The lack of a consistent approach to regeneration is jeopardising the most vulnerable communities in Scotland according to John Rogers and Michael Burns.

They suggested that the Scottish Government should formalise the guidance for regeneration through clear policy direction and that this should be supported by a regeneration framework for the sector.

John started the session by explaining the background to the research which EVH and Home Scotland are conducting on the regeneration process. The research aims to give clear policy and guidance for the sector and conduct a nationwide mapping exercise across the sector to enable more effective regeneration policies. The research will be published on the EVH website in May.

He encouraged the delegates to respond to the EVH paper before the consultation closes in two weeks time.

http://www.evh.org.uk/content/default.asp?page=s12_3&newsid=2065

Michael stated that there is frustration in the sector that they have the understanding of the issues that blight their areas, but do not have the tools to achieve regeneration effectively.

He said that many attempts at regeneration have failed due to a focus on bricks and mortar and a failure to engage with stakeholders in the community. He also said that the short term funding of regeneration projects resulted in successful in the short term but often resulted in projects failing after only a few years.