Perth & Kinross Business News

Housing, regeneration and investment in focus at UKREiiF 2026

Housing delivery, regeneration and infrastructure investment emerged as the dominant themes at this year’s UKREiiF mirroring the priorities set out through Perth and Kinross Council’s 2026/27 budget and wider regeneration agenda.

Housing delivery, regeneration and infrastructure investment emerged as some of the dominant themes at this year’s UK Real Estate Investment & Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF), reflecting growing national focus on how local authorities and partners can respond to housing demand while supporting long-term economic growth.

For Perth and Kinross Council, those conversations closely aligned with priorities already set out through the Council’s 2026/27 budget and wider regeneration agenda.

Earlier this year, PKC committed additional investment towards housing provision, repairs and bringing vacant properties back into use, alongside continued support for town centre regeneration and community wellbeing. Against that backdrop, UKREiiF provided an opportunity to build on existing policy commitments by engaging directly with developers, investors, housing organisations and infrastructure partners from across the UK.

Building on local housing commitments

UKREiiF 2026 centred national discussions around affordable housing delivery, regeneration, infrastructure and unlocking development opportunities.

Those themes mirror a number of measures included within Perth and Kinross Council’s 2026/27 budget.

The Council allocated:

£300,000 to help bring empty homes back into use more quickly
£200,000 to improve housing repairs response times
£40,000 to support a dedicated handyperson service for older tenants

PKC also renewed its Adapt Your Property Grant scheme, which offers 50% match-funded grants of up to £75,000 to help owners bring vacant or underused commercial properties back into productive use.

Councillor Grant Laing, Convener of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, was in attendance with Kirsty Easton, Team Leader, Business Growth and Steve MacDonald, Economic Development Manager, Skills, Business and Place Investment.

Councillor Laing commented, “Housing and regeneration are key priorities for Perth and Kinross, and UKREiiF provided an important opportunity to build on the commitments already outlined within the Council’s budget and wider investment plans.

“As well as engaging in national discussions around housing delivery and infrastructure, we were also able to showcase the wider investment opportunities across Perth and Kinross and continue building relationships with partners who can support sustainable growth across the region.”

Investment and the Economy

While housing was a major theme of this year’s forum, UKREiiF also brought together national conversations around transport, green energy, infrastructure, commercial development, town centre regeneration and inward investment.

That broader focus is important for Perth and Kinross, where economic development activity spans these key sectors and during the event, PKC representatives continued promoting opportunities contained within the region’s investment prospectus, which highlights a pipeline of strategic development and regeneration projects across Perth and Kinross.

The £530 million Investment Prospectus showcases eight transformative projects that collectively support Perth and Kinross’s ambitions to lead in sustainability and clean economic growth.

This diverse portfolio of market-ready opportunities and longer-term investor-led partnerships spans a 15-year period from 2025 to 2040, and covers key sectors such as renewable energy, tourism, advanced manufacturing, and digital technology.

Turning policy into partnerships

For local authorities, events such as UKREiiF are increasingly becoming part of the practical work required to deliver long-term policy ambitions.

While national housing targets and regeneration strategies are often set at government level, delivery depends on partnerships between councils, investors, developers, infrastructure providers and communities.

By taking part in UKREiiF 2026, Perth and Kinross Council was able to build on the commitments already outlined within its own budget and economic development plans, ensuring local priorities remain connected to wider national investment and regeneration conversations.

Sources and further information