Speaker line-up building for county’s levelling-up conference

Lancashire’s levelling-up ambitions will come under the spotlight at an event featuring some of the biggest names in property.

Speakers at the ‘Built Environment Conference: Investing in Lancashire’s Levelling Up’ include developers of some of the north west’s flagship projects including Liverpool One and the City of Manchester Stadium.

Eight speakers have now been confirmed for the event which takes place on the morning of September 29 at Blackpool Football Club in association with Anderton Gables, Blackpool Makes It Work and Harrison Drury Solicitors.

They also include construction and property professionals from across Lancashire; public sector representatives who facilitate investment and artists with a particular interest in improving the public environment through aesthetics

The event will delve into a variety of topics shaping the current and future landscape of Lancashire - including an analysis of how property and construction feed into levelling-up aspirations.

Contributing to the event will be Tom Higgins, director of Laing O'Rourke. A quantity surveyor by trade, he will draw on his city experiences working on high-profile projects such as the City of Manchester Stadium, Liverpool One and leading the tender for the £570m Manchester Airport Transformation Programme and the new Everton Stadium.

He will be joined on the day by Nick Gerrard, growth and prosperity programme director at Blackpool Council; John Chesworth, executive chairman of Harrison Drury Solicitors and chair of the Preston Towns Fund Bid; Gemma Cornwall, building surveyor and sustainability advisor at Anderton Gables; Jamie Holman, artist, partner at Uncultured Creatives and chair of the National Festival of Making; Erin Kelly, customer care supervisor at Red Rose Drylining; Paul McNeill, director at Ball & Berry; and Charles Hadcock, the Queen’s Award-winning sculptor and Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire.

Topics covered during roundtable debates, interviews and Q&As will include transport infrastructure, town and city centre living and questions about the county’s identity and how we can learn from our neighbours, Liverpool and Manchester.

There will also be information on Levelling Up bids, Enterprise Zones, the potential of Eden Project North - including how these will shape the county in the years and decades ahead as well as the direct opportunities they present for companies within the built environment supply chain.

This event is designed for those who work in, influence or are affected by investment in the county’s built environment and there will be plenty of time away from the formal proceedings for you to forge new contacts and start the relationships that create the workflow with networking opportunities and exhibition.

Richard Slater, organiser of the event, said: “The built environment is central to Lancashire’s future: it shapes our identity, determines our potential for growth, and is a key factor in whether we can attract and retain the skills we need to fulfil our ambitions.

“With a great deal of exciting activity on the horizon, including the decisions on Levelling Up Fund for which Lancashire has asked for almost half a billion pounds - now is the perfect time to bring professionals from across the county together to start important conversations.

“We have invited an incredible panel, with experience on some of the region’s foremost projects to draw on, to share their expertise and we also look forward to input and questions from our audience.”

Tickets are now available and include light breakfast, refreshments and lunch. For more details, click here.

The event will also be reviewed in full in Lancashire Business View’s Property Report in our November-December edition and shared with our 50,000 readers in print and online.