Better Places

What does the Oxford Street Development Corporation's first year tell us about the future of one of the world's most iconic high streets, and what should developers, investors and landowners expect from London's newest planning authority? 
Kanda’s Yiannis Sophocleous sits down with Nabeel Khan, Chief Executive of the Oxford Street Development Corporation (OSDC), to discuss the Corporation's journey from establishment to delivery and its ambitions for the future of Oxford Street.  
Following the transfer of planning powers earlier this summer, Nabeel reflects on the OSDC's progress to date, its priorities for the years ahead and how it intends to work with developers, local authorities, businesses and community stakeholders to deliver the future of Oxford Street. The conversation also explores the practical implications of the OSDC becoming the Local Planning Authority. Namely, what applicants should know when bringing forward proposals, and the role of pedestrianisation, public realm improvements and regeneration in shaping the future of one of London's most important commercial hotspots into an experience-led destination.

How can business leaders make themselves heard without hiding behind jargon, and how could Andy Burnham’s Prime Ministership change the way UK media operates? 
Cam Meads sits down with Jonathan Prynn, former Business Editor at the London Standard, who is about to join The Telegraph’s business team as Retail Editor. Jonathan argues that chief executives should back themselves and speak in a human voice rather than retreat into jargon, acronyms and financial ratios that never truly reach audiences. He explains why developers shouldn’t fear press scrutiny but should stop dismissing local opposition as ‘a bit of noise’, why the sector needs a better word than ‘viability’, and what housebuilding can learn from the way hospitality made its case.

Just when the City Plan looked set to sail through, Matthew Pennycook stepped in. Simon Gartshore sits down with Tom Sleigh, Chairman of the City of London Corporation's Planning & Transportation Committee, for his first in-depth interview on the Minister's late intervention, relations with Heritage bodies, and what it all means for investor confidence in the Square Mile.

In this episode recorded live at UKREiiF, Simon Gartshore, Deputy Managing Director at Kanda Consulting, sits down with Tom Sleigh, recently reelected as Chair of the City of London Corporation's Planning and Transportation Committee.
Tom reflects on his first year — including a record breaking number of applications — and shares his views on the pace of national planning reform, the near-final stages of the City Plan, and the challenge of balancing growth with heritage in the Square Mile.
The conversation also covers stalled development sites, the role of culture in Destination City, the arrival of AI in planning practice, and what a reduced planning committee will mean for decision-making in one of the world's most important business districts.

In the latest episode of the Concilio x Kanda Better Places Podcast, Nick Dines is joined by Phil Rodgers to unpack the results across Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, alongside what Local Government Reorganisation could mean for the region. 

The conversation covers: 

Labour losing overall control of Cambridge City Council 

The Green Party’s breakthrough gains in Cambridge 

The Liberal Democrats’ near-clean sweep in South Cambridgeshire 

Huntingdonshire’s next rainbow coalition  

The future structure of local government across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 

An essential listen for anyone involved in planning, development, infrastructure and public affairs across the Ox-Cam corridor.