Manchester at MIPIM 2024: Day One Roundup
See all of the action from Tuesday 12 March on the Manchester Stand at MIPIM 2024.
Today, the Manchester Invest Partnership kicked off its programme at MIPIM 2024 as it returns to the international property festival.
This year, all sessions are under the theme of Investing In Success, considering how Manchester can build upon its incredible growth journey of the last two decades and create new opportunities through placemaking.
Over the past 10 years, Greater Manchester has built a diverse economy and has become a leading destination for Foreign Direct Investment, a hub for culture and a regular feature in global tourism must-visit lists. In the same period, companies in Greater Manchester have created 150,000 new jobs whilst 20,000 new homes have been built in the city region. More recently, our region has gained strong industrial and trade links overseas, received government backing for innovation-led projects and become a prominent name on the global stage.
Now, Greater Manchester is ready to build on that success and still has the capacity to grow at scale.
Over the next three days, the Manchester stand will host sessions based on key themes of innovation, culture, sustainability and inclusivity. Representatives from across the city-region will discuss how the region is working to create a greener, fairer and more prosperous future for all residents as well as showcasing some of the transformative projects that are already underway.
Cllr Bev Craig Leader of Manchester City Council and Lead for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth at Greater Manchester Combined Authority opened the Manchester Stand by welcoming the delegation and outlining the busy week ahead. She also highlighted the buzz around Manchester at the moment and marked the optimism at the beginning of an exciting new chapter of growth for Greater Manchester. Manchester isn't done yet, and this next chapter of growth means ensuring our city works alongside the boroughs to grow and strengthen their offerings.
Then it was time for the first panel session of the day “Manchester Delivers: Building on Success” with Eamonn Boylan OBE Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Joanne Roney CBE Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, moderated by Mike Emmerich Founding Director of MetroDynamics. The panel session discussed some of the success that Greater Manchester has seen and how the region plans to strategically build on that going forward.
Eamonn Boylan OBE Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority said “The fundamental aim of the devolution agenda is about improving the quality of life for all of our residents.
"We’ve been working very hard with the private sector to make sure the pipeline can move on. We can only do that if our partners are committed.”
Joanne Roney CBE Chief Executive of Manchester City Council said “"Manchester is far from done in terms of creating that economic powerhouse. Then we have to make sure that people are able to take advantage of those opportunities that we’re creating. If the test of what were doing is are we closing the gap of inequality, that is at the heart of Manchester's Economic Strategy and Greater Manchester’s economic strategy. It should be front and centre.
"We’re in an optimistic and exciting phase jn Manchester, we potentially have the ability to redesign pathways into the jobs we want to create. We have to do that with the private sector, we can’t do it alone.
"That single settlement comes with some tough challenges, it's really setting the ambition, the purpose and drive of GM in this new context and making sure we’re as determined to deliver as we’ve ever been. All eyes will be on Greater Manchester to see if this is the future of how Whitehall should deliver growth. We have got to deliver on this."
Then it was time to discuss Greater Manchester’s new strategic vision for 9 of the 10 boroughs ‘Places for Everyone’ in ‘Places For Everyone - Delivering Growth Through Greater Manchester’s Strategic Plan’ with Eamonn Boylan OBE Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Lindsey Richards, President of RTPI, Mark Robinson Director of Economy and Place at Rochdale Council and Tom Stannard Chief Executive of Salford City Council. The session was moderated by Jane Healey Brown Director and Global Town Planning and Policy Skills Leader at Arup.
Eamonn Boylan OBE Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Combined Authority said "We felt creating a spatial framework was the right thing to do for a mature city region. It was necessary to help us address some of the challenges that GM has always faced and supporting key economic drivers.
"I hope people will see that having certainty of where planning will be promoted and where it won’t be, should help us move away from that tyranny of planning."
Lindsey Richards, President of RTPI said "Strategic planning is the necessary connection between national planning and local priorities, it ensures an integrated growth across an area and is certainly a framework for investment. Strategic plans are important because they look beyond boundaries and seek to define Strategic areas for growth."
Mark Robinson Director of Economy and Place at Rochdale Council said "In Rochdale we want to diversify our housing offer. One of the things there has been a lack of in the North of Greater Manchester is creating family homes. We want to give ourselves the ability to build at higher densities between railway stations.
"One of the benefits of Atom Valley and the release of green belt is that we are securing public access to open spaces that have previously been locked. There are some real opportunities for big recreational areas."
Tom Stannard Chief Executive of Salford City Council said "In Salford's case we have also contributed a significant replacement for Greenbelt, we’ve positioned housing allocations strategically in the city and employment allocations are things that have been in the pipeline for some time but are very much oven-ready. We know the development community has been crying out for some clarity on those sites for some time.
"The result we're on the verge of in the whole of GM is partly a statement of making the Government's life easier. That level of certainty that the allocations and strategic framework is part of the region’s response to that.
"What we’re looking to do, is make jobs more accessible to our residents and communities. Atom Valley and Port Salford are case and point."
Then it was time to present some of Greater Manchester’s current investable propositions in ‘Investing in Place-Based Growth’ with AtkinsRealis. Joining the panel was Will Church Senior Director of CBRE, Anna Heaton Partner at Addleshaw Goddard, John Rayson, Managing Director of AtkinsRealis, Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive of Stockport Council and it was moderated by Richard Bayley Strategic Advisor at AtkinsRealis.
Will Church Senior Director of CBRE said "In Greater Manchester partners and investors tend to stick around for the long haul and that’s really really important. You are lending to developers who want to work with Greater Manchester forever. Developers continue developing here even when times are challenging because they have confidence in the local political environment, the region and the key sectors."
Anna Heaton Partner at Addleshaw Goddard said "A true partnership between the public and private sector is really critical to the Greater Manchester Investment Plan. Thinking about how the whole can be delivered as an investable proposition looking at transport, net zero and that inequalities can be minimised.
"Manchester is always a force for positivity but we need to look at how we overcome challenges so that projects can come forward"
John Rayson, Managing Director of AtkinsRealis said "The success of Greater Manchester is about all of the things its been built around, music, culture, sport and art. Manchester is a massive draw, it has a significant influx of post-graduates and its a mix of those things that make Manchester special."
Caroline Simpson, Chief Executive of Stockport Council said "It is all about momentum, pipeline, confidence of delivery and having all those things aligned. What Greater Manchester has ahead of us is a phenomenal pipeline that builds on that success so far.
"It’s not all about Manchester and Salford City Centres, its about the momentum around the whole of Greater Manchester is creating around its towns, creating excitement for its next phase.
"We need to make sure we really build on that heritage of being at the forefront of science and innovation. That whole ethos of Strategic collective vision and planning alongside delivery capability to make sure we can see that through."
Richard Bayley Strategic Advisor at AtkinsRealis said "The sun today is quite symbolic as it feels like we’re on the verge of a new dawn in Greater Manchester with a lot of optimism."
Over at The Mondrian Cannes, Bev Craig spoke at a reception hosted by Morgan Sindall Construction and our media partner Place North West alongside Liam Robinson Leader of Liverpool Council and Pam Smith Chief Executive of Newcastle City Council.
After a short break for drop-in sessions which allowed members of the delegation to take part in meetings with investors, real estate professionals and other city-regions, it was back to the stage for an afternoon of activity.
Rebecca Heron, Strategic Director of Growth and Development for Manchester City Council hosted a session ‘Manchester What Next? The New Neighbourhoods Driving Growth and Opportunity’ with moderator Mike Emmerich. The session discussed a wealth of new opportunities and neighbourhoods planned for Manchester City Centre which will serve our growing city-centre population and improve quality of life in many areas of Manchester. Crucially, the session was used to celebrate that Studio Egret West has been appointed to lead a multi-disciplinary team to develop a Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) for Holt Town in east Manchester.
Holt Town is one of Manchester’s most exciting regeneration prospects for the coming years, with a strategically important location sitting between the city centre and the renowned investment in east Manchester at Sportcity, the Etihad Campus and the new Co-op Live Arena.
Studio Egret West will be leading a multi-disciplinary team which includes Deloitte, MVRDV NEXT, Turley, AKT II, Hilson Moran, Deetu and Hatch, which will bring a blend of local, national and international experience to the programme.
Rebecca Heron said “Whilst the city centre is by no means done, it has reached a critical point and we do have a responsibility to make sure that some of the success of Manchester City Centre is felt more widely.
"It is huge but with that comes an excitement that we're delivering something in Manchester that no one else is trying to deliver at that scale.
"Holt Town, for us felt like a real opportunity to try and design almost a new town in the heart of the city, while preserving its heritage."
David West Founding Director of Studio Egret West said “To be genuinely pioneering you have to be different and you have to be progressive and there’s nowhere better than Manchester to do this. Holt Town is just pivotally sat there connected to Sports City and different neighbourhoods, they need to be on the journey too.
"Our starting point must be to respect who is there, who lives there, who works there. I think we’ll find there’s a surprising amount of people who have strong relations to the area. I think that’s one of the reasons we’re so keen to capture people’s stories, share them and allow them to see how those stories are shaping the vision for the place.”
On the Geo Focus Stage, Bev Craig was joined by Marty Edelman, Member of the Executive Committee, City Football Group and Executive Chairman of Manchester Life, Dan Innes Founder of INNESCO, Jules Pipe Deputy Mayor Planning, Regeneration & Skills of Greater London Authority, Lionel Grotto CEO of Choose Paris Region and Alexandra Dublanche Chairwoman of Choose Paris Region for ‘Making the most out of major global sporting events’.
The session explored how cities are channelling the investment, development and political focus to transform urban real estate and infrastructure, with Manchester being a great example following the success of the Commonwealth Games in 2002.
Then we continued the theme of sport and regeneration over on the Manchester Stand as Bev Craig Leader of Manchester City Council was joined once again by Marty Edelman for a discussion named ‘How Sports Unlocked Regeneration and Community Opportunity for Manchester’ with moderator Liz Hamson Editor in Chief of BE News.
This ‘in conversation’ session explored how the alignment of aspiration between Manchester City FC and Manchester City Council has brought huge investment in world-class facilities and has changed the face of East Manchester over the last decade. It gave an overview of how the area has changed over the last decades delivering jobs, development and new entertainment venues for the area.
Then finally, it was time for the final session of the day “Salford Signature Schemes – Doubling In Size, Opportunity And Ambition” with Tom Stannard Chief Executive of Salford City Council, Phil Marsden Managing Director of Muse North West and Joe Manning Managing Director of MIDAS, moderated by Zoe Davidson Partner at Deloitte.
The session explored future ambitions and major developments in Salford including MediaCity doubling in size, Cresent Salford creating a new era of innovation in the city and other areas of growth across Salford.
On the future expansion of MediaCityUK, Tom Stannard Chief Executive of Salford City Council said “Ultimately MediaCityUK is becoming more than just an employment zone, it's becoming a place for innovation and is part of the greater Manchester Innovation Framework. Very importantly it's becoming a place for people to live and enjoy from a leisure point of view.
"The sense of its future capacity from a development perspective and the energy that’s there makes it a really really exciting opportunity for us at the moment."
On the redevelopment of Salford Crescent Phil Marsden Managing Director of Muse North West said “Within the Crescent development area we have some amazing natural assets like the River Irwell and Peel Park. We have some amazing existing buildings around the museum, art gallery and university and we’ve got an amazing opportunity to deliver housing for the people of Salford.
"In Crescent, the pace of the regeneration has moved far quicker than the pace of the infrastructure around it. If we’re going to keep regenerating and innovating transport and infrastructure need to keep up and getting a connection between MediaCityUK and Crescent would be fantastic."
Joe Manning Managing Director of MIDAS said “People want that quality of place aspect. You want to come to the quality of innovation and Place in Salford but you want the quality of life to go with that, you need to create the neighbourhoods that innovation can happen in.
Talent is critical to innovation. The fact that the university is so integral to this is important. These world class facilities are crucial to building that innovation cluster effect, if it is world leading and world class people want to be closer to it."
To view the programme for Wednesday at MIPIM, click here.
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Take a look at some more of the highlights from Day One at MIPIM below: