Hear from the developer leading the first National Housing Bank projects
Place Capital Group chief executive David Smith-Milne joins a robust line-up of speakers, including Manchester City Council’s Becca Heron, McLaren Regeneration’s Tom Gilman, and Igloo’s Joe Broadley, at Place North’s City Living Summit on 30 April.
Held in Manchester, City Living Summit will focus on the build-to-rent, student accommodation, and social housing market in the North West, Yorkshire, and the North East.
Attendees will gain an insight into the supply and demand fundamentals in the urban markets of the North of England, drawing out the forces at work and the challenges facing developers.
There will be a mix of presentations and panel debates examining the vital role residential delivery in Northern cities has to play in addressing the housing crisis.
City Living Summit is sponsored by Curtins, Lexington, and CPW.
Expert speakers confirmed to date
David Smith-Milne, chief executive and founder, Place Capital Group | Place Capital Group is the developer for Aviva’s latest initiative focussed on delivering low-energy homes on brownfield sites across the country. The project is one of the first to receive support from the National Housing Bank, a Homes England vehicle for housing investment that was launched last week. The partnership will work first on building 135 homes in Liverpool and 150 in Manchester, with more schemes to be announced in due course.
Alan Bevan, managing director, City Residential | Bevan is owner and managing director of City Residential, Liverpool’s leading city centre residential specialist. Formerly a sales director at David McLean Homes, Bevan founded the firm in 2000 and has become the go-to agent for the residential market in the city covering residential sales, lettings and property management, student, build-to-rent and land sales and acquisitions.
Joe Broadley, development director, Igloo | Broadley leads development projects across the North, while also seeking out new opportunities to expand and grow the Igloo development methodology. With a passion for town centre regeneration and the positive impact it can have on local communities, he joined iIgloo in 2023 and is now leading the charge on Newcastle’s high-interest Founders Place transformation. With over 23 years’ experience in development and regeneration, Broadley has an unwavering dedication to sustainable and socially responsible property development. In his previous role, Broadley spent 12 years as head of development at Bruntwood, where he led joint-venture projects that aimed to revitalise town centre communities across Greater Manchester.
Ali Farrell, head of impact strategies for real estate, Legal & General | Farrell is responsible for delivering robust investment performance while generating a positive societal impact. She leads the investment management of L&G’s Affordable Housing Fund – which has over £700m of commitments from 3rd party funders and 1,200 homes over management with a further 2,000 in development. She leads on investment strategy, asset selection, and long-term stewardship across L&G’s affordable housing platform. Farrell previously managed a large segregated client mandate investing across all UK regions and sectors, consistently delivering strong performance.
Tom Gilman, managing director, McLaren Regeneration | Gilman’s focus is on urban renewal, with ambitions to deliver positive impact on the social, cultural, and economic challenges within urban areas. He brings more than 30 years of property industry experience, including more than 20 as a developer delivering projects across the UK and covering all asset classes.
Becca Heron, strategic director of growth & development, Manchester City Council | Heron has a key role in the delivery of the ambitions set out in the Our Manchester strategy, building on the successes of the last two decades to drive inclusive growth that will ensure the city continues to be one of the most exciting destinations in Europe to live, work and play. Formerly director of economy and skills at Wigan Council, Becca’s career has included a number of different public sector roles, including previous positions within both Manchester City Council and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. During her time with the GMCA, Becca led on a series of high-profile and complex initiatives, including the development of 2014 Devolution Agreement.
Ed Howe, head of operational living research, Bidwells | Howe is head of operational living research at Bidwells, overseeing research and analysis for a range of clients across BTR, Co-Living, and Single Family Housing Sectors across the UK. He has eight years’ experience in Build to Rent research and is particularly enthusiastic about city centre living, growing northern cities to reach their full potential, place-making, and urban regeneration.
Kevin Logan, director, Maccreanor Lavington | Maccreanor Lavington has built up a diverse portfolio of both individual buildings and large-scale urban design projects and has a particular expertise in housing, public buildings and regeneration.
Sarah Snape, managing director, Rise Homes | With more than 180 years’ experience in the property sector, Snape has been instrumental in driving growth and overseeing the delivery and management of eight build-to-rent developments across the North and Midlands. As managing director, Snape leads Rise Homes in creating vibrant and sustainable communities—focusing on strong operational management and exceptional customer service, delivering long-term value for residents and stakeholders alike.
Katie Tonkinson, head of Studio North, HawkinsBrown | Since establishing Studio North for HawkinsBrown in 2014, Tonkinson has led a wide range of complex projects, spanning public and private sectors and at a variety of scales. She has a wealth of design experience, accumulated over more than 20 years with the company, commanding considerable knowledge of technical, legislative and societal issues: “serious about society, human about architecture”.
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