Professionals Meet to Focus on Leicester’s Regeneration Strategy
The Forum for the Built Environment (fbe) – the UK’s leading construction networking group – launched the Leicester division of the East Midlands Branch on the 20th September with a lively and topical breakfast seminar headed by speaker John Nicholls, CEO, Leicester Regeneration Company. The launch event attracted over 60 professionals from the East Midlands property and construction industry and prompted enlightened discussion and debate focussing on the multi-million pound master plan for the centre of Leicester.
One of the ‘Hot Topics’ discussed at the event were recent reports that Leicester will seriously attract commuters from the capital once the city’s regeneration is complete, being only 1hr 10mins from St Pancras. Add to this factors such as the new £350m Shires shopping centre, featuring John Lewis, the fabulous £50m Performance Arts Centre designed by the world famous Architect Raphael Vinoly and the city’s considerably more competitive residential prices, and it is easy to see why Leicester could attract more commuters. Opinion
at the meeting, however, was divided with many agreeing the commuters would come to town, but not necessarily from London, probably from more local and regional towns too.
Andrew Springhall, chairman of the fbe East Midlands Branch Committee, said, “We were delighted to have such a high calibre speaker as John Nicholls for our opening event here in Leicester. He gave a real insight into where the city is regarding its development programme, and outlined a number of fascinating items, such as the fact that the inner city has 11 miles of waterway just waiting to be redeveloped.
fbe Leicester launch Sponsors of the event were William Davis Ltd, the Loughborough-based developer and contractor and PRIMA Direct (International) Ltd, manufacturers and suppliers of contract flooring and portable, instant roadways and access. The champagne reception was sponsored by AVA, the Leicester-based PR and marketing consultancy which specialises in construction and development and was held at The Highpoint Conference Centre, Glenfield Road, Leicester.
Formerly the Faculty of Building, the fbe was relaunched in 2006 underlining its commitment to being ‘the premier business generation and networking forum for the built environment’, and, under the newly branded identity, provides an exciting programme of events for its members.
Leicester
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