UKREiiF 2025: The West Midlands Pavilion Round-Up

The Housing Delivery theme opened with a keynote address from Rob Perrins, Chief Executive of Berkeley Group, who set the tone for a morning focused on ambition, resilience and partnership. Speaking candidly about the national challenges facing the sector; from policy uncertainty to inflation and interest rate pressures, he stressed that none of it should deter the industry from bold thinking. “We need to keep building, even when it’s difficult. Partnerships are the only way through this,” he said, urging local authorities and developers to align around shared outcomes.

The Housing Delivery: Making It Happen session brought this idea to life with real examples, showcasing Keon Homes’ Port Loop and Midland Heart’s Yardley Brook developments, as well as Walsall Council’s progress at Willenhall. The panel featured Richard Williams (Keon Homes), Stuart Penn (Lovell), Joe Reeves (Midland Heart), Emma Bennett (City of Wolverhampton Council), and Cllr Adrian Andrew (Walsall Council), who each shared insights on how collaboration, trust and local commitment are turning ambition into delivery. We also heard more on the Homes for the West Midlands LLP, launched by the Mayor in October, and now progressing its mission to accelerate the delivery of the region’s affordable housing ambitions. From modular housing to brownfield land delivery, the session shared practical insights on how housing projects are breaking ground despite constrained conditions. “It’s not just about funding, it’s about unlocking barriers together, planning, land assembly, and community buy-in,” noted Reeves.

The final session, Addressing Viability: The Future of Public Sector Intervention, shifted the focus to system-wide levers. Chaired by Shokat Lal (Sandwell Council), the discussion featured Richard Parker (Mayor of the West Midlands), Jo Nugent (Homes England) and Tim Johnson (City of Wolverhampton Council). The panel explored how the public sector can de-risk investment and maintain momentum in housing starts. Jo Nugent reiterated that Homes England remains committed to supporting sites that wouldn’t otherwise come forward, while Richard Parker spoke to the Combined Authority’s evolving approach post-election. “Housing delivery is still core to our inclusive growth mission, we’re focused on bringing partners with us to make it viable,” he said.

The key takeaway for investors and developers: despite national headwinds, the West Midlands is offering a coordinated, long-term plan to deliver homes at scale. With strong political backing, active intervention by Homes England, and credible local delivery partners, the region presents a stable and investable housing pipeline for those willing to back partnership-led models.

The Tuesday afternoon programme at the Pavilion spotlighted the vital role of infrastructure and energy in unlocking inclusive, sustainable growth. The sessions tackled the planning and delivery barriers facing major regeneration programmes, with a strong focus on place-based strategy, decarbonisation, and investor confidence.

E.ON, one of the West Midlands’s UKREiiF premier partners, brought energy transition to the forefront of the conversation. As a leading player in the region’s net-zero ambitions, E.ON’s priorities centre around decarbonising heat, accelerating the rollout of low-carbon technologies, and supporting place-based energy strategies that align with local growth. Their involvement throughout the week reinforced the importance of integrated infrastructure in making the West Midlands a national leader in clean growth.

The first panel, Challenging Barriers to Growth, chaired by Tim Fawcett from Mott MacDonald, explored how local authorities and developers can collaborate to deliver major schemes. Andy Williams (Coventry City Council), Cheryl Hiles (Energy Capital), Jo Russell (Stoford), and Natalie Robinson (E.ON) unpacked the structural, regulatory, and financial hurdles impacting development at pace and scale. Key messages included the need for clearer policy alignment between government departments and the role of infrastructure planning in reducing risk for investors. Coventry and E.ON’s strategic energy partnership – a UK first – was a key talking point, as well as Coventry’s major progress on Very Light Rail: two examples of how an ambitious Local Authority can send a strong, positive message to the market.

As conversations turned to transport infrastructure, a key session explored HS2’s role in enabling dynamic, mixed-use regeneration; including the £3.2bn Arden Cross development, highlighted by Jonathan Ashcroft (Muse). Hosted by Jenni Kirby (WSP), the panel included insights from Cllr Ian Courts (Solihull Council), Huw Edwards (HS2), and Simon Delahunty-Forrest (Birmingham City Council).

The discussion focused on HS2 as a once-in-a-generation catalyst for place-based transformation. Simon Delahunty-Forrest pointed to major changes already underway in Digbeth, with 10 sites and 6,000 homes driving momentum. “There’s more to Birmingham than bin bags,” he said. “We’re trying to make a destination you’ve never seen before.”

Jonathan Ashcroft emphasised early developer engagement and transparent collaboration: “Connectivity is not about cars, it’s about creating opportunity.” Edwards added, “We’re investing tremendous time, from social media to YouTube, to get the message across.”

While frustration remains about delivery timescales, the session made clear that HS2’s value lies in long-term opportunity. As Kirby concluded, “The scale is huge, the impact on local communities is massive.”

In her keynote, Transport Enabled Growth: The Vision for the West Midlands, Laura Shoaf outlined the strategic role transport-led development is playing in unlocking value across the region, not only around HS2 but in key locations where transport projects are now coming to fruition: the Dudley metro extension and the reopening of the Wolverhampton-Walsall train line are both due to complete in 2025.

The Pavilion audience heard a significant announcement as Shokat Lal (Sandwell Council) launched the procurement process for a strategic development partner to deliver West Bromwich’s £500 million regeneration masterplan. Framing the town not as a blank canvas but “full of opportunity,” he underlined the ambition to retain talent, grow the local economy and deliver real outcomes for residents.

The plan spans a transformational 22-hectare mixed-use site in the heart of the town centre, backed by £100 million of regeneration funding already secured. Lal emphasised the town’s strengths, strong infrastructure, community resilience and a clear economic vision and called for partners whose “vision, values and appetite” align with Sandwell’s.

Cllr Peter Hughes echoed this message, affirming that West Bromwich is open for investment and ready to work with developers to deliver long-term, inclusive growth.

A major talking point across the Pavilion was the surprise visit from Tom Wagner, co-owner of Birmingham City FC and managing partner at Knighthead Capital. His appearance underscored growing international confidence in the West Midlands and renewed interest in one of its most exciting regeneration opportunities: the Birmingham Sports Quarter.

Fresh details were revealed later that afternoon, confirming the scale and ambition of the project. The £500 million GDV masterplan was brought to life by Nick Smith and Jeremy Dale (Birmingham City FC and further details from Elise Baudon (Prior + Partners) and Hari Sothinathan (Deloitte) as key advisors on the project and  Simon Delahunty-Forrest (Birmingham City Council). The session set out how public-private coordination is driving the scheme forward and positioning The Sports Quarter for long-term investment.

The Sports Quarter will transform the area around St. Andrew’s stadium, delivering a new 60,000-seat stadium, commercial and leisure spaces, high-quality public realm, and world-class event infrastructure. Now backed by newly confirmed government funding for the East Birmingham Metro extension, the scheme is a flagship opportunity for inclusive growth, inward investment and place-based transformation in East Birmingham.

The West Midlands is building at scale, planning with intent, and inviting developers and investors to partner on place-based regeneration grounded in real infrastructure delivery. With transport, energy, and placemaking aligned, the region made a strong case for long-term investment.

The West Midlands’ signature showcase session returned with a rapid-fire format and powerful investment messaging. Pitch Up! gave the region’s most investable projects a platform to shine, each backed by clear economic data, partner alignment and delivery progress.

This year’s spotlight included:

Joanna Birch (Woodbourne Group) pitched the Knowledge Quarter as a global innovation destination and Investment Zone asset. She spoke about the potential for cross-border collaboration, particularly in MedTech, digital health and AI, emphasising the role of Bruntwood SciTech and Aston University in anchoring growth.

Paul Woodcock (City of Wolverhampton Council) highlighted one of the UK’s fastest-growing CleanTech clusters. The corridor brings together the Springfield Campus, industry partnerships and major net-zero initiatives to create a future-facing industrial offer. The message to investors was clear: collaboration, land, and skills are in place and delivery is happening now.

The afternoon programme on Wednesday showcased the West Midlands as a globally recognised hub for innovation, research excellence and cutting-edge industrial clusters. The sessions reinforced the region’s distinct advantage in creating investable places rooted in university partnerships, R&D infrastructure and specialist skills.

It Starts Here, a session that brought innovation down to earth by focusing on what makes the West Midlands a fertile ground for new ideas and enterprise. Hosted by Simon Marks (Arcadis), the conversation featured Jane Coleman (University of Warwick) and Harpal Mattu (Agilyx Group), who shared powerful reflections on the region’s academic strengths, accessibility, and collaborative energy.

Jane Coleman highlighted how world-class research and innovation must be made visible and tangible: “We need to play to our strengths and be proud of what we’re delivering.” She called HS2 a “game changer” for regional opportunity, stressing how connectivity reinforces the West Midlands’ advantage in attracting talent and investment.

Harpal Mattu echoed the sentiment, sharing why his business relocated from Reading to Birmingham: “You don’t need to travel anymore to get what you need.” He praised the region’s diverse workforce, university links and cost competitiveness, arguing that the ingredients for global success are already here.

Together, the session underscored the region’s ambition to lead not only in innovation; but in inclusive innovation, built on academic excellence, affordability, and genuine partnership.

Next, Birmingham Knowledge Quarter: Global Innovation at the Heart of the UK’s Second City, opened with remarks from Cllr Sharon Thompson of Birmingham City Council. She framed the Knowledge Quarter as one of the most exciting university-anchored development zones in the UK, offering scale, talent and strategic growth potential.

Chaired by Catherine Hadfield, Strategic Lead for Birmingham Knowledge Quarter, the panel brought together Rob Valentine (Bruntwood), Andrew Dakers (West London Business), Joanna Birch (Woodbourne Group) and Luke Southan (Aston University). Each speaker demonstrated how quadruple-helix collaboration, between academia, government, business and communities is already delivering on the ground.

The discussion highlighted how the Knowledge Quarter is fast becoming a globally significant MedTech and health innovation cluster, with the region home to the largest number of clinical trials outside Oxford and the largest medical device cluster in the UK. It also explored the cross-sector innovation ecosystem developing across Birmingham, supported by leading research institutions and digital infrastructure.

The second session, Maximising Clusters: Innovation Driving Investment in Coventry & Warwickshire, was introduced by The Rt Hon Greg Clark, Chair of the University of Warwick’s Innovation District, and hosted by Neil Rami from West Midlands Growth Company.

This panel showcased how Coventry & Warwickshire is combining its R&D assets, future mobility infrastructure and creative industries to form one of the UK’s most dynamic investment destinations.

Speakers included Mark Tock (University of Warwick Science Park), Peter Vale (Severn Trent), Julie Nugent (Coventry City Council), Isobel Woods (Warwickshire County Council), and Ian Harrabin (Complex Development Projects). Together, they mapped out the region’s innovation proposition – one grounded in long-term skills pipelines, university collaboration and large-scale infrastructure like the upcoming Greenpower Park.

Greenpower Park, a £400m battery and energy technology campus, is a flagship project within the West Midlands Investment Zone. It represents a new type of clean growth development – one that brings together research and manufacturing with place-based economic inclusion. Speakers emphasised that the park is not only a significant R&D asset but also a tool for driving high-quality jobs and levelling up within local communities.

From the Knowledge Quarter in Birmingham to innovation districts across Coventry and Warwickshire, the session underlined a single, powerful message: the West Midlands is not just open to innovation-led investment, it is setting the pace.

The West Midlands is leveraging its internationally significant innovation clusters, university infrastructure and place-based leadership to attract investment and scale new technologies. For investors and developers, this means access to fast-growing markets, deep talent pools and the UK’s most connected research ecosystems.

The final morning of UKREiiF 2025 focused on policy, leadership and delivery, closing the West Midlands Pavilion programme with a forward-looking discussion on the systems and partnerships needed to deliver long-term, inclusive growth.

The session opened with a keynote from Ed Cox (West Midlands Combined Authority), who introduced the West Midlands Futures Green Paper. He framed it as a live framework rather than a static document, one designed to unite public, private and community stakeholders around a shared agenda for the next decade.

Chaired by Fiona Tuck (Metro Dynamics), the panel unpacked how delivery is defined in practice. Julia Goldsworthy (Legal & General) stressed the importance of investor confidence, calling for stable frameworks that align private capital with place-based outcomes. “Clarity of purpose is essential,” she said. “Investors want to know the goalposts won’t keep shifting and in the West Midlands, that alignment is increasingly evident.”

Dan Meredith (E.ON) offered insight from the energy sector, underlining that net zero must be built in from the outset, not retrofitted. He challenged developers and local authorities to treat energy as critical infrastructure: “You cannot plan 21st-century regeneration without energy at the core.”

Rob Valentine (Bruntwood SciTech) brought a commercial real estate perspective, focusing on what makes the West Midlands attractive to innovation-led occupiers. He spoke of the region’s emerging ecosystem of universities, science hubs and collaborative councils. “We invest where there’s vision, but more importantly, where there’s delivery.”

Taken together, the session conveyed a consistent message: the West Midlands is becoming easier; not harder, to invest in. For developers and institutional investors, policy in the region is being actively reshaped to support delivery, unlock scale and build the kind of public-private alignment that underpins long-term value.

The West Midlands at UKREiiF 2025 was sponsored by Premier partners: E.ON and Lendlease. Partners: Lovell, Mott MacDonald, Muse, Shoosmiths, Stoford. Supporters: Agilyx Group, Apsley House Capital PLC, Arup, BDP, Cundall, Constructing West Midlands, Deloitte, Hammerson, Keon Homes, Pinnegar Hayward Design, Prior + Partners, Stonebond, Woodbourne Group, WSP.