Kirsty Black’s Post

Following the adoption of Greater Manchester's Places for Everyone spatial strategy earlier this year, Shoosmiths brought together real estate experts for a roundtable discussion on the plan and approaches to new development, redevelopment, renewable energy provision, and decarbonisation. While the focus is on unlocking new regeneration and development opportunities, the plan also emphasises the ‘aim to maximise its economic, social, and environmental benefits simultaneously, minimise adverse impacts, utilise sustainable construction techniques, and actively seek opportunities to secure net gains across all objectives.’ This presents a challenge for developers, building owners, occupiers, and investors that are already navigating evolving legislation and broader environmental risks. Therefore, a balance must be struck between maintaining project viability and futureproofing Greater Manchester’s building stock – both new and existing developments. Here are some key snippets from the discussion delving into this further 👇 The full discussion can also be watched: https://lnkd.in/eCTej3dE Taking part: Alan Hall (Genr8 Developments), Caroline Wright (Trafford Council), Chris Hosty (CERT Property), Derek Griffin (Whitbread), Helen Gribbon (Renaissance), Kate McClean (Tetra Tech), Neil Pickup (Ask Real Estate), Warren Taylor (Cityheart), alongside Shoosmiths’ Lisa Tye, Richard Symonds, Ian Hardman and Patrick Duffy.

Excited to join a panel session today at the Tai ar y Cyd project launch event, unveiling the future of sustainable housing in Wales. 23 Welsh social landlords have developed a groundbreaking pattern book to enhance sustainability, energy efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in building homes across Wales. Emphasising the crucial role of site layout, my take is on creating not just affordable and low carbon homes, but vibrant communities that residents truly enjoy by getting the layout right. This patternbook is a great tool for effective site planning, but not a shortcut to success. #SustainableHousing #residential #masterplanning

How to retrofit unsustainable commercial buildings and why landlords will be stranded if they don’t. From #housebuilding to hospitals, the industry is abuzz with new ideas about #sustainablebuildings. There is less talk about the UK’s existing, mostly carbon-unfriendly commercial buildings, particularly those unloved ones struggling to find tenants in a post-Covid agile age. When Watts Group Limited attended the zero carbon property conference FOOTPRINT 2024, the focus was firmly on new builds such as the Velindre Cancer Centre in Wales where local materials are being sourced for construction and the Sara Cultural Centre in Skelleftea, Sweden, which at 75m is one of the tallest timber buildings in the world and a carbon negative template for high rise construction. https://lnkd.in/egB58_Dx It wasn’t all about new builds. On Foot Print’s retrofit stage, we heard from John Christophers RIBA, a campaigning architect who has retrofitted 2,000 homes in his home town of Balsall Heath using a little-known pot of local authority money. These and other examples are seriously impressive, but what about commercial buildings? What can be done to #retrofit commercial stock in the UK, and why do #landlords and the industry need to face up to the challenge? https://lnkd.in/eAHPyPGH

A reflection from the very stimulating #dontwastebuildings Birmingham summit - with massive thanks to ALL involved: “ESG” - environmental and social good, including “falling in love” with a characterful building, a patina of age and imaginative re-use, with a fraction of the embodied carbon of demolition/new build - is no longer a perceived cost, but actually adds huge VALUE to a project. Fundamental to success. Fundamental to true sustainability. Fundamental to proper whole life evaluation. #doughnuteconomics in action, valuing what has often been disregarded. Great conversations to be continued, hope we can bring the new Net Zero Carbon Buildings standard to launch in Birmingham soon to follow up…RIBA Dav Bansal Stoford Developments Ltd Larry Priest Richard Sapcote Imandeep Kaur Simon Delahunty-Forrest Ellie Horwitch-Smith Leanne Tritton Michael Duff Dr. Michael Dring Clare Caudery Ellen Willis Philippa Birch-Wood Tania Jennings CIVIC SQUARE Dr Jemma Browne

𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨' 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙡𝙮 According to the old anecdotes, ‘local government goes on holiday in August.’ A statement which obviously doesn’t apply to those officers engaged in placemaking, given the amount of activity going on across Councils at the moment… 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙃𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙡, 𝙨𝙥𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩: A master plan is being explored for the future development of Waterfoot, a Lancashire town dedicated to the arts. https://lnkd.in/evzqWhew ‘𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣’ 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙇𝙚𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: The demolition of a row of nine former industrial buildings in Leicester’s Great Central Street will allow for the "future regeneration" of the site, developers have said. https://lnkd.in/eGPVZUcp 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 700-𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙢𝙨𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙚: The “heritage-inspired” redevelopment of The Meadows shopping centre would include a new neighbourhood of 762 homes and 8,500sq m of retail, commercial and leisure space. https://lnkd.in/eGhWm5S5 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝘼𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨: Historic England has warned that Stockport's historic landmarks, including Stockport Viaduct and the Town Hall, are at risk of being overshadowed and diminished by new office buildings. https://lnkd.in/ef2_6Fvv 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙨: The Telegraph reports on draft planning documents released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government which state that local authorities "should support planning applications for all forms of renewable and low-carbon development", a move that would streamline the planning process for onshore wind and solar farms. https://lnkd.in/eCfRCgku.

A reflection from the very stimulating #dontwastebuildings Birmingham summit - with massive thanks to ALL involved: “ESG” - environmental and social good, including “falling in love” with a characterful building, a patina of age and imaginative re-use, with a fraction of the embodied carbon of demolition/new build - is no longer a perceived cost, but actually adds huge VALUE to a project. Fundamental to success. Fundamental to true sustainability. Fundamental to proper whole life evaluation. #doughnuteconomics in action, valuing what has often been disregarded. Great conversations to be continued, hope we can bring the new Net Zero Carbon Buildings standard to launch in Birmingham soon to follow up…RIBA Dav Bansal Stoford Developments Ltd Larry Priest Richard Sapcote Imandeep Kaur Simon Delahunty-Forrest Ellie Horwitch-Smith Leanne Tritton Michael Duff Dr. Michael Dring Clare Caudery Ellen Willis Philippa Birch-Wood Tania Jennings CIVIC SQUARE Dr Jemma Browne

What an inspiring day with our massive #DontWasteBuildings cohort in Birmingham! I hope others will agree that our first Sustaining the City Summit was a great success. I am especially grateful to Leanne Tritton and Richard Nelson for organising so much of the day, and to our amazing hosts Dr. Michael Dring and Dr Jemma Browne from the Birmingham School Architecture, Howells, Matt Blakeley from RIBA, and John Christophers RIBA. We started the day with case studies from #TheCustardFactory and #TyphooTeaBuilding, and discussion with Simon Delahunty-Forrest on the challenges faced by local authorities when balancing climate action targets with economic revitalisation, and embracing a city's past while looking towards its future. I was really struck by the commitment to be a layered city, one that encourages bringing buildings into the present rather than erasing them from the cityscape. We followed the morning session with a tour through #Digbeth, highlighting restoration works of buildings, daylighted canals, and future projects, including a potential Sky Garden on previously unused rail aqueduct, connecting the former industrial district to the city centre. The afternoon summit brought together DWB's core mission of embodied carbon accounting in the construction industry with a more ephemeral concept: #EmbodiedMemory. We don't save buildings because we cannot let go of the past, but rather because a city without a past lacks soul. Existing buildings represent "carbon at rest", when we wake these sleeping giants it is at our own peril. The construction industry already accounts for 62% of the UK's annual waste. The only way to reduce this scope is to let existing buildings stay at rest, or at the very least, to minimise how much we disturb them. Using a light touch to gently awaken them, retaining all that is possible and being thoughtful about how we rebuild is key. That said, I'm always moved by Imandeep Kaur's challenge for us to radically reimagine what is possible, not just in the built environment, but in our relationships with place and community. If we activate our radical imagination, can we acknowledge that we are at a tipping point while also making the choice to jump and swim towards a more just and inclusive future? Or will we wait until others push us over a cliff edge on their terms? I vote for making the leap! To paraphrase Scott McAulay, we need to learn to build life boats, not coffins.

Proposals to create a new sustainable coastal town at Granton Waterfront have moved a step closer to reality with the first phase of the £1.3billion masterplan given the go-ahead following unanimous agreement by The City of Edinburgh Council’s Development Management Sub-Committee today. The area forms part of the Capital’s largest brownfield site, centred around the newly refurbished Gasholder, and will be transformed into an exciting new development of 847 net zero homes, 45% of which will be of affordable tenure. Proposals also include for attractive and accessible open spaces, over 2000m2 of commercial space, a mobility hub, and new and enhanced active travel routes and public transport connections. The development is to be heated through a new low carbon heat network, and a primary school is proposed to be delivered alongside this residential-led development.   Visualisations: Float   The City of Edinburgh Council, CRUDEN HOMES (EAST) LIMITED , OPEN (part of SLR), Etive Consulting Engineers Limited, Atelier Ten, Scott Hobbs Planning Limited, Montagu Evans , Hardies Property & Construction Consultants, Sweco #sustainability #activetravel #netzero #homes #Edinburgh

Our Property team is always looking for exciting opportunities that will push the impact agenda. The nascent UK #Coliving sector is one of those opportunities – and it is here to stay.   UK market penetration and maturity is still at a relatively early stage. But multiple parties are invested in its potential. Bridges joined a recent panel at UKREiiF 2024 alongside developer HUB, architects re:shape, and local authority Enfield Council, for a fantastic conversation exploring perspectives, challenges and successes on the topic - including:   👍 Existing positive co-living schemes, like Bridges’ new ‘Yardhouse’ development in west London 🌎 The ability to #repurpose environmentally inefficient buildings (where appropriate) at the same time as address an acute #housingshortage 🧑🤝🧑 The rise in loneliness across generations and co-living’s solution for thriving #communities 📐 The importance of flexible #design for long-term use – catering to a range of tenant needs, promoting amenity usage, and encouraging #socialinteraction 📊 How #impactmeasurement contributes to best-in-class ESG performance 💡 The value of high-quality, #futureproofed assets for investors   How optimistic are you about the future of co-living?   Simon Ringer | Damien Sharkey | Yemi Aladerun | Jermaine Browne | Jessica Middleton-Pugh

It seems the housing crisis, choosing financially sound companies, obtaining Gateway 2 approvals, and tackling the upcoming Future Homes Standards sustainability challenges are still very much top of mind. If you're still juggling these priorities and need help streamlining your balcony journey, come and talk to Charlie, Karl, or myself at our stand by the main entrance. On a lighter note, here's a fun video of Charlie Chaplin performing a hat trick—sometimes it feels like we need a bit of magic to balance all these industry challenges! #LondonBuild #HousingCrisis #Gateway2 #Sustainability #FutureHomesStandard #BalconyInnovation #Construction #ukConstruction