Solutions on bats and buses required to enable Stockport 8

Across the UK, town centres and resort destinations are now required to reconsider the role of leisure in driving long-term economic growth, writes Nick Gerrard of Blackpool Council.

Culture and tourism are playing an increasingly prominent role in urban regeneration strategies across the UK. This panel session hosted by Place North discussed how attractions can act as catalysts for economic growth, civic pride and community connection.

The UK’s renewed focus on new towns is prompting fresh debate about how to create places that thrive for generations. At a panel session hosted by Place North, industry leaders were tasked with a thought experiment: how would they design a settlement from scratch?

At this Place North panel session, local authorities and developers highlighted the ability of small and medium businesses to innovate, build community support, and deliver projects that respond directly to local needs.

This panel session hosted by Place North explored how from offshore wind farms and tidal power to advanced manufacturing and AI infrastructure, the North of England is positioning itself as one of the UK’s most important energy and technology powerhouses. 

After sitting on the report for more than a year, the combined authority has released the 61-page document praising its fund, considered contentious by some and subject of a court case, which GMCA won, scrutinising impact on the market of large loans from the public sector.

Actor Steve Coogan is proposing a radical new approach to regeneration in his hometown of Middleton that provides an antidote to past initiatives that have excluded local people and “sucked the life out” of towns.

Stockport has recently become the UK’s first Mayoral Development Corporation to expand, tripling its footprint and doubling its housing target to 8,000 new homes.

Cabinet approval will be sought next week as officers look to advance regeneration in Prescot with Cityheart, and in Huyton with Genr8 Kajima.

Former housing minister Lord Gavin Barwell is now the figurehead of the town’s Mayoral Development Corporation, newly expanded this year.

Clarion Housing Group has appointed the firm’s building division to construct 126 homes for social rent within the City Place masterplan area.

The UK faces a two‑sided housing crisis: locations unviable for developers, rising costs squeezing out homebuyers. The urban fringe could hold the answer.

The 150,000 sq ft lab-led scheme at Liverpool’s Paddington Village has been given a makeover, with the aluminium facade replaced with a more traditional aesthetic.

The former department store’s redevelopment will lead the way, with the firm set to lead on five of six critical sites around Manchester’s St Mary’s Parsonage area.

The Secretary of State has sided with a Planning Inspector’s verdict that permission should be refused for the 545-home redevelopment of the Heath Business and Technical Park.

Kier Property, the city council’s partner on One Pall Mall Gardens, has reworked amenity spaces and moved to the final design stage, declaring renewed momentum on the scheme.

In a world that feels increasingly interconnected, the partnership between the UK and Saudi Arabia is proving to be a powerful force in shaping the future of the built environment. At a panel event hosted by Place North and sponsored by Trowers & Hamlins and Studio Hoodless, leading figures from the development industry in both nations came together to discuss how they are working to deliver on bold visions and create new kinds of cities.

Mayors, city leaders, and Combined Authority officials from across the Midlands, the North of England, and Scotland used a roundtable hosted by Place North to argue that the UK’s next wave of growth will be driven by regional cities, highlighting opportunities in AI, clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and housing, while calling for deeper devolution and stronger infrastructure investment.

With more than 800 homes in either planning or about to go into planning, the Muse, Homes England, and Pension Insurance Corporation joint venture is just getting started, according to Lisa Gledhill, managing director for national partnership at Muse.