Mandating the Future: What Happens When Choice Disappears in Housing?
Last month the government finally announced the introduction of the new Future Homes Standard (FHS). In the midst of the unfolding war in the Middle East, the announcement was not met with much interest by most media outlets and my conversations over the past few weeks suggest that few people outside of the housing industry […]
A CNM response to the Future Homes Standard
Following the publication of the Government’s Future Home Standard (FHS), our Housing and Communities Leadership Board has offered its reflections on the announcements, broadly welcoming the FHS as a necessary and positive step. However, its success will depend less on policy intent and more on how homes are designed, constructed, commissioned, and lived in. A […]
No such thing as a problem
A Dutch man I used to work with many years ago had a saying, “Er bestaat niet zoiets als een probleem, alleen een kans die wacht op een oplossing”. Or “there is no such thing as a problem, just an opportunity waiting for a solution”. There are two ways of looking at the situation in […]
New report released – The Data Dilemma in Housing
At the start of March, we took a group of 20 senior leaders from across the housing sector and digital environment to Fazenda for the latest of our roundtables. We are delighted to share the full summary of the discussions, which were held under Chatham House rules. With special thanks to Entec Si and Pearl […]
The West Midlands – home to the sustainable data centres of the future?
America offers a compelling case study in data centre development but not the one we might expect. Loudoun County, Virginia, hosts the world’s largest concentration of data centres, handling of the majority of global internet traffic. This infrastructure achievement has earned it the nickname ‘Data Centre Alley’. Yet this rapid expansion comes at a significant cost: […]
Creative Adventures with AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Research from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce has found that 67% of the region’s businesses are already using AI, 79% say it has increased their productivity, and 69% say it has improved their profitability. This provides a positive picture for the region, highlighting that West Midlands businesses are actively embracing AI, which will be […]
Birmingham East Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) – game changer for the region’s regeneration?
The Birmingham East Mayoral Development Corporation is poised to be established in the coming weeks – a move championed by politicians as having the potential to create “tens of thousands of jobs, thousands of homes and adding billions to the local economy”. In this article, Alexander Rose (Partner, Ward Hadaway) looks into why Mayoral Development […]
The Shaping of our Cities
On Thursday evening, members of our Reimagining the Region network gathered high above Birmingham at the stunning 103 Colmore Row offices of Arcadis for a Spring Reception with a purposeful twist. Rather than a traditional networking event, this year’s reception invited delegates to roll up their sleeves, collaborate, and actively shape ideas that could help […]
Climbing the Board: How One Firm’s Birmingham Launch Offers Lessons for the Wider Business Community
Entering a mature professional services market like Birmingham is rarely as simple as placing your counter on square one and rolling the dice. For organisations looking to establish a presence in a competitive city, success often depends on a combination of foresight, disciplined hiring and strategic cultural choices. As part of my work as a […]
HS2: The region is getting restless – time for Project Reset to get the green light
The West Midlands has long been positioned as one of the principal beneficiaries of High Speed Two (HS2). The promise was clear: in return for disruption and upheaval, the region would gain faster connections to London, increased rail capacity, regeneration around new stations, and a step change in its economic trajectory. Yet ongoing speculation about […]