In its push to achieve housing targets, the government wants to lower the cost of CPOs – but will this well-trodden path be effective? Plus: the differing fortunes of speculative offices and data centres.

The property industry in the North has been decidedly busy this past year, with numerous high-profile projects completing. But there were three in particular that dominated headlines.

This year will be another lean one for new-build office development across the North as encouraging rental growth fails to outpace build costs and investor uncertainty keeps yields soft.

Property professionals across the North universally welcomed the revised National Planning Policy Framework, especially its changes to the Green Belt.

Housing providers, developers, and investors have been loud and clear about what needs to be done to achieve the government’s housing goal of 1.5m homes before the end of this Parliament. Place North has listened and is taking action.

Despite delays to the promised government reforms on planning, housing minister Matthew Pennycook has outlined ambitions to bring back regional spatial strategies. Plus: rent controls and Manchester offices.

On completion of its £20m redevelopment this autumn, the 230,000 sq ft workspace in Leeds’ West End was 75% let, with some notable deals secured. Place Yorkshire spoke to Bruntwood SciTech’s Andrew Cooke for the full story.

Architecture, design and planning practice FWP provided project management, cost consultancy, and principal design services, with the completed work carried out by principal contractor Lindum.

The RIBA award-winning Stoller Hall swapped out live music for an intriguing Place North Question Time event, where political leaders, investors, and industry figures took to a panel to take questions from Place North’s editorial team and members of the audience.