The Regeneration Commission set up by Estates Gazette and UK Regeneration is to work with government to unlock stalled schemes across the country.
The commission, part of EG’s Building a Better Britain campaign, met last week to draw up an action plan designed to bring together private sector money and public sector assets to deliver targeted urban renewal.
Six points of action were agreed, including identifying between 25 and 30 stalled schemes that could be brought back into use.
The commission members, who include Berkeley Group’s Tony Pidgley, Jones Lang LaSalle’s Andrew Gould and BarCap’s Brendan Jarvis, will conduct “short, sharp reviews” of the key factors in each scheme that inhibit progress and will then support at least one scheme in each region to enhance its viability.
The plans tie in with the government’s announcement this week of a £400m fund to help kickstart residential development.Also this week, former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine threw his weight behind the campaign’s themes.
Speaking at GVA’s Invest in Liverpool, he urged the government to use its capacity to make planning decisions by parliamentary order to help developers make progress with major schemes.
“Amazing results can be had through partnerships of the public and private sectors,” said Heseltine. “It is possible to generate as much as £3-£4 of private money for every £1 of public money spent.”
? Cities minister Greg Clark will be speaking at the joint EG/UK Regeneration conference on 6 December in London. For more, go to www.estatesgazetteevents.com/egregeneration2011
For more news on the campaign, Building a Better Britain, or for details on how to get involve visit our campaign hub
