Treasury announces £1.7bn for Northern cities

The development manager has no interest in being a sector specialist, recognising agility as an antidote to market volatility and eyeing projects across industrial, offices, and housing.

With the dust just beginning to settle on MIPIM 2026, managing partner Dino Moutsopoulos joined deputy editor Dan Whelan to look back on a busy week of networking events, interactive panels, and front-line news and ponder what next year has in store for the North of England and Scotland when their delegations return to Cannes.

Leaving CBRE after 14 years, Alistair Chapman will lead on development and regeneration advisory at the Manchester and Leeds-based consultancy.

Your rundown of the big talking points from this year’s edition of the global property expo.

Long queues, long journeys, and long-standing bromances.

Property professionals gathered together on Thursday to raise a dram to a week well spent in Cannes, having condensed a year’s worth of meetings into four days.

There may be no simple solution for resolving viability issues, but with enough grit, determination, and creative thinking it is possible to move the needle on housing delivery – that was the consensus from an engaging MIPIM session on Thursday hosted by WSP on the North of England Suite.

From marinas to innovation districts, Northern leaders pitched £500m investment visions for their regions at this Dragons Den-style event.

This panel session explored how the North’s combination of land, skills, and collaboration gives it a compelling edge in the I&L sector, despite persistent challenges.

The Office for Investment is targeting late spring to kick off the the Strategic Sites Accelerator, aimed at unlocking major schemes aligned with the government’s industrial strategy.

Stephen Young, Salford City Council chief executive, describes how Salford is a city transformed by a proven track record of major regeneration – bigger, younger, more diverse, and more dynamic than at any point in modern history.

Mark Robinson, director of economy and place at Rochdale Council, and Richard Jones, Northern Cities Executive at Arcadis, discuss two major developments in the borough.

Overcoming barriers to delivery and speeding up planning, and taking a collegiate approach to risk management and other processes are just a few of the ways to ensuring projects can make both a difference and a profit, according to participants at a roundtable hosted by WSP.

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. 

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.