UKREiiF highlights key real estate trends and reinforces the UK’s ongoing investment appeal
Jade Fellowes, Client Services Director and Head of Intermediaries at Suntera Global, shares her insights on the key themes discussed at last month’s UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) in Leeds – including why the North remains a standout destination for investment.
You recently attended the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum in Leeds, what were the key trends highlighted for RE and infrastructure investment sectors?
The key themes at UKREiiF centred around sustainable investment, housing delivery, infrastructure development, and the need for meaningful policy reform. The forum highlighting some of the UK’s most pressing challenges with a candid mix of optimism, frustration, and a shared desire to ‘just get on with it’.
One of the most prominent messages was that unlocking economic growth in the UK will require stronger public-private collaboration. There were repeated calls for consistent and committed government action to convert plans into tangible outcomes. While there was a more positive outlook for the real estate sector overall, it was clear that issues surrounding the planning system and complex building regulations are still creating significant delays and frustration.
Housing was another major focus. The forum underscored the urgent need for increased government investment to address the growing demand for affordable housing. According to Savills' report for the National Housing Federation, the UK is unlikely to meet Labour’s target of delivering 1.5 million new homes within the current parliamentary term highlighting the scale of the challenge.
Finally, the conversation around infrastructure was pivotal. Without the right foundations – particularly in water, energy, and transport – it’s impossible to build communities that are resilient, inclusive, and capable of thriving in the long term and there is a distinct need for a more joined-up approach to infrastructure planning and delivery.
How are investors diversifying their strategies within the UK market? Are there particular regions or sectors on the rise for investment?
Regional market expansion was a major focus at UKREiiF, particularly in the north of the country, where the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ agenda continues to shape investment priorities. Common themes across regions included regeneration, life sciences, sustainable housing, community-led design, and improved transport infrastructure.
Community-led design, in particular, stood out. Several developers shared how initial project concepts were reshaped after engaging directly with local communities — underscoring the value of listening to residents early in the process and it was encouraging to see community voices actively influencing development outcomes.
In terms of investment strategies, diversification was a recurring topic with several trends emerging but in particular office-to-residential conversions, and logistics and data centres.
Office-to-residential conversions are gaining momentum, driven by the continued decline in demand for traditional office space. Investors, including pension funds and foreign institutions, are increasingly targeting sectors like build-to-rent, student accommodation, senior/co-living, and affordable housing. At Suntera, we've been active in this space for years and are seeing sustained demand.
Meanwhile, logistics and data centres were also high on the radar. Notably, Blackpool which although an area not traditionally associated with tech infrastructure is moving forward with the ambitious Silicon Sands project. Its unique connectivity to the North Atlantic Loop, which carries a significant portion of global internet traffic, makes it a compelling location for future data centre development.
A recent PwC Survey ranked the UK as the second most attractive global destination for investment – ahead of Germany, India and China. Why do you think the UK is proving to be particularly attractive?
There are a number of reasons why the UK continues to draw significant global investment so much so that American investors alone deployed £13.6 billion into the UK’s commercial property market in 2024 – more than double the amount spent a year earlier and a record 33% share of all investment into the UK (Source: British Property Federation and CoStar Report).
Broadly, there is a perspective that the UK repriced quicker than other European markets, amplifying the region’s appeal significantly to US investors, and this certainly chimes with the conversations Suntera is having with clients across multiple sectors.
Of course, the UK’s stalwarts – mature and transparent framework, global financial hub and, in more recent times, its progressive approach in the sustainability and technology sectors – combined with the government’s openness to foreign investment have ensured its continual appeal. These qualities are also synonymous with stability and certainty which, given the current geopolitical backdrop, remain in high demand.
What are the macro trends impacting investment decisions and what are the key considerations for investors?
There are a number of macro trends to consider. Regarding the requirement for office space, there is certainly an interesting paradox materialising between business and employee expectations of how many days they need to be physically present.
Although many businesses express a desire to bring employees back into the office, largely to support culture, collaboration, and productivity, office space development in reality is slowing. Rather than new builds, landlords and developers are turning their focus to refurbishing outdated, vacant spaces with the goal to deliver higher-quality, ESG-compliant, and tech-enabled environments that better meet evolving tenant requirements.
Meanwhile, this shift also reflects the broader employee perspective post-COVID whereby flexible working is seen as a standard expectation for many office-based workers. A recent Times report revealed that 58% of UK workers would consider quitting or finding a new job if forced to return to the office five days a week. This puts employers in a difficult position – balancing the desire for in-person engagement with the need to retain talent in a competitive labour market.
In short, office development is adapting to a new reality focussed less on quantity of space and more on quality, flexibility, and suitability for a post-Covid workforce.
How is the UK’s political make up post Brexit and the wider-geopolitical environment impacting UK infrastructure investment? For instance, has the UK-US trade deal had or will it have any bearing on investment decisions?
The scope of the US-UK trade deal under the Trump administration appeared relatively limited, with many details remaining unclear. From a financial services standpoint, there were some indications of provisions that could support greater market access such as facilitating the expansion of London-based firms into the US. However, the specifics were not fully developed.
While Suntera doesn’t provide investment advice, we do recognise that investors need to stay informed about developments in international trade and policy that could impact their strategies, and this deal is just one of the many geopolitical events contributing to an ever-evolving investment landscape.
In reality, investors have had to navigate decades of ongoing change whether stemming from the aftermath of Brexit, the global effects of COVID-19, or the current tariff tensions and the Trump-era trade negotiations are another chapter in that narrative. As ever was, investors are likely to approach such shifts with measured caution.
How can service providers support their clients to grasp opportunities and avoid the pitfalls when looking to invest in UK real estate or infrastructure projects?
I am often asked what a corporate services provider actually is and how does it add value, especially in the real estate sector where the landscape is constantly evolving.
The answer often depends on who we're supporting but whether it’s a developer, high-net-worth individual, pension fund or family office, we play a crucial role behind the scenes to ensure smooth, compliant, and efficient operations.
Although we very much take a bespoke approach to supporting our clients, some of the key ways in which we can offer support are: onboarding of project vehicles; implementation of tax-efficient structures; provision of deal lifecycle support; offering of institutional governance; financial reporting; company secretarial services; and fund setup.
Ultimately, we see ourselves as a strategic partner to our clients supporting them to operate efficiently, remain compliant, and focus on their growth ambitions.
About Suntera
Suntera Global is an independent global provider of bespoke fund, corporate and private wealth services.
We provide a comprehensive range of administration, accounting and governance services globally to our fund, corporate and private clients. If you would like to learn more about investing in the UK, feel free to reach out via our Contact Us page.
About the Author
Jade Fellowes
Client Services Director and Head of Intermediaries 
Jade has over fifteen years' experience in the management and provision of trust and corporate administration services to a wide range of clients across the globe. She moved to the UK in early 2023 to set up and oversee the running of Suntera’s London office which provides clients and professional intermediaries with an on-the-ground point of access to our broad range of cross-border corporate, fund and private wealth services.
