Tyne and Wear community development strategy leads to real gains for local people
Strategic action by Tyne and Wear Development Corporation (TWDC) to involve local people in its regeneration activities has produced significant gains for communities, including more job opportunities and affordable homes.
An evaluation of TWDC's Community Development Strategy, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, finds that community involvement has made the Corporation's work more effective, while making it more acceptable to local residents.
Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) were established in the 1980s as partnerships between central government and the private sector. Their remit was to encourage new industry and commerce in cities by bringing derelict land and buildings back into use.
UDCs, as property-led redevelopment agencies, have seemed out of tune with subsequent policy shifts towards more comprehensive regeneration initiatives that make voluntary and community groups part of the partnership. However, the TWDC - responsible for 26 miles of riverside - adopted a deliberate strategy of supporting, informing and consulting local people and organisations.
Sustained steps were also taken to link improvements to the physical environment with wider economic and social regeneration. The major gains for local communities included:
- Training and recruitment projects helping to link local people with construction and other jobs being created. For example, the Royal Quays Employment Centre placed 2,000 local people in work.
- A £26 million social housing strategy in association with the Housing Corporation to ensure that 25 per cent of housing in the development area were low cost homes offered for rent or shared ownership.
- A design policy ensuring equal access to properties in the development area for people with disabilities.
The TWDC strategy also included education projects in local schools, linking the regeneration programme to the National Curriculum, a public art programme and a programme for water sports.
The evaluation, by Hilary Russell of the European Institute for Urban Affairs at Liverpool John Moores University, draws lessons for achieving effective community development and participation in future regeneration initiatives.
She said:
"TWDC's experience has showed that the products and processes of a property-based regeneration agency can be enhanced by community involvement. Given a genuine commitment to consultation and joint working, large-scale development projects have the potential to produce valuable outcomes for local people."
