Downtown to launch property club

Private sector lobby group and business networking club Downtown in Business is to debut its new property club with a lunch event featuring the former chief executive of Manchester City Council.

Sir Howard Bernstein will be the keynote speaker at the lunchtime Lancashire Property Club launch event, which will take place at Cotton Court, Preston, on Wednesday 15th June, 12pm-2pm.

He will talk on his experiences including masterminding the transformation of Manchester during his time in the city as well as advising Lancashire County Council on its regeneration and economic growth plans.

Rob Binns, chair of DIB Lancashire, said: "There are many regeneration projects taking place across the county at the moment, and we wanted to create a forum that brought together the key players in the construction industry who will be delivering these important projects and showcase Lancashire’s regeneration.

"We will also introduce our property club members from Manchester and Liverpool into the conversations moving forward, so that we can share experiences, good practice, and no doubt discuss potential collaborations in the future."

Frank McKenna, chief executive and group chairman of DIB, added: "The property sector has shown significant resilience against the recent challenges that business has faced, nowhere more so than Lancashire. Having seen the success of creating distinct property networks in Manchester and Liverpool, we think the time is now right for us to launch a similar group in the county. Certainly, the range of regeneration initiatives, and potential future initiatives, will give us plenty to focus on in the months ahead.

"Sir Howard, having contributed to the Greater Lancashire plan, and previously supported Blackpool in its place making plans, is the perfect guest speaker to launch what I am sure will become an important addition to the Downtown offer in Lancashire."