Hugh James launches housing week of expert talks
Housing Week organized by Hugh James will run from 9 – 13 November 2026, gathering housing leaders, legal advisers and sector specialists for a five-day series of events.
Program Overview
The event adopts the theme “Building for Growth,” focusing on how organisations can sustain expansion while facing tighter supply, community pressures and workforce challenges.
Sessions will blend in-person meetings with virtual discussions, offering practical insight into people, projects and strategic choices that will shape housing delivery over the next decade.
Legal and operational factors that could support or hinder those ambitions will be examined throughout the week.
Representatives from the Welsh Government, housing associations, small- and medium-size housebuilders and public-limited developers will attend.
Architectural, planning and valuation consultants, together with local-authority decision-makers, will join the in-person gatherings to discuss collaborative solutions for Wales’s housing shortage.
Key Sessions
They will discuss ways to develop a strong workforce.
The in-person “Growing supply with confidence” session, co-hosted with Savills, will debut the latest Welsh Housing Market Outlook Report and include a live panel led by Caroline O’Flaherty, Partner and Head of Social Housing.
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An online fireside chat will explore Plaid Cymru’s planning proposals with Alex Madden, Partner and Head of Planning.
In-person sessions on “Growing community and cohesion” will address mental capacity, tenant disability support, safeguarding, homelessness and the impact of the Crime and Policing Act 2026 on providers.
The construction law update, “Growing safely,” will be presented online by Matthew Stevens, Head of Construction, Infrastructure and Projects.
Another online fireside chat with Matthew Stevens will focus on how housing associations can safely increase home delivery.
“Leading growth with confidence” will bring together Harriet Morgan, Partner in Commercial Property, Auriol Miller, Chief Executive at Cynon Taf, and Jason Wroe, Interim Chief Executive at First Choice Housing Association, for a virtual discussion.
Liz Fletcher, Head of Procurement at Hugh James, will share insight on the Commercial Payments Bill and its relevance to housing providers and their supply chains.
Caroline O’Flaherty stated that the housing sector is under immense pressure. Organisations are being asked to deliver more, at pace, at a time when the environment in which they operate is becoming increasingly complex. She added that growth involves workforce development, community strength, risk management and confident long-term investment decisions.
Further details, online access options and registration for in-person events are available at www.hughjames.com/hj-housing-week/.
