Hundreds at M.E.N. gathering
PROPERTY LUNCH SEES PACKED ATTENDANCE AT MANCHESTER’S MIDLAND HOTEL
HUNDREDS of the region’s top property professionals came together to hear a message of resilience and hope at the 2017 M.E.N. Property Lunch.
Held at Manchester’s Midland Hotel, the annual event was sponsored by leading property developers Capital & Centric and Bolton Council.
Manchester council’s chief executive Joanne Roney gave the opening address, reflecting on her first six months in the role and the task ahead.
Joking that she didn’t know where the time had gone, she spoke of Manchester as being a global hub and ranked as one of the best cities in the UK to live.
However, she added: “We are not done yet. We are not finished. Looking forward we have a huge vision for this city over the next 10 years.”
Addressing some of the challenges ahead, she acknowledged the need for more services in the city centre to support the rapid growth of residential developments.
She said: “We want to be a competitive and dynamic city but also a sustainable one. “Every single part of Greater Manchester has a real part to play in taking this forward.” Alluding to the shake up in local politics she added: “There may be some new people playing on the pitch but the game hasn’t changed.” Sticking to this theme Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham gave a rousing speech after conceding it has been ‘a challenging year’ so far. However, describing this as a pivotal moment, he said: “Greater Manchester has the most powerful devolution deal of anywhere in the country. We now have this window of opportunity to put our region where it wants to be ahead of the rest.” The keynote speaker for the event was renowned architect Ian Simpson – the man who built Manchester its first skyscraper. Celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary Ian, who is one of the founders of Simpson-Haugh and Partners, took to the stage and spoke about Manchester’s journey and its future.
Greater Manchester has the most powerful devolution deal of anywhere in the country