Landsec’s Allan: We need to stand with our cities to level up 

COMMENT Cities across the UK need greater attention and investment if the UK is to truly level up. As the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is introduced in the Queen’s Speech this week, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve economic productivity and deliver a thriving urban landscape.  For too long, cities outside of the capital have lagged their European peers, from Barcelona to Munich or Milan; but there is no need for this to be the case. Wherever they are in the UK, our cities have the potential to play a powerful role in creating opportunities and inspiring talent. How we support those cities today will have a critical impact on a sustainable future for the UK. The Levelling Up white paper unveiled earlier this year defined a focus on regenerating urban areas in need of investment, and on targeting interventions on improving quality of life regardless of location. That was a promise we are glad to see the government stand by now. The commitment made in the bill is more than a levelling-up mission for the North. It is an opportunity to create change across the UK and demands bold, sustained action today, tomorrow and beyond. But this will only work if the missions at the heart of it are given genuine teeth – and that they are applied as a national policy, not driven by politics. As the white paper makes clear, inequality within those cities and places considered successful is often as bad as it is within regions. So levelling up needs to apply as equally to Lewisham as it does to Leeds.  Pride in place At Landsec, our success is interlinked with that of a thriving future for the UK’s cities. Over the past two years, the role of a city has been challenged like never before. Once cultural hubs where people from all walks of life came together to work, play and meet, the pandemic forced cities to close their doors, accelerating some of the structural trends within retail and forcing us to rethink how we use different spaces.  As an organisation that benefits from and contributes to the success of cities, we know we have a responsibility to aid their recovery and are committed to working alongside government to play our part in that journey. Collaboration with the private sector will be crucial here – and this is why we are so disappointed to see the proposal to allow councils to take over “vacant” shop units. It is pitting public against private sector and tackling the wrong end of the issue. We need to rethink how we regenerate places to bring retail centres back to life, not tinker around the edges.  To deliver this, we believe there are three missions that Landsec – and the wider real estate sector – should be thinking about in particular: those centred around productivity, wellbeing and pride in place.  These three get to the heart of what good development should deliver: by generating economic activity in areas at risk of decline, bolstering the health and wellbeing of local residents. With better jobs and quality of life, local people feel more proud of their local area, retaining their talent and the community’s social fabric, which in turn makes it a destination of choice, attracting new families and talent, fuelling more economic growth.  When the white paper was released, the measure on “pride of place” was met with puzzlement in some quarters, but as all of us in the property sector know, emotional qualities such as this are often what drives decisions – whether at planning committee or when buying or selling real estate.  Urban patriotism A huge part of our focus at Landsec is on working with our communities to help them thrive. We want to create value for the cities in which we operate and are doing this through our regeneration pipeline, seeking to develop new urban, mixed-use neighbourhoods that cater to local needs.  This is not without challenges, but through careful and conscious development – done by understanding the triggers for happiness and economic stability across the country – we can build spaces that have an impact on local identity and individuality. We often talk of “urban patriotism”, or the emotional attachment to big cities which is core to its residents’ identity – our research shows that in cities, this is a real driver of pride in place. We believe this concept will be key to delivering on aspirations underpinning the levelling-up agenda and we are using it to inform our thinking in development in cities across the country – from London to Leeds, Glasgow, Cardiff and Manchester.  As this week’s bill is introduced, we look forward to standing with government and local councils to create value that will help communities across Britain grow and thrive. By focusing on those three missions, we hope to make a lasting contribution to the success of the UK’s cities, today and for years to come.  Mark Allan is chief executive at Landsec Image © Landsec