London Real Estate Forum 2025

Like successful partnerships, successful cities and neighbourhoods are built on trust. At this year’s London Real Estate Forum, we convened a panel of esteemed colleagues and collaborators: Aaron Taggart of Cheyne Capital, John Anderson of Imperial College, Leader of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Stephen Cowan, and ARUP’s Joanna Rowelle, with expert moderation by New London Architecture’s very own Catherine Staniland.

We explored the importance of building trust with local communities, and how collaboration can unlock urban potential for high-density, mixed-use schemes such as Vauxhall Square and the growing Imperial College campus in north-west London.

Local government can naturally play a key role by building partnerships with businesses, universities, communities, and developers to create a compelling and honest vision of the benefits that well thought-out development can bring. After all, if investment does not deliver visible benefits for local communities, they will not embrace it, or steward in change. Here, councils and development partners must work in tandem to become good urban custodians for everyone’s benefit.

To build effective partnerships, the panel agreed that clear communication and setting expectations from the outset will enable the entire team to speak with a shared voice. Involving architects and engineers as early as possible in the placemaking process helps us to create schemes that are ambitious, viable and compliant.

Finally, we looked to central government to support these efforts by helping to build new and upgrade existing infrastructure, and to set consistent rules and regulations. This will de-risk development in the long run and help create lively, sustainable urban environments we can all be proud of.