Government wants your ideas for regenerating housing estates
3 min read
As the Government invites local ideas for housing estate regeneration, former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine argues that improving these structures of ‘hopelessness and neglect’ is a must.
At the heart of this Government’s plan for Britain is an unwavering commitment to improve the housing market. A priority that fulfils manifesto promises, satisfies our economic necessity, and provides what people want.
Great progress has been made to recover from the chaos we inherited in 2010, but there’s still a profound need to build more homes in this country, and it’s why the housing programme for this parliament is the largest for 40 years.
Our ambition is to build one million new homes, and help hundreds of thousands of people take their first step on the housing ladder. These are vital measures, but perhaps the most exciting is our plan to radically regenerate inner city estates.
The dark legacy of those monolithic post-war estates – brutal examples of utility over humanity – has been to inculcate a sense of hopelessness and neglect. Too many estates have been ignored and forgotten, and most attempts to improve them have been piecemeal, badly thought through, and, quite simply, inadequate. We must do better. Those who live on, and around, these estates deserve better. That is why the Prime Minister has asked me to lead an ambitious programme of regeneration to transform 100 housing estates across the country, and with it the life chances of all those who live on them.
The regeneration may include changes to layout, upgrading facilities and improving local road and transport links. Existing tenants will be protected, and land unlocked for new housing, but this will not be achieved by bureaucrats and mandarins in Whitehall – no matter how well meaning. This enterprise must be driven by local people and address the needs of their communities with tailor made solutions. Do they need a new community centre? A children’s day care? A library, or health clinic? We will allow people to help themselves, choosing what they need and buying into the process of achieving it. This is not about endless consultations and position papers. We need to act and to help communities to deliver their vision for the future.
To that end, I am calling on local authorities, housing associations, developers and communities to come forward with ideas for regenerating housing estates in their area. £140 million loan funding is on the table to kick-start this work, and can be used for partnership and joint venture arrangements.
Every area will have their own solution, but they should all have two common traits: the active involvement of communities, and a scheme that delivers high quality homes for local people.
I want to hear about new proposals, and success stories from existing regeneration projects, so we can learn from the best, and remove barriers that prevent this work getting started. We’ll draw up a list of estates that could benefit from regeneration, and examine how we can encourage long term investment from bodies such as pension funds.
While every proposal will be different, the outcomes will be the same: estates that transform the way people view the place where they live, and expand their sense of what is possible for the future.
Expressions of interest are being accepted now. For more information: Expression of interest template.
Lord Heseltine is the former deputy prime minister, adviser to the Communities and Local Government Secretary and Conservative peer.
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