The government recently announced what it described as the “most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War”.
New regulations will give greater freedom for buildings and land in town centres to change use without planning permission and create new homes from the regeneration of vacant and redundant buildings.
The projects and schemes that will contribute to this new infrastructure will be underpinned by an ambitious cross-government strategy to look at how public sector land can be managed and released so it can be put to better use. Rebuilding projects will be greener, this would include home building, improving the environment, contributing to net zero goals and injecting growth opportunities into communities across the country.
As the country slowly eases out of lockdown, we’ve been supporting the need for experienced interims within Investment, Asset Management, Major Regeneration Schemes, Development and Socio-Economics. Fortunately, we have a network of well placed contacts UK wide, working on a variation of Economic Growth & Urban Development plans.
They can develop and deliver a number of projects which effectively addresses the detailed challenges faced by local authorities and commercial parties, being mindful of the complex commercial and political considerations and relationships between stakeholders.
If you’d like to speak with us about this further, please contact Mark Carr our Lead Regeneration Consultant on the Public Sector team.
Mark Carr
Public Sector Regeneration Lead
The importance of regeneration and sustainable development within urban planning to transform town centres has been a key focus of many developments over the last few years.
Sustainable urban development is necessary in ensuring that towns and cities not only become resource-efficient and low carbon-emitting, but go beyond that to positively enhance the ecosystems which provide them with goods and services.
A new urban agenda and clear stance towards adopting and promoting a circular economy at Local Authority level follows a succession of announcements in recent years.
April 2019 saw plans approved for the biggest regeneration scheme in the UK to regenerate the 40-acre former Boots Island site in Nottingham into grade A office space, “creative market space”, homes a five-star hotel, retail units, a “linear’ park” and community space and student accommodation. The scheme was seen as was integral to strengthening the local economy and helping to elevate Nottingham as one of the UK’s key regional cities for investors and employers.
Recent announcements in the last few months have seen a swathe of similar proposals being launched, including outlining plans to deliver a transformational mixed-used destination that will revitalise Coventry’s city centre.
The scheme will usher in a new era for the city and will help draw people back to the city centre to live work and play/ The scheme has been heralded one of the most significant opportunities for regeneration and investment the city has seen for decades.
London Borough of Barnet published details of a programme of regeneration and development taking place across the borough over the next decade and a half, focusing on places to live and work while protecting and enhancing the borough for generations to come.
£3.6bn is also being channelled through The Towns Fund which looks to support the regeneration of communities that have not benefitted equally from UK growth, empowering 100 towns across the country to shape their own futures by granting them access to the necessary resources to plan and manage their public works projects.
Councils can use the funding to drive their long-term economic growth and productivity by targeted investment in transport, regeneration and town centres, supporting businesses and skills training.
