MIPIM 2019: Yorkshire-based local authorities have called on the private sector to invest in the Leeds city region and build new communities.
Speaking at MIPIM in Cannes at a panel discussion, the leader of Kirklees Council, Shabir Pandor, said: “We are open for business, and we have the community behind us.”
Tom Stannard, corporate director regeneration and economic growth at Wakefield Council, said the region was in need of investment to “build and generate new communities”.
The panel, entitled “Creating Communities: An Inspiring Region to Live”, also focused on urban design, creative use of space and culture and social identities.
Sean Jarvis, commercial director at Huddersfield Town Football Club, said that the stadium was both the lynchpin of the local community and critical for encouraging investment. He commented: “We are a vehicle that is promoting the region to a wider audience.”
Enterprise influx
As well as football, Leeds city region has also benefited from the arrival of high-profile companies.
Most recently, Channel 4 chose Leeds as the home of its new national headquarters, opting for the West Yorkshire city over Birmingham and Manchester.
The broadcaster is understood to be looking for around 25,000 sq ft of office space in Leeds, which is enough for a team of 200.
The move is likely to support the wider region in attracting investors, but the key will be responsible regeneration, argues Jo Davis, managing director of planning, development and regeneration at Avison Young.
Davis has more than 25 years’ experience advising on complex regeneration projects and residential and infrastructure development across both the public and private sectors. “It’s not just about the placemaking; it’s about the regeneration of the regions, with a sense of responsibility,” she said.
The Leeds property market is already booming, with 2,232 homes recorded as under construction last year – topped only by 2007’s 3,839.
Meanwhile, office construction hit 804,257 sq ft and completions totalled 560,000 sq ft – more than double the annual average of 265,751 sq ft.
However, thriving cities such as Leeds are naturally more “resilient” compared with the rest of the region, said Davis. The key will be for more advanced communities to work with underinvested towns to bring the region forward.
“New communities need to work with existing communities. It’s about [capitalising on] the resilience of the core cities,” she said.
The panel
- Jo Davis, managing director planning, development and regeneration, Avison Young
- Sean Jarvis, commercial director, Huddersfield Town Football Club
- Simon Marshall, joint chief executive, Scarborough Group
- Shabir Pandor, leader, Kirklees Council
- Tom Stannard, corporate director regeneration and economic growth, Wakefield Council
- Chair: Damian Wild, editor in chief, EG
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