MIPIM UK: Universities and rail links are the key to strengthening cities outside London.
Speaking at a panel discussion “Is the development/occupational gap between London and the regions widening or narrowing?’, the three speakers agreed that London’s growth was exponential and far surpassed the regions.
However, Urban and Civic executive chairman Nigel Hugill stressed that London is creating jobs “like nowhere else” which made everyone else look bad by comparison.
Graeme Tulley, director of planning at GL Hearn, was also optimistic, saying: “I am confident the development wave will spread through the country.”
When asked what more could be done by cities outside the UK panellists, said smaller cities needed to make the most of the economic base created by the universities and retain the graduates they create.
Hugill said “Some core cities perhaps aren’t catching up because occupational success often depends on who you know and what networks are available. At the moment people can’t afford to live in London, but they can’t afford not to.”
Tulley agreed, saying: “If you haven’t got the social infrastructure cities won’t retain graduates and therefore benefit from the skill set they have created in their universities.”
Simon Durkin from Deutsche Bank said: “Cities need to build on the areas that set them apart from London.”
All the panellists concurred that strong rail links were necessary for the regions. Hugill said: “The benefits of having strong rail links to London for small cities are conspicuous and should not be underestimated.”
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