Better Places

How can one of London’s most high-profile boroughs balance the challenges of funding reform, housing delivery and economic growth while shaping a long-term vision for its communities? And what will success look like for Kensington & Chelsea by 2030?

Kanda Deputy Managing Director Simon Gartshore sits down with Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, to discuss the borough’s emerging K&C 2030 strategy and the opportunities and challenges that will shape its future.
Building on the recently launched K&C 2030 consultation, Elizabeth reflects on the progress made since becoming Leader in 2017, from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s (RBKC) response to Grenfell to the delivery of key priorities for residents. The conversation explores the challenges of local government funding reform, the proposed high-value council tax surcharge, strategic relationships with regional and national government, and the future of the Bi-Borough partnership with Westminster City Council. Cllr Campbell also discusses lessons learned from the cyber-attack that affected council services, the borough's approach to investment, regeneration and housing delivery, and the role the built environment can play in supporting local priorities. The episode concludes with a look ahead to the ambitions of K&C 2030 and the legacy she hopes to leave for the Royal Borough.

How can a council at the heart of a global city deliver growth that local people can genuinely feel, while facing one of the toughest funding settlements in London? And what does it take to lead the borough that powers 4% of the UK’s GDP?
Kanda Deputy Managing Director Simon Gartshore sits down with Cllr Paul Swaddle, Leader of Westminster City Council, to discuss the new administration’s priorities and the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of Westminster.
Reflecting on his first five months as Leader following the Conservatives’ return to power in May, Paul sets out progress against his priorities for safe streets, a clean city, value for money and thriving growth. The conversation explores the impact of the Fair Funding Review, the council’s new growth statement why growth and planning are intrinsically linked, the case for fiscal devolution, and the importance of partnerships with businesses, BIDs and the property sector. Cllr Swaddle also discusses how Westminster is supporting development and housing delivery, the proposed overnight visitor levy and the high-value council tax surcharge. The episode concludes with a more personal look at how he balances council leadership with life outside the Town Hall, and why cooking is his favourite escape.

In the latest episode of Kanda’s Better Places Podcast, Allan Andrews, Director at Kanda and co-lead of Kanda’s new Midlands practice,  is joined by Andy Williams, Director of Economy at Birmingham City Council, to discuss what the city needs to do to convert one of Europe's largest regeneration pipelines into delivery on the ground.
Three months into a newly created role, Andy sets out his thinking on inclusive growth, investor credibility and what the next 10 years might look like for Birmingham.
Their conversation explores:

With a population approaching 1.2 million and growing faster than London, an average age of 34, and five of the West Midlands' nine universities in one city, what does growth look like in Birmingham?

What separates schemes that get delivered from those that stay in the brochure, and why credibility matters more as viability tightens

The East Birmingham Mayoral Development Corporation as a "single front door" for investors, and the wider mayoral development zone out to Arden Cross and the airport

Devolution in practice: business rate retention at Paradise, the Knowledge Quarter investment zone, and the case for 14–19 skills flexibility to tackle youth unemployment

HS2 and Curzon Street: with trains expected in 2036, what will a 40-minute journey between the UK's two biggest cities mean for international investors?

What a new administration means for pace, priorities and four years of decision-making stability

Essential listening for anyone involved in regeneration, investment, planning and public affairs across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

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.