Meden Valley Making Places
Meden Valley Making Places (MVMP) was established in 2003 to tackle housing decline in eight former mining communities in north Nottinghamshire and north-east Derbyshire.
The 1980s and early 1990s had seen many pits close, leaving communities that had depended on coal-mining for their livelihoods facing a bleak future.
Many homes were abandoned or fell into the hands of private landlords who could find no-one to rent them, devastating entire communities and creating problems that one organisation acting alone could not begin to tackle.
Accordingly, MVMP was established as a not-for-profit public sector company, jointly owned by English Partnerships, East Midlands Development Agency, Bolsover and Mansfield District Councils, with the aim of reversing decline, and catalysing regeneration in association with local, regional and national partners.
Its brief is to address the issues of run-down and empty properties, low demand, and poor housing mix and tenure in eight settlements, by engaging and working closely with residents and other key partners to deliver thriving, sustainable communities.
By early 2008, significant progress has been made across all settlements. The historic Creswell Model Village is now fully restored and a combination of refurbishment and new build is helping to transform all eight settlements being tackled by the project.
Project evaluation
An independent Interim Evaluation has concluded that the project has demonstrated ‘outstanding speed and efficiency’ offering ‘substantially better value for money than projects in related programmes’. Construction work to eco homes very good/code for sustainable homes level 3 has now commenced across 4 sites with a range of environmental improvements complementing the property improvements.
Success has been founded on strong partnership working; close working relationships with the communities being served, and an opportunity for residents to shape the final product with their involvement in the governance of MVMP.
In December 2007, MVMP received a BURA ‘Best Practice in Regeneration’ Award in recognition of its work across the Meden Valley.
For more information visit www.mvmp.co.uk.