Delegates used the conference to showcase its new ten-year Growth Plan and present an ambitious and united vision for sustainable growth, innovation, and investment.
Held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds last month, the real estate and infrastructure conference welcomed more than 16,000 delegates from across the built environment sector.
Sheffield’s senior delegation, including Council Leader Tom Hunt, Leader of the Liberal Democrat party, Martin Smith, Chair of the Housing Policy Committee, Douglas Johnson, and the Council’s Chief Executive Kate Josephs, played a prominent role across the three-day programme. They took part in panel sessions and podcasts, hosting sector events, and convening dozens of strategic meetings across the public and private sectors.
UKREiiF has proven to be a powerful platform for Sheffield to demonstrate the scale of economic opportunity in the city and the collaboration we offer to investors, developers, and partners.
From our leading advanced manufacturing sector to our vibrant cultural influence, we were able to showcase Sheffield as a global, green, and growing city.
Cllr Tom Hunt, Leader of Sheffield City Council
A key session on day one of the conference explored Sheffield’s ambitious Housing Growth Plan, which aims to deliver up to 38,000 new homes by 2039, including 20,000 in the city centre area. Kate Josephs was joined by representatives from Arup, Homes England, Citu and the South Yorkshire Housing Association.
Sheffield unveiled early concepts for new city centre neighbourhoods around Moorfoot and Sheffield Station Campus, further complementing flagship sustainable housing developments already underway in Neepsend and Attercliffe.
Retaining and converting the Moorfoot building will save a huge amount of embodied carbon, but not only that – we believe it can be one of the most unique and interesting office-to-residential conversions in the country.
We are not looking to deliver cookie-cutter development – this is regeneration of scale, ambition, and character. We are also committed to delivering a variety of housing types and sizes, encouraging a genuine mix of communities and age demographics to live and work in central Sheffield.
Kate Josephs, Chief Executive of Sheffield City Council
Innovation was a central theme throughout the conference. In a dedicated session on Sheffield’s emerging Innovation Spine, stakeholders from The Floow, UKRI, Sheffield Technology Parks and the University of Sheffield outlined the need for new wet and dry labs, collaborative workspaces and research facilities in the city centre – all aimed at creating an ecosystem for the city’s burgeoning tech spin-outs and scale-ups.
On day two, Sheffield launched its new cross-party Growth Plan at a headline event titled ‘Sheffield Inspires – Unlocking Our Economic Growth.’ The ten-year vision sets out to raise wages, create vibrant communities, and support key sectors including advanced manufacturing and the creative industries.
A panel of Sheffield business leaders and creative entrepreneurs discussed how the city has empowered them to transform their passions and ambitions into global impact.
Niall Shamma of Warp Films, the acclaimed studio behind Netflix’s global hit Adolescence, captured the spirit of the event.
Most of the film industry felt the need to move to London in the 00s. We just wanted to take over the world from Sheffield instead, and now we’ve made one of the biggest TV shows of all time.
Niall Shamma, Warp Films
Adding to the Sheffield’s momentum and positivity, the University of Sheffield announced Runway Park at the conference – a 100-acre development on the site of the former Sheffield City Airport. Located near major employers such as Boeing, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and McLaren, the site will bridge academic research with industrial innovation, driving significant investment and job creation.
Across the jam-packed three days, Sheffield delivered a clear and confident message: the city is united, the city has clear and ambitious plans, and the city is open for business.
For more information, visit Welcome to Sheffield or contact invest@sheffield.gov.uk.