Building tomorrow: What we learned at UKREiiF 2024

Three weeks on from yet another fantastic UKREiiF, and we’re reflecting on some of the amazing discussions we had with colleagues, partners and peers who joined Caddick and MODA Living at our Places For Life Pavilion.?

Together we work best when we collaborate, and the spirit of partnership working was in abundance at this year’s UKREiiF. Our job is to create a future for the built environment that is collaborative, sustainable and embraces innovation. At this year’s UKREiiF we hosted a number of insightful panel sessions, welcoming the new York and North Yorkshire Mayor, David Skaith, North Yorkshire Combined Authority, BE News, Young Entrepreneurs in Property and many more for a fantastic week of packed-out events.?

Bringing together leading experts, our panel sessions spanned topics from sustainable manufacturing, the evolution of industrial and logistics space and the future of built-to-rent properties and purpose built student accommodation. Read on for our key takeaways and help keep this year’s UKREiiF discussions front of mind until next year.?

Building Back Manufacturing?

Paul Dodsworth, Group Managing Director at Caddick Construction Group, sat down with industry colleagues to discuss the future of UK manufacturing and how we can build a globally competitive, secure and sustainable industry. Paul commented: “Our experience in the sector has taught us that the industry needs buildings that can perform to current demands and processes, but that are future-proofed and easily adaptable to change. Whilst not an easy balance to strike, it is vital to the success of manufacturing in our country. It’s our job? to create buildings that allow clients to be globally competitive not just now, but in 10, 20 or 30 years from now.?

"Ensuring efficiency and resilience is something construction has in common with manufacturing. We share a lot of the same challenges, particularly when it comes to a skilled workforce for the future. But when we think about the future of this industry, like with so many things, the best thing we can do is work together.”

Industrial & Logistics: ‘A nod to the past with an eye on the future’?

Experts from all corners of the logistics industry met to discuss the cycle and evolution of industrial facilities and how their future, quite aptly, lies in a nod to the past. In recent years industrial developments have often stood disconnected from the communities surrounding them, prioritising access to transport links and open spaces over proximity to housing.?

But in many ways, the future of the industrial and logistics sector requires a lesson or two from our predecessors. The 19th century industrial revolution saw industry and community go hand-in-hand. This resulted in thriving communities with generations of employment. We should hark back to this golden era and create high quality industrial developments that bring with them social infrastructure, housing, retail and community-led spaces. But we also need to think about the future. If we can bring back the successes of the past, but blend it with environmental sustainability and advanced processes we will strike a perfect combination for the future of the industry.?

Nurturing the Next Generation

We have long known that diversity cultivates new ways of thinking. When we foster collaboration and open dialogue, we create a forum where we can generate fresh ideas, yet many industries still remain somewhat stalled when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Spearheading these conversations at UKREiiF this year was Young Entrepreneurs in Property (YEP).?

In our third partnership together, we joined forces with YEP at UKREiiF and to host our Joining Forces Across Future Leaders Lunch where we welcomed crowds of young professionals from all corners of the industry. This packed out event at our Places For Life Pavilion championed innovative and new ways of working, with inclusion and diversity at the heart of our conversations. What became evident is that the industry’s junior colleagues are a driving force for change as the rest of the construction and property sectors work towards elevating diversity and inclusion across the board.

A First Look: South Village at Leeds South Bank?

Day one at UKREiiF saw Caddick launch an exclusive first-look at our impressive plans for South Village, the current 10-acre City One development area at Leeds’ South Bank. Forming part of a wider vision to regenerate this underutilised area of the city centre, the new South Village masterplan (visioned by Simpson Haugh Architects) is set to focus on contemporary living, encompassing nearly 2,000 new homes for locals, a village green the size of a professional sport field, 450 hotel beds, and 70,000m2 of commercial space targeting highly sustainable business.?

We know first-hand the vast benefits of early stakeholder engagement, the joined up approach of our Caddick Group of businesses, and the extensive benefits of? an established and local supply chain. We’re very proud to have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Homes England to accelerate the development of South Village in Leeds.