Successful National Regeneration Summit
The National Regeneration Summit held in Colwyn Bay in November 2012 was a huge success, with well over 200 delegates from the public, private and third sectors gathering to celebrate successes and to plan for the challenges ahead. As the Centre established to promote best practice regeneration and policy in Wales, CREW Regeneration Wales was pleased to jointly organise the Summit along with Welsh Government. The Summit provided a valuable forum for those involved in regeneration in Wales and beyond to come together to debate current issues and learn from shared experiences.
Huw Lewis AM, the Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, addressed the Summit on the current Welsh Government consultation on a New Regeneration Framework for Wales, Vibrant and Viable Places, and he spoke of the continued commitment of Welsh Government to regenerating our poorest communities. In particular, he said that it was important not only to consider ‘need’, but also ‘opportunity’ when planning regeneration projects. The Minister addressed the current area based regeneration approach of the Government and said that the time was now right to look again at this model as these area based approaches had reached the end of their original mandate.
The Summit also received presentations from Welsh local government, specialist regeneration company Igloo, and Viv Sugar, Chair of the National Regeneration Panel. Igloo’s Chris Brown addressed regeneration and town centers from a UK perspective. The workshop sessions, in particular, were an opportunity for interactive discussions and debate on current key regeneration themes, such as the role of BIDs and Local Growth Zones, meanwhile uses, coastal, river and canal towns, investment priorities, spatial planning, localism and housing led regeneration.
The Summit ended with the event Chair, CREW Chief Executive Professor Dave Adamson, undertaking an interactive voting session on the Welsh Government Consultation Document Vibrant and Viable Places – A New Regeneration Framework. It also concluded with the overwhelming majority of delegates agreeing that it had been a positive experience and that, although there were challenges ahead, there was general optimism about meeting and overcoming them.
Vibrant and Viable Places: A New Regeneration Framework
The Welsh Government launched its consultation on the proposed new regeneration framework for Wales at the end of October, inviting responses by 14 January 2013. The consultation follows a policy review that was instigated by the Minister earlier in the year, with significant input from CREW. CREW’s submissions to the review are available on its new website, and provide a useful background to its thinking, approach and advice to Welsh Government.
There were three key messages that arose from the policy review, and which have informed the consultation:
- there needed to be a more structured approach to regional collaboration in Wales
- there needs to be genuine engagement with communities, local authorities and other public sector organisations, the third sector and the private sector
- the way Welsh Government and its partners work together and invest at the local level needs to be improved
The consultation therefore considers: regeneration delivery mechanisms; the effects of the economic downturn on regeneration; sustainable development; the seven Regeneration Areas, Newport Unlimited and European Structural Funds; and town centre, seaside towns and Communities First.
In considering joined up governance, the consultation identifies a number of thematic areas, including housing. The consultation concludes that housing-led regeneration is an important element of many regeneration schemes. It highlights the power of social procurement and its role in regenerating some of Wales’ most disadvantaged communities, as well as its success in targeted recruitment and training.
The proposed new regeneration framework for Wales envisages regeneration being undertaken on a local, regional and national basis. The delivery of regeneration initiatives is best achieved, it is suggested, at the local level, with some degree of local management and accountability. The consultation also stresses the need to have regional collaboration, and in this respect it proposes three Welsh regions – North Wales, South East Wales and South West and Mid Wales. It is proposed that for each of these regions a Regional Board be established, which will provide oversight, planning and policy for the area, as well as provide advice on how funding is spent.
At a national level, the consultation proposes a revision of the National Regeneration Panel, which will be converted into a formal Ministerial advisory Group on Regeneration, with a revised membership and a clear remit to oversee regeneration in Wales.
As well as submitting its own response to the consultation, CREW will also be developing a response on behalf of the Small Town Network that it hosts, which will be made available on the website.
Meanwhile use conference
For some time, CREW Regeneration Wales has been developing meanwhile use as one of the means to promote regeneration, particularly in town centers. CREW was pleased to welcome Marcus Westbury, the CEO of Renew Australia, to its seminar early in 2012 to deliver a lecture on how meanwhile use had been successfully used to regenerate Newcastle in Australia.
Following the publication of its article in a leading property journal, CREW also organised a conference on meanwhile use in Swansea on 13 December 2012 at Coastal’s Offices. The conference, chaired by former Welsh Government Minister Professor Andrew Davies, was designed to provide an excellent opportunity to learn about and debate how meanwhile use can support regeneration.
CREW will be continuing to develop this research during 2013, with a further article planned for RICS in the spring and further site visits and case studies planned throughout the year.
New website
To keep up to date with all CREW Regeneration Wales activities, please visit the new website www.regenwales.org. The new website has free access to all of CREW’s resources and toolkits and will also provide a forum for discussion via its opinion section. Those interesting in writing an opinion piece, please contact CREW. You can also follow CREW on Twitter @CREWRegenWales for the latest regeneration news.