communitylinks

Social Change Series: 1 CONTENTS

1 Introduction 1 2 Gold for all? 2 3 The scope of regeneration 4 4 and Custom House: 4 regeneration 5 5 5 Channel Tunnel Rail Link 5 4 Summaries of Community Links’ regeneration research 6 Quality of Life in Canning Town 6 Community Engagement and Community Cohesion 7 Community Development research 8 ‘Inspired by the Olympics’ 9 Olympics research by young people 10 Fool’s Gold 12 Olympic Regeneration Opportunities 14 5 106 Agreements – Opportunities Missed but Potential Remains 16 6 What does good regeneration look like? 18 7 Transforming East : an exceptional place at an exceptional time 20 What we are doing next and our call to action 20 What you can do 23

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 1 INTRODUCTION The Community Links Social Change series draws together information from existing reports detailing our position and track record on significant, complex issues which we, as a multipurpose organisation, are engaged with on several levels.

This edition focuses on the physical regeneration of our area. We map the major redevelopments happening across , summarise our relevant recent research and set out our key recommendations on this topic. We also include some insights from those most affected by the changes – the young people who will grow up to live and work in the places currently being shaped by regeneration.

We hope that this booklet will offer friends, partners, service users and those new to Community Links a good introduction to this part of our work.

Did you know?

G Newham has the highest number of young people in London who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). G 55% of Newham’s children and young people are growing up in poverty. G 50% of children in Newham live in a household with a single parent or other family arrangement. G Newham’s population is set to increase by approximately 70,000 over the next 15 years. G Newham has the youngest age profile of all . G Current physical regeneration projects across Newham total at least £15 billion.

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 1 2 GOLD FOR ALL? The Olympic Games offer a golden opportunity to invest in young people’s potential in London’s east end. But will they be a missed opportunity, asks Community Links co-founder Kevin Jenkins.

The is at the ’s east end – hemmed in between the , the Thames and the developing site of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Olympics – and more importantly the 22 other major regeneration projects that the games bring with them – provide an unprecedented once-in-a-generation opportunity for Newham and east London to achieve a sustained and permanent regeneration, ending years of poverty, dependency and stagnation.

This is our chance for local young people to go for gold. Yet we are in danger of missing out on this unprecedented opportunity. In Newham itself, 8 out of 10 young people believe that the Olympics and associated regeneration will mean nothing to them – a damning and sad statistic.

An analysis of previous regeneration initiatives is not encouraging. Although the east end has enjoyed constant regeneration projects since the last berth closed in the docks – the foundation of the area’s economy and culture since the early 1900s – Newham and the adjacent London boroughs still rank in the poorest ten urban communities in . Newham has achieved a steady upward improvement, moving up from the poorest urban area to the ninth poorest area. But it still has significant challenges to overcome.

If we are to achieve a sustained and successful regeneration effort, it is essential that we raise the confidence, self-esteem and aspirations of the most excluded people in these communities – including young people. People will not access opportunities if they are not confident in themselves, in their own abilities and in their communities. Here

2 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION lies the greatest challenge of all. With guidance and time, even the most disadvantaged young people can be supported into education, training and employment opportunities. Such work takes time and is labour intensive – but it works.

Take the Community Links ‘New Deal for the young unemployed’ project, which follows the model described above. This is consistently the best-performing project in the country for moving unemployed 18-24 year olds into sustained employment. To date, however, Olympic funding opportunities have “Regenerating Newham is a failed to recognise the need for this marathon not a 100m sprint. core work, which means that, in the And at the end of the long term, those at the bottom will marathon, the winners must remain at the bottom. be the local residents.”

If we are to turn this opportunity around, the authorities, the developers and the charity sector must all work together with local people in east London to stimulate change. Real meaningful change will only be achieved if we raise the bar for all today’s young people – enabling them to gain the necessary skills and tools to access tomorrow’s regeneration.

If we are to achieve Gold for All in Newham, we need to reflect the Olympic ideals of challenge, cooperation and respect for all. Regenerating Newham is a marathon not a 100m sprint. And at the end of the marathon, the winners must be the local residents. They are the people who will be staying the distance while authorities, developers and charities change and move on.

At Community Links our founding philosophy is simple: we believe that every individual has something to offer, if they are only given the opportunity. Our daily challenge is to make sure that the unprecedented opportunities facing us do not become an unprecedented failure before we reach the starting blocks.

G This article first appeared in Private Equity Foundation News Update. We are grateful for permission to reproduce it here.

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 3 THE SCOPE OF 3 REGENERATION

There have been a huge range of regeneration schemes since the 1960’s and you can see most of them from the roof of Community Links in Barking Road. The Urban Development Corporation that built on the , City Challenge in Stratford, a number of Single Regeneration Budget programmes and most recently, the £50 million New Deal programme in and Plaistow.

A number of very large physical regeneration schemes are currently underway, either redeveloping run-down housing estates or focusing on ‘brownfield’ land (land that was previously industrial space). The London Borough of Newham alone has 23 regeneration programmes which include the following.

Stratford City: a £4 billion programme to develop 4,500 homes (30 per cent of which will be affordable housing), 140,000 square metres of retail space (100+ shops) including a cinema complex, arts centre, sports and leisure facilities and 465,000 square metres of office space. It is estimated this will generate 33,000 jobs. The project includes new health facilities together with a new primary and secondary school. Stratford City will house most of the Olympic athletes during the 2012 games and was bought forward by three years in order to meet the Games deadline.

Canning Town and Custom House: a £1.7 billion project to create a mixed income community. The project includes the demolition of 1,700 existing social housing units, building of 8,000 new homes (1,700 of which will be social housing to replace those demolished) and the creation of 500,000 square metres of floor space in a revitalised town centre.

4 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION Royal Docks regeneration which includes: Quays (£1.5 billion) Royals Business Park (£500 million) Peruvian Wharf (1,500 homes) Barrier Park east (1,000 homes) Royal Albert Basin (2,000 homes) Minoco Wharf (4,000 homes).

Thames Gateway: Thames Gateway is east London, and along the . Previously called the east Thames Corridor, it extends from Stratford and in London to Tilbury in Essex and Sittingbourne and Sheerness in Kent. The development of Thames Gateway over the next decade will provide for a mix of industry, housing, open spaces and local facilities. There will be a minimum of 142,000 additional homes and 255,000 additional jobs by 2016.

Crossrail: This will provide a major new railway for London and the south east from 2017. The route goes from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west right across the capital into Essex and Kent in the east. It travels underground through the city centre between and east London. Estimated benefits of Crossrail to the UK economy are approximately £30 billion ( figures, May 2006), though the costs to build it are currently forecast at £16 billion. An Act of Parliament in July 2008 has given authority for Crossrail to be built.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link: By 2009 a six-mile tunnel from Stratford to St Pancras will further integrate Stratford into the rest of London, boosting the economic regeneration of the east end.

Together with Olympic developments, the schemes above are expected to deliver nearly 32,000 new homes in this one borough alone, which translates into an increase in Newham’s population over the next 10-15 years of nearly 70,000 people. In addition, it is estimated that 75,000 new jobs will be created.

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 5 SUMMARIES OF 4 COMMUNITY LINKS’ REGENERATION RESEARCH

Community Links has always been responsive to our local community, both in developing services with local people and working to change national policy which impacts locally. All of our research takes the lived experience of local people as a starting point and includes recommendations and solutions suggested by those experiencing the problem. Additionally we have developed a resident researchers’ programme, training and supporting local people to undertake research.

Here is a summary of our recent work which relates to the regeneration of our area.

Quality of life in Canning Town

The Community Links HQ sits within one of the country’s biggest regeneration programmes – the £1.7 billion Canning Town Redevelopment Project. This aims to transform not only the physical landscape (demolishing 1,700 social housing units and replacing them with 8,000 mixed tenure new homes and a revitalised town centre) but also transform the psychological one. To do this, the project will need to make sure that residents – old and new – are both engaged in the “Our research takes the lived process and benefit from the results. experience of local people as a starting point and includes To assist this effort, Community Links recommendations and solutions were commissioned to develop a suggested by those experiencing survey to measure how residents the problem.” assess their quality of life. The first

6 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION survey, in spring 2006, established the baseline. A group of local residents were recruited and trained to help develop the questionnaire (making sure the right questions were asked) and to deliver the survey, knocking on thousands of doors and completing 360 interviews.

We found that although Canning Town has extremely high levels of deprivation and residents have concerns about a number of key issues (policing, environment, local economy), there is a strong sense of community, and residents feel a real bond with the neighbourhood. The ‘neighbourhood affiliation score’ is surprisingly high – higher than that of Newham generally or London. And despite the large scale redevelopment, the proportion of people wanting to stay in the neighbourhood is higher than for Newham as a whole, and the proportion wanting to leave is lower. However, there were puzzling results when we asked people whether people from different backgrounds get along well together. These figures (65%) are lower that those from Newham (80%), and are significantly lower for those from non-White ethnic groups. Respondents identified potential future tensions: increased density of housing may lead to a reduction in sense of ‘personal space’.

So how will new communities gel with the old – will Canning Town and Custom House become a place where people from different backgrounds get along well together? Will resident’s perceptions of the quality of services rise or will they become more discriminating about the levels of service they should be able to expect? And overall, will residents feel that Canning Town and Custom House has become a safer, cleaner and greener place to live?

If the survey is repeated at regular intervals it will help not just to track the impact of the regeneration on the quality of life of both existing and new residents, but more importantly, it will support the project to take action on emerging issues and to plan Download the full report regeneration that truly changes from www.community- the psychological landscape. links.org/ our-national-work/ evidencepapers/

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 7 Community Engagement and Community Cohesion

We’re clear that community engagement is a crucial part of building a thriving community. And we understand the challenges in communities such as Canning Town, which are both diverse and changing. A project in 2007 in partnership with Goldsmiths College and others and supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation explored the challenges of bringing together government policies on community engagement and community cohesion – agendas that have until now been developed in parallel. Using Newham as a case study area alongside Oldham and Coventry, we asked ‘who speaks for whom?’ and looked for examples of promising practice that enable people from new The report’s recommendations for communities to engage and national and local government be heard, whilst promoting and local third sector strategies for solidarity with organisations can be down- and between established loaded from www.jrf.org.uk communities.

Community Development research

Our community development team has created several opportunities to ask local people what they want.

In recent months a community development worker has been employed to research local provision in Newham. So far people in Canning Town and Custom House and have been interviewed about what community facilities, if any, they use at the moment and what facilities they would like to see in their area. These ongoing questionnaires, consultation results and reports, will help form the basis of the development of appropriate local community facilities and activities in the Canning Download the full report from Town and Custom House, www.community-links.org/ Forest Gate, Plaistow, and our-national-work/ evidencepapers/ Stratford areas.

8 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION ‘Inspired by the Olympics’

Community Links was commissioned by the London Borough of Newham’s Community Participation Unit to run a series of eight local events in 2007/08 about the Olympics 2012 at which local residents were consulted to understand how they could use the coming Olympics to inspire them to become more active in their local community.

We found that local residents are excited and feel proud and inspired by the coming Games. ‘I am looking forward to the Olympics: I feel it is a positive and uplifting move for the borough.’ They want to be involved in the Games themselves, by attending the sport events, as well as volunteering. ‘I wish that everyone will get involved, especially the youngsters.’ Many local residents wanted to take advantage of future employment, training and business opportunities. People felt that better jobs, and better paid jobs, along with good childcare were key priorities. They wanted to volunteer in their local communities to enable other people to get involved. They also wished for improvements in council services, including safer local parks, cleaner streets and neighbourhoods, more policing, less crime amongst young people.

Local residents wanted to enable young people inspired by the coming Games to channel their inspiration into productive and positive activities, including sports. ‘Everyone should be encouraged to take part in sports, young or old.’ It was felt that Newham Council should do more to increase the number and range of activities available to residents, in venues that were accessible and affordable.

Children of all ages were asked to contribute to the consultation. Here are a few . . . I wish… ‘I could run or swim in the Olympics 2012.’ ‘My wish is to attend at least one event.’ ’The Olympics bring fun and improvements to our community.’ ‘I wish to do the relay and become the winner, and get the medals and the money for the poor people.’

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 9 ‘I am four now and I will be Download the full report from nine when the Olympics starts, www.community-links.org/ how can I be involved?’ our-national-work/ evidencepapers/

Olympics research by young people

Community Links worked with iMPower, a consulting business that works with people in local government to facilitate improvements in the effectiveness and quality of local services. Questionnaires and focus group sessions considered three areas of research: G Which issues are important to young people locally and which services address these concerns, including services provided by Community Links, the Council and other local partners G What youth provision would be most beneficial to local young people G What do young people think about the 2012 Olympics which will transform their area?

Around two thirds of all respondents already participated in organised activities for young people; the most popular were Sports (50%), Art and Drama (32%) and Music and Education (29%).

A surprising number of young people had few positive comments about the relevance of the 2012 Olympics. The young people felt they weren’t consulted when the Olympics were being planned and east London was chosen as a location. There was a real feeling of seeing no benefits now, but there was also an acknowledgement that in three years further jobs and developments would be seen. Concerns were expressed that economic disparities between rich and poor areas will become greater as house prices increase. On the other hand, several respondents noted that everyone will benefit from a better urban environment

The report concluded with a series of recommendations including a real need to communicate the impact of the Olympics, informing

10 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION young people about the benefits of the Olympics for More information from them and their community and www.community-links.org/ how they might become our-national-work/ evidencepapers/ involved.

Swimming Poem

Swimming Poem is by the Now the race has begun E12 Gangsters: Freddy Ray, all I think about is age 6, Michael Junior Meshe, getting to the end, age 10 and Zoe Yates, age getting to the end, 11. It was first published by getting to the end. Lynk Ray in a collection by As I come up for breath I hear Community Links’ after- the school clubs. roaring of the crowd shouting my name Standing on the podium BEN, BEN, BEN !!! my heart starts pounding as Suddenly my confidence if it was grows and going to pop out of my chest I am swimming as fast as a I can smell the chlorine as I fish. watch my . . . in fact a flying fish reflection in the shaded blue pool. I touched something very I look up in the crowd for my hard parents I looked out of the pool and but all I see is mouth realised I had reached the movements end. but no sound I’ve won! The crowd goes wild The whistle blows and I dive Into the pool As I open my eyes I realise it was a dream There’s silence... The race is not until 2012. the cheering has stopped

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 11 Fool’s Gold

This report was published by NEF in partnership with Community Links. It looks ‘ . . . from the ground up’ at the likely involvement of local people and businesses in the London 2012 Olympics and the impact the games will have. The 2012 Olympic bid was won on the promise of a legacy that offered major regeneration for east London and its local residents. Our findings show that unless cast-iron guarantees are built into plans now then the Games will follow previous Olympics and fail to leave a positive legacy, for some of east London’s most disadvantaged communities. Of around 500 contracts worth £1 billion, already awarded, only 11 per cent have gone to companies based in the five Olympic boroughs.

Olympic Decision Day Paris, Moscow, New York, Madrid and London, all with different bids but one ALEX LOUKOS is 15 and has lived in equal goal, to win. I had the honour of Newham all his life. He enjoys most representing the youth of London as a sports and regular exercise. Since Youth Ambassador in Singapore as part returning from Singapore he has of London’s bid. More than thirty of us joined a local boxing gym. He is made the journey. As well as hoping to progress to a standard representing the Youth of London we where he may even be able to were also representing the diversity of compete in the 2012 Olympics when London; many of us a different race, it arrives in his ‘manor’. Alex’ essay religion or skin colour to each other. was originally published in “Making But diversity is what makes London special and different. We all had to pull Links” by Community Links in 2007. together as a team, no matter where July 6th 2005 – Olympic decision day. we were from. Today the International Olympic Every candidate city made an excellent Committee would announce which of presentation that morning, however the five bidding cities would have the London’s was inspiring. In a moving privilege of hosting the 2012 Olympics.

12 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION We developed a rescue plan, which could help to ensure that east London isn’t trampled in the Olympic gold rush. These include: G Make community benefit a key criterion for all new contracts G Make contracts accessible to local small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises G Appoint a new Board position on the Olympic and planning boards for the local voluntary and community sector G Establish an asset-holding organisation for the Olympic legacy. This organisation should play a transitional ‘care-taking’ role to ensure ownership of Download the full report from www.community-links.org/ assets devolves to the local our-national-work/fools-gold community.

way the presentation portrayed how the area I live in, forever. Not just many people’s dreams could be changing our lives for the duration of fulfilled if the bid was successful, not the Olympics, but for generations to just nationally, but globally. It came to come. What is regarded as one of the decision time. Everyone was excited poorest boroughs in London, will be a but nervous. It was a race between regenerated community. London and Paris. As the IOC President, For me personally, being born and Jacques Rogge, received the envelope raised in Newham, I will always be with the winner enclosed in it the proud to know our contribution will room fell silent. Jacques Rogge slowly change the area forever. opened the envelope. He paused, what seemed the longest pause of my life G Alex was present on Sunday 24th and said the word we all wanted to August 2008 at the 2012 handover hear . . . London. in London. He says: “The excitement of the Beijing Olympics The room erupted with cheering and and Team GB’s success makes the clapping, many people emotional. With 2012 Olympics even more all the happiness inside me I started to worthwhile and worth waiting for.” realise how much this would change

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 13 Olympic Regeneration Opportunities

As a community organisation committed to ensuring the best outcomes for the people we work with we undertook a strategic analysis of the opportunities presented by the major redevelopments in our area – particularly those associated with the choice of “…an unprecedented London for the 2012 Olympic once-in-a-generation opportunity Games. In an extensive analysis for Newham and east London to we worked with Accenture staff achieve a sustained and on a pro-bono project. permanent regeneration, We began with a series of ending years of poverty, assumptions about the likely dependency and stagnation.” impact on our area and worked through to discover the reality that stood behind initial beliefs.

For any community organisation assessing the impact of major redevelopment a close check of the underlying assumptions might unveil some myths – and illuminate some more achievable opportunities. The table opposite identifies some More information can assumptions and the reality be found on that emerged after closer www.community-links.org inspection.

14 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION Myths And Realities

Assumptions Reality Check

G All of Newham will be G Physical Regeneration is mainly transformed centred around the ‘Arc of Opportunity’ (Stratford City, Canning Town & waterside re-developments) G Future of Urban Newham is uncertain

G A master plan for G No overarching regeneration plan regeneration exists and is for Newham being followed

G Readily available G Limited new money available Redevelopment/Olympic G Increased competition ‘Pot of Gold’ for funding

G Plenty of opportunity for G Some showcase attempts at public influence and engagement consultation but little opportunity for on-going consultation with community and community groups such as Community Links G Consultation happens in closed groups

G Many opportunities for G Limited number of opportunities children and young people and they tend to go to schools G Small scale opportunities for children

G Key regeneration players G A lot of focus on physical have a true interest on regeneration social regeneration and G Community Links is not lagging other organisations are behind compared to other NGO’s or already benefiting charities

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 15 106 AGREEMENTS – 5 OPPORTUNITIES MISSED BUT POTENTIAL REMAINS

Section 106 (S106) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a legally-binding agreement or contract between a developer and a local planning authority. These 106 agreements may require developers to undertake the development in a way that provides community benefit or minimises the impact on the local community. Kevin Jenkins sets out the issues.

The potential value of 106 agreements (the community funding secured from a developer in connection with their particular development), in our experience have not been sufficiently utilised in Newham to date.

Substantial sums of funding have been secured from developers but virtually every penny has been spent on capital developments, much of which has been invested in infrastructure such as new roads, new junctions or interchanges and various models of transport rather than community resources.

As a result, Section 106 money has failed to establish a separate revenue stream for the capital community developments and has failed to co-ordinate 106 developments strategically with both the boroughs (and other quangos operating within Newham)

This has resulted in: G A narrow and often short-sighted interpretation of the 106 potential G Capital resources which either take revenue funding away from other Council services to run them (creating even greater imbalances) or they are not able to function appropriately

16 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION G An unbalanced development profile across Newham with some areas and communities benefiting tremendously while other areas and communities falter and wither G Developments which are inappropriate and on occasions surplus to need, wasting valuable resources and quickly becoming redundant.

Given the current outlook which suggests that both: G Public sector expenditure will contract G Potential development initiatives are being mothballed or even abandoned as we enter a recession.

It is vitally important that future resources gained through 106 “The potential value of agreements are fully utilised, meet 106 agreements (the real needs, raise aspirations and have community gain funding revenue streams to enable delivery secured from a developer in into the future. lieu of their particular development) in our To this end, Community Links will experience have not continue to lobby the Council to been sufficiently utilised in develop: Newham to date.” G Co-ordinated, innovative and strategic delivery of 106 agreements G An ongoing revenue element via Community Trusts G Greater involvement of Newham’s communities in the shaping of such agreements G A balanced regeneration across Newham for all.

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 17 WHAT DOES GOOD 6 REGENERATION LOOK LIKE?

In April 2007, with funding from the SDP Community Trust, Community Links invited friends, colleagues and local residents to participate in a conversation around the extraordinary range of challenges and opportunities facing us all in east London.

One result of those conversations was this summary of what good regeneration would look like:

Driven by existing community Engages community in planning regeneration programmes. Responds to the needs of the community, not deadlines set by government.

Prepares community in advance Enables local people to develop skills at an early stage (for example, community-led design, working with architects and planners).

Builds on local assets Recognises strengths in community. Clearly identifies assets already there that need protecting.

Builds on local potential Wide range of training ought to be “The story of the kind of available in community based east London we want to live settings as well as local colleges. in . . . will build on the Includes apprenticeships and potential of those already mentoring schemes. here.” Clear pathways to jobs in all

18 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION employment opportunities created by regeneration (not just construction). Local labour agreements in all contracts let by programme (not just construction). Support for local businesses to deliver regeneration contracts. Creates long lasting employment. Creates retail and business space that is affordable to local businesses.

Shares knowledge “Real meaningful change Uses lots of different channels to will only be achieved if we communicate with all partners. raise the bar for all today’s Understand that printed and web- young people – enabling based information not appropriate them to gain the necessary for everyone. skills and tools to access Prioritises face to face tomorrow’s regeneration.” communication. Employs local people to engage and communicate.

Shares power Local people are a key partner in decision making at every stage of the process. Independent support for community enables them to challenge other partners.

Learns lessons And shares the learning with other regeneration initiatives.

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 19 TRANSFORMING 7 EAST LONDON: AN EXCEPTIONAL PLACE AT AN EXCEPTIONAL TIME

What Community Links are doing next

East London is facing an extraordinary range of challenges and opportunities. The physical changes in east London over the next decade don’t just have the potential to transform, they WILL transform this area. The question is whether they resolve the centuries old problems of this huge community, or relocate them, or shake them up a bit temporarily and leave them largely as they are. Let’s not forget that there has been large scale regeneration across east London for many decades and yet deprivation figures for boroughs like Newham remain unacceptably high. We need to learn the lessons from previous programmes and to analyse the performance of current programmes in order to deliver better outcomes for local people. We need to find practical ways of supporting local people to engage. But most of all we need to recognise that regeneration is about so much more than new buildings. It’s about developing aspirations and opportunities, confidence and voices of people who have been left behind or who’ve never got started.

That’s why Community Links is focusing our efforts across the organisation to ”Regeneration is about so ensure that the huge potential of the much more than new current regeneration is realised. buildings. It’s about G We are setting up a community-based developing aspirations and radio station to help build a stronger opportunities, confidence community in east London. The radio and voices of people who station will aim to inform the local have been left behind or east London community about who’ve never got started.”

20 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION regeneration, get the public involved with various community activities and distribute information about helpful community services that local people can access such as children’s play groups. G We are establishing a Youth Blog to provide local young people with an online forum to share information and stories, discuss relevant issues they are facing and collaborate to make positive changes in Newham.

We are concerned that regeneration efforts are focused on the ‘arc of opportunity’ (see map) around the edge of the borough, leaving large amounts of Newham untouched. G We will continue to lobby key decision makers to ensure that areas in Newham not subject to private sector led regeneration initiatives are able to access the resources they need in the future, through local and central government core funding opportunities, and to actively seek to ensure that areas are not over developed/regenerated to the detriment of the host communities.

We know that improving the lives of those living in deprived communities is not the only driver for regeneration – other drivers, particularly financial return for private investment, often take precedence over community benefit. We need to make the most of opportunities to secure community benefit and new sustainable resources through Section 106 agreements, and to do this in a more joined up way that offers a balanced regeneration across Newham for all. G We aim to set up a Developers’ Roundtable which brings together private developers to advance co-ordinated and innovative delivery of 106 agreements, identifying and filling gaps, ensuring there is greater involvement of Newham’s communities in the shaping of such agreements, bridging the divide between developers and the most excluded. We will work to ensure 106 funds are used to establish ongoing revenue streams and enable the long term delivery of services and resources via Community Trusts, which will support the long term involvement of recipient communities in deciding, running and developing their services.

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 21 We recognise that regeneration in Newham is complex, not just in terms of scale but also in that many decisions are taken far outside of the borough. Community Links believes that those who experience a problem understand it best and if this regeneration is to reach the parts that previous programmes have not, then current programmes must open up to and engage with local people. G Community Links provides training and capacity building opportunities that empower local people with the tools, skills and outlets to influence key causes and concerns in their local communities, and will work to facilitate full community involvement in all aspects of regeneration, that is, planning, delivery and future development. We understand that focusing on the scale of the physical development and the billions of investment can be disempowering for local communities as it all feels too much to comprehend and far too big to tackle. It is crucial to make connections at a personal level, building understanding and relationships between people, in order that we understand regeneration at a human scale. We recognise that the Olympics is one of the smaller regeneration initiatives under way in east London. However, it’s the one that catches people’s imagination. G In the run up to the 2012 Olympics in Newham, Community Links is exploring the expansion of our current sports based activities to engage hard to reach members of the community in leisure pursuits in a structured environment. G We are drawing together educational materials produced by various bodies including the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games to use the Olympics to teach local children and young people about climate change and sustainable regeneration. Community Links will continually strive to explore and consider new ways of responding to need, utilising resources, human and financial to facilitate real change and to raise the aspiration of Newham’s communities enabling them to realise their full potential and to expect the best not second best.

22 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION We can use the excitement generated in the media and more widely by the Olympics to focus attention on regeneration across east London. The Olympics bid told a powerful story about the communities of east London – young, diverse and full of potential. We need to ensure that this story, this vision, remains central to the delivery of the Olympics – which must deliver on its promises – and spreads to all other regeneration programmes. We want to connect people together to continue to develop the vision, building from the ground up. The story of the kind of east London we want to live in, and how that will build on the potential of those already here, must continue to be told by many voices and many organisations – across all sectors. We will know that we have succeeded when children and young people tell this story themselves when they talk about their future.

What you can do

Get in touch if you’d like to: G work with us G support our work G share your stories or reflections on regeneration G be kept updated

Our regular regeneration eNewsletter will keep you in touch with developments. To register, e-mail [email protected]

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION 23 Thank You

This booklet summarises the work of many individuals who have researched and analysed the issues facing the communities of Newham. Originators of the research material are all credited in the original documents. The social change series connects collaborators from across Community Links as well as many friends, partners, funders and supporters from other organisations. We are grateful to them all for their continued commitment.

Visit the linksUK blog, www.community-links.org/linksUK

Copyright © Community Links, 2008 Design and print: Sheaf Graphics 0114 273 9067

24 COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION Community Links Centres

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A ASTA Centre J Playhut Q Southern Road B Britannia Village K Hopkins Centre School Care System C Arc in the Park L Squash Club R Queens Terrace D Choice 136 M Portway School Care S Park Community E New Canteen Scheme Centre F New Deal A N Rainbow Centre T Community Links G Newham Centre O Jack Cornwell Centre U Canning Town YIP H St Albans P Curwen School Care V Rokeby Centre I REC Centre Centre

COMMUNITY LINKS AND REGENERATION “The innovative charity at the forefront of community-based regeneration.” Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister

Community Links is an innovative charity running community-based projects in east London. We help thousands of children, young people, adults and older people in deprived neighbourhoods to reach their own potential and build their own ladders out of poverty.

Many have faced difficult challenges. They may be struggling to make ends meet or to make a home in a new country. Some suffer from the consequences of being born into poverty – children excluded from school, poor health, inadequate housing, loneliness and isolation. Others may just need some support to make life a little easier.

Our programme of national work shares the local lessons across the country to widen the impact of our projects and generate lasting social change. The Community Links Social Change series draws together information from existing reports detailing our position and track record on significant, complex issues which we, as a multi-purpose organisation, are engaged with on several levels.

Community Links , Canning Town, London E16 4HQ t: 020 7473 2270 e: [email protected] w: www.community-links.org