Memorandum by the Commission for Architecture
and the Built Environment (CABE) (EMP 29)
1. THE ROLE
OF CABE
1.1 CABE was set up by the first Secretary
of State for Culture, Media and Sport in 1999 with the mission
to promote high quality architecture and design within the built
environment. CABE's vision is of a country that by 2010 will lead
Europe in understanding and harnessing the ability of great buildings
and spaces to transform neighbourhoods, to generate social value
and to sustain economic growth.
1.2 CABE is now jointly funded by the Department
for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister (ODPM). The sponsorship arrangements are with the
DCMS. As at 31March 2004, CABE comprised a team of 16 commissioners,
appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport,
and 82 staff appointed by CABE itself.
2. CABE INVOLVEMENT
WITH HOUSING
MARKET RENEWAL
PATHFINDERS
2.1 Today we are attempting to deal with
the future of our towns and cities in perhaps a more comprehensive
way than ever before, recognising that the social, physical and
economic well-being of places are vitally important. A good example
is the establishment of the nine Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder
areas in the North of England and the Midlands, and the commitment
of resources by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
to assist in the preparation and delivery of sub-regional strategies
that tackle the problems of low housing demand.
2.2 Central to the Pathfinder programme
is the recognition that:
— the problem of low demand has to
be tackled at both a sub-regional (beyond the local authority
boundary) and neighbourhood scale;
— it is about more than housing, combining
homes with access to employment, transport and services in a high
quality environment, social, economic and physical factors contribute
to the quality of neighbourhoods; and
— the involvement of the private sector
is crucial to lever the investment required to turn these places
around.
2.3 In CABE's experience, high quality design
is an essential attribute of the physical interventions, be they
homes, streets, schools, health centres or open spaces. This is
particularly the case in the Pathfinder areas, many of which face
a dramatic restructuring of their physical environment. This presents
a real challenge but much of the work emerging and many of the
activities being undertaken, both by individuals and organisations,
are laying a good foundation for creating successful neighbourhoods
for existing and new communities.
2.4 CABE, in conjunction with English Heritage,
the Sustainable Development Commission, the Environment Agency
and the Commission for Integrated Transport, published Building
Sustainable Communities: Key Actions for Housing Market Renewal
in June 2003. This paper highlighted what the five national agencies,
with their specific remits, considered to be the key factors for
successful housing renewal and creating places in which people
and their communities would choose to live, work and stay. The
actions outlined how the Pathfinders could put design quality,
sustainable development and heritage considerations at the heart
of their approach. An update of this paper titled Creating
Successful Neighbourhoods: Lessons and actions for housing market
renewal is being published by CABE on 1 February 2005, at
the Sustainable Communities Summit. This report would be useful
reference material for the Committee as it:
— revisits the key actions and revises
them to reflect the current status of Pathfinder proposals;
— highlights remaining challenges for
Government, Pathfinders, local authorities and their partners
against the seven key actions; and
— through case studies, showcases good
practice occurring in the Housing Market Renewal areas and shares
the ideas and approaches put forward by the Design Task Group.
2.5 Over the last two years the Pathfinders
have developed their strategies and submitted them to Government
for funding. They are now in the process of refining and progressing
their strategies, delivering "early win" projects, consolidating
partnerships with the public and private sectors, and embedding
processes for change designed to deliver sustainable communities.
2.6 CABE has been privileged to be part
of this process, in both a strategic capacity, through the Design
Task Group which provides a mechanism for the Pathfinders and
national agencies to share and develop best practice, and through
on-the-ground input, working within individual Pathfinders on
a range of projects. Two years on CABE are in a position to give
evidence on the progress of the Pathfinder programme and to look
forward to the challenges ahead.
3. KEY ISSUES
3.1 The key issues that CABE see as being
worthy of discussion by the Select Committee, and to which we
could provide further insight, focus on the need for a continued
commitment to the long-term objective of transforming neighbourhoods
through good design, sustainable development and valuing heritage.
To deliver on this commitment there is evidence that the following
issues must be addressed:
— Urban regeneration is a fickle and
challenging business—the issues being tackled are often
multi-faceted and ingrained, the time to make plans is often short,
squeezed by a desire to see quick results, and the wait before
tangible progress can be measured can seem long. These issues
are apparent in the housing market renewal areas. However, complex
issues require careful strategising and proper planning if
the results are to be long lasting and to avoid the mistakes of
past clearance programmes. Time needs to be programmed for design
and consultation.
— That the commitment to design
quality is embedded in policy and practice, and be given the
resources (time, skills and money) necessary resources
to succeed in creating truly sustainable neighbourhoods, where
people will choose to live, invest and stay.
— Housing market renewal will depend
on the investment of house builders (including registered
social landlords) their commitment to and ability to deliver houses
and neighbourhoods that are well designed, incorporate sustainable
design features and are built to last, must be tackled. This is
strongly evidenced in CABE recent Housing Audit which examined
over 100 recently completed housing projects and found many of
them wanting in terms of design. To tackle this issue the public
sector will need to work in much closer partnerships that
they have traditionally.
— For many local authorities, who are
operating within the HMR areas, they are being asked to address
very complex regeneration issues. For some Pathfinder areas this
will be an agenda for which they have little track record. Therefore
there is a need to build up the skills and capacity of key
professionals within the local authorities, particularly within
planning and housing departments. This also needs to facilitate
a much more joined-up approach to managing local neighbourhoods—housing,
planning, education, health, transport and open spaces issues.
— The HMR agenda, very positively,
seeks to establish approaches to housing renewal across a sub-region.
It is apparent that the way different local authorities are tackling
certain issues can be inconsistent—for example, different
expectations of quality or rigour in terms of planning have been
observed.
4. ISSUES IDENTIFIED
BY CABE
4.1 This remainder of this submission takes
each of the seven key actions identified above and sets out the
key questions that the Committee may want to consider in more
detail. CABE has evidence to assess the Pathfinder performance
against these issues, which it would be happy to share with the
Committee, if called to do so. We can also supply a copy of Creating
Successful Neighbourhoods: Lessons and actions for housing market
renewal (CABE 2005), if the Committee would find it useful.
4.2 Realise the scale of the opportunity—Are
Pathfinders basing investment and clearance decisions on a thorough
understanding of the causes of and potential solutions to market
failure from the macro scale (sub-regional) to the micro level
(the local community)?
4.3 Positively address heritage as an
asset—Have Pathfinders carried out work to fully evaluate
the physical assets of an area to inform decision-making about
what to retain, enhance and celebrate? This is particularly critical
issue given the scale of clearance that is proposed. Decisions
on clearance must be informed by an understanding of the physical,
social and economic factors which cause market failure.
4.4 Create places of distinction—Are
the skills and time being made available to develop an understanding
of the urban design character of individual neighbourhoods and
towns, so that proposals that are put forward create places of
lasting quality, where developers will want to invest and residents
will want to live and stay?
4.5 Recognise the value of design and
its role in renewal—Are the Pathfinders and Government
providing leadership to the public and private sectors by championing
good design and delivering high quality projects to demonstrate
a neighbourhood is on the up?
4.6 Adopt policies and tools to deliver
high quality urban neighbourhoods—Are the Pathfinder
and local authorities using the appropriate tools and strategies
that will help design and deliver high quality environments on
the ground?
4.7 Place sustainable development at
the heart of thinking and action—Are standards being
set so that investment and developments use resources efficiently
and encourage sustainable lifestyles?
4.8 Get ready to meet the challenge—Is
the drive for design quality being embedded from the strategy
level down into the individual built projects? Have sufficient
resources—time, skills and funding—been committed
to following through this design agenda and assist with working
with the private sector house builders to improve the quality
of their standard product?
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