Regeneration in Liverpool: REGENERATION IS ONE of the Major Themes a Ff E C T E D by the Regeneration Process in Liverpool, of the Current Political Agenda
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Pe r s p e c t i ve s of Ur b a n Re g en er a t i o n Regeneration in Liverpool: REGENERATION IS ONE of the major themes a ff e c t e d by the regeneration process in Liverpool, of the current political agenda. Large sums of to examine current best practice in regeneration 1 An Examination of Current Policies money are available specifically to arrest and and discuss in a non-confrontational way that Symposium 24 February 2004 reverse decline experienced in so many towns could lead to a greater shared understanding. A and cities throughout the country. The nature of series of presentations from acknowledged this funding and the way it has to be spent raises experts gave a local/ national/ international new questions about accountability and how the perspective of urban regeneration and then a regeneration agenda is controlled, who and what discussion session, involving the invited experts, drives it forward and ultimately what are we sought to bring this into a Liverpool context and trying to achieve when we begin a regeneration allowed delegates to raise issues that were process. important to their organisations. By its very nature regeneration of an area The focus of the seminar day was on means change and change is not always the economic, urban design, environmental, welcome. Proposals designed to bring about health and social inclusion aspects of urban i m p r o v e m e n t s can lead to bitter conflicts and regeneration and the aim was to question there is often tension between what is perceived prevailing orthodoxies by getting different and as the ‘greater good’ and the needs and challenging views. aspirations of the communities most affected by the proposed developments. Some of the speakers’ presentations, and parts of afternoon discussion, are reproduced The aim of this conference was to bring verbatim in this report, transcribed from an audio people together from organisations involved in or tape recording. n PHOTO: LIVERPOOL VISION / WILKINSON EYRE o Joining Up the Thinking – Executive Summary 2-3 Contents o 1965 – 2005: a Sense of Perspective 4-9 Speech by Professor Peter Batey o Healthy Housing still on the Agenda 10-15 Speech by Dr Kate Ardern o Local Sustainability at the Heart of Regeneration Policy 16-21 Speech by Molly Conisbee o Regeneration in Liverpool – a Personal Perspective 22-29 Speech by John Flamson o “Re-kindling the Passion of Liverpool’s People” 30-35 Speech by Andrea Titterington o Conclusions 36-39 COVER PHOTO: KERSTIN MORITZ o Acknowledgements and Delegate List 40 PHOTOS (FROM LEFT):KERSTIN MORITZ; WWW. JOHNBIRDSALL.CO.UK; KRISTIN KARLSSON PHOTOS (FROM LEFT):KERSTIN MORITZ; KRISTIN KARLSSON; WWW. JOHNBIRDSALL.CO.UK 2 3 itself quickly places whole communities in need deprivation’ is recognised, remain to be solved. of “regenerating”. Conversely, evidence points to This does not mean we should abandon Joining Up the Thinking a ‘local multiplier effect’. ‘flagships’ or lose the nerve to “do big things”. Where planning policy favours large multiple AN D R E A TI T T E R I N G T O N brings an essentially THE FOLLOWING PAGES record the proceedings of to the optimism of the ‘60s; but adds a note stores and distantly run corporations, and this is practical perspective – while seeing good a unique event. This symposium, held on 24 of caution: projects must be manageable, combined with a lack of investment in skills regeneration practice as not only “transforming February 2004, was originally conceived by deliverable – and delivered. training for local people, there can be little wastelands” but breathing “new spiritual life” into Liverpool Friends of the Earth almost a year surprise that communities “fail”. If regeneration is communities. Her experience highlights the earlier. Prophetically conceived, perhaps. In May DR KATE ARDERN examines problems and offers something that “happens to communities” conflict of interests that occurs when a public 2004 the Government, for the first time, included possible solutions from a health perspective without their active engagement from the start, body such as Liverpool City Council is a partner environmental measures in its Index of which she characterises as both personal and both process and results will be failures. in a regeneration agency, making applications to Deprivation. It has often been implied that these social. She presents much alarming evidence. Achieving long-lasting benefits may require a itself as the planning authority. She also calls agendas are in conflict; now it is clear that Disparities in life expectancy between the slower pace, allowing for a more inclusive attention to the complexity, length and cost of regeneration means tackling environmental wealthiest and most deprived inhabitants of this manner, of regeneration: for example, training both planning and funding processes. Focussing issues along with jobs, income, health and country are far greater than in the1930s. residents to a level where they can bid for and on the Anfield/Stanley Park project, which she crime. P e o p l e ’s q ua lit y of l if e d iff ers wide ly. The carry out contracts within their communities. emphasises is far more than a stadium neighbouring wards of Speke and Woolton in development, she portrays as crucial the Speakers and indeed all participants were south Liverpool are cited. JOHN FLAMSON, in his ‘personal’ assessment, involvement and inclusion of local people. This invited purposely to reflect a balance of local acknowledges that regeneration means different became a lively subject of the afternoon ‘ q u e s t i o n government, health, environmental, community, Health itself is a “joining up” of other issues. things to different people. Partnerships and t i m e ’, with the panel of morning speakers business and academic backgrounds. We all pay a high economic cost for the poor targets are politically essential at present. Not chaired by the BBC’s North West political editor They presented and debated the theme of health in our society. Poor insulation of our hous- only have Local Strategic Partnerships been Jim Hancock. A somewhat ‘streamlined’ version ‘regeneration’ from a number of distinct and ing stock causes many more winter deaths in the devised to broaden participation in planning policy, of this is presented here, respecting the complementary perspectives. Some six months UK than in Siberia. Transport links are vital to but the regeneration company Liverpool Vision is ‘Chatham House rules’: comments are not after the symposium, and with waves still rocking health: why is there no bus service from the itself a partnership. Targets potentially prove attributed to individuals. Naturally, a wide range the Mersey regeneration boat after the apparent Speke-Netherley area – home to Liverpool’s delivery (and earn votes). He notes the interesting of del egates raised a wide range of issues, capsizing of the ‘Fourth Grace’ project, it seems highest proportion of lone parents, the majority tension between the UK government’s r e f l e c t i n g the perspectives of most concern to the timely to publish the proceedings and reflect on without a car – to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital? preoccupation with its national economy and the contributors. all aspects of this lively and challenging Subjecting new developments – and underlying EU’s more regional approach. Also relevant are ‘examination’. policies – to Health Impact Assessments, of the fundamentally unresolved relationships THE COMMON THREAD is a desire for “joined up which the government now recognises the value, between national government, the North West thinking” between organisations, across themes, PROFESSOR PETER BATEY provides a historical is one key way to integrate health and well being Development Agency and NW Regional disciplines, human and environmental and policy context, reviewing four decades of into regeneration programmes. A s s e m b l y. needs…and for ownership by all parties. planning initiatives: from slum clearance and Whether all of these can be blended into a new towns in the 1960s to today’s Objective MOLLY CONISBEE’S ‘localisation’ approach may be Raw GDP figures suggest regeneration i s complementary whole or certain contradictions One-funded growth clusters and enterprise described as social-cultural. Her stark figures working in Liverpool. But they fail to reflect the need also to be owned, faced and resolved is a zones. show how fast communities are losing local serious gap between rich and poor, between the clear challenge for all the participants. With this services – shops, banks, post offices. The plain city and other parts of the surrounding region, in mind, a set of brief conclusions from the He wonders if, in the present ‘Capital fact is that if people cannot draw cash in an area and between regions of the country. Many issues respective steering group members completes of culture’ era, Liverpool’s outlook is returning their local spend will plummet – a spiral that in of social justice, in an era when ‘multiple this report. n 1965 to 2005 4 5 a S en s e of Pe r s p e c t i ve Q&A WHAT AM I GOING TO TALK ABOUT? It says in the programme “introduction”. One of the things that I think it is very important to do in this field is to After the series of presentations in the have a sense of perspective and, perhaps, a morning, which gave a broad overview of all sense of recent history in relation to regeneration. the different perspectives of regeneration, It’s quite a short history but it’s an important one most of the afternoon was given over to a and Liverpool and Merseyside are important discussion session, allowing delegates to places in terms of this history of regeneration.