Estates Gazette Property Podcasts

Opportunity amidst change: Why the Renters’ Rights Act is a catalyst for growth

Chair: Akanksha Soni, news editor

Speaker: Emmanuel Day, senior director new business - Living sector, RentGuarantor

As the UK rental landscape undergoes its most significant transformation in a generation, the shift toward a professionalised "living sector" is creating a unique crossroads for landlords and investors. This episode, recorded at UKREiiF, will explore how the pressures of new legislation like the Renters’ Rights Act are opening doors for more resilient, de-risked assets. By looking past the regulatory noise, we uncover a story of how institutional-grade security and tenant financial well-being are becoming the twin engines driving the next era of property development and finance.

Breaking the gridlock on the next generation of New Towns and delivering new settlements

Chair: Tim Burke, editor 

Speakers: 
Lee Gordon, partner, Walker Morris
Paula Hirst, director, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town

The UK is standing at the edge of a new urban frontier, fuelled by a government mandate to build the first "New Towns" of the 21st century. But between the political ambition and the first spade in the ground lies a high-stakes landscape of fragmented land ownership, staggering infrastructure costs, a myriad of stakeholders and the relentless pressure of long-term viability.

This episode, recorded at UKREiiF, goes beyond the headlines to explore the "heavy lifting" required to develop a new community from scratch. We’ll look at the strategic foundations and practical lessons relating to other new town and new settlement projects to address common challenges.

This is a deep dive into both consenting and delivery aspects, including the role of public-private partnerships and where funding must align perfectly with private sector momentum to bridge the viability gap. This episode will move past the dry legalities of planning to tackle the "infrastructure-first" mandate and the strategic art of creating an eco-system long before the first resident moves in.

A snapshot of sentiment: the UKREiiF Insights Report

Chair: Tim Burke, editor

Speakers:
Nicola Hanser, director, Holistic
Sophie Eastwood, managing director, Holistic

Ahead of this year's UKREiiF conference, the team at Holistic Insight surveyed almost 10,000 attendees to gauge sentiment in the UK's real estate sector.

In this podcast, Sophie Eastwood and Nicola Hanser of Holistic Insight tell editor Tim Burke about the findings – and why such a snapshot is so important in tracking where the next deals and opportunities will come from. 

Powering Liverpool’s £21bn economic engine

Chair: Akanksha Soni, news editor

Speaker: Simon Reid, assistant director of business growth, Liverpool City Region

Liverpool City Region has entered 2026 with a record £11bn pipeline and a 10-year mandate to expand the economy by a further £10bn. This is no longer a vision of what could be; it’s a roadmap for what is being built.

In this episode, recorded at UKREiiF, Simon Reid, assistant director of business growth, explains how the region's £2bn Investment Fund is fuelling a new era of place-based funding. We’ll explore how the HMT Green Book revision is serving as a pilot to unlock major regeneration projects, including the transformative £5bn redevelopment of Liverpool Central Station and its vital role in Northern Powerhouse Rail.

We’ll also hear about the emerging Mayoral Development Corporation, designed to remove planning friction and fast-track 17,500 new homes across the North Docks, anchored by the new Everton FC stadium and Kings Dock schemes. Join us as we discover how innovation-led growth is positioning Liverpool as the UK’s frontline for institutional capital. 

The vital high street: Unlocking town centre health hubs

Chair: Jess Harrold, legal & professional editor 

Speakers: 
Ben Rich, chief executive, Radix
Helen Wheddon, partner, Stevens & Bolton
Darren Cleveland, head of BD, marketing & client services, Stevens and Bolton

 

This podcast, recorded at UKREiiF, explores the urgent transformation of the UK high street, shifting the focus from declining retail to the untapped potential of health as a new asset class. While there is near-universal agreement that bringing healthcare into town centres is a catalyst for both public wellbeing and economic regeneration, progress is often stalled by systemic friction and fragmented leadership.

We’ll dive into the institutional barriers, from mismatched investment timescales to a risk-averse culture, that prevent the widespread development of Neighbourhood Health Hubs. We’ll also introduce the upcoming Health on the High Street Commission and highlight the plan to unblock planning and financial obstacles, positioning health as a resilient, long-term opportunity for real estate to diversify and repurpose stranded assets. By filling empty shopping centres with vital services, can we increase footfall, drive dynamic growth and deliver wide-reaching societal benefits to the heart of our town centres? 

An inflection point for regeneration

Chair: Tim Burke, editor 

Speaker: Leigh Thomas, group managing director, property, Kier Property

When it comes to town and city regeneration, the near-term challenges for developers are stark, but the need for action is pressing and the long-term benefits still clear. In the case of Kier Property, the role of master planner places it in a pivotal position to drive change and overcome challenges.

In this podcast, recorded at UKREiiF, Estates Gazette speaks with Kier managing director Leigh Thomas about the projects that prove what can be achieved, what our cities need more of – and less of – from the built environment, and the reset required in public-private partnerships.

From dead space to strategic asset: The new life of empty buildings

Chair: Jess Harrold, legal & professional editor 

Speaker: Stuart Woolgar, CEO, Global Guardians

In an era of rising urban density and acute housing pressure, leaving buildings dormant is no longer just an oversight. It is an unnecessary direct cost. Across the UK, public and private sector property owners and agents hold significant volumes of empty offices and underutilised assets, often without a clear, viable route to bring them back into use.

This episode, recorded at UKREIIF, explores how empty buildings can be repositioned from liability to strategic asset through practical, immediate solutions. Instead of focusing only on long-term redevelopment alone, we examine how intelligent interim use, through approaches such as property guardianship, can reduce holding costs, improve security and activate buildings in real time. Stuart discusses what prevents assets from being used, where traditional models fall short and how a more agile, operational approach can unlock both commercial value and social impact. This brings buildings, and the communities around them, back to life.

Live, work, thrive: building the soul of the town

Chair: Jess Harrold, legal & professional editor 

Speakers: 
James Brown, managing director, The Urbanists
Mary Ann Brocklesby, county councillor, Monmouthshire County Council

Regeneration is often discussed through the lens of city skylines and urban hubs, but the heart of a region’s success frequently lies in its towns and rural communities. In these areas, the challenges are unique: tackling hidden social deprivation, nurturing local talent, and creating a sense of "place" that encourages people to stay, grow, and invest their futures locally.

In this episode, we are joined by county councillor Mary Ann Brocklesby and James Brown from The Urbanists to explore rural and town centre revival. We dive into the Cardiff Capital Region’s guiding philosophy of 'Live, Work and Thrive' and what it actually takes to build a sustainable community where high-quality employment and a fulfilling lifestyle coexist.

Regeneration isn't something that should happen to a town; it’s a journey that must be travelled with its residents. From fostering deep community integration to enhancing the everyday quality of life, we explore how thoughtful placemaking can bridge the gap between social necessity and economic opportunity.

The great office upgrade: Closing the UK’s performance gap

Chair: Akanksha Soni, news editor 

Speaker: Nicola Haigh, national head of real estate & housing, business & commercial banking, Lloyds

The British workplace is reaching a tipping point where a building's carbon footprint is becoming as critical as its postcode. As the divide between high-spec green spaces and ageing "legacy" offices widens, a massive national mission is underway to transform yesterday’s concrete into tomorrow’s essential assets. Delivery depends on partners with the reach and financial innovation to turn that ambition into action.  

Joined by Lloyds at UKREiiF, we explore the high-stakes reality of retrofitting the UK’s regional skylines and the market-leading debt distribution capability required to bridge the gap. Drawing on regional expertise, we discuss how the shift toward sustainable workspace is powering UK growth and redefining the map of commercial opportunity.

“They got five on it”: catching up on Whitbread’s new business strategy and five-year plan

Chair: Tim Burke, editor 

Speaker: Derek Griffin, head of acquisitions, Whitbread

Premier Inn provides 12% of the UK’s hotel accommodation stock – the highest of any hotel operator in any market in the world. This extraordinary success has been delivered through a continual 20-year expansion programme underpinned by a unique business model and flexible property requirements.

This April, the company unveiled a new business strategy and five-year plan focused on the continued expansion of Premier Inn, but with greater emphasis on recycling capital from the company’s largely freehold estate to fund future bedroom expansion. Greater emphasis is also being placed on leasehold opportunities to drive estate growth.

During UKREiIF, Derek Griffin, Whitbread’s acquisition head, sat down with Tim Burke to discuss the principles of the new business strategy including how the company plans to go about recycling £1.5bn of property, where it is focusing its new growth, and the future for its popular hub by Premier Inn brand.