East Yorkshire Development Update 2026

Cllr Anne Handley came into politics unexpectedly after retiring from a 17-year career working in further and higher education. What began as a favour for a friend turned, five years later, into her current role as Leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council — and she is proud to be the first woman to hold this position. Cllr Handley loves her role and is passionate about working alongside and supporting the people of the East Riding of Yorkshire. Alongside her council responsibilities, she regularly spends time in Westminster lobbying Government on key issues affecting the area, including the urgent need for increased SEND funding and discussions with the Energy Minister on the Humber — the largest concentration of carbon emitters in the country. Over the past two years, Cllr Anne Handley has worked with both Conservative and Labour Governments to help secure a devolution deal for the region. She is delighted that this has now been achieved and that a Mayor is in office. Devolution will bring greater investment in skills, education, infrastructure and transport, helping to secure a stronger future for the East Riding.

As head of investment at Humber Freeport, Richard has the responsibility for leading on attracting investors to the Humber Freeport tax sites, promoting innovation, decarbonisation, and skills and for promoting the Humber as a region as a great place to invest. Having held positions in both public and private sectors, most recently working in Economic Development for North Yorkshire council, Richard is passionate about working in partnership with public and private stakeholders to promote Humber Freeport as a catalyst to power the region’s growth and prosperity.

Raife joined Muse in 2022 as a senior development manager and has over a decade of development and repurposing experience, working on schemes across the UK. He has experience working with funds, private equity and public sector partners to deliver meaningful change to places. Raife was part of the team who helped set up Habiko, a JV between Muse, Homes England and Pension Insurance Corporation (PIC), which is a JV aimed at delivering 3,000 affordable and sustainable homes across England. Raife now sits as Regional Rep for Habiko, helping to implement the vehicles’ strategy across Yorkshire and North East.

Tom works closely with Strategic Authorities, Local Authorities, developers, and investors to turn shared housing and regeneration ambitions into real delivery. His focus is on building strong partnerships that unlock sites, overcome barriers and accelerate the development of new homes and regeneration projects. He oversees a multidisciplinary team, working closely with national colleagues, supporting locally-led priorities, ensuring national investment and expertise are aligned with regional needs to deliver high-quality homes, regeneration, economic development and thriving communities — helping create places people are proud to call home. Tom has extensive experience spanning 29 years in town planning, regeneration, economic development, master planning, and transport. He joined Homes England in March 2006 from Arup, where he was a director and UK Government Business Leader. From 2012 to 2017 he was chief officer Economy and Regeneration at Leeds City Council.

David Nuttall is a director in the Industrial & Logistics (I&L) team at HBD, leading key projects including FREEPORT 36, a 300-acre I&L development in Goole, Yorkshire’s Wakefield Hub, and Momentum in East London. A chartered surveyor with more than 20 years’ experience across both agency and development, he brings a well-rounded, commercially focused approach to the delivery complex industrial schemes. Throughout his career, David has successfully delivered large-scale I&L developments across the North of England. His experience spans single let manufacturing and distribution facilities through to multi-unit business parks, working across both brownfield and greenfield sites. He has a strong track record of guiding projects through the full lifecycle, from planning and delivery to leasing and disposals. David joined HBD in February 2025, having previously held roles at Tritax Symmetry, Cole Waterhouse, St. Modwen and Knight Frank, where he built extensive expertise in the industrial and logistics sector.

Bekki is an experienced project manager, supporting major investment projects in the Goole area of East Yorkshire. Part of Invest East Yorkshire, Inward Investment team (a department of East Riding of Yorkshire Council), she promotes the region globally, helping businesses of all sizes find suitable sites, develop infrastructure, and access grants and financial assistance. The team offers tailored support which includes liaising closely with other East Riding of Yorkshire Council departments such as Planning, Highways, and Skills. Bekki is passionate about showcasing East Yorkshire’s strengths and securing a prosperous future for the region’s economy. Invest East Yorkshire has attracted major corporations including Siemens Mobility, Croda, Elite Office Furniture and many others.

Cllr Paul Drake-Davis' political career with the Liberal Democrats only began back in 2017 and in 2018 he was elected as a councillor for the Beverley & Newland ward in Hull alongside the current leader, Mike Ross. Before politics, he was working in the IT industry, which started way back with DHL in his native west London and in which he stayed with until the Liberal Democrats took over control of Hull City Council in 2022. Drake-Davis has a passion for urban regeneration, looking for inspiration and "best in class" examples from around the UK to bring back to Hull.

Angela is currently the assistant director for major projects and infrastructure at Hull City Council. Blake has a wealth of experience in economic development and place regeneration gained in over 30 years in the public sector. Blake recently rejoined Hull from Bradford, where she led on all aspects of Housing, including the new Bradford City Village, 1000 new unit scheme in the centre of Bradford in partnership with English Cities Fund (ECF). Blake is now working with ECF on a similar 800-unit scheme on the East Bank of the River Hull along with the delivery of a variety of major projects, including schools, city centre regeneration, highways and heritage buildings.

Owen Plummer is a conservation accredited architect and leads Purcell’s York studio. With a particular interest in museum design, industrial heritage and unlocking complex historically significant sites, Plummer has led the design team for many aspects of the Hull Maritime project since 2018. Working with Hull City Council and project partners, he has helped shape the transformation of key city-centre assets, including the refurbishment of Hull Maritime Museum and the adjacent Dock Office Chambers, alongside the rejuvenation of Queen’s Gardens. Plummer has also played a central role in the design of the new visitor centre at the North End Shipyard, created to be sensitive to its historic context while setting a benchmark for sustainable, low-energy performance. Across the programme, a key strand of his focus has been upon connecting people with place and heritage.