Housing LIN's Annual Conference 2025 - Leeds

Following the publication of several sector-defining reports last year, we were delighted to reconnect with our members and share the latest sector insights, focusing on planning, designing, developing and managing our future housing in the context of Age-Friendly Homes and Connected Communities.

Taking place in Leeds "Festival of Ideas", we focused on the latest policy discussions surrounding the Older People’s Housing Taskforce and All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiries. With impressive keynote speakers and sector showcases, this event explored housing choices through the lens of innovative sector developments, including age-friendly design, placemaking, technology and adaptations.

We were joined by policy maker, housing professional, or those interested in the future of housing, as the conference will provided valuable insights, hosted engaging conversations and highlighted key sector advancements.

We are immensely grateful to our select group of sponsors who have made it possible for us to resume our free-of-charge, high-profile conferences for Housing LIN members.

9:00 – 10:00: Registration, Refreshments, and Networking

10:00 – 10:10: Welcome and Opening Remarks with Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN

10:10 – 10:30: Why the Older People’s Housing Taskforce Report Should Be the Centrepiece of Housing Policy with headline speaker, Professor Julienne Meyer, Chair of the Older People’s Housing Taskforce

Sector showcases 1, chaired by Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN

• 10:30 – 11:00: Lifelong Housing, Living Communities: Building Sustainable Housing and Neighbourhoods for Our Lifetimes with Susan Rugg, Regional Director, Evan Sleeman, Associate Director, AtkinsRéalis

11:00 – 11:45: Refreshments and Networking

Sector showcases 2 and 3, chaired by Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN

• 11:45 – 12:15: Bold Architecture for Older People: Designing Aspirational HAPPI Homes for Our Ageing Population with Mark Heron, Senior Architect, P+HS Architects
   
• 12:15 – 12:45: Digitally Connected: A White Paper for Improving Citizen Outcomes and Shaping Local Markets with Emil Peters, CEO and Angus Honeysett, Head of Global Market Insight, Tunstall Healthcare Ltd

12:45 – 14:00: Lunch and Networking

Sector showcases 4 and 5, chaired by Lois Beech, Consultancy and Partnerships Manager, Housing LIN

• 14:00 – 14:30: Vital Statistics: Understanding the Housing Preferences of Older People with Elaine Unegbu, Chair, Age Friendly Manchester (AFM) Older People’s Board and Greater Manchester Older People’s Network (GMOPN) Steering Group and Stephen Finlay, Research Director, Ipsos
   
• 14:30 - 15:00: Changing the narrative around specialist housing for older people with Megan Wilson, Planning Director, Marrons

15:00 – 15:40: Refreshments and Networking

Sector showcases 6 and 7, chaired by Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN

• 15:40 – 16:10: Joining up housing, health, and care to support older people in the North East and North Cumbria with Sean Cocking, Commissioning Lead, North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board and Fiona Brown, Programme Director, Housing, Health and Care Programme, NE ADASS & Health and Care Partnerships 
   
• 16:10 – 16:40: Creative Inclusive Design: Equipping Our Homes for the Future with Laura Wood, Co-Founder and Director of Marketing, Invisible Creations 

16:40 – 16:55: A Vision for Healthy Ageing-Friendly Housing and Mixed-Aged Communities with headline speaker, Anna Dixon MP, Co-Chair Inquiry, APPG on Housing and Care for Older People

16:55 – 17:00: Summary and Close with Jeremy Porteus, CEO, Housing LIN

Networking: We were delighted to be joined by 200 housing with care industry leaders, local authority commissioners, investors, architects, and operators of social housing for older people. They met partners from the construction, housing, health, social care and technology sectors.

Inspiration: We engaged with experts as they explored the latest strategies for building technology-enabled, caring environments for older people.

Insights: We gained valuable knowledge on boosting the supply of affordable, age-friendly housing and creating connected communities. In particular, the conference drew on the following sector reports and resources: 

• Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, Our Future Homes
• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People inquiry report on the Regeneration of Outdated Sheltered Housing and plans for the 2025 Inquiry.
• Ipsos/Housing LIN report on the housing preferences of older people
• Homes England’s report on the social value of investing in specialist housing 
• The lessons from the TAPPI inquiry and how going digital is transforming services for older and vulnerable adults 
• The role of designing HAPPI homes that people in later life want
• Creating vibrant connected later living communities
• Diversity and inclusion to prevent housing, health and social
• Inspiring the next wave of talent and future leaders
• Planning for an ageing population
• Innovations in age-friendly housing and connected communities 

With a line-up of headline speakers, sector showcase sessions, exhibition and networking space, it was an event to remember!

Parking: There is off-site public car parking available at Trinity Car Park, 0.1 miles away, with Marriott hotel guest rates from £17.50 for 24 hours. Trinity Car Park is situated on the right as you arrive off Swinegate, postcode LS1 4AG.

Travel by rail: Leeds Marriott is a short walk, approximately 5 minutes, from Leeds City station.

By registering for and/or attending this event, you acknowledge and agree that photography, audio, and video recordings may be taken during the event. These materials may be used by Housing LIN for promotional purposes, including but not limited to use on websites, social media, newsletters, and other marketing materials.

If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please notify the registration desk upon arrival.

Important notice: the conference is provided free of charge to those registered in advance to attend and who subsequently attend. However, we reserve the right to charge those who register and subsequently fail to attend for the full cost of a conference place. This is due to the LIN incurring irrecoverable costs based on numbers of those registered in advance to attend. Non-attenders will be invoiced and pursued for payment. By registering you unreservedly accept these terms and conditions. The cost of the 2025 conference is £250 plus VAT per head.