Eastend Homes connects at Leaders' Event
12 February 2026
I left feeling part of something bigger: a network of people who care deeply about their places and are committed to doing the right thing, even when the answers aren’t straightforward.
As chief executive of Eastend Homes, this was my first time attending a PlaceShapers Leaders' Event, and I’ll be honest - I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. But by the end of the day, I found myself wondering why I hadn’t been to one sooner.
There was something refreshingly real about the conversations, helped along by the fact that PlaceShapers chief executive Catherine Ryder stepped in to lead when member support manager Charlotte Kay and chair Matthew Walker couldn’t make it. She set such an open, honest tone that it felt easy to speak, listen, and admit what we’re all juggling in the day job.
One of the first questions - “What capacity is there in our business plans for place-shaping?” - landed harder than I expected. It got to the heart of what so many of us are wrestling with. But what I really appreciated was how quickly the room shifted from pressure to possibility. There was a real sense of, “Okay, it’s tough… but here’s what we can do.”
I came away with a few stand-out reflections:
- There’s far more potential in external funding than I’d realised - Section 106 opportunities, grants, and partnership-led projects.
- Community anchors came up a lot, and I loved the idea that we don’t need to own something to be proud of it (I forgot who said that, but I will be using it in the future). Working with long trusted partners might be one of the most powerful tools we have.
- And data - not just our own, but the outside insight that challenges our assumptions - feels more important than ever if we want a true picture of our places.
We had some honest conversations about assets and investment too: negative NPV stock, JVs, private equity, even local bonds. No silver bullets, but it was reassuring to hear others wrestling with the same questions. It made me think about where we are on that journey and what decisions we might need to revisit.
Some of the most interesting bits for me were the practical examples - entry points into estates, intergenerational letting models like Phoenix’s, and whether things like retrofit or decant programmes could also help tackle issues such as ASB. It reminded me that place-shaping is rarely one big decision; it’s lots of small, thoughtful choices that shape how our communities feel.
The regeneration discussion was one of the liveliest of the day. The frustration was clear: government is still focused on numbers, while housing-led regeneration struggles to get attention. What really stuck with me was the need to be much clearer about what regeneration means to us - and what exactly we’re asking for. And the point about long-term, patient investment hit home: rent alone won’t deliver the scale of change some areas desperately need.
Catherine ended the afternoon with PlaceShapers’ priorities for the years ahead - influencing government, shaping the national debate, strengthening relationships, and sharing learning across the network. Hearing it after the day’s conversations made it feel even more relevant.
For my first Leaders' Event, it was exactly what I needed - grounding, energising, and full of ideas I’m still thinking about. I left feeling part of something bigger: a network of people who care deeply about their places and are committed to doing the right thing, even when the answers aren’t straightforward.