Over the past two decades, London has seen the emergence of increasingly complex mixed-use districts, commercial estates, and regeneration projects where movement, public realm and private development are closely intertwined. From King’s Cross and Canary Wharf to the City of London and Battersea Power Station, these places have reshaped expectations of what successful urban development can deliver.

But as these destinations have matured, is there a quiet tension emerging? – one that sits at the intersection of transport planning, urban design, planning law and public access rights.

The routes connecting stations, bus interchanges, cycle networks, workplaces, homes and public amenities increasingly pass through Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS). Spaces that look and feel public, that function as essential components of the wider movement network, but that are owned, managed, curated, and in some cases controlled, by private landowners.

When a commuter exits a station and walks through a new commercial quarter to reach their office, are they in public space or on private property? When a resident cuts through a development to reach a park, cultural venue or local service, who sets the rules of that journey?

As the UK and London seeks to accelerate housing delivery, economic growth and urban regeneration, these questions are no longer peripheral. They go to the heart of how we design, fund, govern and steward the places we are building.

Bringing together leaders from development, transport, planning and the public sector, this session will ask: who really owns the journey?

Central South is the global gateway to the UK and a region of opportunity ripe for investment. Just a short distance from London our key cities include Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester not forgetting the vibrant conurbation of Basingstoke.

Parliamentary approval has been given for a combined county authority for Hampshire & Solent, with a Mayor for the region due to be elected in May 2028, which means devolved powers and a seat at the table with government.

Twenty per cent of all FTSE 100 companies and more than 100,000 SMEs are based out of the region. The Central South will be recognised as a region of excellence for AI and we already have a strong defence cluster. With 2 national parks and a Jurassic coastline, the Central South is a highly desirable region which generates a strong return on investment.

This round-table session will bring together established major names in the region with potential investors and we anticipate the discussion will be lively and fruitful.

We will focus on:

• The compelling narrative for our region
• Our region’s strongest investment opportunities
• Why now is the time to choose the Central South

If you would like to be part of this round table discussion please get in touch with Events@BusinessSouth.org

The UK’s housing debate has long been framed around one question: how do we build more homes? Yet as pressure grows to deliver housing, achieve net-zero targets and revitalise town and city centres, a different question is emerging: how do we make better use of the buildings we already have?

This roundtable will explore whether adaptation and reuse can become a residential typology in its own right, supporting new forms of living such as co-living, multi-generational housing, lifetime homes and flexible models shaped by hybrid working. Existing buildings often offer qualities that are difficult to replicate through new-build development, from central locations and generous floorplates to established community connections.

Discussion will focus on whether current planning and tax systems are doing enough to encourage conversion and refurbishment. With momentum growing behind the Don’t Waste Buildings campaign, should tax reform help level the playing field between refurbishment and demolition-led redevelopment? And should planning policy provide greater flexibility for repurposing existing assets into residential use?

The session will also consider how design standards should evolve for conversions rather than purpose-built housing, balancing quality, adaptability and long-term performance.

Ultimately, the debate will ask whether the homes of the future are already standing around us, and what policy, investment and design changes are needed to unlock their potential as part of the solution to the UK’s housing crisis

The UK is already a global leader in deep tech, but sustaining that advantage requires coordinated action across real estate, academia and investment. This session will bring together a select group of senior leaders, across specialisms, to explore the key opportunities and challenges shaping the sector.

London’s property market is undergoing a major shift from ‘new build’ to revitalising existing urban landmarks. Driven by environmental urgency and rising costs – with London office construction up to 40% more expensive since 2020 – refurbishment has become a commercial and environmental imperative.

This session will provide a practical roadmap for the lifecycle of modern buildings, drawing on real world case studies ranging from one of Europe’s largest active commercial retrofits, Citi Tower, to the complete facade overhaul at 334 Oxford Street, down to the specialised heritage preservation of The Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields

Armed with in-depth knowledge of London’s architectural landscape, our panel of specialists will deliver actionable insights on intelligent refurbishment, with key themes including:

• The logistics of restoring and reinstalling façade systems for major carbon savings
• Strategic intervention points for routine maintenance through to complete overhauls
• Balancing heritage preservation with the need for improved energy performance and climate resilience
• The diagnostic frameworks for providing certainty around long-term asset value

Data centres currently contribute £4.7bn in GVA to the UK economy with £44bn additional potential GVA between 2025-35 from the construction and operation of new data centres​. With surging AI and cloud demand, this Critical National Infrastructure faces a potential supply-demand crunch if new sites aren’t delivered at pace. This exclusive, peer to peer invitation-only roundtable is hosted by barristers from Francis Taylor Building who are experts in planning and related areas of law and have significant experience in securing permissions for new data centres.

The discussion will focus on:

• Opportunities
• Challenges for planning permission – technical, policy and practical
• Connectivity

Addressing viability is critical to meeting the UK’s affordable housing ambitions. This invitation-only roundtable at the London Real Estate Forum will convene key decision-makers from councils, investors, developers and registered providers to identify actionable strategies for increasing affordable housing delivery.

Bringing together leaders from government, development, investment and design, the discussion will focus on the lessons that can be shared between different places and markets. Where are innovative approaches delivering results? How can successful ideas be adapted and applied elsewhere? And what role does collaboration across the built environment sector play in shaping better outcomes for communities?
Through an open exchange of experience and perspectives, participants will explore how stronger connections between Scotland and London can support the delivery of high quality, sustainable and resilient places, while creating opportunities for future collaboration across the UK.

While refurbishment has become the dominant strategy for reducing embodied carbon in London’s office market, a critical challenge remains unresolved: how to deliver materials reuse at scale. In practice, large volumes of usable materials continue to be discarded through strip-out cycles and Cat A fit-outs, with circularity ambitions often compromised by programme pressures, procurement constraints and risk concerns. This creates a clear “reuse gap” between what the industry intends to achieve and what is consistently delivered on live projects.

Drawing on Stace’s experience across projects such as 155 Bishopsgate, 20 Giltspur Street and work with ReLondon, this roundtable will focus on the real-world barriers to reuse. It will explore where carbon savings are genuinely being realised today, where reuse breaks down in delivery, and how challenges around certification, logistics, commercial viability and stakeholder alignment limit wider adoption. Particular attention will be given to how these issues play out differently at single-asset level versus across large, complex estates.

Framed through the LREF theme of connectivity, the discussion will examine how better alignment between clients, designers, contractors and supply chains could unlock more consistent, scalable reuse outcomes. Ultimately, the session will argue that the next phase of decarbonising offices is not just about choosing refurbishment over redevelopment, but about fundamentally rethinking how projects are delivered so that reuse becomes repeatable, commercially viable and embedded as standard practice.

Stadiums, arenas and leisure venues are increasingly shaping London’s cultural economy, attracting investment, influencing global capital flows and creating value far beyond event day. Drawing on Mott MacDonald’s Global experience, this session will explore how these spaces can be commercially successful, adaptable and positively integrate with the local communities, acting as catalysts for regeneration while delivering long-term social and economic value. From revenue generation and fan experience to meanwhile uses, transport connectivity, and environmental performance, the discussion will focus on what lessons can be applied to London and where the Capital requires a more nuanced approach, with insights from both the public and private sector including owners, operators and adjacent land owners.

Network Rail’s investment in the modernisation of Box Lane / Eurohub in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham creates a rare opportunity to establish a nationally significant rail-enabled logistics and industrial cluster in East London. This Roundtable will bring together senior public and private sector leaders to explore how infrastructure investment, major strategic landholdings, freight connectivity and industrial development can be aligned to unlock long-term economic growth for London and the wider UK. The discussion will focus on how London maximises the economic return from one of its most strategically located freight and industrial opportunities.