Partnership Delivery, Regeneration and Residential: Reflections from the London Real Estate Forum

Last month, the London Real Estate Forum (LREF) brought together more than 2,000 industry leaders to explore one of the most pressing themes in urban development today: partnership delivery. As cities face increasingly complex challenges, it’s clear that only through deeper collaboration between public and private sectors can we deliver the best outcomes for communities and stakeholders alike.

Montagu Evans was proud to participate in this year’s Forum, co-hosting a closed roundtable with Estates Gazette focused on the State of Regeneration – a theme central to our upcoming research led by Jon Neale, due for release in November. The roundtable, covered in Estates Gazette’s article Rewriting the Regeneration Rulebook, brought together voices from across the sector to discuss the future of urban transformation.

Jon was joined by Oliver Maury at the roundtable, with Matthew Hayes and Simon Mole also representing our team across the wider Forum. To capture the most valuable insights, we asked our attendees to share their key takeaways – particularly around partnership delivery, the residential market, and the future of regeneration. Here’s what they had to say:

Skills, Capacity and the Role of Devolution

Oliver Maury highlighted the growing challenge of skills and capacity within the regeneration sector. Here’s what he had to say:

“As devolution progresses, the regeneration sector faces a growing challenge around skills and capacity. Many local authorities are taking on increasingly complex delivery roles, but without the right expertise, progress risks stalling. We need stronger regional collaboration to share best practice and build networks – and clarity on how Homes England’s role will evolve in this new landscape. Infrastructure funding remains a critical barrier, and without targeted grant support, many schemes simply won’t get off the ground.”

Market Realities and the Need for Clarity

Matthew Hayes reflected on the current sentiment across the residential market, describing it as challenging – a view echoed by developers and investors at the roundtable.

“The residential market remains very difficult, and while there are signs of recovery in other sectors, unlocking new housing starts will require decisive leadership from central government. We need clarity on affordable housing (policy, tenure and grant), developer taxes and contributions, and regulation (planning and Building Safety). At LREF, it was encouraging to see boroughs showcasing ambitious growth plans – Enfield’s Meridian Water and Crews Hill (now identified as a potential New Town) are great examples – but delivery will be highly challenging. The Bakerloo Line Extension exhibited again this year and infrastructure projects like this are vital to unlock growth, yet it remains unfunded. We need joined-up thinking across all these issues to turn ambition into delivery.”

Housing Delivery and Regulatory Hurdles

Simon Mole joined a roundtable focused on compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) and housing delivery, where the conversation quickly turned to the alarmingly low number of housing starts in London this year.

“Housing starts in London are low, and developers are increasingly frustrated by delays linked to fire safety regulations – especially around second staircases. Viability remains a major concern. At the same time, councils are struggling to fund essential community infrastructure through Section 106, which is becoming less effective as housing delivery slows. We need new financial models and regulatory clarity to get things moving again.”

Bringing Residential Expertise Together

As the Forum made clear, the residential market remains central to regeneration – but navigating it requires more than sector-specific expertise. Montagu Evans takes a Residential:Connected approach, offering clients a unified perspective across the entire residential lifecycle.

Whether working with landowners, investors, developers, or local authorities, our team helps unlock value through strategic site selection, data-driven insight, and deep market understanding. We support clients in capitalising on emerging models, navigating affordability and regulatory pressures, and fostering successful partnerships – from public sector estates to CPO and land assembly.

In a market defined by complexity, our connected approach ensures that opportunities aren’t missed and that regeneration delivers lasting impact.

Read more here

Looking Ahead: Shaping the Future of Regeneration

The London Real Estate Forum, and the roundtable hosted with Estates Gazette, underscored the urgent need for innovative partnerships, strategic leadership, and targeted investment to address the challenges facing our cities. From skills shortages and funding gaps to regulatory complexity and market uncertainty, the path to successful regeneration is far from straightforward.

Our upcoming State of Regeneration report, led by Jon Neale and launching in November, will explore these themes in greater depth – examining how regeneration models are evolving, the impact of policy shifts, and the practical steps needed to unlock sustainable urban growth.

The message from our team, and from the sector more broadly, is clear: working together across sectors, regions, and disciplines will be vital if we are to tackle the present challenges and deliver regeneration of any scale in the medium term.