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Open Meeting 2006: Synopsis
18 October 2006
British Museum, London
More than 300 guests attended English Partnerships’ seventh annual Open Meeting on Wednesday 18 October at the British Museum in London, with the theme “Environmental Sustainability”.
Chairman, The Baroness Ford of Cunninghame, opened the event, by focussing on the Agency’s achievements over the past year and its role in sustainable development within a changing environment. The Chairman spoke particularly about the Agency’s work in Greenwich and its role in developing and implementing intelligent funding models that are contributing to the regeneration of failing estates in the borough, such as the Ferrier Estate in Kidbrooke. Similar funding mechanisms have been introduced in Hattersley in the North West and the Park Hill Estate in Sheffield, where public-sector finance is the vital catalyst for regeneration and for attracting private-sector investment.
Baroness Ford summed up the Agency’s approach as a “relentless focus on delivery and quality” in a year that had seen English Partnerships exceed all of the delivery targets set by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and Minister for Women, Rt Hon. Ruth Kelly MP, emphasised the need for sustainability to become the watchword for regeneration. “Environmental sustainability”, she said, “has to be part of our core thinking in every policy area and was not a ‘nice to have’ add on”. It was announced that later this year, the Department will launch the Code for Sustainable Homes and this will pave the way for the future direction of Building Regulations. The Minister emphasised the urgent need to move towards carbon-neutral development and said that she would shortly be announcing more details of the Design for Manufacture 2 competition, which would show that ‘sustainable did not mean unaffordable’. She also said she will shortly be announcing the outcome of the Housing and Regeneration Review.
Robert Napier, board member for English Partnerships and Chief Executive, WWF-UK, addressed the impact that climate change – both man-made and natural - was already having on the planet. He talked about the concept of ‘One Planet Living’ a potential global approach to reducing the impact of climate change. He focused on the ways of reducing environmental impact and the potential dangers of a continuing worldwide temperature increase. There has been a temperature rise of 0.8OC over the past 140 years and it is thought that if this rise reaches 2OC a crucial ‘tipping point’ will be achieved that will result in greater levels of hunger, diseases (such as malaria), water shortages and coastal flooding. However, Mr Napier said that there was an opportunity to stem climate change by reducing demand for energy and resources and that the development industry had a major role to play.
Dan Epstein, Environmental Policy Manager, English Partnerships, provided an overview of the Agency’s work and its environmental credentials. He highlighted the Millennium Communities programme as leading the way in creating low carbon, sustainable developments delivered on brownfield sites. He also emphasised the value and lessons learnt from the Design for Manufacture competition launched in 2005, which will result in homes that are at least 40 per cent more energy efficient than the norm, and spoke of the ways in which English Partnerships will build on this success through Design of Manufacture 2. Dan Epstein closed his presentation by reiterating the massive challenges ahead for the industry and the short window of opportunity for action. He called for a concerted effort across the development industry to act on climate change and voiced English Partnerships’ commitment to take a lead.
Finally, John Callcutt, Chief Executive, English Partnerships, focused on the changes needed to develop long-term sustainable communities. He outlined the challenges facing the industry to increase the delivery of new homes by 200,000 a year and at the same time increase affordability and choice as well as raise standards of design, layout and management. He used an example of the ‘urban decay cycle’ to explain the complexity of sustainable regeneration and emphasised the financial and social consequences of exclusion. John Callcutt reiterated the important role that the public sector plays in funding and creating the type of developments that generate long-term quality returns that are attractive to private investors.
The event finished with a question and answer session focusing on English Partnerships’ work with heritage sites and the impact transport links have on sustainable development.
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