Seddon’s Development and Decarbonisation Director, Richard Sterling, has called on government to work with the housing sector to make regeneration easier to deliver. He argues that regeneration should sit at the heart of the new government’s agenda.
Writing in Inside Housing, Richard says that after years of economic uncertainty and political upheaval, people want to see tangible signs that their communities are moving forward.
He describes regeneration as one of the strongest arguments for devolution, because investment decisions are almost always better when they are made by people who understand the places they are investing in.
However, he warns that short-term funding pots, procurement that encourages competition rather than collaboration, and bringing delivery partners in too late have held regeneration back for too long.
Richard is calling for a place-based approach. Local authorities, housing providers, contractors, designers, combined authorities, Homes England, utility providers and procurement specialists would all help shape schemes from the outset.
Seddon is already seeing the benefits of this wider view of regeneration at Field Lane in Rastrick, West Yorkshire. Working alongside Together Housing Group, the programme is investing in public spaces, walking routes, parking, landscaping and community facilities alongside new and improved homes.
In Salford, Longshaw Drive is the sixth brownfield site Seddon has delivered with Salford City Council, bringing forward new council homes built to high sustainability standards.
Richard Sterling, Development and Decarbonisation Director at Seddon, said:
“For any new government, the first challenge is convincing people that change is real. There are few clearer demonstrations of national renewal than transforming the places where people live.
“New homes replacing derelict sites. Existing homes made warmer, safer and cheaper to heat. Better public spaces. Revitalised town centres. New jobs, apprenticeships and opportunities for local people. These are not abstract policy announcements. They are improvements people can see on their own doorstep.
“Under the current system, key delivery partners only become involved after many of the critical decisions have already been taken. By the time contractors are asked to review buildability, programme sequencing, logistics or cost, opportunities have already been missed and avoidable delays become inevitable.
“Businesses rooted in the communities they serve are often best placed to recruit local people, create apprenticeships, support SMEs and ensure more of every pound invested continues to circulate within the local economy. Procurement should encourage that approach rather than inadvertently working against it.
“If national renewal is to mean anything, people need to see it happening where they live. That means moving beyond individual projects towards genuine place-based partnerships that bring together public bodies, housing providers, contractors and communities with a shared ambition for long-term change.”
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