The Main Purpose of the National Housing Strategy - Essay Example

Housing and Sustainable Regeneration A Good Practice Guide Introduction It is common knowledge that regeneration is big business in the United Kingdom, since a lot of effort, along with considerable slice of the national wealth, is being put into renewing both inner city and peripheral areas, as well as restoring the infrastructure, as stated by Jonathon Porritt in his capacity of Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission (2003). Having originated at some point between the 1830s and 1870s in response to the avalanche of health and sanitary problems that swamped the then British towns, the planned housing-centred land redevelopment in more or less derelict urban areas, took shape during the next hundred forty years, to become a complex, time-consuming and capital intensive process, which involves the central and local government, as well as a whole range of community organisations, nationwide networks, businesses, groups, and individuals (Cherry, 1988; Roberts and Sykes, 2000). On the other hand, Peter Roberts and Hugh Sykes point out that, even though numerous regeneration schemes have been organised and implemented in most UK towns and cities, there is “no single prescribed form of urban regeneration practice and no single authoritative source of information” (Roberts and Sykes, 2000, p.3). This might just as well explain the various concepts and development models of urban regeneration, which have been put to the test over the years, from the reconstruction of older areas in the1950s to the more comprehensive regeneration policy and practice, including the idea of environmental sustainability, in the 1990s (Roberts and Sykes, 2000). The broader concept of sustainability, however, as applied to the context of urban development and advanced with time, offers a vision of sustainable development aimed at improved quality of life which people can enjoy without compromising the quality of life of the future generations (Rogers, 2005). Policy Framework The policy framework for housing and sustainable regeneration is built around key government strategies, policies and programmes dealing with the issue, as follows: Better Homes for People in Wales (A National Housing Strategy for Wales 2001) “People’s homes and their environment are critical to the quality of their lives. For most people, they are the foundation upon which their everyday life is based” (The National Assembly for Wales /NAW/, 2001). Offering a vision for good-quality, affordable housing in Wales, the Strategy provides for efficient and effective social housing management and higher levels of tenant involvement, continuous improvement in the quality and design of social housing construction, sustainable home ownership, as well as equal opportunity and the empowerment of all people of Wales (NAW, 2001). Better Homes for People in Wales (A National Housing Strategy for Wales updated 2006) Action Plan The subsequent development of the national housing strategy has seen the continuation of “a collaborative approach to policy development, in which some 80 cross-sector organisations contributed to its formulation” (NAW, 2006). The main purpose of the Action Plan is being formulated as to provide a summary of aims and objectives, as well as the planned target outcomes set out in the National Housing Strategy; to record progress towards delivering of these aims and objectives; and to serve as the main vehicle for monitoring progress in conjunction with the National Assembly’s Social Justice and Regeneration Committee and the National Consultative Forum on Housing in Wales (NAW, 2006). Race Equality Housing Action Plan The aim of this action plan is to promote equality and social inclusion via responsive and accountable housing and related services (Welsh Government, 2008). The Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 Having received Royal Assent on 22 July 2008 and become fully implemented in April 2010, the Act - Part 3 in particular, which applies to both England and Wales – provides for a range of issues, including sustainability certificates, meaning of sustainability, assessment and assessors of sustainability of a residential property, non-secure tenancies for families referred to Family Intervention Projects, as well as minor amendments to the Right to Buy scheme, etc. (Housing and Regeneration Act 2008). Welsh Housing Quality Standard The Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) is the equivalent of Decent Homes Standard in England and addresses the physical conditions of housing as integrated with social, economic and environmental concerns (NAW, 2008). Critical Factors for Successful Sustainable Regeneration Noon, Smith-Canham and Eagland write that economic regeneration is a vital part of the urban regeneration process, which is needed to cope with the economic decline experienced by towns and cities either due to changing economy modes and increasing globalisation, or resulted from economic realities, like crises and recessions (2000). Others, like Jeffrey and Pounder (2000), consider physical appearance and environmental quality of cities and neighbourhoods “highly potent symbols of their prosperity and of the quality of life and confidence of their enterprises and citizens” (p.86). Jacobs and Dutton (2000), in turn, present all-important issues in regard to local communities’ involvement and role in the process of urban regeneration, and their needs and specific problems, including the increasing demand for health care, good housing, a pleasant environment, leisure, sport, and recreation opportunities. Improving the quality of life of local people, the communities’ well-being also creates and develops the so-called ‘pride in localities’ (Jacobs and Dutton, 2000). Given the aforesaid, the development of plans for successful sustainable regeneration of cities, towns and communities must include a number of key ingredients, listed below: Sustainability: being understood as a winning combination of the three all-important aspects of community’s life – social, economic and environmental. In other words, plans should deal with wealth creation – in terms of community’s potential to expand the current employment base and to improve the overall image and attraction of the community to both employers and employees; accessibility and liveability – considering the community not only as an important concentration of services and facilities (including a variety of leisure, sporting, entertainment and recreation ones) for its members, but also as a potential location for new housing within it; common ground – focused on improving the public realm of community as ‘common ground’ uniting its members, decreasing crime, racial and other discrimination, etc. In regard to the physical appearance and environmental quality, the high quality design of built environment, along with landscape preservation and improvement, is a key success factor that could significantly contribute to the creation of a true sense of place (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2001). The cultural and/or educational issues within the concept of sustainable development as a whole, like community-important public events and venues, learning facilities, etc., are also considered, inter alia, important contributors to the ‘sense of place’ and the community well-being. Interaction between agencies and local councils: working together with different agencies – whether government-led, profit-orientated, or non-governmental – local councils would maximise the opportunities. Such interaction has been long observed in the United Kingdom with varying, sometimes definitely insufficient results, however, more recently it started to bear fruit (Jones and Evans, 2008). Bringing community into local governance: since neighbourhood level is the frontline in the battle for social inclusion, local government modernisation is vital – with the empowerment for the neighbourhood/community and integrated, efficient service delivery (Young, 2000). Local Planning and Delivery: The major strategy appear development of new leaner frameworks focused on local agencies, whereas social content comprises localism, as well as emphasis on VCS and private sector for community self-help, with minimal state support (Broughton, K., Berkeley, N. and Jarvis, D., 2011, p.93). Roles and Responsibilities The strategic partnership between local government, private and voluntary sector, as mentioned above, or more precisely, the degree such partnership is been introduced into a community is the key factor that could, and in most cases would predetermine the eventual success or failure of any regeneration effort. The local partnerships considered to be most effective, besides having their responsibilities expanded, should include senior representatives of public - community (voluntary) - and private sector stakeholders contributing to the development of the community. The Way Ahead “Community stands for the kind of world which we long to inhabit but which is not, regrettably, available to us. Today community is another name for paradise lost but for a paradise which we still hope to find, as we feverishly search for the roads that may lead us there” (Bauman 2001). References Bauman, Z., 2001, Seeking Safety in an insecure world, Cambridge: Polity Press, p.3 Broughton, K., Berkeley, N. and Jarvis, D., 2011, Where next for neighbourhood regeneration in England? Local Economy: The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit 2011 26: 82 [online] Available at < http://lec.sagepub.com/content/26/2/82.full.pdf> [Accessed 18 November 2011], p. 93 Cherry, G. E., 1988, Cities and Plans: the Shaping of Urban Britain in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Edward Arnold Housing Regeneration Act 2008, Part 3, Other Provisions, London: HMSO [online] Available at < http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/17/contents> [Accessed 15 November 2011] Jacobs, B. and Dutton, Clive, 2000, Social and Community Issues. In: P. W. Roberts and H. Sykes, eds. 2000. Urban Regeneration, A Handbook, London: SAGE Publications ltd. Jeffrey, P. and Pounder, J., 2000, Physical and Environmental Aspects. In: P. W. Roberts and H. Sykes, eds. 2000. Urban Regeneration, A Handbook, London: SAGE Publications ltd. p.86 Jones P. and Evans J., 2008, Urban Regeneration in the UK, London: SAGE Publications ltd Noon, David, Smith-Canham, J. and Eagland, M., 2000, Economic Regeneration and Funding. In: P. W. Roberts and H. Sykes, eds. 2000. Urban Regeneration, A Handbook, London: SAGE Publications ltd. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2001. Town Centre Regeneration London: HMSO. Available via the Department for Communities and Local Government website at: [Accessed 16 November 2011] Roberts, P. W. and Sykes H. eds., 2000, Urban Regeneration, A Handbook, London: SAGE Publications ltd. Part 1, pp.4-16 The National Assembly for Wales, 2001, Better Homes for People in Wales: A National Housing Strategy for Wales, Cardiff: NAW [online] Available at [Accessed 15 November 2011] The National Assembly for Wales, October 2006, Better Homes for People in Wales: A National Housing Strategy for Wales, Action Plan (updated 2006), Cardiff: NAW [online] Available at [Accessed 15 November 2011] The National Assembly for Wales, September 2008, Welsh Housing Quality Standard, Cardiff: NAW [online] Available at [Accessed 15 November 2011] Welsh Government, April 2008, Housing: Race Equality Housing Action Plan, [online] Available at [Accessed 15 November 2011] Young, Raymond, 2000, Partnership – releasing the potential. In: J. Low, ed. 2000. Regeneration in the 21st century: policies into practice. Bristol: The Policy Press Read More