Place Podcast

Electric vehicles are on the rise as the UK pushes for net zero, which means more and more EV charging stations are needed. But before you add an EV charging unit to your scheme you need to answer two very important questions: How will it be powered? Where will it go? Pegasus executive director and environmental planner Andrew Cook delves into each question to propose solutions that will help your...

When it comes to minimising carbon footprints, companies should keep things simple and take steps to measure, monitor, and manage energy consumption before considering investing heavily in largely untested technologies, according to energy provider Unify. Sarah Bateman, chief executive of Unify Energy, explains why spending money on solar panels, so-called green energy and EV charging points...

Engineering consulting firm WSP delves into the ins and outs of retrofitting beyond just housing, tackling how commercial projects need to get on board to help the UK meet its net zero ambitions in this episode of Place North West ’s COP26 podcast series. Given that 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 are already built, retrofitting is no longer an option but a necessity. Kate Dougherty,...

Regenerating brownfield sites surrounding transport infrastructure is the key topic in this podcast with Rochdale Council and Broadway Malyan. As we push for more brownfield developments, creating communities around areas like train stations seems like a no-brainer. Using the Rochdale Rail Corridor as a jumping-off point, Broadway Malyan’s Danny Crump and Rochdale Council’s cabinet member for econ...

In this episode, we explore the ways in which public authorities are working towards Greater Manchester’s net-zero carbon target of 2038 and hear about the drivers and the challenges involved. To discuss this our host Paul Unger was joined by Sarah Holland, programme and policy lead for energy at Greater Manchester Combined Authority; Dmitri Korolenko, lead sustainability & physics engineer at...

Environmental consultancy LUC shares its expertise on how smart landscape design and ecology-minded planning can help the UK reach its net zero goal in this episode of Place North West ’s COP26 podcast series. Green infrastructure is the phrase of the moment and one of the key ways that developers and local authorities can make schemes environmentally friendly. Together with LUC’s senior planner L...

As the impacts of climate change worsen, it’s more important than ever that we try and build in a sustainable fashion. Civic Engineers directors Paul Morris and James Bruce share how engineers can help projects boost biodiversity and reduce carbon footprints. Civic Engineers is a civil, structural and transport engineering practice focused on having a positive impact on the environment and enablin...

There are concerns within the social housing sector about how they will afford technologies such as air source heat pumps and if tenants will accept them. And while housing associations go about putting plans together for retrofitting programmes that could cost hundreds of millions of pounds, private homeowners need to be encouraged to do more to make their homes fit for the future. In this episod...

Bruntwood Works is aiming to create the first carbon neutral commercial building in the country. In this latest episode of  Place North West ’s Cop26 podcast series, we ask how it can be done and, more importantly, if it can be replicated at scale. The UK Green Building Council is pushing for all buildings to be net-zero by 2050. If the development community is going to achieve that, a b...

Wind energy is the future of sustainable power, so how can we maximise its potential? Pegasus Group executive planning director Chris Calvert and environment director Dale Turner join Julia Hatmaker to weigh in on the opportunities and obstacles surrounding wind energy in this episode of Place North West ’s COP26 podcast series. To find out more, visit pegasusgroup.co.uk

In this latest episode of  Place North West’s  COP26 podcast series, TLT legal director Joseph Meredith takes us through the nuanced world of landlord/tenant relationships in the net-zero era. The drive for net-zero is not going away and there are thousands of commercial buildings across the country that need to be brought in line with changing legislation and expectations. But who shoul...

Welcome to the Place North West COP26 podcast series, featuring some of the biggest names in property and exploring all things net zero carbon and sustainability within the built environment. In this opening episode, Andrew Knapp and David Cadwallader, directors at MEES Solutions, join Place North West's deputy editor Julia Hatmaker to discuss, in detail, the five easy ways to improve your EPC rat...

Shazia Bashir, housing & regeneration partner at TLT, joins Paul Unger to discuss green finance.  Green finance is on the rise and never more so than in the UK's affordable housing sector. In this podcast, Shazia and Paul look at the trends driving the market, the avenues available to access green finance, and the challenges faced by registered providers in meeting the UK's net zero carbo...

HMS’ managing director Paul Worthington, construction director John Barrow, commercial director Ian McGillivary, and maintenance director Alison Brown joined deputy editor Julia Hatmaker to hammer out the root causes of the skills shortage and, what is more, discuss what can be done to solve it.

Colin Shenton, chief executive of the Shenton Group, and Andrew Purdon, head of co-living transactions at CBRE, joined reporter Dan Whelan to thrash out the issues currently preventing the co-living sector really taking off and discuss what can be done to break through the barriers.

Permitted development was introduced to speed up the planning process and tackle housing shortages, but has it had the desired effect and will recent changes to the rules have a positive or negative impact on our town and city centres? Victoria Leam, solicitor at Kuits, and Justine Entezari, associate at Iceni Projects, joined  Place North West reporter Dan Whelan to run the rule over the per...

Phil Mayall, board director at regeneration specialists Muse Developments and Mark Robinson, chair of the High Streets Taskforce, join  Place North West reporter Dan Whelan to discuss the pitfalls of the one-size fits-all approach to regeneration, how to unearth a town’s purpose and identity, and what the future holds for this increasingly scrutinised sector.

Richard Lewis, technical and quality director at M&E consultancy Davies Partnership - alongside Paul Gerrard, director of developer For Living, and Victoria Alderton, director of architect Paddock Johnson - joined Place North West reporter Dan Whelan to discuss how the industry is handling the sustainability challenge.

Colin Shenton, chief executive of the Shenton Group, and Jackson Torchia, house manager at Oppidan Life, join reporter Dan Whelan to discuss co-living and to provide an insight into the emerging sector, the factors driving its growth, where it is headed next and how Oppidan Life plans to tap into the market in the coming years.

Felicity Tulloch, head of licensing at award-winning law firm, Kuits, and Chris Middleton, commercial manager at Bruntwood, join Place North West editor, Sarah Townsend, to discuss all things licences in principle. 

After a tough year for construction firms, Stuart Stead, head of construction and property at accountancy firm Cowgills, and Ben Fearns, managing director of developer Novo Property Group, discuss the biggest issues facing the industry and what can be done to improve the outlook for medium-sized contractors in an increasingly competitive market. Much like 2019, this year has seen a number of high-...

Stockport Council leader Wilson, and former Trafford Council leader Anstee, now executive director at Cratus Communications, discuss how Covid-19 has impacted them personally and professionally, and what it means for the future of place making and community engagement, in this Place North West podcast. This podcast was sponsored by Cratus Communications and hosted by Sarah Townsend, editor of Plac...

In an interview with Place North West , Andy Rainford and Colin Savage explain why their strategy as they take the reins from former majority shareholder and most recent MD Andy Critchlow will never be about “ripping up the rulebook”. Rather, it is about “evolution, not revolution” in the words of Rainford, who defines his priorities as building on the strengths of the business and deepening its o...

The Government’s proposed changes to the much-maligned planning system aim to slash the red tape, speed up housing delivery and prioritise creating beautiful places for people to live, but whether the reforms are as radical as Whitehall claims remains to be seen. Place North West reporter, Dan Whelan, is joined by Simon Halliwell, director of wirral-based architecture firm Paddock Johnson, and Ste...

Experts discuss how the pandemic has impacted landlords and occupiers of commercial property and what this means for the future of leases, in this Place North West podcast sponsored by law firm Kuits Solicitors. David Moroney, commercial property partner at Kuits, is joined by Andrew Cooke, director of Manchester at Bruntwood Works, the developer’s offices arm, which creates and manages more than...