Memorandum by the British Urban Regeneration
Association (BURA) (CT 58)
The British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA)
has provided a forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and
information for the diverse regeneration sector since 1990. As
the leading independent champion for those involved in regeneration,
BURA's unique strength comes from its wide range of members from
the private, public, voluntary, community and academic sectors.
The Association offers national and regional networks, pioneering
and practical modular training programmes, diverse and constructive
events and campaigns addressing key issues on the regeneration
agenda, in particular the long-term development of the regeneration
workforce itself.
RESEARCH
BURA's dynamic cross-sector think-tank, the
Steering & Development Forum (SDF), shapes and influences
regeneration policy through independent research on issues around
the practical delivery and implementation of regeneration and
by responding to government consultations on relevant policy initiatives.
The SDF was established in 2001 with the specific
aim of articulating the views of the regeneration sector to policymakers
through constructive dialogue. Recent and current research projects
include:
(i) Regeneration Priorities for CSR2007.
(ii) The Sustainability of Suburbia.
(iii) Institutional Investment in Regeneration:
Necessary Conditions for Effective Funding (with Investment Property
Forum).
(iv) Local Government, New Localism and the
Delivery of Regeneration.
(v) Provision of Affordable Housing: Issues
in Policy and Practice.
(vi) Towards A National Strategy for Regeneration.
(vii) Delivering in the Growth Areas: Overcoming
the Barriers to Regeneration.
(viii) Procurement in Urban Regeneration:
Accountability, Shared Vision and Partnering.
BEST PRACTICE
BURA identifies and promotes best practice in
regeneration, guiding and inspiring the sector's evolution and
exploring the social, economic and environmental issues involved
for all parties. Our long-standing and highly-respected awards
programmes help to define as well as promote excellence in regeneration.
We see our awards as creating a body of best practice over time
and so maintain contact with previous award-winners to disseminate
the lessons from their experience.
Several of our award-winning projects have been
in coastal towns, including St Annes on Sea in Lancashire [BURA
Award 2005], Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth [BURA 2003 & Crystal
Awards 2005], Littlehampton East Bank development [BURA 2004],
and Grange Park estate in Blackpool (DPM Award 2004).
REGENERATION BY
THE SEA
Regeneration in coastal settlements presents
specific challenges, most of which have been explored in detail
by this Inquiry: seasonal employment and economic patterns, transient
populations, poor connectivity, housing market issues, neglected
or decaying architecture. Renewal is starting to happen, slowly
but surely.
We believe the case has been made that coastal
towns have specific problems and the nature of those problems
has been well described by respondents to the Inquiry. This now
needs to be formally recognised by Government. The next stage
should focus on sharing best practice solutions and empowering
cross-sectoral local partnerships to deliver the solutions through
coherent single pot funding. There is no doubt that coastal towns
deserve the attention demonstrated by this Inquiry and we welcome
the explicit review of funding approaches. We need a debate about
the relative merits of approaches like LEGI (substantial funding
for a few pathfinders) and NDC (lots of money for limited number
of "worst cases", versus, for example, the Coalfields
Regeneration Trust approach of a major national programme allowing
for interventions throughout the areas affected by industrial
collapse.
In terms of national policy, two major issues
for almost all coastal towns are Houses of Multiple Occupation
(HMOs) and the benefits system. Coastal towns share with `studentified'
areas the urgent need for stronger HMO licensing powers or, preferably,
a change to the planning use classes order to differentiate HMOs
from other residential use (as has been achieved in Northern Ireland).
HMO demand in seaside towns tends to be fed by the benefits system.
However, welfare reform issues in coastal towns
go far beyond this particular housing-related impact. BURA has
been working with the National Community Forum and Community Links,
in close liaison with DCLG (ODPM) and the DWP, to understand and
explain how the benefits system could be better used to underpin
regeneration and neighbourhood renewal. We have proposed a Community
Allowance that would enable claimants to undertake constructive
community regeneration work without putting their benefit status
at risk. Since this kind of work is usually part-time, short-term,
sessional and unpredictable it does not fit with a welfare system
based on the notion of full-time work (at least 16 hrs/wk). It
therefore becomes a "phantom economy" of work that doesn't
get done even though the people who could best do it are present
in abundance and the money that could pay for it is available
through a plethora of regeneration and renewal schemes. While
we believe the Community Allowance would be a major boon to all
deprived areas, it could be particularly important in areas where
seasonal and sessional employment is the dominant economic option—supporting
local people in seaside towns to build up a whole-year portfolio
of economic activity from a starting-position far from the "normal"
labour market.
BURA SEASIDE NETWORK
We are currently establishing the BURA Seaside
Network. This is an indication of our belief that coastal towns
around the UK have more in common than their regional distribution
would suggest. The coast is a thread that draws together different
parts of the UK—seaside towns in the north and south, east
and west have a substantially shared experience and a lot to learn
from each other. Reflecting the diversity of people involved in
regeneration, the network brings together public, private and
community interests from towns and cities by the sea, with different
ambitions but a shared heritage, whether they were resorts or
ports, fishing towns or shipyards.
This new "pier-to-pier" network, launching
in Hastings on 12 July 2006, aims to explore challenges and successes
to speed up the process of change, share the best standards of
practice and delivery, and join forces to build a stronger voice.
We have had a very enthusiastic response, especially from regenerators
who want to see the network focus on "delivery rather than
more planning, strategy, etc".
NOTE: Distinction between BRADA and the BURA Seaside
Network:
The key feature of the Seaside Network is its
CROSS-SECTORAL nature. Whereas BRADA is mainly for local authorities,
BURA has a unique membership which is one-quarter public sector,
one-quarter private sector, one-quarter voluntary/community sector,
one-quarter individuals. This guides our approach to all our work
including the Seaside Network.
The Seaside Network aims to involve all TOWNS
BY THE SEA whether they are/were ports, resorts or a bit of both,
and regardless of how they see their future economic niche.
Our focus is very strongly on REGENERATION,
and therefore alongside issues of the physical fabric, tourism,
transport and economic development, the Network will also address
issues such as welfare, asylum, education and health, housing,
and community development that would be less likely to feature
in an association focusing on coastal destinations and attractions.
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