Sheffield’s leaders head to the UK’s largest real estate and infrastructure conference later this month, ready to showcase the city as a premier investment destination and a leader in innovation, creativity and sustainability.
UKREiiF, taking place at the Royal Armouries in Leeds from 20-22 May, is expected to welcome over 16,000 built environment professionals, alongside representatives from local and national government.
A high-level delegation from Sheffield – including civic leaders, business executives and industry figures – will attend the three-day conference to gain valuable insights into the latest property market trends, promote Sheffield’s economic growth opportunities, and network with key government officials, developers and investors, and the wider private sector.
Sheffield will once again be joining leaders from Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham as part of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, with multiple Sheffield panel discussions and interactive sessions set to take place in a new South Yorkshire pavilion, located right at the heart of the bustling event venue.
This year, UKREiiF will provide a key platform for Sheffield City Council to share its new Growth Plan, which outlines its bold ambitions for the next decade. The Growth Plan aims to create great places to live, increase wages, deliver economic growth, and strengthen the city’s areas of expertise – including advanced manufacturing, health tech and creative industries.
Sheffield is partnering with Homes England to support the delivery of a range of schemes that will help meet the City’s target of 38,000 new homes, including flagship developments like Attercliffe Waterside – a zero-carbon community of 1,000 homes. New neighbourhood plans for Moorfoot and Sheffield Station Campus will be unveiled at UKREiiF, as part of the city’s sustainable regeneration vision.
Leading large-scale regeneration in the North of England, Sheffield is transforming its city centre through projects like Heart of the City and West Bar, while investing in tram and district heating expansions to support long-term, sustainable growth.
Councillor Tom Hunt, leader of Sheffield City Council, said: “UKREiiF 2025 is an important platform to showcase our bold ambitions for Sheffield for the next decade. We will be setting our new long-term plan to drive economic growth and outlining our status as a global leader in key sectors like advanced manufacturing and the creative industries.
“Sheffield is a global, green and growing city that inspires confidence and collaboration from the Government and private sector. Our strategic partnership with Homes England is helping us to deliver major regeneration projects and new housing growth. Significant infrastructure investments, including the expansion of our tram network and district heat network, will ensure long-term, sustainable growth.
“At UKREiiF we will be sending a strong message – we are open for business and the opportunities for growth and collaboration in Sheffield are huge.”
Key voices representing Sheffield at this year’s UKREiiF will include Kate Josephs, chief executive of Sheffield City Council, and Cllr Tom Hunt, leader of the Council. They will be joined by businesses and organisations including Sheffield Forgemasters, Sitehop, University of Sheffield, CBRE, Shoosmiths, Harworth, Citu, Homes England, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, Sheffield Property Association and more.
Sheffield’s main event of the week, titled ‘Sheffield Inspires – Our Economic Future’, takes place on Tuesday 20 May from 2.15pm to 3.15pm, with a panel featuring Louisa Harrison-Walker (Sheffield Chamber of Commerce), Cllr Tom Hunt (Sheffield City Council), Kate Josephs (Sheffield City Council), David Bond (Sheffield Forgemasters), Melissa Chambers (Sitehop), Phil Rodrigo (Outokumpu), Deb Hetherington (Scarborough Group), Niall Shamma (Warp Films).
There will be multiple opportunities to hear from the Sheffield delegation during the conference and topics for discussion include Sheffield’s housing plan, investment avenues, emerging Innovation Spine, energy resilience, and much more.
