OPENING THE day, Jason Rockett, Managing Director at Potter Space, draws on the fourth edition of Potter Space and Savills’ Big Things in Small Boxes report to set out what the ideal sub-100,000 sq ft unit should look like, and asks whether the market will actually deliver sustainable, automation-ready space at the scale occupiers need.

Tom Ryan, Asset Manager at OrchardStreet Investment Management, then argues that industrial property returns are shifting away from yield compression towards active asset management. His session makes the case for refurbishment over redevelopment as a faster, lower-risk route to unlocking value, touching on rental growth, ESG and embodied carbon along the way.

Shakir Sufian, Senior Architect and Logistics Lead at Hyphen, rounds off the opening session by exploring how alteration, refurbishment and space reconfiguration can squeeze more value out of existing warehouse assets, before all three speakers take audience questions in a discussion panel.

The second session turns to siting, energy and planning. Danny Kennedy, Senior Property Strategy and Development Manager at Ocado, talks through the principles behind successfully locating and running logistics facilities. David Woon, Head of Engineering & Operations at Ennovus Solutions, then tackles the cost of standing still on energy, arguing that renewables are increasingly the route back to control after several years of market volatility have eaten into margins.

Closing the theatre, Sam Arthur, Senior Director – Ecology at FPCR Environment and Design, gets into the detail of Biodiversity Net Gain on brownfield sites. Drawing on three contrasting logistics case studies, Sam explains what 10% BNG looks like in practice, why the habitat baseline matters so much to cost, and what’s changing following the government’s recent consultation on brownfield BNG reforms. A second discussion panel, bringing Danny, Stephen Lankfer of Ennovus Solutions and Sam together, closes out the theatre before lunch.

The line-up lands at a telling moment for warehouse property. Planning policy is shifting to give logistics a dedicated national framework for the first time, brownfield BNG rules are under review, and energy costs remain a live pressure point for occupiers across the sector. Against that backdrop, the Property theatre offers a rare chance to hear directly from developers, investors, architects, occupiers and ecologists on how to turn those pressures into planned, costed decisions rather than unplanned ones.

The session sits alongside a Main theatre programme covering resilience, automation and WMS strategy, all under one roof at a free-to-attend event that also brings together more than 50 exhibitors.

Tomorrow’s Warehouse Manchester takes place at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground on 30 September. Entry is free, food and parking are included, and attendees can earn CPD points while networking with peers.

Register free here: https://registration.tomorrowswarehouse.live/register