podcast
The Balancing Act
Shaping NextGen Cities
Delivering successful regeneration projects is increasingly challenging. From funding and procurement to planning, ESG and long-term partnership models, public sector bodies are under increasing pressure to balance ambition with delivery. The Balancing Act is TLT’s new podcast series exploring how that balance can be achieved in practice.
Each episode focuses on a single, high priority issue shaping local authority-led regeneration, offering a practical, real-world lens on the challenges faced when bringing regeneration opportunities to market.
We're joined by leading external voices from across the public and private sectors, alongside those directly involved in delivery on the ground.
Combining legal insight with commercial and strategic perspectives, The Balancing Act goes beyond theory to tackle real world issues head on, reinforcing TLT’s role as a trusted adviser at the heart of the public sector regeneration conversation.
Listen to the latest episode
7: Unblocking regeneration - public land, risk and delivery
In the final episode of The Balancing Act, we're joined by Virginia Blackman, a specialist in public sector regeneration, site assembly and compulsory purchase, to explore the practical tools being used to move schemes from impasse to delivery.
Drawing on Virginia’s experience working with public bodies and development partners, the conversation takes a ground‑level look at how early intervention, land ownership and targeted use of public sector powers can de‑risk complex sites and enable housing, regeneration and infrastructure projects to move forward.
The episode explores:
- How public land ownership can be used as a lever to unlock wider regeneration
- Why “best consideration” may need to be re‑thought to support policy delivery, not just receipts
- The role of compulsory purchase, appropriation and other powers in de‑risking stalled sites
- How access issues, rights of light and restrictive covenants can block delivery — and how they can be resolved
- Why partnership, trust and shared objectives matter as much as legal powers in complex regeneration
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