Open Meeting 2001: Synopsis

Welcome and introduction

Victor Benjamin
Acting Chairman, English Partnerships

Victor Benjamin welcomed delegates to the Open Meeting and introduced the programme for the day. He described English Partnerships´ unique role as a national public sector land and property agency. With an overview of the land supply across England, the organisation had the national focus necessary to engage both public and private sectors in a common aim. It was ideally placed to deliver the Government´s regeneration and development agenda, matching the greatest need to the best opportunities.

He detailed the role and operation of the Main Board of English Partnerships. The Board was appointed by, and responsible to, Ministers at the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR), with whom it agreed its overall strategic objectives. This explained its close relationship with DTLR and Ministers. Board Members were drawn from a variety of backgrounds and Mr Benjamin recognised the contribution made by different skills, perspectives and experiences. In conclusion, he reaffirmed his positive vision for the future of regeneration, and his belief that the current Review of English Partnerships would present the organisation with major opportunities for the future.

English Partnerships' Business: Vision and achievements

Paula Hay-Plumb
Chief Executive, English Partnerships

Paula Hay-Plumb began her presentation by looking back to the first Annual Open Meeting held in Salford last year and reviewed the key messages of diversity, partnership and innovation she presented at that event. While there had been many new policy developments over the past year, the messages still held true.

She outlined the core business of the organisation (as defined in the Urban White Paper) as the delivery of national and cross-regional initiatives in support of Regional Development Agencies' Regional Strategies, supporting the Government´s regeneration agenda. Many initiatives and principles adopted by English Partnerships had gained official support in the Urban White Paper, including the Urban Regeneration Companies, the English Cities Fund, the National Land Use Database and the Urban Design Compendium.

Reporting on the organisation's second full year of operation, she emphasised that it was firmly based on delivery and detailed the outputs achieved. With the European Commission's closure of the Partnership Investment Programme (PIP) for new business in 1999 and the end of English Partnerships´ involvement in the programme from April 2001, she paid tribute to PIP´s achievements. Few physical regeneration projects had shown the long-term value of PIP or its ability to involve the private sector.

Mrs Hay-Plumb detailed English Partnerships' activities in developing new sources of funding for regeneration. These included the English Cities Fund, aimed at city centre fringe locations, which was currently with Treasury for approval Priority Sites Ltd, developing industrial units in areas where the private sector is unwilling to invest and Network Space Ltd, developing workspace in the coalfields. She touched on English Partnerships´ work in the coalfields, noting the achievements of the coalfields programme as it reached the halfway stage of its 10-year span.

English Partnerships' partners included CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, with whom English Partnerships was working to disseminate the urban design principles and best practice set out in the Urban Design Compendium. Mrs Hay-Plumb also announced the launch of a three-year programme of initiatives with the Forestry Commission which was detailed in a new publication entitled A Growing Partnership. The new partnership aimed to deliver the regeneration objectives shared by the two organisations.

In conclusion, the Chief Executive emphasised the quality of the projects and programmes undertaken by English Partnerships and looked forward to the achievements of the coming year.

Town Strategies and Urban Extensions

Peter Springett
Area Director (Housing) South, English Partnerships

Peter Springett looked at how English Partnerships facilitated regeneration, development and best practice. He outlined how English Partnerships was well-placed to identify strategic opportunities to help property developers achieve local delivery. By bringing forward land at the right time, in the right locations, to meet regional and local demand, English Partnerships helped to generate economic activity and create quality developments, while capturing as much benefit as possible for the public purse.

Mr Springett outlined English Partnerships' key contributions to this process as its national remit, property portfolio, funding ability as "patient investor" and focus on delivering. Major projects included Omega, Kings Dock, Liverpool, the South West District of Northampton and Central Milton Keynes. Local Authorities play an important role in helping English Partnerships to deliver the vision, planning, and corporate will, to make these developments happen.

John V. M. Best Strategic Director - Environment, Milton Keynes Council

John Best gave an overview of the strategic development of Milton Keynes, starting with its status as one of the last of the new towns, its location and its development through the 1970s plan for the city centre, to the 1998 Masterplan to re-invent Central Milton Keynes.

Giving details of the long-standing partnership between Milton Keynes Council and English Partnerships, he described English Partnerships as "Auntie EP" and reflected on the challenges that the close working partnership placed on the two organisations. He believed that their shared vision and commitment to the success of the town centre was very important. He identified the requirements for joint working for the long term, including the need to recognise complementary roles, keep benefits in balance, maintain quality and aspirations and develop robust structures, whilst retaining patience and understanding.

Coalfields: Midway through the 10-year programme

Euan Hall
Divisional Director, Coalfields / Joint Ventures, English Partnerships

Euan Hall gave an outline of the National Coalfields Programme which comprises up to 86 sites across England totalling over 3,300 hectares, with an anticipated investment of £385 million over the 10-year programme. Describing the management and delivery of the programme, he talked through central Government input from DTLR, regional delivery from the RDAs, local input from local authorities, and how community focus was provided by the Coalfield Communities Campaign.

He detailed the aims of the programme: to breathe new life into coalfield communities to deliver environmental improvements; to create platforms for development; and to provide new commercial industrial, residential, social and recreational opportunities for coalfield communities. Progress to date has been impressive, with over one hectare of land reclaimed, over 100 square metres of new business space, and over three new job opportunities created for every day of the programme.

Over one third of the inherited coalfield land was proposed for public open space, to be effectively managed for, and with, the local communities. English Partnerships will work in conjunction with partners such as the Forestry Commission to deliver this.

Geoff Hatfield
Director, Forest Enterprise England

Geoff Hatfield talked about the partnership approach adopted by English Partnerships and the Forestry Commission in their work in the coalfields, the complementary nature of their activities, and the newly published joint accord: A Growing Partnership.

He outlined the problems which abandoned and derelict land cause to local communities in terms of public safety, crime, flytipping and pollution, and stressed the contribution that the "soft end-use" environmental improvements could make over a relatively short period of time. This included the planting of new woodland and green spaces. Involving local people in the regeneration of their areas had an important role to play by stimulating local thinking to develop new concepts and identify future opportunities.

Mr Hatfield also referred to the development of new computer software, jointly commissioned by English Partnerships and the Forestry Commission, to aid developers in producing specifications for the restoration of brownfield land to community woodland. This software aims to improve the quality and success rate of woodland regeneration schemes and was a further example of the practical regeneration partnership between English Partnerships and the Forestry Commission.

Millennium Communities: Setting new standards

Duncan Innes
Head of Millennium Communities, English Partnerships

Duncan Innes outlined the purpose of the Millennium Communities programme: to bring together new ways of planning, designing and constructing housing schemes which promote a more human and sustainable way of living. Related objectives include the dissemination of key messages within the Government's sustainability, Egan and Urban Renaissance agendas; an increase in house-builders´ acceptance and understanding of sustainable development principles and the regeneration of seven brownfield sites across the country as examples of best practice.

The Millennium Communities Programme was being delivered through public-private partnerships where funding was provided through a mixture of land value, other public sector support and/or developer contribution. Mr Innes outlined the specific aims of the programme and the high standards set for the delivery of these aims, including a reduction in construction costs and duration, energy and water consumption and an increase in renewable energy use. He also provided a progress report on the four Millennium Communities announced to date: Greenwich Millennium Village; Allerton Bywater, Leeds; Cardroom Estate, Manchester; and the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area at King's Lynn.

Reporting on lessons learned by English Partnerships and partners over the course of the programme to date, he outlined the need for an acknowledgement of the cost of innovation; partnership with the private sector; defined public funding; a transparent role for the community; and a legally enforceable design code.

Clive Wilding
Managing Director, Raven Residential

Clive Wilding set out the private sector developer perspective on the Millennium Communities Programme, and focused on the second Millennium Community at Allerton Bywater, near Leeds. Detailing the development and evolution of the masterplan, he outlined the progress made in the initial phase of housing, and referred to the house types and measures taken to reduce energy consumption and create flexible space.

Mr Wilding focused on key lessons learned, including the importance of an early selection of the developer and design team and the need to select a team entirely committed to the programme principles. He recommended benchmarking - to demonstrate that innovation can deliver benefits - to measure continuing product improvements and to raise standards. In conclusion, he stressed the commercial advantages of regeneration projects like the Millennium Communities to the developer and argued that those who lead will learn first and reap the benefits.

Personal Perspective from the Board

Ram Gidoomal
Board Member, English Partnerships

Ram Gidoomal focused on the role of social and community regeneration in the context of the Government´s urban regeneration agenda and the role of public private partnerships in its delivery. Talking through his own background in business, he stressed his personal commitment to English Partnerships, focusing in particular on the strong social equity dimension in everything English Partnerships does.

He noted that English Partnerships was playing a direct and crucial role in delivering the Government´s regeneration agenda, including developing joint ventures to unlock the potential of dormant public sector land holdings, identifying brownfield land for housing development, playing a leading role in the Urban Regeneration Companies and delivering the coalfields programme in areas which have suffered significant economic and social deprivation.

Looking to the Future

Paula Hay-Plumb
Chief Executive, English Partnerships

Paula Hay-Plumb focused on the potential for English business after the completion of the Review of the organisation. She identified four key assets which had enabled English Partnerships to remain at the forefront of the national policy agenda:

• English Partnerships' property portfolio: which enabled the organisation to deliver all of its programmes and to develop and implement best practice.

• English Partnerships staff: She reported that over 50% of staff had a degree or professional qualification and over 26% had both. This represented a concentration of property skills unrivalled in the public sector.

• English Partnerships' flexible approach: She noted that English Partnerships did not have a single approach or rigid regime, but was prepared to find new ways to deal with varying issues.

• English Partnerships' national and cross-regional remit: she noted that English Partnerships was the only regeneration body to possess such an overview and that this national role was required to address such issues as the supply and demand for land across England and to put together major new public-private partnerships.

Mrs Hay-Plumb concluded that the next year promised once again to be an exciting time, and the year after that even more so.