Lis Burnett explains how Whole Community Regeneration is working in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The Vale of Glamorgan is a diverse mix of special places, each with its own identity, heritage and challenges. Market towns, Heritage Coast, Victorian splendour, seaside resorts and rural villages contribute to a rich cultural tapestry which means that if the Vale of Glamorgan Council is to achieve its corporate vision of ‘Strong Communities with a Bright Future’ its regeneration strategy needs to reflect the individual nature and needs of local communities. One size definitely does not fit all.
In his recent article (WHQ 103) Paul Roberts discussed the pivotal role Newydd Housing Association has played in the regeneration of Barry. Across the Vale of Glamorgan, Newydd, and our other housing association partners, Hafod, United Welsh and Wales and the West Housing, have a played a vital part, working with us to deliver our commitment to Whole Town Regeneration. This is a strategic approach that is as diverse as the communities it seeks to support but which has common themes running through it. Those themes are partnership, collaboration and innovation.
The development of safe and stable homes provides a strong foundation for our communities. The council’s planning policy has enabled the delivery of affordable homes in housing developments by increasing S106 planning obligations up to 40 per cent in some areas while also removing S106 requirements from small scale, 100 per cent affordable, housing developments delivered by our strategic housing association partners.
The quality of housing is also priority and so alongside large scale developments such as the Barry Waterfront development of a large brownfield docklands site, the Castleland renewal area has upgraded hundreds of houses in one of the town’s most disadvantaged communities. Developments in rural communities aimed at addressing rural housing need, are of a much smaller scale and local lettings policies ensure that the fabric of rural communities is supported.
I often reflect upon a conversation, many years ago, in which an estate in the leafy spa-town of Cheltenham was described to me as a ‘ghetto’. It had attractive housing in tree-lined roads with manicured verges but was still a ghetto because of the complete lack of life-chances for local people.
Whole Community Regeneration predictably includes a focus on education. Recent investment has seen: the £49 million Penarth Learning Community sharing a campus between special needs and mainstream comprehensives; the expected 2017 delivery of the £21 million Llantwit Learning Community to provide 3-18 education; and, if supported in current consultations, the transformation of secondary education in Barry by two new mixed-sex secondary schools and expanded Welsh-medium provision. New primary schools have also been delivered and this year has again seen a multi-million pound investment in upgrading existing schools. Alongside this, a range of challenge and support to schools has seen standards continue to rise.
Capital projects are used to provide community benefits, working closely with partners to deliver local employment, training opportunities and procurement that have far exceeded Welsh Government targets.
Similar to the place-based regeneration strategy, development of the local economy and transport are also important factors. In the Vale of Glamorgan a range of initiatives support people into employment locally and also in the Enterprise Zones located at either end of the county. These are complemented by support for local small businesses, and by an innovative start-up bursary scheme for young entrepreneurs, business-rate relief and renewal of town centre properties.
Events are designed to to attract customers and increase footfall in town centres and tourism destinations. The Barry Island Weekender events have now become a regular feature in the town’s calendar attracting tens of thousands of visitors. Similar events such as the Picnic Penarth street food event are supported in towns and villages across the Vale. As the confidence and capacity of our communities grow the calendar is increasingly populated with events by other organisations that use newly regenerated areas such as Barry Island’s Eastern Promenade as a blank canvas. The challenge now is to transfer those visitor numbers into demonstrable economic outcomes.
The development of a new incubator unit will complement existing business centres, now at capacity, while collaboration with transport operators to improve services allows those who wish to commute to employment to do so. Innovative use of ‘book in advance’, timetabled community transport also allows residents to link into public transport services for onward travel and the council to gauge demand for future negotiations with operators.
Connectivity is not just physical. The need for access to digital communication is of growing importance and so free wifi has now been installed in all council buildings and libraries and even on the beach at Barry Island. Residents of the council’s sheltered housing will also soon have access to free wifi to promote digital inclusion.
But there is still much to do. Communities are fundamental to our regeneration strategy and if they are to be strong, and resilient with bright futures it is vital that they have the right infrastructure. Community facilities, public open space and play facilities are essential to build the social capital, cohesion and confidence of communities and the people who live within them. Innovative use of a range of funding streams such as S106 funds from housing developments, grant funding, council capital budget and Welsh Government finance have facilitated the installation of numerous 3G pitches and new and upgraded play areas across the Vale. Parks, country parks and beaches now provide a backdrop for increased physical activity.
The council works in partnership with community groups to ensure sustainability of services and of historic buildings. Smaller libraries have been transferred into community ownership whilst collaborations have seen Penarth Pier Pavilion and Dyffryn House returned to their former glory. More recently Barry’s Hydraulic Pumphouse has become home to an award winning local restaurant as a result of partnerships with Welsh Government and the private sector. In Cowbridge the local community, concerned about the viability of the town centre and cattle market, have banded together to save and regenerate them aiming to develop a social enterprise Market Hall as a focal point in the centre of the town.
There is no dearth of ideas, talent or commitment in our communities but the capacity to deliver ideas or projects requires support to develop. The council’s rural regeneration team, Creative Rural Communities, has developed the capacity of communities across the rural Vale. The Local Action Group has become knowledgeable and skilled in supporting and guiding local regeneration policy and practice.
Non-rural communities have not been able to access the same EU funding and so the council has recently invested in support for these areas. The community capacity building officers will soon work with local communities and organisations to develop skills, knowledge and social capital to help them achieve their aims. Much of the thinking chimes with Charles Leadbeater’s Virtuous Circle of Social Capital and it has been rewarding to see the outcomes from the first community mapping pilot in St Athan in which social and physical capital were both mapped. Early success has seen an increase in engagement, new community groups established and local activities organised by the groups themselves. Work with two more communities is currently being planned.
It might be argued that our Whole Community approach to regeneration is not place-based but people-based. It seeks to bring regeneration strategy down to a micro level mindful of the whole-life experience of the people living in our communities. It reflects the heritage and culture of the community so that the relationship of Barry with the sea and its maritime past are reflected in planning for its future as is the rural lifestyle embedded in Cowbridge communities. It recognises the eagerness of local residents to contribute to their community and take control of their lives and so rather than regarding them as the passive recipients of interventions it is an approach also based on removing the many barriers to success they face.
Whole Community Regeneration is a complex web of factors all interrelated and interdependent and with many players. It is perhaps understandable why regeneration often reverts to the traditional comfort zone of physical infrastructure development and public realm enhancements with community regeneration initiatives operating in a completely different silo missing a whole range of potential outcomes from synergies.
In the Vale of Glamorgan there is a determination to break down barriers and foster innovation. To do so requires openness, transparency and a willingness to discuss our vision for regeneration, with anyone who will listen, to see if they might share any part of it. We will continue to search out a wide range of public, private and voluntary sector partners to develop and deliver innovative models of regeneration and service delivery to achieve a bright future for local people and their communities.
Cllr Lis Burnett is cabinet member for regeneration and education and deputy leader of Vale of Glamorgan Council