Memorandum by the Institute of Leisure
and Amenity Management (ILAM) (UWP 85)
THE PROPOSED URBAN WHITE PAPER
The Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management
(ILAM) welcomes this Inquiry. The Institute was pleased with the
outcome of the Committee's and Sub-Committee's earlier Inquiries
into PPG: 3 and "Town and Country Parks".
ILAM is the independent, professional body representing
over 6,500 managers from the public, private and voluntary sectors
of the leisure industry in the UK, covering areas such as: sports
and recreation; children's play; arts, museums and libraries;
tourism and visitor attractions; leisure education and training;
and parks, open spaces and the countryside. The Institute's purpose
is to promote the better management of leisure resources to provide
better public access to a wide range of cultural and recreation
experiences, in order to enhance the quality of life for individuals
and communities.
ILAM's Policy Position Statement "Leisure
and Urban Regeneration" sets out one of the Institute's main
purposes: "To present the case for leisure as a key regenerator
of urban areas, encouraging inward investment, providing employment
and giving quality to the lives of people and communities upon
which successful urban centres depend".[51]
ILAM is urging greater investment in the cultural and recreational
life of towns and cities, as a cost effective contributor to and
driver of their economic, social and environmental sustainable
future.
Appendix 1, illustrates how leisure has contributed,
and possibly driven, the economic, social and environmental regeneration
of a number of urban areas. The information provided in this brief
report illustrates the value and role of tourism, sport, arts
and good environmental management within the urban setting. Examples
of parks and open spaces have not been included in this instance
as the Institute is well aware that the Committee is already appreciative
of the contribution such resources can make to the urban environment.
Many British town and city centres are poor
in quality when compared with their European counterparts. Too
often they are characterised by dirty, litter strewn streets,
excessive noise, danger and pollution from motor traffic, and
their architecture dominated by the bland repetitions of multiple
retailers. The neglected public infrastructure includes many leisure
facilities such as parks and squares whose decline was universally
criticised by respondents to the Committee's earlier Inquiry.
Funding from the National Lottery has provided
some respite with cities such as Sheffield now featuring new public
spaces and leisure facilities. The Institute is concerned that
the Government's diversion of funds from the National Lottery
to bolster public expenditure on health and education may spell
the end of this source of funds for civic improvement. ILAM is
pleased to see the Urban Task Force echo its own call for an audit
of National Lottery expenditure so that the serious decline in
lottery support for the urban environment can be properly monitored.
As the power of the internet and other forms
of Informational Communication Technology (ICT) increases, many
of the best town centre buildings, used by banks and other financial
institutions, face an uncertain future where a substantial volume
of banking and shopping activity will be undertaken from the living
room. Some town centres have already been severely damaged by
out of town shopping complexes, and ILAM feels that the vitality
of town and city centres will increasingly depend on leisure uses.
"Children, like salmon, are a litmus test
to the quality of their environment" Tim Gill, Children's
Play Council, ILAM Conference 1999
ILAM's call for an urban renaissance based on
leisure uses is not simply a case of encouraging former retail
and office premises to become restaurants, clubs and pubs. ILAM
sees the need to restore town and city centres as major cultural
and social centres with a mix of uses, easy access by public transport,
and with high quality public spaces. In particular, this should
be planned to give priority to children. The best regeneration
schemes, such as that of the centre of Birmingham, have created
more child-friendly places. New artworks and water features entertain
as well as delight the eye. British town and city centres should
not be seen just as centres of consumption but as centres of a
social life, which builds and binds communities. Special events
and fine parks in which to relax and enjoy are one element of
creating an ambience, which is infused with art, learning and
the multi-cultural mix of inner city communities.
None of this can be achieved in a country with
such a centralised system of governance without the Government
itself having a vision of urban life in the future. Whilst the
Government persists in denying any North-South divide against
the most obvious evidence, great Northern cities continue to depopulate
faster than any other region of the EC. The waste of infrastructure
in cities whose population has all but halved since the war is
exacerbated by a plethora of piece-meal, short-term regeneration
projects, which fail to deal holistically with the problems.
"Where we treat our cities as some sort
of low-rent department store to be cut up, deregulated, privatised
and trashed at will, the men and women who have raised Barcelona
to new international heights over the past 24 years see their
city as an organism to be nurtured and treated as a whole, not
as a book of bits" Jonathan Glancey, Guardian 22 March
1999
In a foreword to the Report of the Urban Task
Force, the Mayor of Barcelona writes; "A commitment to develop
networks of new plazas, parks and buildings was the cause of our
success." It is a pity that a lack of expertise in landscape,
culture and leisure left this important message relatively unexplored
by the Urban Task Force. This same imbalance is evident in the
terms of reference and composition of the new Commission for Architecture
and the Built Environment (CABE). ILAM hopes that this new quango
will submit evidence to the Committee but, at the same time, the
Institute believes that the Committee should look at the terms
of reference of CABE and question whether this is sufficiently
broad to match the challenge of a holistic urban renaissance.
ILAM has similarly questioned the terms of reference
of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England,
known as "English Heritage". On two occasions the Culture,
Media and Sport Select Committee has agreed with ILAM about the
limited scope of this organisation and their seeming inability
to promote a comprehensive heritage strategy for England. The
Environment Sub-committee Inquiry into Town and Country Parks
were "appalled by English Heritage's neglect of parks and
other designed landscapes" adding "its expenditure and
commitment of staff have been derisory". There is as yet
no sign of the Government taking these criticisms on board and
addressing the basic flaw in its important responsibility towards
protecting the nation's heritage. ILAM believes the scope and
policies of the Heritage Lottery Fund are a much better reflection
of Britain's needs.
ILAM does feel, however, that there is much
to commend in "Towards an Urban Renaissance", the Report
of the Urban Task Force, particularly their insistence that to
lead the urban renaissance, local authorities should be strengthened
in powers, resources and democratic legitimacy to undertake this
role in partnership with the citizens and communities they represent.
The Committee must appreciate that this has to go well beyond
the present bureaucratic "modernising" agenda currently
absorbing the Department of the Environment, Transport and the
Regions and the Local Government Association, to embrace the kind
of systems common in major European centres. For example, an urban
renaissance is unlikely to be successful if major cities like
Manchester and Bristol have their administrative boundaries drawn
so tightly that wealth generated in the city is exported to surrounding
authorities with no obligations towards the city and its renewal.
"A good city is like a good party, people
stay for hours and hours—A loved city is a safe city".—Jan
Gehl, Associate Professor of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine
Arts on Copenhagen:
ILAM would recommend that the Government should
read not only the report of the Urban Task Force but also "The
Richness of Cities—Urban Policy in a New Landscape"
Comedia-Demos 1998, which argues that it is better Government
policy to build on the strengths of cities rather than concentrating
solely on their problems. They should be inspired by the experience
of Millennium night, which was a celebration by, and of, cities
world-wide. Cities, citizenship, civility and civic pride are
under-developed concepts in Britain which both Government and
local government fail to nurture. The present situation of up
to 30 towns competing for just one to be designated a city, under
rules still unexplained, merely exposes the equivocal thinking
of the British establishment and does Britain itself no credit.
ILAM believes the ETRA Select Committee should
build on the excellent report of the Environment Sub-Committee
Inquiry into Town and Country Parks. It is unfortunate that ILAM's
evidence to this inquiry must be submitted before the Government
response to the earlier report is published. The Institute hopes
that the Government will react positively and imaginatively to
the call for a new national agency and for new hypothecated funding.
The scope of this Urban White Paper inquiry enables the case for
the national agency to be strengthened; the Sub-committee appreciated
that this should concern itself with all urban green spaces and
not just those designated as parks.
Another significant test will be the anticipated
publication of a revised Planning Policy Guidance: Sport and Recreation—PPG
17. The Institute has previously stated that it believes that
the current PPG: 17 is wholly inadequate for the purpose of guiding
planning policy towards the provision of urban greenspace. Discredited
and unrealistic pre-war quantitative yardsticks are being promoted
at the expense of such qualitative issues as diversity, landscape
character, ecology and access. The lack of research into the economic,
social and environmental benefits or urban green spaces robs Britain
of an understanding of the relationship between greenspace and
the built environment. ILAM's concern about the PPG's focus solely
on sport is at odds with the value that most of the general public
place upon urban greenspace.
ILAM also feels that it is time to get away
from simplistic statements about the sanctity of urban green space
and the ready availability of "brownfield land". In
practice, many brownfield sites deserve consideration for development
other than residential whilst many areas of urban greenspace achieve
little but to lower residential densities to the detriment of
their community. Unless the Government acts on the recommendation
of the Environment Sub-committee and sets up a national agency
for urban green spaces, Britain will be deprived of essential
understanding and knowledge of how such spaces, "brown"
and "green", should be integrated with the cities of
the future on whose prosperity Britain's economic competitiveness
will ultimately depend.
Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management
January 2000
APPENDIX 1
REGENERATION THROUGH LEISURE: CASE STUDIES
MANCHESTER 2002:
As part of Manchester's vision for the 21st
century a major objective has been that the city should host a
"mega-event". The result has been two unsuccessful bids
to host the Olympic Games and one successful bid to host the Commonwealth
Games in 1992. Winning the bid has created the potential for Manchester
to reap a number of major benefits, however there are a number
of lessons to learn from past events such as the World Student
Games held in Sheffield in 1991. Potential benefits:
— figures produced for the Culture,
Media and Sport Select Committee investigation suggest that £250
million of economic activity will be generated, as many as 4,000
jobs created and one million people will visit the city as a result
of the Games;
— the construction of new sporting
facilities will contribute to urban renewal to the benefit of
residents;
— the sporting reputation of Manchester
will be enhanced which should act as a catalyst for regeneration
and be an example of sport-led social and community regeneration;
— in relation to sports development
there will be the legacy of new-built facilities and an improved
sporting infrastructure for the city;
— Sportcity, when completed, will result
in the provision of world-class facilities that all residents
will be able to access without having to travel outside the region;
— preparations for the Games will result
in greater investment in the transport infrastructure;
— parks and open spaces will be invested
in to enhance the landscape and physical appearance of the area.
It has been stated that the true test of the
Games will be the degree to which they improve the quality of
life for the residents of Manchester. Potential negative consequences
include:
— economic gains below those specified
by supporters (a consequence of the Sheffield World Student Games
in 1991);
— the creation of an unstable market
amongst hoteliers, post games, with too many rooms and not enough
visitors;
— a risk that management and supervisory
roles within the new sports facilities will not be filled locally
due to a shortage of trained local people with the necessary skills;
— a risk that firms moving into the
regions to take advantage of reduced Uniform Business Rates and
relocation grants will not be sustainable once the subsidies stop;
— the risk that should the games result
in a large debt for Manchester business rates and councils tax
will be increased to recover costs;
— Sheffield City Council spent £150
million on new leisure facilities, but as a result had to lay
off 3,500 council employees and cut services.
Source: "Commonwealth Gains",
The Leisure Manager, December 1999.
SHEFFIELD HEART
OF THE
CITY PROJECT:
Sheffield City Council consulted with its population,
asking the question "What does the city need?". The
answer was open space and culture. The Heart of the City Project
includes:
— a large temperate plant garden with
twenty-four hour access;
— a range of cafes and water features;
The emphasis for this scheme has been on the
development of leisure provision in contrast to many other urban
refurbishment schemes which are dominated by retail and commercial
space. The project has been funded by a mixture of:
— European Regional Development Fund;
— Sheffield Hallam and other private
contributors.
It is anticipated that the project will result
in 1,800 permanent new jobs in the city and further investment.
The benefits are not only economic, this time the residents have
been consulted and given the opportunity to influence the project
to the benefit of the community, particularly with initiatives
such as the Peace Garden.
Source: "Leisure at the Heart of
the City", the Leisure Manager, April 1998
THE GUGGENHEIM
MUSEUM, BILBAO:
In 1997 Fundacion del Museo Guggenheim opened
in Bilbao, the economically deprived capital of the Basque Country.
The decision to place the museum in the poorer north of Spain
was part of a strategy of economic development in which culture
was seen as a way of transforming the socio-economic fabric of
the area.
A KPMG survey carried out as to the effectiveness
of the development revealed:
— by the end of the first 4 months
of activity the number of visitors had exceeded the forecast for
the entire year;
— the original forecast for the first
year was eventually tripled with 1.3 million people visiting;
— a total direct expenditure of 31,000
million pesetas (£121,221,600);
— an average expenditure of 28,000
ptas (£109);
— 6,550 million ptas spent on accommodation
(£25,612,951);
— 1,800 million ptas on transport (£7,038,673);
— 10,550 million ptas on catering (£41,254,448);
— 3,800 million ptas on retail spend
(£14,859,422);
— 3,800 million ptas on the museum
itself (£14,859,422);
— the popularity of the museum has
added 24,043 million ptas (£94,017,127) to the Basque Country
gross domestic product (0.47 per cent), securing 3,816 jobs.
The urban regeneration involved with the development
of the museum has transformed the image of Bilbao into a vibrant,
cultural, international tourist attraction with the people of
the Basque Country enjoying a better quality of life and sense
of pride.
Source: "Pride of Bilbao",
The Leisure Manager, February 1999
NETHERFIELD REGENERATION
PROJECT, MILTON
KEYNES:
Milton Keynes is a thriving economic and cultural
centre, however some of the older estates of the new town and
the rural centres swallowed by development are facing disadvantage.
The Netherfield Regeneration Project has included arts as a means
of consultation and development. Funding for the projects was
provided by the Single Regeneration Budget. Activities have included:
— a festival to consult on public art
development;
— an oral history project resulting
in publication of a book;
— a reminiscence project resulting
in a touring exhibition;
— an artist residence scheme.
Arts has been used to engage people with the
regeneration by empowering them and their children to act on their
own behalf, to improve the environment and take opportunities
for personal development. The Netherfield Regeneration project
is not arts-led. Arts has been used as one tool to act as a catalyst.
Source: "Cultural regeneration in
Milton Keynes", artsbusiness, 8 June 1998.
LONDON BOROUGH
OF NEWHAM:
The London Borough of Newham has witnessed a
number of regeneration successes with a particular focus on leisure.
The Key to the success has been that schemes have been developed
that meet a need. Three regeneration schemes dominate:
— in Stratford the Performing Arts
Centre is planned to be a key element of the cultural quarter
being developed. This also includes a new cinema, a new library,
improvements to the Theatre Royal and other, private sector schemes.
The Arts Centre received funding from the Arts Council Lottery
Fund;
— in the Royal Docks the rowing course
will be a key component of a cluster of water sports facilities
that will include the development of sailing, rowing, canoeing
and water-skiing. The rowing course received £8.9 million
from the Sport England Lottery Fund;
— East Ham Leisure Centre will help
revitalise the local high street which has been in decline as
a result of out-of-town superstores. The leisure centre received
£13.49 million from the Sport England Lottery Fund.
Newhams approach of linking strategic leisure
needs with developing opportunities to boost and regenerate local
economies should create an environment in which people will want
to live and work.
Source: "The Other Place",
The Leisure Manager, April 1998.
MANCHESTER'S
EXCHANGE SQUARE:
Following the IRA bomb blast in 1996 Manchester
has been redeveloping the city centre. The centre piece of the
Manchester Millennium Quarter is Exchange Square, a new public
open space linking some of the city's most important leisure and
shopping facilities. Additional regeneration projects in the city
have included:
— the Royal Exchange Theatre;
— the Great Northern Experience which
includes an AMC multiplex cinema, restaurants, office space and
a retail centre;
— the development of former headquarters
of the Mirror Group which includes a UCI multiplex and 3D IMAX
cinema alongside themed restaurants, bars, live music venues and
retail.
Sources: "Fair exchange", Local
Government News, December 1999.
"Rising from the ashes", Leisureweek,
25 September 1998.
THE WRENS
NEST ESTATE,
TIPTON, DUDLEY:
The Wrens Nest estate to the north of Dudley
comprises some 1,120 homes, all owned and managed by Dudley Metropolitan
MBC. The problem began five or six yeas ago with:
— a period of long decline;
— residents nicknaming the area "little
Bosnia".
Presented with escalating problems the residents
who resisted the urge to leave the estate began to take action.
This involved:
— the creation of a residents association;
— the lobbying of the council for improvements;
— the gradual involvement of the council
and other organisations, such as Groundwork Black Country;
— residents drawing up a list of what
was wrong with the estate;
— prioritisation of work to first start
on housing, and then develop gardens;
— the use of SRB core-funding.
The result has been the creation of a belt of
zigzagging land running between the rows of houses. This has been
planted with vines on the highest slopes and smaller allotments
growing vegetables and soft-fruit lower down. An orchard was also
created with a variety of fruit bearing trees. Benefits have included:
— training of local residents in the
areas of allotment and vineyard management;
— the creation of a five-a-side football
pitch, before the youngsters had nowhere to play;
— a health night at the local youth
club. Cigarettes are banned and only fruit is sold in the tuck
shop;
— the formation of a food co-op and
a tools library;
— the production of wine;
— personal gains in skills and confidence
for residents;
— people wanting to move into the estate.
The future of the schemes involves the regeneration
of an area of derelict garden into a new woodland, which will
have commercial spin-offs. This scheme will also develop continuation
strategies with core-funding due to run out in 2002.
Source: "Our Mutual Friend",
The Guardian, 8 January 2000.
EREWASH CANAL,
EREWASH BOROUGH
COUNCIL:
Stretching 12 miles north of the River Trent
the Erewash Canal was an under-used and neglected resource. In
1992 Erewash Borough Council launched the Erewash Canal Initiative,
in partnership with British Waterways and Groundwork Erewash Valley,
with the objectives to:
— improve recreational facilities;
— improve the canal's appearance;
— identify development opportunities;
— secure future maintenance and management
of the canal-side environment;
— resolve conflict with different users;
— promote the canal and its history;
— increase its use for environmental
education.
The result has been a transformed canal-side
environment with a total of £200,000 spent over five years.
The canal now offers:
— a recreational resource that is enjoyed
and much used by walkers, cyclists, anglers and those who simply
enjoy the relaxing properties of the water-side environment;
— an improved natural habitat as a
result of land reclamation schemes and creative conservation projects.
The success of the scheme is credited to the
development of strong partnerships and financial backing from
major organisations, such as the English Partnerships, the Groundwork
Foundation and the Countryside Agency. To encourage the continuation
of investment over time the Council committed £8,000 a year
for 21 years for maintenance and access rights. Lessons learnt
from the scheme include:
— a five-year programme is needed with
such regeneration schemes;
— a capital budget of approximately,
£20,000 per mile of canal is required;
— local people need to be empowered
through specific landscaping and educational products;
— legal agreements are needed to ensure
clarity of function between British Waterways and the Council.
The Council noted that the future of the canal
lies not just in its use as a boating resource but as a recreational
resource for the whole of the community for a wide variety of
activities and that canal-based regeneration is a cost-effective
way to improve community confidence, particularly as canals are
often routed through areas of socio-economic deprivation.
Source: "Un-locked potential",
Planning, 13 June 1997.
HERTSMERE BOROUGH
COUNCIL RESTORATION
OF KING
GEORGE RECREATION
GROUND:
The King George Recreation Ground was founded
over 90 years ago, but due to a lack of investment much of its
equipment (playgrounds, tennis courts and footpaths etc) had become
degraded. The Borough Council introduced a programme of capital
improvements for the Ground which has resulted in:
— a wide variety of high quality amenities
for the public's benefit;
— a highly accessible area of open
space within an increasingly urbanised environment that is accessible
from all sides by a network of footpaths;
— the benefits of open air activity
for young and old alike within an urbanised environment.
Source: Information provided by Andrew
Bish, Hertsmere Borough Council
BIRMINGHAM'S
RENAISSANCE:
Birmingham has reinvented itself as a tourist/business
visitor destination. The results of the regeneration scheme have
included:
— the creation of employment opportunities,
with lost industry being replaced;
— the provision of venues for sporting
and arts events;
— the development of focal points such
as the "Floozie in the Jacuzzi" in Victoria Square;
— the redevelopment of the International
Convention Centre and the surrounding area to improve local, national
and international perceptions of the city;
— further financial support for existing
facilities;
— an increase in commercial capital
investment which has aided much of the redevelopment.
Birmingham's Waterfront has been regenerated
from a derelict backwater to international showpiece. This has
included:
— £2.3 million canal improvements;
— the development of Brindley Place
with an £100 million investment to create;
Waters Edge, which included restaurants,
bars and shops;
Symphony Court with 143 homes;
Lloyds Bank and BT Offices.
The Scheme won the prestigious International
Excellence on the Waterfront Award, joining Sydney, Tokyo and
Amsterdam. The Waterfront now attracts over one million visitors
a year and has created 3,200 jobs.
Sources: Information provided by Roger
Edwards Associates.
"Partners in Regeneration" British
Waterways, February 1999.
WREKIN COUNCIL—OAK
& ACORN PROJECT:
The project was named the Oak & Acorn Project
to reflect the relationship between the older and younger generations
of the community. The key aspects of the project included:
— a partnership between Wrekin Council
and Orleton Lane Infants School;
— the regeneration of an area of open
space between a school and a small estate inhabited by elderly
residents;
— the use of art and the environment
as tools to develop creativity;
— the support of artists and crafts
people to encourage community activity.
The results of the scheme have included:
— the creation of opportunities for
personal and community development;
— a sanctuary for both wildlife and
people to enjoy;
— a special, distinctive place with
a collection of meaningful community art.
Source: "Tiny Acorns", article
by Vivienne Jones of Wrekin Council, The Leisure Manager, June/July
1997.
WALSALL BOROUGH
COUNCIL—"SPRAY
DAZE" PROJECT
The aim of the "Spray Daze" project
was to engage young people living near Palfrey Park in an initiative
that would improve vandalised and graffiti stricken areas in the
park and create a sense of ownership. Key aspects of the scheme
include:
— the use of spray art to appeal to
young people;
— groups of children being allowed
to produce designs and carry out the spray painting of three areas
of the park;
— the development of a project partnership
between Palfrey Park Friends and Users Association, Walsall Youth
Arts and Walsall Councils Local Involvement Programme.
Source: "Spray Daze", article
by Ian Baggot, Walsall Council's Parks Department, The Leisure
Manager April 1998.
GLOUCESTER DOCKS:
The Gloucester Docks, including water space,
totalled nearly 25 acres of space with 13 listed Victorian warehouses
that once represented liabilities of £3.5 million. Gloucester
City Council, in partnership with Crest Nicholson Properties Ltd
began a process of phased development.
This included:
— the regeneration of Merchants Quay
into speciality retailing, pubs and restaurants;
— the development of other quays and
warehouses to provide:
the National Waterways Museum
the Regiment of Gloucester Museum
an antiques warehouse
a working dry dock
a moorings basin
regular boating tours
a venue for Tall ships
— additional to this warehouses have
been used to house a new county court, moorings offices and 160,000
square feet of office space.
Source: "Partners in Regeneration"
British Waterways, February 1999.
LEEDS WATERFRONT:
Leeds Waterfront has been developed into a valuable
leisure, tourism, office and residential resource. Regenerated
by British Waterways in partnership with Leeds Development Corporation,
Leeds City Council, English Heritage and St. James, the development
has included:
— the development of tourism opportunities,
including:
improved access to the riverside
a £42 million development of the Royal Armouries
Museum
a £6 million development of the Tetleys Brewery
Wharf visitor centre
the development of speciality retailing
a new £3 million hotel
hire boats and tour boats
restaurants
— a new 400,000 square feet office
quarter with a £93 million investment to house:
the Medical Protection Society
Yorkshire Water
Allied Dunbar
KPMG
ASDA
— the re-population of the regenerated
area through:
a £10 million investment in student accommodation
for 608
residential developments by Regent
Housing Association, Barratt Urban Renewal, Taylor Woodrow and
Tay Homes.
Source: "Partners in Regeneration"
British Waterways, February 1999.
51 ILAM Information Centre, Policy Position Statement
No 20, April 1997. Back
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