The UKREiiF 2026 programme is weighted heavily toward delivery. How much gets built, how quickly, and to what standard. What I am most interested in is whether the transport and infrastructure conversation this year moves from being the context for those ambitions to being the starting point for them.
That shift matters. Connectivity is not a supporting element of good development. It is what determines whether development delivers what it promises.
Infrastructure as the lead, not the follower
The relationship between transport infrastructure and development value is well understood in principle. Locations with strong connectivity attract investment, support higher density, and generate the kind of sustained occupier demand that makes long-term development viable. Locations without it struggle, regardless of how well the scheme is designed or how favourable the planning position is.
What has been slower to follow is the practice of planning transport infrastructure first and development around it, rather than the reverse. The pressure to demonstrate delivery at scale and to move quickly through planning processes has repeatedly resulted in schemes where transport connections are promised rather than in place at the point when residents and occupiers arrive.
UKREiiF's transport and infrastructure sessions this year are addressing this directly. The question is whether the conversations produce a clearer shared view on how to sequence infrastructure and development more effectively.
Active travel and the planning system
Active travel has moved significantly up the planning agenda over the past few years, and the UKREiiF programme reflects that. Walking and cycling infrastructure is no longer treated as an optional enhancement to new development. It is increasingly a material consideration in planning applications, with Active Travel England holding statutory consultee status on major schemes and local cycling and walking infrastructure plans shaping what authorities expect from developers.
What I will be listening for in the active travel sessions is how the industry is responding to that expectation in practice. Designing active travel connectivity into schemes from the outset rather than accommodating it around an already fixed layout requires a different approach to master planning. The sessions that address the practical design and planning implications of this, rather than the policy aspiration, are the ones worth attending closely.
Transport assessments and development viability
Transport assessments are a standard requirement for major planning applications, but their quality and influence on scheme design vary considerably. At their best, they are a genuine tool for understanding how a development will interact with the surrounding transport network and what mitigation is needed to make that interaction work. At their worst, they are a compliance exercise that arrives late in the design process and changes very little.
The more useful version of this conversation at UKREiiF will be about how transport planning can be integrated earlier into the development process so that it shapes design and layout rather than simply assessing it after the fact. Early engagement with highway authorities, transport operators, and Active Travel England before planning submission is where the value sits. That is where transport planning can genuinely influence outcomes rather than just document them.
The regional connectivity picture
One of the things UKREiiF does well is put the regional investment and development conversation in the same room as the people making decisions about it. The transport and infrastructure sessions this year include serious discussions about strategic connectivity and the relationship between transport investment and regional economic growth.
For development teams working across the Midlands, the North, and other regions where transport infrastructure is both a constraint and an opportunity, those conversations carry real practical relevance. Where infrastructure investment is confirmed and sequenced, development viability improves. Where it remains uncertain, the risk profile of committed schemes changes with it.
Talk to me about your transport planning and design challenges at UKREiiF
If you are attending UKREiiF and want to discuss transport planning, active travel, or how connectivity affects the development projects you are working on, let’s meet up. You can reach me by emailing [email protected] or calling 0161 837 7364 to arrange a meeting.
Alternatively, come along to our fringe event at Black Cat Club to discuss your challenges with our wider team while enjoying some free food and drinks. Please email [email protected] to register your interest.
Get in touch with the BTG Eddisons team
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