“A devastating loss” is how Greater Manchester’s elected mayor Andy Burnham described the death of Eamonn Boylan early this month, praising a 40-year career which shaped the city. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook likewise said on X he was “devastated” by the death of a “giant in the world of housing”.

They were just two of the many to pay their respects to the Hartlepool-born public servant, who has been at the heart of much of the recent success of the Manchester city region.

Boylan, who’s first big job in local government as deputy chief executive at Manchester City Council in the 1990s involved leading the highly regarded Hulme regeneration project, ended up driving the revitalisation of the whole city region as boss of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) from 2017 to 2024.

He also took these lessons nationally via executive stints in national housing quango Homes England, including briefly, last year, as chief executive.

In an interview with Building  conducted late last month for a separate article, Boylan, who only retired from Homes England last October, spoke enthusiastically about Manchester’s story, and why regeneration success is predicated on commitment to clear plans over long periods. Here we look at his legacy, using his words to supplement the tributes of others.

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