Real estate leaders have pinned their hopes on Salford City Council’s newly appointed chief executive and his expertise in regeneration to lead the city out of the Covid crisis.
Tom Stannard, corporate director for regeneration and economic growth at Wakefield Council, will replace Jim Taylor as the local authority’s chief executive in February.
Stannard has a property background as a chartered surveyor and is a board director at the Institute of Economic Development, a role he has held since 2015. He was also closely involved in securing and delivering the £1.8bn West Yorkshire devolution deal.
With some of the country’s largest regeneration projects in Salford’s pipeline, such as the £2.5bn Crescent masterplan, industry leaders are calling for Stannard to bring his experience in delivering high profile regeneration projects front and centre in leading the city’s recovery.
Paul Kelly, development director at Scarborough Group International, which is delivering the 25-acre £700m Middlewood Locks scheme, said that Stannard’s experience should be used to drive substantial growth.
“Salford as a city has been truly dynamic and has seen significant growth over the last 10 years,” he said. “That continued approach to regeneration and supporting regeneration is something we would expect to see from Tom, given his background.”
Kelly said that the council faces an “uncertain time” ahead as the Covid crisis continues, but placing development at the heart of the city’s post-pandemic future will help the Salford navigate through it. “There’s a strong platform to build and grow,” he said.
Stephen Wild, director of strategic investment and growth at Peel L&P, which is developing the second phase of MediaCityUK, said Stannard has big shoes to fill since Taylor has been “dynamic in laying the groundwork and driving forward some fantastic schemes in Salford”.
However, he noted that Stannard is “a visionary”, with a “track record in transformational change, be it socially or through the regeneration of places”.
Scott Hammond, chief executive and founder of Eutopia, said Stannard’s property background will be useful in “trying to cross that divide between public and private partnerships” as the city moves forward with key projects.
Hammond added it will be key for Stannard to ensure Salford’s planning departments are adequately supported, to tackle planning delays caused by the crisis. He highlighted that Eutopia is still negotiating terms for a section 106 agreement on a 500-home scheme in Salford that was approved in April.
“Any chief executive that can help unlock those blockages is important,” he said.
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