Govt to unveil economic Northern growth strategy in spring

A new rail route between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester Airport and Warrington will make up one element of the long-promised rail project to boost east-west links across the North of England.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook and New Towns Taskforce chair Sir Michael Lyons provided more details about what support can be expected to encourage the delivery of a series of communities and urban extensions with more than 10,000 homes each.

Richard Dean will work across the global engineering, architecture, and consultancy firm’s Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, and Chester offices to build up its private development project pipeline.

Peter Jackson has left the construction firm after more than two decades, the latter part spent as managing director of the housing partnerships division, and will be replaced by Mark Walker.

Headed to the global property convention in Cannes in March? Join the North of England delegation for access to exclusive, high-quality networking events, proven profile-raising activity, and practical advice for making the most of your time at the summit.

Our conferences provide you the market intel you need and the high-quality networking that drives your business forward. Start the new year off right by getting these key dates in your diary.

Despite economic uncertainty and Building Safety Act Gateway 2 delays, the property sector in the North has continued to move at pace delivering sheds, beds, and everything in between.

Benjamin Hobbs of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Abiola Ogunsami of Muse Places, and Lydia McGuinness of Wates Construction will head to Cannes for the global property convention as part of organiser RX’s programme to promote the next generation of real estate leaders.

Recapturing the potential of the UK’s coastal communities requires regeneration projects that go beyond just bricks and mortar, writes Phil Marsden of Muse.

Donations, boats, and parallel dimensions.

Collaboration with local leaders, particularly mayors, greater funding flexibility, and efforts to encourage more institutional investment into the sector are hallmarks of the agency’s five-year strategic plan, which aims to help government towards its ambitious 1.5m homes target.

Warehouses are no longer the freezing, utilitarian buildings of the 1980s – today’s industrial and logistics facilities target occupiers who demand strong sustainability credentials, quality offices, and green spaces, according to Stuart Murray, national customer development and leasing director at Harworth.

Keen to gain an intimate understanding of how the public and private sectors are thinking about the future, the growing construction firm is heading to Cannes with Place in 2026 for a week of relationship building and information gathering.

Housing minister Matthew Pennycook has warned local authorities currently working without an adopted local plan that central government could use intervention powers to take over the process.

There was a mixed response to Rachel Reeves’s speech, with her warm words for the built environment welcomed but criticism for the lack of ammunition she has given to housebuilders. Caddick, Avison Young, Ridge & Partners, Close Brothers and more, share their thoughts.

Citing Labour’s “overhaul” of the planning system as proof that this government is an agent of change, chancellor Rachel Reeves was borderline buoyant throughout her Budget speech despite the early release of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s report stealing much of her thunder.

The next generation of property leaders and development decision-makers gathered for an evening of networking in Manchester last week.

In the North West, the well-publicised 1.5m national housing target means the development industry is expected to deliver around 38,000 homes annually over the next five years. The levels of scrutiny and expectation from the general public have never been higher, writes Danny Hope of Stantec.

A growing number of councils across the country are putting measures in place to curb the development of houses in multiple occupation amid concerns about their impacts on residents and local communities.