With representation from across all nine of the south east and north east London Boroughs, our event held in partnership with Local London brought together leaders unified in their ambition to deliver for the communities they represent.

Underpinning this, we were privileged to welcome Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor of London for Planning, Regeneration and Skills, as keynote speaker. Jules spoke with great passion about the sub-region, citing its excellent connectivity as just one of the many reasons it makes an excellent place to invest and live.

Local London is an organisation committed to transforming its sub-region into a beacon of inclusive prosperity: London’s leading edge, and a place where everyone can live well, succeed and thrive.

With our event being held in Newham, it seemed only fitting that Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz would take delegates through Local London’s Vision. She set out how they will work together through four core missions to:

• Attract investment into our world-class industrial hubs, town centres and opportunity areas.
• Unlock infrastructure to support new homes, jobs, and better-connected communities.
• Support business and enterprise to drive innovation and create high-quality employment.
• Boost work and skills so that everyone can contribute to and benefit from our success.

A shining example already embodying these core principles is the Upper Lea Valley Partnership. We heard from Cllr Ahsan Khan, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration at Waltham Forest and Cllr Sabri Ozaydin, Cabinet Member for Environment and Placemaking at Enfield about their joint plans to deliver 20,000 new homes and 15,000+ new jobs across the area.

We rounded off the event with a panel session which considered ‘Attracting investment and driving business growth’. It brought together an exceptional group of leaders shaping the future of our region – Kate Willard OBE, Chair of Thames Estuary Growth Board; Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of Greenwich Council; Helen Rieman, Business Growth Director at The Hill Group; Tom Dobson, Managing Director at QUOD; as well as Rokhsana Fiaz OBE, Mayor of Newham. In chairing the panel, Meeting Place’s CEO Nikki Davies distilled conversations down to one salient point – with respect to development in this region, we need a people-first approach.

At Meeting Place we are always championing the power of the built environment to deliver lasting, social, economic and environment impact. By facilitating this forum for public sector leaders to engage meaningfully with the development sector – we are confident that it will accelerate growth and ultimately improve lives.