Legal & General.

Businesses from all corners of the built environment sector are throwing their weight behind a campaign to pressure government into providing grant funding to solve the North’s viability crisis. Have you signed up yet? 

For 18 years, Place has championed the property industry. Leverage our unrivalled understanding of the sector and take advantage of our expertise in content creation and event production to amplify your company’s brand and win new work.

Published yesterday, the draft bill sets out Labour’s intention to unshackle the North’s towns and cities. While it has been widely welcomed, leaders across the North are wary of the ‘distraction’ local government reorganisation could cause.

Billed as the ‘biggest transfer of power out of Westminster this century’, the white paper sets out how the government plans to put the destiny of England’s regions in their own hands. 

Mayors will be handed a suite of new powers to allow more decisions on planning, housing, and transport to be made locally, while district councils are to be scrapped as part of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s plan to allow towns and cities outside London to “take back control”.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has outlined the route to 100% clean electricity generation by the end of the decade – the North stands ready to benefit from the strategy.

Ollo will manage a portion of the developer’s growing portfolio of rental communities, including Eyewitness Works in Sheffield and Farnworth Green in Bolton.