UKREiiF 2025: What did it give us to build on?

The fast pace of change in the public and private sector may make this year's forum feel like a distant memory, but the key challenges across capital programmes that emerged from it are still at the front of many minds.

If you couldn't attend or want a recap, we've pulled together three key messages from our own conversations. 

Viability is a key concern

Many regeneration and development schemes continue to grapple with financial viability, particularly in the face of persistently high construction costs, delays from regulatory bodies (notably the Building Safety Regulator), and bottlenecks in the planning system.  

A recurring theme was the need for 'realistic and honest' business plans that acknowledge these viability constraints while still striving for long-term impacts. In several instances, projects had to be re-evaluated and scaled down to ensure they remain feasible. This has led to an increased emphasis on cost-effective solutions and innovative financing models to close the viability gap.

 Public sector support is crucial

There was a clear consensus among private sector organisations that grant funding and public sector guarantees are essential to unlock stalled or marginal projects, particularly where private investment is insufficient.

Local authorities, facing budget and resourcing constraints, are increasingly looking to blended finance models, joint ventures, and mechanisms that capture land value to make projects feasible. There's a strong focus on asking central government departments, such as Homes England and the National Wealth Fund, to aid in unlocking schemes across the country.

However, the onus must not only rely on the public sector—the event emphasised the importance of cross-sector collaboration between the Government, developers, investors, and communities—to deliver regeneration that's both economically and environmentally sustainable.

Environmentally-friendly practices, including retrofitting existing buildings, unlocking brownfield land, and integrating green infrastructure, were highlighted as vital to achieving Net zero goals while supporting community resilience. While this is a priority for the Government, it does bring affordability challenges. We need models that bring together the strengths of different parties who can assess projects on different time horizons to break any potential deadlock.

Systemic reform is needed

Attendees called for planning reform, better resourcing of planning departments, and more consistent application of safety regulations to reduce delays and uncertainty. There's been lots of discussion regarding planning reform from central government over the last few years, but there's little evidence to demonstrably show this message has been truly actioned. The need for a more streamlined and transparent planning process was a key takeaway, with many advocating for a holistic approach that balances development with community interests and environmental considerations. At UKREiiF2025 we had an insightful conversation with Elgan Jones of HBD, part of Henry Boot, a developer who is focused on delivering government ambitions. Jones shared these thoughts:

“The focus on planning changes to speed up the supply side is a positive as is the challenging aspiration of 1.5 million homes. To deliver that growth and to provide confidence to the market there needs to be an acceptance that housing is a piece of national infrastructure which brings the requisite long- term commitment to funding and view on value creation.”

It’s always encouraging to see how the private sector remains positive when considering the opportunity to work with the public sector to bring forward large capital programmes. Our experience across unique delivery models, innovative funding and financing solutions, and supporting stakeholder engagement across large complex groups with competing agendas has meant we're well placed to move these projects forwards.

For more insight or guidance, contact Alex Springall or Nick Moseley.