City Living Summit 2026

Becca Heron has a key role in the delivery of the ambitions set out in the Our Manchester strategy, building on the successes of the last two decades to drive inclusive growth that will ensure the city continues to be one of the most exciting destinations in Europe to live, work and play. Formerly director of economy and skills at Wigan Council, Heron's career has included a number of different public sector roles, including previous positions within both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). During her time with the GMCA, Heron led on a series of high-profile and complex initiatives, including the development of 2014 Devolution Agreement. At Wigan, she took on the economic development and regeneration brief, playing a pivotal role in bringing key sites forward for development and kickstarting the redevelopment of Wigan town centre.

Ed Howe is head of operational living research at Bidwells, overseeing research and analysis for a range of clients across BTR, Co-Living, and Single Family Housing Sectors across the UK. He has eight years’ experience in Build to Rent research and is particularly enthusiastic about city centre living, growing northern cities to reach their full potential, place-making, and urban regeneration.

Alan Bevan is owner and managing director of City Residential, Liverpool’s leading city centre residential specialist. Formerly a sales director at David Mclean Homes, Bevan founded the firm in 2000 has become the “go to” agent for the residential market in the city covering residential sales, lettings and property management, student, build to rent and land sales/acquisitions. Bevan also produces a quarterly residential report which has become an essential read/summary of the residential market and is renowned for its knowledgeable, honest and informed view of current/future market trends.

Katie Tonkinson is an architect and Partner at Hawkins\Brown, originally from Manchester and founder of the practice’s Studio North. Tonkinson plays an active role in project design and delivery, develops strong relationships with stakeholders and contributes to strategic leadership and governance, as an elected member of the Employee-Owned Trust Board. Respected across public and private sectors, Tonkinson brings inclusivity, innovation, collaboration and commercial awareness to complex projects, promoting the value of good design and a regenerative approach to development. Katie sees the New Town agenda as a rare opportunity to rewrite the economics of placemaking, with a model that integrates investment in quality, heath, nature and stewardship.

Sarah Snape was appointed managing director of Rise Homes in January 2025, having originally joined the company in 2023 as director of operations. With over 18 years' experience in the property sector, she has been instrumental in driving growth and overseeing the delivery and management of eight Build-to-Rent developments across the North and Midlands. As managing director, Snape leads Rise Homes in creating vibrant and sustainable communities—focusing on strong operational management and exceptional customer service, delivering long-term value for residents and stakeholders alike.

Kevin Logan is an urbanist and director of Maccreanor Lavington Urban Studio. Leading many of the practice’s award-winning large-scale urban and regeneration projects, his experience covers urban strategies, policy, large-scale masterplans, urban regeneration, and new settlements. His work is defined by systems thinking, considering the dynamic interaction and fluidity of urban conditions in social, cultural, political, and economic contexts. Logan’s research activities focus on the creation of liveable cities in socio-economic terms and urban resilience in light of climate and biodiversity emergencies. He is a trustee of Architects Declare and an Academician of The Academy of Urbanism.

Ellie Philcox is a director at Euan Kellie Property Solutions and an experienced town planning consultant having advised on a range of high-profile instructions across Greater Manchester over the past 20 years. Philcox has a broad expertise advising clients across the residential sector, including city centre regeneration projects and large-scale residential and social housing schemes. Philcox advises, among others, Kellen Homes, L&Q and Keepmoat and is particularly skilled in project managing complex planning applications, coordinating large teams and managing the preparation of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).

Tom Gilman has been with McLaren since 2020 and leads the Regeneration business, focusing on urban renewal and aiming to positively impact on the social, cultural and economic challenges within urban areas. Gilman brings significant experience which encompasses over 30 years of property industry knowledge, with over 20 as a developer, delivering projects across the UK and covering all asset classes.

David Rudlin is one of the UK’s leading urbanists. He is past chair of the Academy of Urbanism, winner of the Wolfson Economic’s Prize and was recently appointed as one of the Government’s four advisors on the New Towns Programme. He spent 30 years at the urban design practice URBED in Manchester, winner of three Urban Design Group Practice Awards. He also spent three years as chair of the urban design profession at BDP. He is a visiting professor at Manchester School of Architecture.

David Smith-Milne, Founder and chief executive office of Place Capital Group (PCG), is one of the UK’s leading experts in housing-led regeneration and estate renewal. Established in 2021, PCG collaborates with multiple Local Authorities and Social Landlords on projects comprising an £800 million development pipeline, set to revitalize more than 60 declining housing estates. As the founder and former chief executive office of Placefirst, an innovative build-to-rent developer, Smith-Milne oversaw the transformation of over 1,500 empty terraced homes in struggling housing markets. By focusing on placemaking, cutting-edge design, exceptional neighbourhood management, and low-carbon solutions, he created award-winning communities that revitalized these areas. A proven entrepreneur and dynamic leader, Smith-Milne excels at scaling businesses, fostering innovation, and delivering strong returns for investors while achieving social impact. His work has driven some of the UK’s most celebrated regeneration projects, including Liverpool’s Welsh Streets, which earned numerous accolades such as the Sunday Times Best Housing Scheme, Property Week’s Best PRS Development, RICS Best Residential Project, and Inside Housing’s Best Build-to-Rent Scheme, alongside various regional property awards.

With over £1tn in total assets under management, L&G is the UK’s largest investment manager for corporate pension schemes and a UK market leader in pensions de-risking, life insurance, workplace pensions and retirement income.

Nathan Cornish has been with Urban Splash since 2002 having previously been at SEGRO plc and Saville Gordon plc. Cornish has been responsible for the delivery of some of Urban Splash’s iconic regeneration schemes at Fort Dunlop, Rotunda both in Birmingham and its ‘upside down’ houses in Salford. Whilst still retaining responsibility for high profile developments at the Royal William Yard in Plymouth, and New Islington, Manchester his role now also includes overseeing the groups c1m sq ft Investment portfolio. He also leads on many of the group’s disposals and acquisitions of both land and Investment property. Recently Cornish led the team that acquired two large regeneration sites at Port Loop in Birmingham and Campbell Park in Milton Keynes, which collectively will deliver over 2,500 homes. Cornish is also an Executive Committee Member of Sale FC, a community focused rugby club and the Chairman of LandAid in the North West - a charity focused on Youth Homelessness. He is also a Season ticket holder at Nottingham Forest FC. Nathan is a shareholder of Urban Splash along with founders Tom Bloxham, Jonathan Falkingham, Julian Curnuck and Simon Gawthorpe.