The West of England’s efforts to bang the drum for investment will step up next month at a major investment conference: the UK’s Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds.
Led by Mayor Helen Godwin, a West Country delegation including dozens of business leaders will showcase our part of the world and make the case for further investment to unlock new homes, new jobs, and long-term prosperity – aligned with the ambitious targetfor 72,000new jobs over the coming decade, set out in the regional Growth Strategy.
The West of England is the country’s fastest-growing regional economy and is already the most productive area outside of the capital. Since 2019, the West’s economy has grown four times faster than the national average and is now worth more than £54 billion.In the last decade, more than 100,000 new jobs have been created across the region – with the highest job growth in its key growth sectors of any combined authority area, including London: creative industries, digital and tech, clean energy, and the everydayeconomy.
In partnership with headline sponsor YTLUK Group, whose multi-billion-pound investment is breathing new life into the former Filton Airfield as Brabazon emerges as part of the West’s new town, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority will next month set out a united front forthe region and a clear offer to investors at UKREiiF. This comes while country’s fastest-growing regional economy is delivering major developments in partnership, with an ambitious pipeline for the future, including Brabazon and Bristol Temple Quarter.
The West’s delegation will build on recent progress which puts the region onthe cusp of securing new town status for Brabazon and the West Innovation Arc – a growth zone with the potential to deliver up to 40,000 new homes over the coming decades. The new BristolBrabazon railwaystation, opening this autumn, will significantly strengthen regional connectivity, ahead of the opening of the new 20,000 capacity Aviva Arena at YTL Live in 2028.
With nearly £1 billion invested in Brabazon, YTL UK Group has secured planning permission for 6,500 new homes, three new schools and a major park at Brabazon, where more than 500 residents have already moved in. To date, YTL UK Group has already invested morethan £16 million in transport infrastructure through local authority contributions and direct on-site delivery, with a further £40 million planned over the next decade to help ensure that Brabazon is one of the best-connected and most investible new townsin the country.
Renewed public investment is also unlocking growth. In March, theMayor secured £45 million through the region’s first ever allocation from the national Brownfield Housing Fund to support the delivery of new homes, including new affordable homes. Recent months have also seen a newTransport Vision for the region announced by the Mayor and council leaders to reduce congestion, support productivity, and cut pollution. Last year alone, just in Bath and Bristol, congestion cost our economy over £150 million.
Government,transport, and business leaders have welcomed the West’s ambitions, including potential mass transit options alongside better buses, more trains, active travel, and improved streets. The Mayor set out the importance of securing both public andprivate investment in transport infrastructure improvements to help unlock continued economic growth in the country’s fastest-growing regional economy.
Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England, said:
“The West of England is proud to be the country’s fastest-growing regional economy. Armed with that message, together we’ll be making the case to national and international investors for our part of the world and all it offers, as we continue working to createmore jobs, build more homes, and get the West moving through better transport.”
Colin Skellett, YTL UK Group CEO, said:
“Brabazon new town shows what can be achieved when long term private investment is matched with clear public sector ambition. YTL is transforming the former Filton Airfield into a new destination for the West of England – delivering homes, jobs, transport andcultural infrastructure at scale. With the new Bristol Brabazon station, YTL Live entertainment, conferencing and exhibition complex, planning permission for commercial and office space, and a growing community already on site, Brabazon is evolving from anambitious vision into exciting reality, and is ready for a new wave of investment.”
YTL UK Group and the combined authority will be joined by BristolCity Leap, a clean energy partnership between Ameresco,Bristol City Council, and Vattenfall investingover £500 million in green infrastructure, and NCC (partof the High Value Manufacturing Catapult), the world-leading innovation centre which helps create almost 800 new jobs each year and lastmonth hosted the Mayoral Council.
Jo Dally, Chief Business Officer at NCC and Co-Chair of the West of England Business Board, said:
“We are proud of the critical role that NCC and partner innovation plays in driving economic growth, high-value jobs and inward investment across the West of England and nationally. NCC is bringing together industry and academic partnerships across aerospace,energy and security, to deliver the UK Industrial Strategy and position the West Innovation Arc as a magnet for global investment.”
Also making the case for further investment will be real estate services company Savills,who are working to support thousands of new homes being built in the region, and higher education partnership Universities West, comprising BathSpa University, Universityof Bath, Universityof Bristol, and UWEBristol, which altogether teach more than 110,000 students, support tens of thousands of jobs, and contribute billions of pounds to the regional economy.
Professor Sir Steve West CBE, DL, Chair of Universities West and Vice‑Chancellor of the University of the West of England, said:
“Our four universities are magnets for talent, investment and innovation. Each plays a critical role in driving the region’s economy and, over the past year alone, has driven major place‑shaping developments including Temple Quarter, the West InnovationArc and Bath Riverside Innovation District.
“At UKREiiF, we will demonstrate the vital role universities play in driving growth. We are proud to be part of the wider West of England delegation, led by Mayor Helen Godwin, working together to make the strongest possible case for further investment.”
The West of England’s huge further potential will be highlighted to national and international investors and decision-makers, with a particular focus on the region’s five Growth Zones – including the multi-billion-pound regeneration opportunities offered in BristolTemple Quarter. 135 hectares of brownfield land surrounding Bristol Temple Meads, following a £95 million investment from national government to double the capacity of the railway station and help unlock the area’s potential, offers the chancefor some 22,000 new jobs and 10,000 new homes.
When Bristol Brabazon, one of five new stations being delivered across the region over the coming years, opens, it will strengthen the connections between the West Innovation Arc growth zone and the Central Bristol and Bath growth zone. Linking the West’s emergingnew town with the region’s two cities will bring some of the most exciting developments in the country closer together, including tens of thousands of new homes and new jobs.
Karen Mercer, CEO of Bristol Temple Quarter LLP, said:
“Bristol Temple Quarter is playing a key role in the region’s growth story. Shaped by public sector partnership, it will deliver 10,000 new homes and 22,000 new jobs, alongside new and improved infrastructure and public spaces that will provide the vibrantliving environment, amenities, and connectivity that high‑growth companies need to attract the best talent. Anchored by the University of Bristol’s new Enterprise Campus, BTQ is fast becoming a nationally significant knowledge district, accelerating deliveryof the UK’s Industrial Strategy by driving growth in priority sectors such as supercomputing, quantum, robotics.”
A stand-out series of panel discussions and other exciting events are set to take place in the West’s Pavilion at the conference – including a networking reception hosted with BristolAirport, which is part of the North Somerset Gateway growth zone, and a breakfast event with BromfordFlagship LiveWest, the UK’s largest provider of new affordable homes with plans to build over 50,000 new homes nationally by 2040.
Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, said:
“We’re one of the UK’s best connected regional airports, with links to around 120 destinations in 34 countries.
“There is an incredible amount of economic investment in the West of England. This strong growth is driving our current £400 million upgrade of the Airport and our future plans, including new destinationsand direct longer-haul flights to North America, the Middle East, with connections to Asia and beyond.”
Growth opportunities in the everyday economy, which employs 57% of workers in the region, in sectors like logistics and construction, will also be highlighted - including at AxisWorks in the Avonmouth-Severnside Enterprise Area. Marks & Spencer have already announced a 20-year lease deal for a £74 million warehouse on the site, scheduled for completion this summer, with overall planning consent also secured for morethan 2 million square feet of industrial and logistics development.
Daniel Gallagher, Co-Managing Director of Stoford, said:
“Axis Works is a 101-acre site located at Central Park, South Gloucestershire, within the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area. The scheme benefits from hybrid planning consent to deliver c.2 million sq ft of new industrial, warehouse and logistics space. We are currently on-site delivering a new 390,000 sq ft high-specification warehouse for Marks & Spencer and also a new 209,319 sq ft last-mile logistics unit for an undisclosed occupier, which is proving its appeal to best-in-class occupiers bringing investmentinto the area”.
Four of the West’s expert consultancy and engineering firms working to deliver sustainable infrastructure - AtkinsRealis, Arcadis, Arup,and AECOM -as well as impact investors BBRC, BristolProperty Agents Association, and representatives from the West’s four local authorities, will also make up the chorus of voices set to sing from the same hymn sheet to attract investors from around the world.
Richard Bonner, Managing Director Buildings and Places, AtkinsRéalis, said:
“UKREiiF is a great platform to showcase the talents and expertise behind the West of England’s enviable growth story.
“Economic growth in the UK will be achieved through investment in infrastructure, from city regeneration, housing and connectivity through transport links, to the security of our water and energy supplies.
“That’s why it’s crucial to find ways to attract that private investment to unlock sustainable infrastructure and development programmes – and I’m looking forward to being part of the debate and finding solutions to the investment challenge at UKREiiF thisyear with WECA.”
Ashley Turner, Regional Director, Arcadis, said:
“The West of England is demonstrating how ambition becomes investible reality. As the UK’s fastest‑growing regional economy, the region combines strong leadership, a clear growth strategy and a maturing pipeline of deliverable projects across housing,transport and innovation.
“At Arcadis, we see the West of England as a standout example of capability led growth where a clear vision, integrated planning and delivery focus are unlocking homes, jobs and long-term resilience. Through our partnerships in the region, we’re proud tosupport turning strategic intent into scalable, investible outcomes that accelerate growth and empower resilient communities.”
A spokesperson for Arup said:
“Our strategic partnership with the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority reflects a shared commitment to inclusive economic growth, the net zero transition and the delivery of well‑connected, competitive places.
“The region has a strong track record of turning ambition into action and is continuing to deliver at pace through clear leadership, investable priorities and effective collaboration. This positions the region not only to attract investment, but to playa leading and enduring role in delivering the UK’s long‑term economic and environmental ambitions.”
Nick Allan, President of the Bristol Property Agents Association and International Partner at Cushman & Wakefield, said:
“The Bristol Property Agents Association is delighted to be supporting the West of England Combined Authority presence at UKREiiF at a significant moment in the next stage of the region’s regeneration projects. Whether its YTL’s at Brabazon, the openingof the University of Bristol’s Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus, progress in Bristol Temple Quarter, or the partnership between B&NES and the University of Bath on Bath Quay North. The BPAA is here to lead and support securing expertise, occupiers and capitalinvestment both domestic and international.”
