What makes for ‘world-class’ development and how can we reach and consistently achieve it?

This morning at MIPIM, our Chief Development Officer, Chris Roberts, participated in the Midlands UK Pavilion event ‘What makes for ‘world class’ development and how can we consistently achieve it?’ Together, the panel discussed what the Midlands is doing to ensure its development opportunities are of global stature and quality.

The Midlands currently has all the vital elements to ensure it can create successful places and drive economic growth and its main city, Birmingham, has established itself as a strong contender to London. The growth of the city can be seen through the increase of inward investment, growth of the office market and the movement of people from London, and elsewhere, to the city.

The region is attracting a high level of skilled individuals, with Birmingham holding a strong graduate retention rate, attracting employers, and in turn attracting more students. This is imperative to making the Midlands a self-sustaining driver of UK growth.

To ensure this continues, it is important that as developers we continue to effectively use space and, in particular, ensure it is fit for mixed-use. The ‘live, work, play’ approach is becoming more and more predominant in the Midlands, with a strong emphasis being placed on amenity and spaces for social interactions. Connecting the city and linking new developments making them accessible is playing an important role.

Creating a world class development also means realising that it is greater than just its parts. A fantastic development will be surrounded by great places, whether it’s great estates, cultural quarters, historical sites or natural space. It is essential that developers utilise these places and invest in them also in order to create permeable connections for the community both within a development and surrounding it.

Find out more about our involvement at MIPIM here.