D & P Holt were delighted to be one of the private sector Partners supporting Coventry’s high profile presence at the world’s premier Real Estate Summit in Cannes.

The Partnership included the manufacturer of the Spyker supercar to be built in Coventry. Spyker announced at MIPIM that they will be increasing their commitment and producing additional models in the City. Their Director, Hans van Rennes was attracted to Coventry by its high skill base, and that it is being supported by a wealthy Russian financier. D & P Holt introduced their partner, CPP Manufacturing who will be producing the vehicles, to their first production unit at Binns Close.

Directors of Friargate LLP, which recently received planning consent for a 3m sq ft mixed use scheme adjacent to Coventry station, were in attendance and engaged with the leaders of Coventry City Council in meetings with potential major investors to the City. D & P Holt were actively engaged with senior officers present at a number of meetings with residential and commercial developers attracted to the huge potential which the City has, and the need to meet its future housing targets of 33,500 new homes by 2026. To support this significant expansion, the City needs to revitalise its City Centre and create new employment opportunities.

One of the highlights of the City’s high profile presence in MIPIM was Martin Reeves, the Chief Executive of Coventry City Council, chairing a major seminar on international inward investments.

The session was organised by Oxford Intelligence and Ernst & Young to explore the effects of the recession on foreign investment into Europe, its implications for the future, and to consider actions which will continue to drive investment forward.

Around 70 International, City and Regional representatives attended the session, where Martin Reeves said that secondary cities must discover new ways of attracting investment and that skill levels were a key factor.

In these testing times, Local Authorities must be innovative and show a willingness to approach things in different ways and take measured risks. ‘There are many factors in investment decisions – factors such as location and skill levels – but they are still decisions made about and by people, and we can influence these’. He suggested that ‘we have to rip up the text book of how things were done before, because the world is economically a very different place’.

D & P Holt were represented by David Holt and Justin Quibell, who had a very full diary of meetings and will be following up on a number of new opportunities in the Midlands, the Nordics and Europe.