West Yorkshire led the way at last week's UK's Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), cementing its reputation as 'the place where opportunity lives'.

Hosted for the fourth consecutive year at Leeds Royal Armouries, UKREiiF served as a powerful platform where Mayor Tracy Brabin, local leaders, and private sector partners were able to powerfully champion that there has never been a better time to invest in West Yorkshire. Showcasing billions of pounds worth of opportunities and ambitious plans designed to significantly boost the West Yorkshire economy, Mayor Tracy Brabin and local leaders came together to attract new investors and developers from across the UK, Europe, and the US interested in our long-term transformative schemes and investment-ready sites. 

Tracy Brabin (pic), Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “It was incredible to welcome investors, developers and policy makers from across the country back to Leeds, with so much excitement around our plans for economic growth. 

“Devolution is empowering West Yorkshire to forge its own future - working closely with the private sector, we’re meeting them halfway with record investment in public transport and backing from the Prime Minister and Chancellor for a tram network. Connecting people to places is how we’ll transform the economy, while investing in our region will benefit everyone for generations to come.”

West Yorkshire’s mission for economic growth showcased at UKREiiF is spearheaded by three distinct yet interconnected "Growth Corridors" - Western, Southern, and Eastern - collectively offering over 40 sites for investment. These corridors represent significant opportunities to boost the region's prosperity, with the right financial and expert backing set to see communities across West Yorkshire prosper and thrive.

Underpinning all of these ambitious growth corridors are West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin ten-year, £7 billion Local Growth Plan, first set out in December, projected to support the creation of 33,000 new jobs and unlock £26 billion of economic growth. This comprehensive plan aims to halve the number of people in the region with low or no qualifications and ensure everyone has quick and reliable access to jobs.

Its implementation will be made possible by a single regional funding settlement from the government in 2026, empowering West Yorkshire to "forge its own future" with confidence. This is set against the city's £2 billion Innovation Arc which will bolster its growing world-leading digital, financial, and health technology sectors, by a new tramline connecting hospitals, universities, shopping districts, and the arena - transforming the experience for those living and working in West Yorkshire.

Providing significant opportunities and devolution-connecting key initiatives, Leeds is set to benefit from tens of thousands of new homes, 3.5 million square feet of new office space, and much-needed rail station improvements to boost capacity. With connectivity a key focus at UKREiiF this week, a major talking point was the significant strides being made with Combined Authority proposals for trams connecting communities between Bradford and Leeds and Leeds city centre to south Leeds, with early construction expected to begin in 2028. 

The past week also saw the launch of preliminary market engagement with potential suppliers for the tram proposals. Further strengthening the transport agenda in the past week, Lord Blunkett’s Plan for Rail outlined a phased approach to fix Yorkshire’s broken railway network.

This ambitious £14 billion long-term plan aims to add £20 billion to the region’s economy, create an extra 83,000 jobs, and contribute to the building of 210,000 new homes over ten years. The plan addresses critical challenges such as delays at major stations, poor regional connectivity, and outdated rolling stock, proposing new stations, improved services, and increased capacity.

This week also saw a major announcement from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, in partnership with Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, detailing a significant new stage in the development of the city’s Innovation Village and new hospital. This initiative, which includes the transformation of the historic Old Medical School into a cutting-edge healthtech innovation hub (creating 75,000 sq ft of innovation space by 2027), is expected to create 4,000 jobs and £13 billion in economic benefits, with a development potential of 1.5 million square feet.

The West Yorkshire Investment Zone is supporting this, leveraging up to £220 million of investment and supporting the creation of 2,500 jobs.