Global infrastructure consulting firm AECOM has entered into a strategic partnership with smart city firm Elixr, and its masterplanning and technology company MetaConnex, and in collaboration with multi-national law firm Pinsent Masons, to launch a national regeneration initiative aimed at accelerating sustainable growth across 30 UK towns.
This joint framework, led by Elixr and its partners, is designed to support local authorities in delivering smarter, more efficient spatial development frameworks and high-level masterplans by combining infrastructure, planning, legal expertise and technology. At its core is a Joint Venture and National Framework structure, enabling towns to co-develop regeneration outcomes that align with government priorities: net zero, economic growth, housing delivery and investability.
The approach comes at a time when many towns face declining investment, viability gaps and stalled regeneration ambitions. By combining the global delivery experience of AECOM and Pinsent Mason’s legal and procurement expertise with Elixr’s 30 Towns Framework and technology-led approach, local authorities can now unlock delivery pathways for mixed-use developments, retrofits, clean energy integration and improved infrastructure; all without incurring traditional planning or feasibility costs upfront.
Bolton is the first of the towns to benefit from this model. Together, the consortium has mapped out a £500m GDV regeneration strategy, using MetaConnex’s technology-led planning capabilities and data to shape a new urban blueprint, across energy, digital infrastructure and advanced retrofit modelling to boost liveability and investability. Without placing a financial burden on the council, the approach unlocks long-term revenue, inward investment and improved quality of life, and unlocking local opportunities to diversify from the reliance of a tax-based economy to a smart infrastructure and real estate based economy.
The framework will specifically address the barriers faced by satellite or provincial towns, helping them overcome commercial connectivity challenges and driving local growth in line with national urban development strategies. Lord Porter, former Chair of the Local Government Association and member of the House of Lords and its Built Environment Committee, said in an earlier release that “what towns need is a practical blueprint backed by data and investment—this framework delivers both, making regeneration achievable, not just aspirational. With the right support, it’s a model that can be rolled out nationally to drive real impact at scale.”
Jonathan Moore, North West Director at AECOM, said: “AECOM is committed to creating thriving, future-ready places. This partnership is about bringing together deep technical capability with innovation and local delivery. The National Smart Regeneration and Urban Extension Framework gives towns access to the tools and teams they need to unlock long-term economic, environmental and community value.”
Catalina Valentino, Group CEO of Elixr, commented: “What sets this framework apart is its ability to operationalise national goals at a local level. By blending public-private delivery models with real-time data, it removes the typical barriers to progress; funding gaps, feasibility delays, and disconnected planning pipelines.”
The result is a framework that turns long-term visions into actionable investment strategies, designed to unlock housing, infrastructure and clean energy at scale. For the Government, it offers a low-risk, high-impact delivery vehicle aligned with key national priorities: the commitment to build 1.5 million new homes, the Government’s New Towns Taskforce to boost regional productivity and pride in place, and the UK’s legally binding Net Zero 2050 target.
For the industry, the framework de-risks regeneration and creates the conditions for private capital deployment, supply chain growth, and long-term regional resilience through technology, enabling a data-led approach for improved accuracy and speed.
Tom Johnson, Partner and Head of UK Residential and Mixed-Use Development at Pinsent Masons, added: “We often see regeneration plans fail to materialise due to fragmented structures and funding challenges. This model is capable of addressing those issues head-on; making regeneration viable, scalable, and investment-ready.”
Joseph Michael Daniels, Chairman of Elixr, said: “This is not just about building smarter towns; it’s about making regeneration deliverable. By aligning national strategy with local capability and global expertise, we’re enabling towns to move from ambition to action.”
Additional partnerships are expected to be announced in the coming months, responding to the appetite for such collaboration from several regions.
Header image: ©Richard O’Donoghue/AdobeStock
