Open Meeting 2000: Synopsis

Sir Alan Cockshaw
Chairman, English Partnerships

Sir Alan Cockshaw introduced the format for the day, including a brief resume of the new English Partnerships´ origins and the scale of its activities following the creation of the Regional Development Agencies. The key theme of his address was partnership working at the national level.

Paula Hay-Plumb
Chief Executive, English Partnerships

Paula began by announcing that she is "proud of the fact that we support programmes and partnerships of all kinds. I am proud of our track record for innovation and for informed risk taking". She attributed its success to a clear corporate vision centred on partnership working with Regional Development Agencies and Local Authorities. "The core of our business focuses on national and cross-regional initiatives, supporting the Regional Development Agencies´ Regional strategies and adding value to the Government´s regeneration agenda".

Developing the theme of partnership, Paula described English Partnerships as a "facilitator", seeking "to share the creation, the delivery and the achievement of initiatives with as many key partners as possible", a point illustrated by the presentations that followed.

Highlighting English Partnerships´ response to Lord Roger´s Urban Renaissance, she broke down Rogers´ recommendations into four key areas, all of which have a close relationship to its programme:

• Supply and Demand: referring to Government targets for Housing development, Paula highlighted the role of the National Land Use Database in identifying brownfield sites and English Partnerships' experience in land assembly gained from the National Coalfields Programme.
• Quality, in design and Planning: Paula explained the need for a dual approach to design-led regeneration that recognised both its physical and social dimensions. The new URCs were one example of quality partnership vehicles for the delivery of new initiatives.
• In the context of design and planning Paula updated progress on the Greenwich Millennium Community and outlined plans for a new urban village in the Lightmoor area of Telford both projects illustrating English Partnerships' commitments to creating quality sustainable communities on brownfield sites.
• Community Involvement and Participation: Arguing for a "new emphasis on the creation of communities rather than the provision of homes", Paula stressed the importance of involving the local community in the master planning progress. Citing English Partnerships´ work in the New Towns, Paula emphasised how English Partnerships' development briefs take an integrated approach to issues such as energy efficiency, use of public space, transport provision and construction technology. Paula referred to the recent launch of the Enquiry by Design report, a joint venture between English Partnerships, DETR, Commission for the Protection of Rural England and the Prince's Foundation, looking at new approaches to the community planning process. Resources: Highlighting English Partnerships´ commitment to finding new mechanisms to encourage public-private partnerships and secure investment. Paula cited Priority Sites Ltd, a joint venture with The Royal Bank of Scotland and the new English Cities Fund, with AMEC and Legal and General (heralded in the Urban White Paper), targeted at the regeneration of city-centre fringe locations.

Paula wound up by stressing English Partnerships' role as catalyst, "We identify the key partners, help to define the vision - and then we invest". What defines English Partnerships is its courage to commit to projects at the early stages: "we do not back winners. We help to make winners".

National Coalfields Programme

Euan Hall
Divisional Director - Coalfields/JVs, English Partnerships

Euan Hall outlined the organisation's role in the management of the National Coalfields Programme, and summarised its key achievements to date, notably the creation of over 4,000 new job opportunities and the reclamation of over 1,100 hectares of land. He focused on how the programme had evolved in response to the creation of the Regional Development Agencies and the recommendations of the 1998 Coalfields Task Force: the recent addition of 25 sites to the original 56 the launch of Network Space in 1999, a new public-private partnership to develop workspace, and the creation of a Coalfield Enterprise Fund designed to lever in private sector investment.

Euan stressed that the Coalfields programme was an "example of partnership in action" and highlighted the contribution of the Regional Development Agencies in delivering the programme in close conjunction with Local Authority and private sector partners. In conclusion he acknowledged the role played by the Coalfield Communities Campaign in keeping the communities themselves at the forefront of both English Partnerships and Government priorities.

Steven Fothergill Director, Coalfield Communities Campaign (CCC) Stephen highlighted the size of the CCC´s membership, which accounts for over 80 coalfield local authorities and some 5 million people. Acknowledging the successful working relationship between English Partnerships and the CCC, he expressed his relief that English Partnerships had maintained national responsibility through the changes initiated by the Coalfields Task Force and the creation of the Regional Development Agencies.

Stephen was optimistic about the future of the programme, and highlighted its potential to create 55,000 new jobs when completed. "The results are beginning to come through and let me say that it is a programme that has always been, and always remains, absolutely central to coalfield regeneration".

Developing the New Towns

Miles Anderson
Divisional Director - Portfolio Development, English Partnerships

Miles gave an overview of English Partnerships' portfolio development programme, focusing on the sale and development of English Partnerships' land and property assets in the New Towns and former Urban Development Corporation (UDC) areas. He stressed English Partnerships' track record in partnership working with Local Authorities and other stakeholders and the commitment to remain "at the leading edge of sustainable mixed use development". Miles presented specific examples of how English Partnerships is taking forward new development proposals at Kings Waterfront in Liverpool, and the M62 Omega site near Warrington. Miles concluded by highlighting recent involvement with individual Local Authorities in the development of Town Strategies.

Steven Broomhead
Chief Executive, Warrington Borough Council

Steven Broomhead gave examples of Warrington Borough Council and English Partnerships working together to bring forward development projects in the Warrington area. He highlighted a number of joint achievements, ranging from social initiatives such as the Warrington Peace Centre to brownfield developments, notably the Omega site. Summing up, Steven stressed the positive, open and constructive nature of the English Partnerships-Warrington partnership, describing it as a "very valued relationship".

John Foster
Chief Executive, Middlesbrough Council

John Foster outlined the work of Middlesbrough Council, English Partnerships and One NorthEast (RDA) in the development of the former Middlesbrough Docks area, Teesside into a mixed use urban village. He stressed the depth of local support for the project and the success of partnership working in creating a "dynamic" and "expansive vision" for the area.

Urban Regeneration Companies

Mike Appleton
Regeneration and Planning Director, English Partnerships

Mike Appleton gave an overview of the role of Urban Regeneration Companies (URC) and English Partnerships key involvement in their development. Mike described the relationship between the three public sector partners - English Partnerships, the Regional Development Agency and the Local Authority - as a source of mutual support and skill sharing, and stressed the role of URCs in championing a more "business like" approach to the management of urban regeneration. "They´re about having a planned common vision for an area that is built on consensus".

Mike briefly described the progress of the three pilot schemes in Liverpool, East Manchester and Sheffield and looked forward to the recommendations of the Urban White Paper in creating additional partnerships. Summing up, Mike stressed the organisation´s pride in its involvement with the establishment and facilitation of the URCs to date.

Dr Layth Bunni
Chief Executive, Liverpool Vision URC

Layth Bunni outlined the background to the creation of Liverpool Vision and its impact on the city centre to date. He highlighted several key benefits of the URC approach, including "focused effort", joint agency working and the combining of public and private sector know-how. Describing the lead up to the launch in 1999, Dr. Bunni stressed the importance of public consultation: "there is no point in creating a vision without the involvement of the people". He concluded by outlining the reasoning behind the framework of Liverpool Vision: clear strategic priorities and the ambition and means to deliver them.

Urban Design Compendium

Trevor Beattie
Corporate Strategy and Communications Director, English Partnerships

Trevor gave an insight into the importance of the Compendium in providing a compilation of good practice in urban design and outlined its relationship with both English Partnerships´ own work and the regeneration agenda as a whole. "It puts the need for good design at the heart of all new thinking about regeneration and development". He stressed the close co-operation between English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation and the ongoing involvement of other stakeholders, such as the new Commission for the Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE), in taking the initiative forward.

Two core themes of the Compendium were the need to consider good design from Lowry Centre, Salford, Greater Manchester day one of the planning process, and the importance of putting community need and quality of life first. "It's local and community structures that this Compendium looks at, every bit as much as physical structures".

Trevor went on to illustrate how English Partnerships and other stakeholders were putting the Compendium´s principles into practise using staff training and a planned series of public seminars. He outlined how the Compendium had been integrated into English Partnerships´ project appraisal process and its impact on masterplanning in the URC and New Town areas. In closing, Trevor stressed that the Compendium was part of a continuing process based on sharing and learning from collective experience.

Shelagh Hair
Assistant Director of Investment, The Housing Corporation

Shelagh Hair briefly outlined the role of the Housing Corporation and its involvement in the Urban Design Compendium. She made three key points: the need to set housing within the wider context of community regeneration the importance of partnership working both with national agencies such as English Partnerships and the local community and the need to incorporate the Compendium into new industry standards.

Question-and-Answer Session

Sir Alan chaired a panel discussion, inviting questions and comments from the floor. Topics raised included: the importance of good management structures in securing private finance for the maintenance of town centre developments, notably the work of English Partnerships and the Association of Town Centre Managers over the past two to three years to develop a model for Town Improvement Schemes

Looking to the Future

Paula Hay-Plumb
Chief Executive, English Partnerships

Paula thanked the speakers for their contributions and the English Partnerships staff involved behind the scenes. She concluded proceedings by looking to the future and emphasised the deep commitment needed from all partners to make the urban renaissance a reality. Paula expressed her belief that the changes over the past year had equipped English Partnerships with the focus and long-term vision to meet the challenge. Summing up, Paula welcomed the imminent release of the Urban White Paper and stressed English Partnerships' readiness to carry it forward.