MIPIM GALLERY + VIDEO | How to build a new town

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.

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

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.

From a yacht marina in Bridlington and major docklands regeneration in Hull, to the urgent need for better transport, the leader of East Yorkshire and head of investment for HEYCA has come to Cannes to set out her ambitions for the county and promote the region’s investment opportunities.

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.

Chief executive Mark Allan said the launch of the £1bn fund has given the investor/developer more confidence about its ability to deliver its Greater Manchester pipeline against a backdrop of market uncertainty.

Why is it so difficult to get to grips with regeneration, and what is ‘good growth’? This interactive session held by Studio Hoodless, Civic, and Layer Studio brought the industry together to brainstorm how they can be delivered effectively across the North of England and beyond.

Representatives from top investment firms, local authorities, and developers gathered to do business at MIPIM’s UK Stage on Tuesday morning.

Hot on the heels of planning permission for a 28-storey block at the Liverpool cluster being advanced by Davos and Beetham, the SimpsonHaugh-designed centrepiece of the scheme has been unveiled.

“We’re confident that the next decade in Greater Manchester will be the best in our city region since the Victorian period,” said GM Mayor Andy Burnham to a packed room at the global property convention in Cannes.

Speaking on the opening panel session of the expo, Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said local authorities need to have more “skin in the game” to address the UK’s chronic shortage of discounted accommodation.