The Evolving Estate: Balancing commercial imperatives with legacy

Stewardship & Investment in a Changing City: How London’s great estates are creating long-term value while preserving place, purpose and legacy.

London’s great estates have shaped the capital for centuries. Today, they face a new challenge: how do you honour a long-term custodial responsibility whilst continuing to invest, adapt and create value in a rapidly evolving city?

Against a backdrop of changing occupier expectations, shifting investment dynamics, ESG priorities, planning pressures and growing demands on place-making, estate owners are increasingly required to think beyond individual assets and towards the long-term resilience of entire neighbourhoods.

The Evolving Estate brings together senior leaders from some of London’s most influential estates for an invitation-only discussion exploring how stewardship, investment and regeneration can work together to create enduring value.

Join peers and industry leaders as we examine how estates are evolving their strategies to respond to a changing market while remaining faithful to the character, heritage and communities that define them.

Event details

Date: Wednesday, 23 September 2026

Time: 8.30 – 11.30am

Venue: The Covent Garden Hotel, London

Email [email protected] to register your interest in attending

What we’ll cover

• How can estates unlock greater value from mixed-use portfolios while enhancing the heritage and identity that make them distinctive?
• What does successful long-term investment look like in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving market?
• How do leading estates create thriving destinations through placemaking, activation and meaningful community engagement?
• Which planning, leasing and partnership strategies are proving most effective in supporting future growth?
• How can estates balance commercial performance with growing environmental and social expectations?
• What steps are estates taking today to future-proof their neighbourhoods for the next generation of occupiers, residents, and visitors?

Guests

Panel discussion:

• Andrea Merrington, Director of Planning and Place, Howard de Walden Estate
• Jane Macdiarmid, Head of Retail, King’s Cross
• Hannah Forkan, Residential Director, Grosvenor Property
• Katie Balderson, Corporate Director & Estate Secretary, The Portman Estate

Special guest speaker:

• Peter Murray OBE , Co-Founder of New London Architecture and one of the most influential voices in placemaking, city making and the future of the built environment.