Regeneration: is it properly focused?
Peter Scott, National Director, Barclays Business Banking Regeneration Team
Brenda Higgins, Director of Regeneration and Development, Linkwide Ltd
Regeneration is one of the greatest challenges and one of the most contentious issues that faces the housing sector in Scotland. The audience heard two distinct views on regeneration from a housing association and one of the largest banks in the world.
Brenda Higgins provided an overview of current efforts of regeneration in Scotland's most deprived areas. She emphasised the importance of community involvement in the regeneration process, and ensuring new developments respond to the needs expressed by the community.
She argued that new housing can be the catalyst that regenerates deprived areas. Despite this spending on social housing is actually decreasing and as a result areas of deprivation persist across Scotland.
She applauded the role that housing organisations have played. They successfully raise finance, work with communities, and provide a range of housing options, employment and training for communities.
She concluded that there is a need to examine the approach and delivery of regeneration efforts, free up resources from planning structures, and promote partnerships and cross sector working relationships.
Peter Scott opened his presentation by asking the audience to define good regeneration. The exercise revealed the number of needs that regeneration is expected to meet and the challenges that face anyone delivering a regeneration project.
He suggests the private sectors interest in regeneration stems from the return on investment that can be produced from existing assets.
He criticised the current approach to regeneration for being un-strategic and short-term. He was particularly critical of regeneration that is carried out in a site by site basis, the late involvement of funders, and developments that lack initial vision. He suggested that there is a need for changes in the planning process, increased supply of housing land and one body that oversees regeneration, an integrated approach, and involvement of communities.