Agenda: Morning Plenary 09:30-11:00

Chair’s welcome
  • Lynda Rawsthorne, Government Head of Property Profession, Cabinet Office

Building the Foundation for Growth: Strategic Estates and Public Service Reform

This presentation will explore how resilient, optimised, and suitable estates are fundamental to delivering the government’s missions for national renewal and public service reform. We will examine the critical intersection of estates strategy with wider government priorities, including the National Infrastructure Strategy, the Balance Sheet Framework, and the Strategic Asset Review announced in the Budget.

Participants will gain insight into how strategic asset management is being embedded into future Spending Review processes, ensuring the government estate delivers maximum value. This is essential viewing for those responsible for shaping how government assets will drive value and impact in the next Spending Review cycle and beyond.

  • Hadleigh Standen, Deputy Director, Property Programmes, Cabinet Office

Playing Monopoly in 2026: Building an Infrastructure for Defence that can pass go

Defence manages one of the UK’s largest, most complex, and consequential estates—and modernising it is essential to national security and resilience. Following the Strategic Defence Review, the MOD is going through a period of renewal—including of its infrastructure. We are reforming how we plan and deliver programmes, creating value through better data, adopting modern delivery approaches, and ensuring decisions are made to support the whole-life of an asset.

In this presentation, Rebecca will explore Defence’s game plan—how it is resetting the board, upgrading its pieces, and changing the rules—to ensure its sizable estate is fit to support a country which may need to fight a war, either tomorrow or in the distant future.

  • Rebecca Jones, Infrastructure Strategy and Policy, Ministry of Defence

Property for National Renewal: Delivering on Government Missions and the Plan for Change

Mark Chivers will set out the strategic landscape for public sector property, examining how property can serve as a powerful enabler of national renewal. Drawing on the government’s mission-led approach and the Plan for Change, Mark will explore how the property estate can support economic growth, rebuild Britain’s infrastructure, break down barriers to opportunity, contribute to clean energy ambitions.

Mark will outline the key challenges and opportunities facing property leaders and how the profession must evolve to meet them.

  • Mark Chivers, Government Chief Property Officer, Cabinet Office

Agenda: Work Sessions

1A
11:30
The Social Infrastructure Roadmap:
Progress, Purpose, and Future Opportunities

The Social Infrastructure Roadmap, a key component of the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, aims to transform the way we plan and invest in social infrastructure. Under NISTA’s leadership, it will build a clearer picture of the existing estate, identify future needs, and explore more efficient ways to deliver the collective investment pipeline.

In this session we will review progress to date, what these developments mean for government departments and the wider public sector, and the potential challenges and opportunities ahead. Panellists will discuss how this approach supports more strategic, holistic, and systems-based decision-making, breaking down silos and aligning investment with long-term social outcomes.

  • Stephanie Walters, Sector Head Central Government, AtkinsRéalis
  • Jonathan Saks, Chief Economist, National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA)
  • Terry Stocks, Director Strategic Programmes, AtkinsRéalis
  • Ron Lang, Regional Director, Project and Programme Advisory, AtkinsRéalis
1B
11:30
One-size-fits-none: why standardised workspace management is holding back Central Government estates

The way people work has changed dramatically in recent years, driven by hybrid working policies, shared hubs and the need to right-size the government estate. Yet many still rely on standardised workspace models, limited data and assumptions that no longer reflect how offices are used, or who they are used by.

In this session, Matt Bailey explores why one-size-fits-all workspace management approaches create risk in complex, multi-department estates. Drawing on primary research from IT and workplace decision-makers across the public sector and beyond, he highlights where inefficiencies undermine utilisation, employee experience and confidence in estates decisions.

Matt will then outline a practical path forward: one that replaces guesswork with evidence, supports secure shared working, and enables configurable, human-centred workplaces that align with policy, value-for-money and long-term estates strategies

  • Matt Bailey, Workplace Analytics Specialist, Matrix Booking
2A
12:10
Collaborative Delivery in Action:
Optimising Public Assets through Partnership

This panel examines delivery of Transport for London’s Lost Property Office as a practical example of effective public-private partnerships working to support property strategy. The project showcases strong asset management, innovative procurement and successful stakeholder collaboration, offering a scalable model for the future. Speakers will discuss how these approaches have enabled asset optimisation, operational resilience and whole-life value, and how partnership-led delivery aligns with the Government Property Strategy by improving performance, efficiency and long-term sustainability of public assets.

  • Pritesh Parmar, Snr Business Development Manager, Scape
  • Jonathan Stewart, Public Sector Advisory, Gleeds
  • Oliver Watson, Manging Director, Overbury
  • Christine Peppiatt, Head of Estates Planning & Accommodation, Transport for London
2B
12:10
From Cupboards to Data Centres:
Unlocking Value by Retiring Server Rooms

Server rooms are often overlooked, yet they quietly drive up costs, carbon emissions, and limit flexibility across the public sector estate. This session explores how moving servers into purpose-built data centres can cut emissions by up to 99%, reduce running costs by 66%, and unlock valuable space for other uses.

We’ll share practical examples and outline how the Cabinet Office partnership, Crown Hosting, makes the transition straightforward—helping estates teams deliver real savings and progress towards net zero.

  • Michael Ferris, Central Government & ALBs, Crown Hosting
3A
13:40
Making Heritage Work Harder:
Modernising assets and maximising value

With growing pressures to modernise heritage assets, the panel will discuss how councils are tackling decarbonisation, modernisation, and condition challenges, using data and surveys to priorities investment and make informed decisions on disposals and reinvestment. Learn how strategic reuse can preserve heritage, improve efficiency and future-proof your assets.

  • Peter Buist, Partner, Purcell
  • Andrew Dobson, Partner, Purcell
3B
13:40
PFI – The challenge and the opportunity

The clock ticking on hundreds of PFI contracts due to expire in the next decade, proactive planning and collaboration is crucial to effectively navigate the challenges (and opportunities) involved in the hand-back process. Success will require a multi layered approach aligning aspects of commerciality with deep asset and service knowledge that goes way beyond normal ”business as usual” operations. The session will look to cover the following:

– What are the risks at hand-back and why is it crucial to be proactive? What steps should be taken in response;

– What approaches best balance long-term asset stewardship, service performance and value for money in a post-PFI landscape?

  • Nigel Herbert, Head of Practice – Asset Optimisation, Arcadis
  • Dave Hallam, Senior Director, Arcadis
  • Mike Diskin, PFI Expiry Programme Manager, Leeds City Council
  • Louise Loewenson-Williams, Head of Estate Controls, DVLA
  • Mark O’Shea, Assistant Director, PFI Centre of Excellence NISTA
4A
14:20
Unlocking the full potential of New Towns:
Creating value for the public estate

As government advances plans for the next generation of New Towns, the public sector has a crucial opportunity to deliver homes, transform places and enhance productivity across the public estate. These developments provide a platform to enable communities to thrive, shaping services, assets and infrastructure to support economic activity and realise key objectives of the Government Property Strategy.

We will focus this panel session on how the planning and delivery of New Towns can maximise benefits for both new and established communities: creating healthier, prosperous and connected places with sustainable outcomes. It will explore how integrated infrastructure planning can fully unlock the vision for each new town, how risk can be more effectively managed across delivery partners, and how the evolution of New Town delivery should seek to strengthen local services and enhance the public estate. Gain insights from influential experts as they discuss how to harness this opportunity of new towns to deliver meaningful, long-term value across the nation.

  • Patrick Clarke, Masterplanning Lead UK+I, AECOM
  • Chris Law, Central & Local Government Lead UK+I, AECOM
  • Katherine Hosea, Project Director, London Legacy Development Corporation
  • Katy Lock, Director of Communities, Town and Country Planning Association
4B
14:20
Building Bridges: Public-private partnerships

Exploring how collaboration between public bodies and private enterprises drives property development, regeneration, and economic growth. Join Hannah for a 30-minute session as she discusses the benefits and challenges for both the public and private sector working together to deliver the development and infrastructure needed.

  • Hannah Cheminais, Partner, Mills & Reeve LLP
5A
15:20
Building Tomorrow’s Property Leaders:
Developing the Skills and Capabilities for Mission-Led Delivery

Join Lynda Rawsthorne for an interactive session exploring how we develop the property profession to meet future challenges.

Examining the skills, capabilities, and mindsets needed to deliver ambitious government objectives, from technical excellence to strategic thinking and collaborative leadership.

Lynda will outline the profession’s development priorities and facilitate discussion on how we can collectively strengthen capability across government property teams to drive better outcomes for citizens and places.

  • Lynda Rawsthorne, Government Head of Property Profession, Cabinet Office
5B
15:20
Mind the gap between design and delivery:
How to bridge the chasm and build workplaces that perform

Great workplaces don’t happen by accident – they’re born from an alchemy of smart design and seamless delivery. This session explores how to close the gap between vision and reality, creating spaces that boost productivity, wellbeing and collaboration. Sam Carey-Smith will share insights on designing flexible, inclusive environments that stand the test of time, while Carly Ersser reveals how to turn those plans into high-performing workplaces through data-driven delivery and technology. Together, they will discuss how bridging design and delivery can bring offices to life, transforming them into vibrant hubs where people actually want to work and boost productivity and wellbeing.

  • Sam Carey-Smith, Head of Workplace Design, Innovation and Assurance, GPA
  • Carly Ersser, Director of Workplace Services, GPA
15:55
From Insight to Impact: Key Takeaways and Next Steps

Lynda Rawsthorne draws together the day’s key themes and practical insights, setting out how the property profession will turn today’s learning into tomorrow’s action.

  • Lynda Rawsthorne, Government Head of Property Profession, Cabinet Office

16:15
Drinks reception

More details coming soon…