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Summit to map out new infrastructure plan for the Northern Powerhouse

IPPR North's Great North Plan report

Lord Heseltine will address a summit next week which will map out a new infrastructure plan for the Northern Powerhouse.

The Northern Summit, which takes place in Leeds on 14 January, is being hosted by IPPR North and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to present the initial findings from their Great North Plan consultation.

The two organisations joined forces last year to build support for a new spatial framework for the north of England, to underpin economic growth, looking beyond transport infrastructure.

Some 240 business and public policy leaders attended 11 roundtable events in Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Hull between June and September last year to consider what a strategic spatial planning framework for the north would look like and how it should be delivered. The issues discussed by the regional roundtable events will be brought together at The Northern Summit.

Lord Heseltine, who will make a keynote speech at the invitation-only summit, said: "The Northern Powerhouse is about unlocking the potential of our great northern towns and cities by better connecting the north’s places and people. But a stronger northern economy does not simply rely on transport alone; it is about joining up all its assets, skills and people.

IPPR North director, Ed Cox, said that he hoped the Northern Summit would forge a new way forward for the region, bringing together the north’s leading minds to help shape the future of the Northern Powerhouse. "Infrastructure is fundamental to the north’s success,” said Cox, “but there has been a lack of longer-term vision and strategic thinking to join up assets and leadership to drive such a plan forward."

The Northern Summit takes place in Leeds on 14 January 2016. Attendance is by invitation only and Infrastructure Intelligence will be attending and reporting from the event.

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