BCO Annual Conference 2026, Conference Brochure - Flipbook - Page 12
Plenary 1
Date:
Wednesday 17 June
Time:
09:30 - 10:30
Plenary 2
Date:
Wednesday 17 June
Time:
11:15 - 12:15
Opportunities
for cities in 2026
Navigating office
development in UK
regional cities
Economy is about community, and communities are the
foundations of prosperity. Thriving communities attract
people to places and to places of work. But what
choice should people have about where and how they
work, and how do their decisions impact on the health,
prosperity and viability of our cities and citizens?
Join us for a critical examination of the challenges
facing office development across the key UK regional
markets. This debate will tackle the perfect storm
of factors undermining project viability: soaring
construction costs, elevated borrowing rates and
uncertain occupier demand.
Cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow differ
from each other and from the 40 miles
of towns and villages between them.
Geography, history, culture, politics,
density, complexity, connectivity,
wealth and attractiveness determine the
different types and scales of experience
these two cities offer compared with
each other and with cities across the UK.
Our expert panel will consider
how hybrid working patterns
have fundamentally altered space
requirements and how ESG compliance
adds significant cost pressures. We’ll
also explore the widening gap between
development costs and achievable
rents and yields, highlighting case
studies where projects have stalled
and exploring what is needed to
reactivate them.
The cost of participation in cities for
workers, businesses, investors and
developers is considerable. For some,
the additional cost of building and being
part of a workplace community is a
worthwhile overhead, for others it drives
alternative ways of working.
This session aims to show us how offices
might return to their roots and create
places of work that build communities
that can enrich and sustain our cities.
Chair
Professor Janice Kirkpatrick OBE FRSE
Director & Co-founder, Graven
Panellists
Chair
Sir John Curtice
Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde; Senior
Research Fellow, National Centre for Social Research
Cameron Stott
Head of Scotland, JLL
Paul Lawrence
CEO, City of Edinburgh Council
Gillian Docherty CBE FRSE
Chief Commercial Officer, University of Strathclyde;
President, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce
BCO Annual Conference 2026
This session will dig into emerging
strategies for unlocking viable
development, from innovative financing
models to alternative use concepts.
Whether you’re a developer, investor,
occupier or adviser, this session offers
essential insights for navigating today’s
challenging market and positioning for
tomorrow’s opportunities in regional
office development.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald GBE FREng FRSE
Chair, Scottish Enterprise; Principal and
Vice-Chancellor, University of Strathclyde 2009-2025;
President, Royal Academy of Engineers 2019-2024
Dr Ken Shuttleworth FRSA
Founder, Make Architects
Paul Curran
CEO, Qmile Group
Helen Hare
Director of Project, GPE; President, BCO
Ben Littman
Senior Director, Head of Development,
Private Markets, Aviva Investors
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