Following our Future of Retail and Placemaking Conference series, Helena Davies considers whether ‘placemaking’ remains the right term to describe town centre regeneration.
Read moreFuture of Retail & Urban Regeneration
Our lawyers support the placemaking and regeneration experts at the forefront of creating and reshaping town centres and high streets.
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We have the legal expertise and sector connections to support experts in placemaking and regeneration at the forefront of helping developers to create and reshape town centres and high streets across the UK.
While footfall in town centres and high streets has recovered to its pre-pandemic levels, more needs to be done to reinvigorate our shopping destinations in the face of diminishing visits and the cost-of-living crisis.
Bringing physical retail back in the hearts and minds of shoppers requires deep understanding of local communities to develop thriving destinations for a mix of uses — from leisure, work and culture to education, entertainment and healthcare.
One major challenge to this is fragmented ownership, with high street units focused on their own commercial objectives, rather than a collective, long-term vision.
Our real estate lawyers unite and empower developers, landlords, investors and local authorities to support the ambition for experiences and services that are making retail spaces enticing once more and supporting long-term economic growth.
We also act for occupiers across retail, leisure and hospitality, food and drink, health, sport, housing and beyond.
Our real estate team is proud to have won the Legal Team of the Year award at the EG Awards 2024 and Legal/Professional Team of the Year for commercial property at the Property Week Awards 2023.
Expert real estate lawyers for urban regeneration
Our team is led by Head of Retail Helena Davies — a specialist property litigator who’s deeply embedded in the retail sector with a focus on ESG, community impact and urban regeneration projects. Helena has led many innovative projects and campaigns that bring together retail sector leaders to drive real change and progress.
She works closely alongside Iain Gamble, who heads up our real estate practice group. With expertise in property development and regeneration, Iain specialises in long-term, large-scale and complex urban renewal projects. He's worked on Liverpool Waters, Wirral Waters, Chatham Waters and Everton’s Bramley Moore Dock stadium development on behalf of longstanding client Peel Waters, as well as Eden Project Morecambe for Lancaster City Council.
Also in the team is Krista Powell — an experienced property lawyer called on to handle high-profile acquisitions, disposals and property management work for some of the UK’s largest developers and investors. As a member of the LDN Collective, Krista provides expertise on social impact, zero carbon and modern methods of construction, as well as architecture, engineering and graphic design.
With 72% of investors and local authorities set to deliver regeneration and infrastructure projects over the next five years and the Government committing to planning reform to accelerate high street transformation, the future is bright for our urban environments.
Yet to maximise this opportunity, people and places — not buildings and spaces — must be the focus to create community and cultural value. High streets that succeed will understand local needs and deliver a built environment to meet them.
Meet our placemaking experts
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Insights on urban regeneration
Here, we explore the idea of inclusive placemaking, best practice and steps moving forward.
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Ibrahim Ibrahim, Managing Director of Portland Design and author of ‘Future-ready Retail’ considers how consumers are changing and the way in which the high street is responding.
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How do we revive our struggling high streets? Meaningful collaboration and business rate reform may hold the answers...
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Faye Durkin, Head of Ecology and Natural Capital at Greengage considers how we include nature in our future cities.
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We met with Dr Amna Khan to explore the key trends driving consumer preferences.
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The Future of Retail and Placemaking Conference
We recently held two lively conferences in Manchester and London in partnership with Portland Design that brought together a range of thought leaders and senior decision makers to discuss what the future holds for physical retail.
This revealed that traditional transactional retail needs to be supported by a mix of uses, experiences and services that create exciting spaces for town centres to become a gravitational force for communities once more.
Watch our highlights videos below.
Huge thanks to all our speakers and panellists
Watch — Manchester highlights
Watch — London highlights
Watch — Vivienne King on the Autumn Budget
Watch — Paul Myers on Urban Farming
Watch — Janine Constantin-Russell on social spending
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