It was great to see so many familiar faces at UKREiiF this week, the industry’s real estate and investment forum. And we had a lot to talk about, from development to regeneration – and of course the General Election and possible future housing policy.

For us though, it was an opportunity to discuss the work we've been doing at Urban Splash in recent years – a period during which we have focused on designing and developing new places that we will soon bring to life. One such place is Swansea, and at Wednesday’s Swansea Council event, my colleague David Warburton presented our vision for a ‘city on the beach,’ outlining to delegates the work we’ve been doing to evolve plans and create a liveable city model.

I also discussed future plans at UKREiiF, highlighting the work we’ve been doing in planning new projects during a roundtable discussion chaired by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities. The event focused on the role of mixed-tenure housing in addressing the housing crisis, giving me the chance to talk about places like Park Hill, where we’ve committed to long-term regeneration, adding value through a phased approach that creates homes of mixed tenure – whether outright purchase, rent, or shared ownership.

As I mentioned during my talk, this approach isn’t the cheapest or quickest, but it aligns with our intention to make Park Hill, like many Urban Splash developments, a neighbourhood for everyone. From the outset, our design aimed to offer a range of housing types to attract diverse occupiers at various price points. We've achieved this with the approximately 700 homes already completed, even including student accommodation.

However, achieving such nuanced housing solutions alone is not feasible, something that underscores the importance of partnerships. This was emphasised at the event, where central government, local authorities, and developers united to acknowledge past achievements and explore future possibilities. Collaboration becomes especially pertinent as we work together to level up more towns and cities and provide more sustainable housing options.

UKREiiF gave us all food for thought in that endeavour; my colleague, Suzy Jones, represented Urban Splash in another engaging debate on curating cultural ecosystems within large-scale regeneration projects. This is a concept we've successfully implemented across our portfolio, platforming makers, artists, and creatives by providing accessible, flexible, and affordable workspaces, allowing them to contribute to the vibrant communities we cultivate. From the aforementioned Park Hill, to places like Royal William Yard in Plymouth, where galleries and artist studios thrive alongside a burgeoning neighbourhood, we've demonstrated the power of integrating cultural elements into urban regeneration.

Across our portfolio, we've also preserved heritage and original fabric – something that was celebrated at UKREiiF, when Heritage England unveiled its ‘Heritage Works for Housing' project to delegates. The project sets out how heritage can work for housing and aims to enable and facilitate the reuse of historic buildings to deliver more homes and better outcomes for all, with Park Hill featured as an example of restoration.

Our time at UKREiiF was insightful, thought-provoking and informative. We look forward to next year.