Cumbria Development Update

ANGELA JONES, WESTMORLAND & FURNESS COUNCIL | Angela is the director of thriving places at Westmorland & Furness Council. Prior to this she was the executive director for economy and infrastructure at Cumbria County Council. Angela has worked in a mixture of unitary and county councils, across the North West and Wales.

DARREN CROSSLEY, CUMBERLAND COUNCIL | Darren has substantial experience of leading public sector organisations, the education sector and social enterprise. Darren has more than 30 years of experience in local government working for Metropolitan and District Councils in Preston, Sheffield, Bedford, Wigan, Lancashire and now Cumberland.

DEANNE SHALLCROSS, WHITEHAVEN HARBOUR COMMISSIONERS | As CEO of Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners, a not-for-profit organisation, Deanne oversees a dedicated, small team focused on managing and maintaining the town’s 400-year-old harbour and estate, The Rum Story visitor attraction and shop, several car parks, multiple tenants, the building of a new coastal activities centre, and more.

GILL HAIGH, CUMBRIA TOURISM | Gill is managing director of Cumbria Tourism, the Local Visitor Economy Partnership for the destination and official voice of an industry which is worth more than £4bn to the economy and represents approximately 4500 member businesses. Gill joined Cumbria Tourism in 2017. During her 30 plus years career in marketing and communications, she has gained substantial leadership experience across both the private and public sectors, specifically travel and tourism.

JILL ANDERSON, WHITBREAD | Jill is responsible for growing Premier Inn in Cumbria and across the North of England, Scotland & Northern Ireland. She is a chartered surveyor with more than 20 years’ experience in new site acquisitions. Advocating a collaborative approach to site acquisition and development, Jill will bring an expert perspective on the current market for hotels in Cumbria as well as the long-term benefits of branded operators like Premier Inn to the region.

PROFESSOR JULIE MENNELL, UNIVERSITY OF CUMBRIA | Prior to becoming vice chancellor at the University of Cumbria, Professor Mennell held the positions of deputy vice chancellor (development) and deputy vice chancellor (academic) for the University of Sunderland, leading on portfolio and partnership development, academic and research provision, student experience and outcomes.

MARTHA SHIELDS, SOUTH LAKES HOUSING| As head of development at South Lakes Housing, Martha brings a wealth of experience in delivering new build affordable housing, regeneration and community-led projects across Cumbria and northern Lancashire. Through a creative and collaborative approach, creating places, spaces and homes for everyone is at the heart of what she does.

KEITH ASHCROFT, LAKE DISTRICT FOUNDATION | Keith is the chair of the Lake District Foundation generating funds to deliver environmental projects across Cumbria and the Lake District. He was previously the environment agency’s area director for Cumbria and Lancashire leading the response and recovery for major flood events helping to bring more than £100 million investment to make Cumbria more climate resilient as well as supporting and regulating major industry including the nuclear sector. He is a former chair of Cumbria Local Resilience Forum and member of Cumbria Chief Officers Group and LEP Investment Panel

LAUREN NEWBY, EKOSGEN | Lauren is a director at ekosgen, part of GC Insight. Lauren is an experienced consultant with over 25 years’ experience providing advice and support in the fields of economic development, regeneration and strategic planning and is a specialist in developing economic visions and strategies, placemaking, sector and skill strategies. She has worked extensively within Cumbria to support casemaking and strategy development to support the realisation of socio-economic potential.

NICKY GORDON, GENESIS HOMES | Nicky is the managing director and major shareholder, leading up Genesis Homes and its operation across Cumbria and North Lancashire. Nicky founded the company in 2017. During that time the housebuilder has gone from building 10 homes a year to more than 150 in the past 12 months. The housebuilder recently completed its 500th home to date and is now eyeing delivery of 200 properties a year by 2026.

MARK GRIFFITHS, HYDROCK | Mark is a chartered hydrogeologist and chartered scientist with a strong technical background having spent 12 years working on a diverse range of geothermal, geoenvironmental and hydrogeology projects. In particular, he’ll bring a perspective on deep and shallow geothermal energy, an area where he has led research, feasibility studies, and design for various projects across the UK.

ADAM KEY, SAVILLS | Adam is a director of chartered surveyors & property advisors Savills and is head of planning for the North of England. Adam is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors with 30 years of experience in the areas of planning and development. Savills are currently advising several significant businesses and landowners within Cumbria on a range of business and housing opportunities and will be actively engaging with the new Westmorland & Furness Local Plan in the years ahead.

ADAM MCNALLY, STORY HOMES | Adam is a fully qualified town planner & surveyor who spent 10 years working his way up the planning ranks at Eden District Council before joining Story Homes, where for the last 10 plus years he has been an integral part of the growth of the business, working with the pre-development team in securing new sites and planning permissions, and in doing so overcoming the many hurdles facing the housing industry.

Tickets cost £80+VAT. There will be a mix of presentations and panels. Breakfast and lunch are included, providing plenty of opportunity for business development.

This event is sponsored by Genesis Homes, Whitbread, Hydrock, now Stantec and Savills

View sponsorship opportunities.

Book using the form below – if you can’t see the form, please contact [email protected]