Poll update: Regeneration's greatest hits

Sherwood Energy Village in Nottinghamshire has surged into the lead in our poll of the UK's most successful regeneration projects (top right). Our web stats reveal a spike in blog traffic from Nottingham over the last two days (see graph above), suggesting a local grassroots campaign is underway to secure the coveted title for the project.

If you'd like to see another project win, there's still time to take part in the poll - it's open for another six days.

Basildon's box office battle

News reaches us that a Hollywood-style sign is to be erected on the outskirts of Basildon as part of a £400,000 project to promote the Essex town as a hub for international business. Work to install block letters spelling out "BASILDON" at the side of the A127 began earlier this week. At just five feet tall, the sign, which will be lit up at night, will be just one-tenth of the size of the Hollywood original. "Some of the local press seem to think it's a bit of a laugh, but it's not; it's deadly serious," said Steve Horgan, deputy leader of Basildon District Council. "We're not doing this to try to make Basildon more glamorous – we want to bring the attention of people to Basildon as a business location."

A look back at our Diary column over the last five years reveals that it's not the first time that a Hollywood-style sign has appeared in the UK. Last year, a recreation of the iconic sign - reading Hollinwood - appeared on a grass verge of the M60 in the Oldham industrial area of that name. And in 2005, it was reported that the boss of Tourism Swansea believed that the city could benefit from Hollywood-style lettering on the cliffs at Mumbles.

Also this month, it was announced that film director Peter Jackson wants to erect a "Wellywood"sign to reflect the film-making community in Wellington, New Zealand. But, according to the BBC, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which owns the original sign in the US, has threatened legal action. "The sign is trademarked," said president Leron Gubler,"and we constantly enforce our trademarks". Could Basildon face a similar legal threat?

ReBlackpool RIP

Like many coastal towns, Blackpool has long grappled with the dilemma of how to sow the seeds of a new economy.

Its latest gambit is for the town to take ownership of its two star attractions, the tower and Winter Gardens, a move that the council thinks will double visitor numbers. The Financial Times called it a "last ditch attempt to arrest Blackpool's decline".

Such moves haven't helped secure the future of the town's regeneration company, which is to be formally replaced today. Yet in a bold attempt at legacy building that an outgoing president might baulk at, ReBlackpool has embarked on a multi-media blitz.

A new photo blog featuring "exclusive, never-before-seen images" has been launched, to be supported by a Twitter feed, a Facebook group and illustrated with Google Maps that show where the snaps were taken.

ReBlackpool will also be launching a Flickr group, as Regeneration & Renewal has done, which the company says will evolve into an online library of images "showing the changes taking place in the town". Maybe it will form a network on Linked In, too.

ReBlackpool is promising that new images and commentary are set to be added as ongoing regeneration projects - Winter Gardens? - are completed and new projects begin under the remit of the EDC. ReBlackpool's chief executive Doug Garrett says the transition will see the regeneration work continue "unaffected" and that the firm's functions are set to continue under the new Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Economic Development Company.

Garrett explains the photo blog thus: "The idea is to show the people of Blackpool and potential investors exactly what we have been up to for the past few years. There has been a lot of change in the town and some excellent new facilities and public spaces have been created ... We hope the photographs clearly show these changes and the big difference the regeneration effort is making."

Hard to argue with that.

With social media showing signs of having a democratising influence on governance - and the UK Government itself embracing the internet - it makes you wonder why other urban development companies haven't done the same as ReBlackpool in order to create a dialogue with locals. To paraphrase Garrett's comments above, perhaps it might go some small way in gathering the support of the public, showing them that the regeneration effort is one worth making.

Poll: Regeneration's greatest hits

As part of our Regeneration Works project, Regeneration & Renewal's initiative to gather clear, objective evidence of effective regeneration, we asked a panel of experts to nominate schemes from the past 30 years that they believe offer objective evidence of great success, and which would not have worked without public sector intervention.

Now we're asking you.

In our new poll we're asking you to vote for the most demonstrably successful UK regeneration project ever. Coin Street housing estate in central London? Quayside in Newcastle-Gateshead? Liverpool's Eldonians estate? Or none of the above? Vote in the poll, above right.

We need your views in order to build a really conclusive case for the value of regeneration. In addition to voting, please share examples of conclusive research or demonstrably successful projects in the comments section below. We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Scottish social enterprises defined

We've had a further update on the mooted Scottish version of the Social Enterprise Mark (SEM) - the Fairtrade-style quality mark, or identifier, for social enterprises. Senscot, the umbrella body for social enterprises in Scotland, has drafted proposed criteria for how Scottish social enterprises should be defined.

In a statement to its members, it lists five criteria:

1. Social enterprises have social and/or environmental objectives
2. Social enterprises are trading businesses aspiring to financial independence (and earning 50 per cent or more of their income through trading)
3. Social enterprises have an "asset lock" on both trading surplus and residual assets. No more than 35 per cent of profit may be distributed in dividends. At least 65 per cent must be reinvested in social and/or environmental aims
4. Social enterprises cannot be the subsidiary of a public sector body
5. Social enterprises are driven by values - both in their mission and business practices

The statement also includes the proposal that the responsibility of awarding a Scottish SEM to social enterprises should rest not with one particular agency, but with a self-regulating cooperative of active social enterprises.

As reported in our blog last week, Senscot's sounding board asked the organisation to put together the statement after it refused to act as the Scottish partner for the London-managed SEM. Senscot disagreed in the criteria for the London mark, as it believed that organisations should be required to demonstrate that they reinvest more than 50 per cent of their profits in activities to support social and/environmental goals.

Senscot is now submitting the statement to its sounding group for feedback and if it is accepted, will ask the Scottish Government for investment support.

For more information click here

Olympic Parklife

I was lucky enough this morning to bag a seat on a press tour of the Olympic Park in east London. Having only seen the key projects in the form of CGIs and from a distance from other parts of east London, it was interesting to see the stadium (below), aquatics centre (above), velodrome, broadcast centre and Olympic village up close. I was impressed by the scale of the site (I knew it would be big, but not this big!) and the progress already made on the key venues - they are starting to look like the CGIs that we're all now very familiar with. If there was one disappointment - and this is being picky - it would be the design of the International Broadcast Centre, which looks a lot like an out-of-town warehouse.

Our tour bus took us around the key venues using a network of roads crisscrossing the site, complete with sets of traffic lights, bus stops and numerous roundabouts. There was a huge amount of activity going on around us, which is not surprising given that according to our tour guide at the moment there is one delivery to the site being made every 12 seconds. Hopefully I'll get the chance to visit the Olympic Park again closer to 27 July 2012, when the Games begin. If I do, I'll make sure I take a proper camera with me.

Britain's 'worst eyesores' revealed

Just picked up news this week that a derelict block of flats in South Wales has been named one of the UK's biggest eyesores in a readers' poll by conservation magazine Beautiful Britain.

The Billy Banks estate in Penarth Heights, Vale of Glamorgan, ranked number eight in the list, with the Millennium Dome in London and Gateshead's Angel of the North sculpture also featuring in the top ten. Unsurprisingly, Didcot Power Station also ranked high in the list, as did generic motorways, wind farms and electricity pylons across the country. Perhaps more surprisingly, the Grade II-listed Battersea Power Station ranked second in the list - higher than Didcot - which I'm not sure I agree with.

An article in the Western Mail quoted renowned architect Malcolm Parry as saying that Billy Bbanks - a typical 1960s estate - as well as the Penrhys estate in Rhondda, were two of the worst examples of architecture and planning in Wales and should have been demolished long ago - pretty harsh words.

The top ten worst eyesores in Britain - according to the Beautiful Britain poll - are as follows:

1. Motorways
2. Battersea Power Station, London
3. M1 service stations
4. Wind farms
5. Electricity pylons
6. Millennium Dome, London
7. Didcot Power Station, Oxfordshire
8. Penarth Heights flats (Billy Banks estate), Glamorgan, South Wales
9. Angel of the North, Gateshead
10. Rugby Cement Works, Warwickshire

Do you think the list is fair? Should others be on the list?

POSTED BY SARAH TOWNSEND

Photo by Walter Jabsco

Live blog: Budget 2010 reaction

CLICK REFRESH TO UPDATE

Wed Terry Hodgkinson, Chair of Yorkshire Forward, the lead RDA on Treasury matters, said: “We welcome the announcement for Accelerated Development Zones which will help stimulate new appropriate development in selected areas.”

16.34 Inward investment consultant Adam Breeze and Tom Aldred from the Centre for Cities have commented below. Please do the same to share your views with us, or email jamie.carpenter@haymarket.com

16.22 Voluntary sector umbrella body Urban Forum has given a cautious welcome to the proposals in today’s Budget statement for banking reform. Chief Executive Toby Blume said he was glad the Government had “opened the door” to significant reform of the banking system following the banking crisis and subsequent bailout. He added: “While any moves towards greater financial inclusion are wholly welcomed, the introduction of a new requirement for banks to offer basic bank accounts to all is only a small step towards what is needed.

“Banks have, for some time, been voluntarily committed to providing basic bank accounts and the number of people without one has been falling. Nonetheless, a basic bank account is not (on its own) the solution to financial exclusion, as having a ‘basic’ account doesn’t give people access to the full range of financial services they should benefit from. How the new requirement is monitored and enforced will be critical to whether it actually leads to any real change.”

16.00 Sarah Whitney, managing director – regeneration and development at CB Richard Ellis, says that while the Budget's announcement on Tax Increment Financing is welcome, "the need is acute and introduction is still a long way off". She says: "How will we monitor and measure their success? The Government has already said they need legislation to introduce Tif. What further evidence do they need before moving to pass the legislation? There’s a long lead time in getting the required Act in place and another long lead time inherent in putting infrastructure in. Meanwhile, major developments that promise real economic growth are stalled. There is no time to waste in cracking on with this.”

15.45 The Community Development Finance Association has welcomed news that banks will have to provide “adequate support” to non-profit lenders such as community development finance institutions (CDFIs), which provide loans to people who can’t get finance on the high street. The Government will shortly consult on whether this will be imposed through regulation or a new levy on retail banks. Bernie Morgan, chief executive of CDFA, which is the trade association for the UK’s CDFIs, said: “This could be a major win for people on the lowest incomes, as well as the community development finance institutions (CDFIs) which provide them with financial services when the banks can’t help.

15.40 Imran Hussain, Child Poverty Action Group’s head of policy, rights and advocacy, said: “The investment in Child Tax Credits from 2012 of £4 a week for families with infants is welcome but is essentially a tip toe rather than the purposeful stride needed to end child poverty by 2020.

“The Budget documents published today reveal that the Government is likely to miss its 2010 target of halving child poverty by at least 600,000 children. Shamefully the Government is no closer to hitting its own target to halve child poverty by 2010 today than it was yesterday."

15:03: Andy Sawford, Chief Executive of think-tank the Local Government Information Unit, said: "The budget posed more questions than it answered about the post election future for public finances and public services. All parties say they will give the NHS, policing and schools some form of protected status. For local councils this is effectively ring-fencing about half of their activity, by expenditure, so that talk of billions of pounds worth of savings will have a disproportionate effect on the non-protected services including social care, housing and transport.

"Politicians in Westminster are tying the hands of local communities to make their own choices according to local needs and choices. Instead, the government should move rapidly to implement the Total Place concept has huge potential as a tool to reshape local services by connecting them up financially and in the delivery."

14.33: Stephen Joseph, director, Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The Budget ducked some of the tough transport spending choices. While high-speed rail might be attractive, it’s a long-term project. In the meantime, the short-term spending pressures could hit everyday transport like local bus and rail services with service cuts and fares rises. The new infrastructure bank is welcome, but it must be used to fund green urban transport schemes such as trams, as well as electric cars."

14.31: Paul King, Chief Executive of the UK Green Building Council, said: “The Green Investment Bank could lead to a low carbon revolution. However, energy efficiency must not be a poor relation to high-profile issues like offshore wind and high-speed rail. Refurbishment of our homes and buildings offers the greatest cost-effective carbon savings, as well as alleviating fuel poverty and creating jobs. The bottom line is the less energy we consume, the less we need to produce or import from elsewhere.

“We welcome the commitment to a Green Investment Bank, but it’s crucial that £2 billion is just the start. The Bank must leverage much higher sums from the private sector. Tens if not hundreds of billions of pounds are needed to invest in our leaky homes and buildings alone.

“Government has committed in principle to ‘Pay As You Save’ to enable householders to access packages of home refurbishment. The Green Investment Bank would seem to be an ideal vehicle to leverage private sector investment in this scheme, for a secure return on that investment.”

14.19 Ian Carruthers, head of policy at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, said: "The Budget contained modestly encouraging economic figures. However, we still don’t have any details of public expenditure beyond 2011. Tough choices still have to be made on the level of cuts and where they will fall."

14.10 Rebecca Bennett Casserly, head of residential affordable at EC Harris, said: “Raising of the stamp duty threshold for first time buyers should be a popular measure, helping to further energise the housing market. However sustainability should also be a top priority, with particular focus on incentives for the retrofit market."

14.08 Commenting on the savings from public sector assets outlined in the Budget, Rob Oldham, a senior director in the regeneration and development team at CB Richard Ellis, said: "It is very easy to identify the theoretical cost savings arising from collaboration and consolidation. In practice, it is well nigh impossible to get a wide spectrum of individual public sector bodies to forsake their individual best interests in favour of the common good. The big issue is that much of central London Government estate is leased. Making savings from moving civil servants only works if the Government can successfully sub-let the space they are vacating. If they cannot, then the total costs after relocation could well be greater than at present."

13.42 Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, has also welcomed the raising of the stamp duty threshold for first-time buyers. “This Budget is a huge boost to both home buyers and the house building industry. I am pleased the Government has recognised the importance of ensuring that people are able to buy homes,” he said.

13.40 Martin Narey, chief executive of charity Barnardo’s, welcomed the announcement of a new guarantee of a bank account for all. He said: "The UK’s poorest families are trapped in a cycle of poverty and debt. Already with too little money, they pay more for utilities because they cannot pay by direct debit. With no facility for saving and no access to affordable credit they are driven toward unaffordable doorstep lenders. This legislation could be an important landmark in easing family poverty."

13.38 Ian Fletcher, director of policy at lobby group the British Property Federation, said: “Greater relief from stamp duty will be a confidence boost to the housing market, helping to ensure the housing recovery does not stall. It will be of limited value to first-time buyers, however, who typically are having to find a deposit of £33,000 at present. Raising the threshold will effectively knock 18 months off the 18 years it would take the typical 25 year-old to save a £33,000 deposit."

Live blog: Budget 2010 as it happened

Click here to view the latest reaction to today's Budget.

14.00 Thanks for joining us. You can view our live Budget reaction blog here: Live blog: Budget 2010 reaction

13.31 Darling sits down.

13.30 Increase in child tax credit amount by £4 a week from 2012.

13.25 One-off investment of £270 million in 2010/11 will help universities create extra places, Darling says. Will provide 20,000 extra places, he says.

13.23 Darling announces a £35 million university enterprise capital fund to support university innovation and spin out companies.

13.22 Chancellor says that £60 million will be made available to help ports develop for the manufacture of wind turbines.

13.20 Darling announces a £2 billion investment bank, to be part-funded through the sale of assets, such as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. It will initially focus on green transport and sustainable energy, he says.

13.19 £100 million to pay for repairs to local roads.

13.16 Darling says that business rates will reduced for one year from October. More than 300,000 firms will pay no business rates at all, he says.

13.15 A new body - UK Finance for Growth - will oversee the Government's support for businesses, Darling says. This will include a new Growth Capital Fund, which will eventually provide £500 million, according to the chancellor.

13.12 RBS and Lloyds will provide £94 billion of new business loans over the next year, Darling says.

13.09 Darling says that the number of civil servants in London will be reduced by one-third in the long term. Today, he can announce, the Ministry of Justice is moving 1,000 civil servants out of London.

13.08 Departments will today publish details of how they willl make the savings identified in last year's Pre-Budget Report, Darling says.

13.05 "Next spending settlement will be very tough ... we need to identify savings across all parts of the public sector."

13.04 "We will stick to our spending plans for next year."

13.02 No further announcements on VAT, income tax, chancellor says

13.00 Darling says that a policy of immediate cuts to public spending would be "wrong and dangerous"

12.57 Lots of talk at the moment about debt and borrowing.

12.56 Over on Twitter (regenerationUK) "Extension of young person's guarantee to be paid for out of "savings" from lower than expected unemployment"

12.51 Chancellor announces that first time buyers will not have to pay stamp duty on homes under £250,000. The measure will be paid for by an increase in stamp duty on homes over £1 million.

12.47 Darling says that a government guarantee of a job or training for unemployed 18- to 24-year-olds will now run until March 2012, rather than until March 2011.

12.46 Darling says that the claimant count today is lower than in 1997, when Labour came to power. "That has not happened by chance," he says.

12.44 Car scrappage scheme drove a 30 per cent increase in car sales in the last year, chancellor says.

12.43 Next big announcement. Darling says that the Government will do more to tackle financial exclusion through a new guarantee that everyone can have a basic bank account.

12.41 Chancellor is talking about banking reform. We need long-term reform to prevent risk taking, he says.

12.35 Darling announces £2.5bn growth package to be paid for by switching spending within existing allocations and through proceeds from the existing tax on bank bonuses.

12.34 Darling says that the global recession has not turned into a depression. Unemployment has not risen as much as feared. But the recovery is still in its infancy and tough choices are ahead.

12.32 Darling up now.

12.31 PMQs still going on. Darling must be up any minute now.

12.19 Question on Sure Start. Brown says that Tories want to restore Sure Start to its original purpose. "Nobody should tamper with the advances that have been made," he says.

12.17 Still PMQs. Brown: "We have saved half a million jobs that would otherwise have been lost."

12.09 Look out for a special Budget email bulletin later today, bringing all news of the key regeneration-related announcements and reaction from the regeneration sector.

12.03 PM Gordon Brown is now taking questions from MPs.

12.00 Remember to follow our live Budget coverage on Twitter - regenerationUK

11.56 I wonder if there'll be any movement on Tax Increment Financing in the Budget. Last year's PBR said that the Government would continue to examine the framework needed to introduce Tif. I think the need for primary legislation means what is most likely is a similar commitment in today's Budget. You can read our latest Tif story here.

11.50 It's international development questions at the moment in the House of Commons. PMQs due to start in ten minutes, followed by the Budget at 12.30.

11.46 BBC says that the chancellor is expected to describe his financial statement as a "Budget to secure the recovery and invest in our industrial future".

11.38 Read our round-up of Budget rumours from this morning's newspapers here.

11.31 Regeneration & Renewal economic development editor Allister Hayman says: "There is much speculation about today's Budget. It is a waste of time because the Budget is a pretend one. It will never be implemented. If there is a Conservative government, there would be a different Budget after the general election. If there is a Labour government with Liberal Democrat support there would also be a different Budget. Even in the unlikely event of a Labour overall majority, the Budget will be supplemented by other measures. Within a week or two, parliament will be dissolved and legislation will be passed to allow the continued collection of taxes. That is about all that will survive from today."

11.26 Alistair Darling is expected to leave Downing Street shortly. So you can plan your lunch break, Darling is due to stand up at 12.30, following PMQs, which kicks off at midday.

11.06 Regeneration & Renewal senior reporter Sarah Townsend says: “The community sector is expecting measures to tackle financial inclusion to be announced in the budget today – in the form of tougher legislation forcing banks to offer basic bank accounts to financially excluded customers. Child poverty lobby groups are expecting an extension to free school meals and changes to benefits payments so that there are better incentives for unemployed parents to look for a job. Meanwhile, all third sector and community organisations will be hoping – though not necessarily expecting - a package of financial support, particularly in light of new research published by the Charity Commission today that warns that one in four large charities will be at serious risk of going bust when numerous public sector contracts end next year.”

11.03 Remember to follow our Budget coverage on Twitter (regenerationUK).

11.01 We're hearing that there's likely to be an announcement in the Budget about British Waterways becoming a charitable trust.

10.53 The BBC's Robert Peston is predicting that the chancellor will increase tax allowances for capital spending by companies, especially manufacturers. "Labour would be directing tax relief to particular sectors, such as manufacturing - on the basis that the UK needs to stimulate certain kinds of industries, especially those able to generate increased exports and close our trade deficit", he says on his blog.

10.46 Another key announcement expected to be lurking in the chancellor's red box is a promise of bank accounts for all. Under plans designed to tackle financial exclusion, Darling is expected to announce that banks will be legally obliged to offer a basic bank account to all UK citizens.

10.39 The BBC is reporting that Alistair Darling will announce that stamp duty will be scrapped on house purchases of up to £250,000 for first-time buyers. The chancellor's statement is due at 12.30pm.

10.34 It is expected that a report into Whitehall relocations will be published alongside today's Budget. Birmingham is attempting to position itself as a perfect destination for relocating departments. Stephen Hughes, Birmingham City Council chief executive, says: "While we have both the existing and potential property portfolio necessary to make such a move possible, it is also about accessing a culture of change and innovation."

9.54 You can also follow our coverage of today's Budget on our Twitter page - twitter.com/regenerationUK

9.50 Welcome to our Budget blog. We'll be bringing you all the announcements from today's Budget as it happens, followed by reaction and analysis from the regeneration sector. Get involved by commenting below, or emailing your thoughts to jamie.carpenter@haymarket.com

New structures for straitened times?

This week we reveal that Acumen Development Trust, an organisation based in Durham, is restructuring in a bid to raise more funding.

Cutbacks at local authorities meant that Acumen, which earns most of its income through delivering public services such as employment and training schemes, lost several contracts and had to think up alternative ways of bringing in more cash. The result was a rejection of the traditional charitable legal structure - which it said it found "restrictive" in terms of being able to raise large amounts of investment from the private sector - in favour of creating a cluster of various different forms of social enterprise.

A document given to Regeneration & Renewal to illustrate what the new organisation will look like shows a rather complex structure consisting of one "holding" body - a community interest company (CIC) that will act as the main driver of investment into the organisation - and several subsidiary social enterprises that will each be responsible for different services that the body provides, from employment and I.T. services to horticulture and property enterprises. The original charity will still remain - as the official development trust for east Durham - although its remit will be much smaller.

It's not the first story that has appeared recently that raises questions over whether the charitable legal structure is the best one for these straitened times. Third sector organisations are under enormous pressure to find innovative ways of raising enough money to enable them to continue their work, but are legally prevented from utilising many of these innovations - such as selling shares or raising capital from social investment financing models - if they are are registered as a charity.

Our story on the social loan initiative used by Hackney Community Transport CIC reports on one solution to the problem. Kate Welch, CEO of Acumen, told me she would strongly advise other third sector organisations to look closely at their legal structure and whether it is fit for purpose.

But what do readers feel about the issue? Does the need for innovation in terms of raising cash have to mean innovation in terms of legal structure? Are we about to witness a new phase where organisations rush to ditch their conventional charitable status in favour of more enterprising models and, if so, what are the likely implications?

Your thoughts, please...

Photo by David D Muir

Are these the most demonstrably successful regeneration projects ever?

The Eldonians project that turned an area of Liverpool scheduled for slum clearance into a community with a five year waiting list for housing. The Sherwood Energy Village Scheme that brought 1,250 jobs to a disused Nottinghamshire colliery. And the Coin Street scheme that has seen a mixed development including 200 social rented homes built on a prime London site that once seemed set for a huge office and hotel development.

These are just three of the schemes to have been nominated by a panel of regeneration experts as among the most demonstrably successful regeneration projects ever. We asked the panel to nominate schemes from the past 30 years that they believe offer objective evidence of great success, and which would not have worked without public sector intervention.

For the full list of nominations, plus an opportunity to nominate other regeneration projects for which you believe clear objective evidence of effectiveness exists, see below.

We need your views in order to build a really conclusive case for the value of regeneration. Please share examples of conclusive research or demonstrably successful projects in the comments section below.

We'd also like you to take a moment to vote for the regeneration project you consider to be the most successful. Vote in our poll at the top of this blog.

The project is part of Regeneration Works, Regeneration & Renewal's initiative to gather clear, objective evidence of effective regeneration.

Angus Kennedy, chief executive, Community Regeneration Partnership

"Birmingham city centre is notable, and by that I mean the suite of programmes including Symphony Hall, the ICC, Brindley Place, the lowering of the middle ring road and the creation of the civic squares. They stemmed from a piece of civic leadership by the local authority. It brought together local leaders and stakeholders to address the problems that faced the city as its manufacturing base declined. It needed the council’s leadership as it had to use its statutory powers, such as compulsory purchase orders. It transformed the centre of Birmingham and enhanced the business sector and retail offer, and created a pedestrianised area."

Chris Farrow, chief executive, Central Salford URC

"Canary Wharf stands out – no one outside the London Docklands Development Corporation had the vision. It put in the primary infrastructure and the enterprise zone regime. It also got BT to put in all the fibre optics, which facilitated the information technology infrastructure. It created 50,000 jobs that East London wouldn’t have had under other means. Albert Dock in Liverpool is also worth a mention. The private sector solution was to demolish it and replace it with a car park, but the Merseyside Development Corporation formed a joint venture with Arrowcroft Group Plc and regenerated the site. Without it, the European Capital of Culture bid would have been impossible."

Michael Ward, regeneration and economic development consultant

"After the bombing in 1996, Manchester city centre was wrecked. The Trafford Centre was due to open shortly and the Commonwealth Games was to be hosted six years later, but instead of just patching up the centre and replacing what had been there, the city council took the lead in re-planning the city centre and it showed vision and ambition. The masterplan radically realigned the city – it opened up views of the cathedral and reconstructed the Arndale Centre. The council was also instrumental in winning substantial government funding. It reasserted Manchester as a key business centre and consolidated the place as one of the key retail centres in the whole country."

Chris Green, chief executive, SQW Group

"The Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham [largely funded by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward] is on the site of the former Orgreave Colliery and Coking Plant, which required a huge amount of decontamination. It was in an area in which the market would not have invested even if the site had been in pristine condition. Construction of the innovation centre would have been regarded as far too high a risk by the private sector. The AMP has contributed significantly to diversification of the local economy. My other choice is Salford Quays – MediaCity would not have happened without it, and MediaCity itself required a great deal of coordinated public sector involvement, not least to persuade the BBC to relocate a substantial part of its activities from London. I’d also pick out Chatham Dockyard – public sector involvement was essential to improve access by constructing a tunnel under the Medway"

Ros Kerslake, chief executive Prince’s Regeneration Trust

"The Oxford Castle scheme is worthy of praise. The council purchased the freehold of the castle site and funded the upkeep of the empty prison by renting it out to film and television. They also established a critical partnership with the private sector, South-East England Development Agency, Oxford Preservation Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage – this was a key part in bringing the regeneration forward. A total of 200 new jobs have been created, and the Malmaison Hotel has occupancy rates in excess of 80 per cent.

The Grainger Town project in Newcastle is also notable. The Council’s successful use of CPO powers and ‘demonstration projects’ resulted in increased confidence in the area, and led the way for further inward investment from the private sector that would otherwise have been unforthcoming."

Steve Wyler, director, Development Trusts Association

"The Coin Street Community Builders scheme in London was an iconic transformation of a site that had been neglected by the public and private sectors. This would not have happened without the foresight of the GLC and their willingness to transfer ownership to an enterprising community organisation.

The Goodwin Development Trust in Hull transformed a notorious inner city estate – that most people had written off – from within. The award-winning Octagon Centre was made possible by Yorkshire Forward and Hull City Council.

The Action for Business development in Bradford has been a focus for aspiration – the Urban Task Force got it going, and there was a subsequent asset transfer by Bradford City Council, and investment by Adventure Capital Fund. This means it is here to stay.
The Sherwood Energy Village in Nottinghamshire is a pioneering eco business park, built over Ollerton colliery, which has created more jobs than those lost when the pit closed. English Partnerships cleaned up and transferred the site."

Pam Alexander, chief executive, South-East England Development Agency

"Coin Street in London couldn’t have been achieved without the real intentions of public sector bodies. The GLC were willing to engage with what, at the time, was a wild idea, but they provided access to the land – it was important to be able to buy the land and not pay the top commercial price. It’s a very vibrant community.

Grainger Town was the first comprehensive approach to regeneration that included housing from the beginning. There have been a range of public agencies involved, including One North East and Newcastle City Council. Home Group delivered a mixed-use housing scheme. It was a key piece of public realm, so you needed all the public agencies involved to get the street layout agreed and get areas pedestrianised. It’s a real community with residential alongside retail and heritage sites."

Iain Mackinnon, managing director, the Mackinnon Partnership

"When I was at school on Tyneside, the Quayside (pictured) was run-down and neglected, and it would have been unthinkable that anyone from Newcastle would go to the Gateshead bank from choice. All that has changed, and much of this is down to concerted regeneration effort by both councils. A quite different example is the huge expansion of Manchester University, now vying for a place in the world’s top 25 research-based universities. It occupies a very large part of the city (particularly since it merged with UMIST) and must be of huge significance to the city’s economy. And last, the relocation of the college in Middlesbrough to a neglected part of town formed the central plank of a strategy to regenerate the area."

David Smith-Milne, associate at Tribal and managing director of PlaceFirst

"Salford Docks. In the mid-1980s, the adjacent Ordsall Estate was abandoned and derelict, the waterways were polluted, the land contaminated. In response, the Manchester Ship Canal Company sold a majority stake in the docks to Salford City Council. This meant the docks would qualify for public sector assistance through national, regional and local authority funding programmes. This was the catalyst that sparked the regeneration of the Docks and began a major process of investment and change. The public sector created the vision, assembled the funding, secured the investor interest and managed the transformation as part of a coordinated, long term and strategic plan."

Consideration must be given to alternative Tif models

Today, we reveal the extent of the work of the Core Group, the Whitehall working group set up last year to examine the potential of using the US-style Tax Increment Financing funding tool in England. Information uncovered by Regeneration & Renewal following a Freedom of Information request reveals that the group – which still exists – gave serious consideration to the Tif concept. The group, consisting of eight civil servants from DCLG and the Treasury, as well as 12 regeneration experts, met three times last summer and produced a set of more than 20 detailed papers, seen by Regeneration & Renewal. The papers considered a wide range of issues, including how a Tif pilot project would be selected and governed, and possible state aid implications. No one could accuse the Government of not taking the concept seriously.

Why then, did chancellor Alistair Darling not announce Tif pilots in his pre-Budget report last December, as many in the regeneration sector expected him to? The Core Group papers offer some clues. Firstly, it seems, it was never the Government’s intention to announce a Tif pilot in the PBR. In May 2009, the DCLG wrote to local authorities inviting expressions of interest in piloting a Tif scheme. Eighty-two local public bodies submitted 124 proposals. But according to a Core Group paper, the DCLG “did not invite submission of sufficient detail to underpin a selection process”. It said: “The information so far commissioned by the Government about projects is not (and was never intended to be) at the level of detail and rigour needed to support the approval of a Tif scheme, nor to enable Government to choose between competing candidates for pilot status.”

A second reason behind the lack of any Tif pilots in the PBR is certain to be the fact that primary legislation would be needed in order for any such pilots to get the go-ahead. I understand that the Core Group initially felt that it was within the secretary of state’s powers to implement Tif using secondary legislation, but later came to the conclusion that primary legislation would be needed. The Tif mechanism being considered by the Core Group – the “accelerated development zone” model – would allow a council or its partners to borrow capital for new infrastructure. The money would be recouped through the retention of a portion of the extra business rates generated by the development. But any such changes to the way business rates operate, the Core Group concluded, would need new primary legislation. “We doubt that the secretary of state currently has the necessary power to enter into a Tif agreement of the type it is envisaged would be required to give effect to a Tif scheme,” a paper said.

The DCLG’s position on Tif, as we report today, is a source of frustration to some property experts. They agree with the DCLG that the ADZ version of Tif would require a substantial piece of legislation. But they feel alternative versions of Tif could be introduced without legislation - and that the DCLG has not yet grasped the difference between the ADZ mechanism and alternative Tif models. One such model could see a developer fund public infrastructure upfront, and then be repaid by a council should certain conditions be met, such as a rise in business rates revenue resulting from the scheme. Councils could raise funds to repay the developer through a similar conditional arrangement with the Treasury. Alistair Parker, a development partner at real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, told me that such a model could get a number of city centre schemes - such as Sheffield's Sevenstone scheme and the Preston Tithebarn project - "built within months". "The only thing holding back these schemes is viability," he said. "The they are being asked to carry infrastructure. They are all underwater by £50-100 million."

The need for primary legislation, should ministers decide to push ahead with the ADZ version of Tif, means that such a funding mechanism could be years off. This is of no help to a number of the schemes which submitted expressions of interest in piloting the funding tool last year, which experts believe have a limited shelf life. The Government must give those schemes every chance to come to fruition and that means giving serious consideration to alternative versions of Tif.

Picture by Steve Cadman.

Interactive map: The Top 100 Regeneration Projects 2010

The Google map below shows the locations of the top 50 regeneration schemes from our Top 100 Regeneration Projects 2010 listing, published in full today. Click on the map and drag to scroll around, double click it to zoom in and see individual projects. Click through to read more about them. We welcome comments, please leave any at the bottom of the page.


View The Top 100 Regeneration Projects 2010 in a larger map

NB: While every effort has been made to accurately place the schemes on the map, placemarks may only be indicative and should not be used as proof of exact location. If there are any inaccuracies regarding the location of a scheme you are involved in please contact jamie.carpenter@haymarket.com.

Scotland makes its social enterprise mark

Another update from Senscot, the umbrella body for social enterprises in Scotland: 75 per cent of its 130 members voted in favour of a Scottish version of the Social Enterprise Mark (SEM) - the Fairtrade-style quality mark for social enterprises - in a recent poll conducted by Senscot.

The organisation disagreed with the SEM's criteria - that organisations can apply to purchase the mark provided they can demonstrate that they reinvest at least 50 per cent of their profits in activities to support social and/or environmental goals. Senscot believed that this figure should be higher, claiming that such a "broad-church approach could blur the boundaries between social enterprise and other sectors", and consequently refused to act as the Scottish partner for the London-administered SEM.

As reported in our blog earlier this month, Senscot instead decided to consult with its members on alternative ways of securing a mark of recognition - or identifier, as it calls it - for Scottish social enterprises. Following the outcome of the poll, Senscot's sounding group has asked the management to prepare a statement of "what it understands to be the criteria by which the social enterprise community in Scotland wishes to define itself". The statement will be circulated among members for reaction and then Senscot plans to approach the Scottish Government for support in creating the mark.

I've been informed that the criteria paper will be made available next week, so watch this space - it's looking increasingly likely that Scotland will in fact be able to get its own mark.

In the meantime, click here for poll results and comments from Senscot members.

Mipim 2010: Wandsworth for sale

Yesterday I had a chat Mike Brook at the London Borough of Wandsworth, the man charged with selling the Nine Elms development to the masses in Cannes. I put it to him that he’s got a tough job until the funding is in place for the extension of the Northern line to the site. Funnily enough he disagreed – albeit very politely. He pointed out that the American embassy have already bought a five acre site to house their new building and that with tenants such as that committed to the project, selling the rest of the site to the world is a lot easier. Hard to disagree with that, but I’m still reserving my right to be sceptical about the project until the thing is built: there does seem to be quite a momentum building around the project, but it’s just been empty for so long.

POSTED BY ADAM BRANSON

Mipim 2010: Architects bash Birmingham

I went to a lunch today hosted by Birmingham City Council and found myself surrounded by architects. I don’t know if it was the wine or the fact that architects are just a vicious bunch at the best of times, but some my lunch companions certainly enjoyed getting stuck in to some of the city’s most high profile projects.

Birmingham had a few new projects to add to its already bulging list of projects on our Top 100 listing this year, including the development of its main library and the mixed-use Cube project. Both projects received a veritable tongue lashing, with the design for the library particularly singled out. Apparently the almost entirely glass-based design will make actually studying in the building a bit tricky on a bright day. A good job then that Birmingham is not known for its weather.

POSTED BY ADAM BRANSON

(Readers may have noticed dubious Cannes-related puns appearing in the headlines of previous Mipim 2010 blog posts. After Adam's attempt to use the headline "Cannesed heat" for this post I have decided to put a stop to the punnery. Deputy editor Jamie Carpenter.)

Mipim 2010: Cannes you hear me at the back?

Last night I presented the findings from our Top 100 Regeneration Projects 2010 listing to an audience on the London stand. Given the fact that most of the news was pretty worrying, the atmosphere was pretty jovial all told. Both public and private sector investment in the 100 projects is down year on year and the scope of what folk are planning to build has contracted.

However, what the research did produce were figures that anybody in the sector can use to make the case to a Government of any hue for continued regeneration funding. All told, the 100 projects claim that they will ultimately create 360,000 permanent jobs. Labour, Conservative, Marxist, Facist… it doesn’t matter where you sit on the political spectrum, jobs still matter.

The sector shouldn’t be making the case for public funding by appealing to the social and environmental benefits that solid regeneration brings – however important they may be. Rather, it should make the case that regeneration can provide a major financial stimulus and help build the UK out of the hole in which it currently finds itself.

POSTED BY ADAM BRANSON

Out of the ashes: Phoenix Cities book launch

It was an impressive turn-out at the LSE last night for the launch of a new study into urban regeneration by our very own sector champion Professor Anne Power (who won Regeneration & Renewal's Lifetime Achievement award last year).

The book, Phoenix Cities: The fall and rise of great industrial cities, examines - as the name suggests - the post-industrial economic and social decline of seven of Europe's great manufacturing cities (Belfast, Bilbao, Bremen, Leipzig, St Etienne, Sheffield and Turin) and how policy makers can learn from their subsequent recovery - especially in a time of increasingly constrained public resources.

In a lecture to mark the book's launch, Power spoke about the post-industrial regeneration of these cities, which has been based on new skills development, innovative enterprises, reinvestment in city buildings and public spaces, tailored neighbourhood regeneration schemes and environmental reclamation. As a result, she said, both Saint Etienne (once the biggest manufacturer of arms and cycles) and Turin in particular had recovered from huge devastation to become new hubs for social enterprise. Similarly Sheffield - which, on Power's visit only had 45 steel-working jobs left following the collapse of the steel industry - has renewed itself (like the proverbial phoenix in the book's title, of course) and is fast becoming a centre for culture, music and the arts.

However, it was not all sweetness and light: Power said her research had highlighted further challenges for the 'phoenix cities' in an increasingly resource-constrained environment. She said their regeneration had largely been facilitated by high amounts of public and private investment during the past twenty years, but that continuation of this amount of easy funding was now practically impossible. Leipzig, she said, had recovered well from a post-industrial situation where the city lost almost 90 per cent of its jobs, but still faced a fair few office and factory closures in the coming months.

Tony Travers, director of the Greater London Group at the London School of Economics, agreed that renewal of the great industrial cities had only been possible with huge amounts of high-level intervention and an assumption that land values and assets would continue to rise, not fall.

Power said a new 'resource-constrained economy' would be dependent on the development of small-medium enterprises, community-led regeneration initiatives and green technologies - a sentiment echoed by acclaimed architect Lord Richard Rogers, who spoke about the importance of creating communities when regenerating cities.

Meanwhile, Bruce Katz, vice-president of research body the Brookings Institution and cities adviser to the Obama administration gave a useful insight into the US equivalent of 'phoenix cities' - 'metros' like Miami, Tampa and Vegas.

Check out the LSE website in the next couple of days for access to podcasts and presentations from the event.

Mipim 2010: Cannes it be true?

The London Borough of Wandsworth launched its Nine Elms scheme this afternoon - essentially a massive parcel of development opportunities around Battersea Power Station. The site has a troubled history, with several plans having already been brought forward only to fall apart. Indeed, hopes have been raised only to be dashed so often that it's tempting to approach any story to do with Battersea Power Station with a degree of skepticism.

It would at least appear, however, that there is serious private sector interest in the project - the launch was packed and so far as I could tell the crowd was mostly made up of developers. I've also been told by Mike Brook in the council's economic development team that talks are ongoing to set up some sort of consortium between the land owners to take the project forward. They've got a meeting on Thursday about this and hopefully Brook can give me a few more details when we meet for coffee at the end of the day. Watch this space.

POSTED BY ADAM BRANSON

Mipim 2010: Cannes of worms

The plan for a London-wide housing company outlined by Boris earlier this afternoon received an enthusiastic reaction at London’s reception on the beach at 5.00. But there may be trouble ahead – or at least a bit of public sector muscle-flexing.

I’ve been told – off the record naturally – that housing and regeneration quango the Homes & Communities Agency is resisting the plan. We’ll have to put the claim to the agency of course, but news that the agency is resisting the plan does make sense. If such a company were to be created it would a large extent neuter the HCA in London, essentially making its much-vaunted ‘Single Conversation’ process redundant.

This is developing into a big story, at least for London, and it’s interesting politically as well, given some of the negative messages about the HCA that have been put out by some Tories. Presumably Tory high-command would be more than happy for the mayor to essentially take control of regeneration in London.

POSTED BY ADAM BRANSON

Mipim 2010: Cannes he kick it? Yes he Cannes

You really get the feeling that London's mayor loves Mipim. I watched him give two speeches last year (actually, it was the same speech, but delivered in French the second time around) and he held the audience in the palm of his hand on both occasions.

Not much has changed in the last 12 months. This afternoon he delivered another Boris classic - funny, wry, lacking in substance - before heading off to allow his deputy Simon Milton to lead a panel session on the future of planning in London.

He may leave the detail to others, but Boris is good at selling London. Today's offering included an proposal to pull forward the Olympic games to 2011 in order to catch the world napping. ("That way we might win more than one gold medal.")

He also launched into a bit of "my city is bigger than yours" type rhetoric, largely aimed at the mayor of Paris, and claimed that London is not just the financial and creative capital of the world, but also the world's scientific centre. To be honest, the evidence for this latter claim was a bit wooly - Darwin coming up with the theory of natural selection in Bromley. There's a joke in that and Boris made it.

On the factual front, Boris also talked up the idea of forming a London-wide housing company, into which the London Development Agency and the boroughs would pour their land in order to attract private developers. I'm going to try and get a bit more detail on this - it could be a major step forward in keeping development going in London.

Anyway, I'm off to hear about the plans for Nine Elms now - will blog again in an hour or so.

Mipim 2010: No Cannes do

The R&R bandwagon rolled into Cannes last night to cover the annual homage to excess that is the Mipim property show. Except... except that it really does feel quiet, almost subdued. Last year a lot of folk commented to me that the conference was a lot quieter than in previous years, but as a new comer it still felt pretty hectic. This year I know what they mean. Of course, all things are relative. The bars when our train pulled in close to midnight were only half full (or half empty, depending on your frame of mind), but it was a Monday night, after all.

Housing and regeneration quango the Homes & Communities Agency's presence is minimal this year following some negative (largely unfair) press covereage of their outing last year. But some UK cities are still willing to brave the inevitable "junket" headlines in their local papers. Manchester, as usual, is a major presence at the conference. And London's marquee just gets bigger and bigger, although I am judging this from the view from the press tent - will report back once I've actually been there.

Speaking of which, the Boris show rolls into town after lunch. He's giving a speech about his administration's approach to planning at some point this afternoon - check back later on for an update.

POSTED BY ADAM BRANSON

Poll: Public sector jargon

Ever had a wash-up session after a thought shower? Or have you taken a deep dive into a goldfish bowl facilitated conversation? Me neither.

According to a new list published by the Local Government Association, these terms are among 250 that should not used when providing information to the public. You can view the complete list here. Chair of the LGA, Dame Margaret Eaton, said: “The public sector must not hide behind impenetrable jargon and phrases. Why do we have to have a ‘webinar trialogue for the wellderly’ when the public sector could just ‘talk about caring for the elderly’ instead?"

Words that will be familiar to regeneration practitioners crop up regularly in the LGA's list. Local area agreements, multi-area agreements, pump priming, pathfinders, mainstreaming and funding streams are all terms that the LGA believes should not be used by the public sector when communicating with the public.

Vote in our poll (top right) to nominate your least favourite piece of jargon from our pick of the ten most ridiculous from the LGA's list. Or comment below if you have a piece of jargon you'd like to highlight.

They said it: ‘Bald men fighting over a comb’

I was in Westminster yesterday for real estate adviser CB Richard Ellis’s annual regeneration and development conference. Here is a selection of some of the best soundbites from the event:

“The computer might say 'no' if you go down the Open Source route”
Dermot Finch, chief executive of the Centre for Cities think-tank, warns that plans set out in the Conservative Party’s recent planning green paper could lead to a rise in nimbyism.

“I dropped my cards which were in order on the way up here and they are not in order any more”
Conference chair Peter Sissons, a former BBC newsreader, makes an embarrassing admission ahead of hosting a Question Time-style session at the conference.

“A case of bald men fighting over a comb”
Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable (who drew a laugh from the audience by acknowledging he was better placed than most in the room to use the above analogy) says that public funding for regeneration will be tight following this year’s general election.

“You cannot have a system that is both democratic and very fast. The only country that does it is the French, and they have learnt that bribery is the third option.”
Former environment minister John Gummer, Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal, says that making the planning system more democratic could result in it becoming slower.

“I had to get rid of Ken because his views were so wild”
Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine outlines his reason for the Conservative Party’s abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986.

“Departmental salami slicing is not the right way forward”
David Whittle, Kent County Council, says that scrapping quangos and devolving their functions to local authorities would be a better way to tackle the deficit than cutting the budgets of Whitehall departments.

“What worries me is that if you chip away at these other elements, all you end up with is Wandsworth, where you have low taxes, but a miserable, philistine approach to quality of life.”
Tristram Hunt, historian, broadcaster and newspaper columnist, warns of the impact of local authority cutbacks.

“In Lambeth you have high taxes and no culture whatsoever.”
Reacting to Hunt’s comments on Wandsworth, John Gummer says that the situation is worse in neighbouring Lambeth.

High Speed Rail Announcement: all the reaction

Refresh this page for all the reaction to the Government's high-speed rail announcement - and add your own comments below.

In the end Lord Adonis plumped for a Y-shaped route, with Liverpool, Newcastle and Scotland missing out for the time being. Click here to see Lord Adonis' hand-drawn plan for an Inverted S route.


Richard Anning, Chief Executive of Sydney & London Properties, who act as Project Manager for the Euston Estate:

“We are delighted that Euston has been chosen as the preferred London terminus for High Speed 2. This will bring much needed investment to the locality which will, in addition to the transport hub, provide a mixed use commercial development scheme which will be of immense benefit to the neighbouring communities as well as those passing through and working in the area.

“For more than 4 years, Network Rail has been talking about the modernisation of Euston Station, but no development agreement has been signed with its preferred developer, British Land, nor has a masterplan been produced.

“We hope that today’s decision will ensure that the planning can now begin in earnest for a new Euston Station.”

Ian Trehearne, partner at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner:

“The proposal by the Government for a new high-speed line between Birmingham and London must be welcomed by passenger groups and the business community.

“The overcrowding on the line from Birmingham to London is endemic and growing. The proposed solution will do much to improve regional economic development as well as improving the passenger experience and potentially improving the environment.

“The next step is assessing how Heathrow is incorporated into the plan. Only an interchange on the Great Western Mainline close to Heathrow will offer sufficiently direct interconnection to improve surface access. This will improve both passenger experience and the environment and provide the realistic potential for satisfactory rail-air substitution. But this requires a different alignment from the current proposal. Neither of the potential alternatives - the Crossrail connection nor a loop to Heathrow - will prove sufficient.

“Our experience with HS1 shows that there are tremendous opportunities for landowners and authorities along the route to play an active role in making this exciting proposal a reality; bringing specific economic benefits to their area, and making the most of the new accessibility which the stations will create - as occurred around Ebbsfleet.

“We now move into the detailed phase, with design and environmental assessments and community consultations before this can be put to Parliament. Given the general election, this will take some time, at least the seven years predicted. But the prize is worthwhile. It is a proposal that will bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the UK.”

John Cridland, CBI Deputy Director-General, said:

Comment from Ian Trehearne, partner at Berwin Leighton Paisner, on the Government’s proposal for a new high-speed rail network.

“The proposal by the Government for a new high speed line between Birmingham and London must be welcomed by passenger groups and the business community.

“The overcrowding on the line from Birmingham to London is endemic and growing. The proposed solution will do much to improve regional economic development as well as improving the passenger experience and potentially improving the environment.

“The next step is assessing how Heathrow is incorporated into the plan. Only an interchange on the Great Western Mainline close to Heathrow will offer sufficiently direct interconnection to improve surface access. This will improve both passenger experience and the environment and provide the realistic potential for satisfactory rail-air substitution. But this requires a different alignment from the current proposal. Neither of the potential alternatives - the crossrail connection nor a loop to Heathrow - will prove sufficient.

“Our experience with HS1 shows that there are tremendous opportunities for landowners and authorities along the route to play an active role in making this exciting proposal a reality; bringing specific economic benefits to their area, and making the most of the new accessibility which the stations will create - as occurred around Ebbsfleet.

“We now move into the detailed phase, with design and environmental assessments and community consultations before this can be put to Parliament. Given the general election, this will take some time, at least the seven years predicted. But the prize is worthwhile. It is a proposal that will bring significant economic, social and environmental benefits to the UK.” "For much of the last century, there was simply not enough long-term planning on our railways, so it is encouraging to see this kind of visionary thinking. We need investment in our railways over the long-term to avoid congestion, especially on the crowded West Coast mainline. The strong long-term pipeline for engineering, construction, jobs and growth is also very welcome.

"But high speed rail will come with a hefty price tag and sooner or later the question of who pays for it will have to be answered. Private sector support for the concept of high speed rail should not be misread as a willingness to write a blank cheque – at a time of severely stretched public finances a full and open consultation on private funding will be essential. Equally, high speed rail must not be allowed to drain investment from other transport priorities.

Stephen Joseph, Executive Director of Campaign for Better Transport, said the Government has failed to show that the high speed rail plans will get people out of cars and planes. He also warned against cutting transport funding today to fund expensive “jam tomorrow”.


He said: “The danger is that a high speed line will suck money out of the current transport network. The last thing people want is service cuts, higher fares, and more potholes, while the executive classes are treated to gleaming new high speed trains. 


“Even with extra money on the table, there must be a strategy to get people onto rail. The Government’s plan is high speed rail plus business as usual. It will make no difference to carbon emissions, and could even make things worse. Fares must be cheaper than flying and driving and high speed rail must be an alternative to new motorways and airports.”

Conservative shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said the Government was making a "big mistake" in not taking HSR2 through Heathrow ***. She said if elected a Conservative government would begin work straight away to create an HSR line connecting London, Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. She said on the line would begin in 2015 - two years earlier than the planned start under the Government's plans.

She said: "Labour have betrayed the vision we set out three years ago for HSR. Their line to Birmingham leaves the north of England, Scotland and Wales out of the massive social, economic and regeneration benefits of HSR.

"And failing to take HSR through Heathrow would be a big mistake and a major lost opportunity for the environment. Labour's deeply misguided support for a third runway (at Heathrow) has distorted their approach to HSR.

"The next Conservative government will begin work immediately to create an HSR line connecting London and Heathrow with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, with construction to begin in 2015. This is the first step towards achieving our vision of a national HSR network to join up major cities across England, Scotland and Wales."

Read Villiers blog on the announcement here

*** Though in his statement Adonis pointed out that the Conservative proposal, based on that of the engineering firm Arup, does not provide for a station that is actually on-site but one that is 2.5 miles from the airport, requiring all passengers to undertake a transit journey.

Conservative-controlled Buckinghamshire County Council, pressed the case for the line to run via Milton Keynes, shadowing the existing West Coast Main Line. Val Letheren, the council's cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said:

"There is no need to sacrifice our beautiful countryside because of the fact that it is the shortest distance from London to Birmingham. We have more lawyers per square mile in Buckinghamshire than any other county and we will fight this tooth and nail."

Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, said:

“High speed rail links have been a huge success across Europe and it’s vital that the UK’s rail infrastructure is not left behind," he said.

“A new high speed rail link will deliver huge economic benefits to all of the regions it serves, create thousands of highly skilled jobs and contribute to a greener transport system.

“But the UK must not repeat the mistakes of other countries where investment in high speed rail came at the cost of other national and regional services, which were left to decay.”

David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce:

"Continued investment in Britain's transport infrastructure will underpin economic growth, support business in driving recovery and create jobs. That is why we support a comprehensive HSR network that provides vital extra capacity and helps British companies compete on a global scale.
"With the public finances in such a poor state, the budget for this important project needs to be carefully considered. HSR is a long-term investment but it cannot be built at the expense of the current rail network. There must now be a binding, cross-party political consensus to ensure that both HSR and upgrades to the existing rail system proceed over the next two decades."

Former deputy PM John Prescott, on his blog:

"This will at last connect the Midlands and the North by high speed rail to the South and Europe and finally fulfill an empty promise made by the Tories 20 years ago, which they failed to deliver.
"It will make Britain a high speed rail country, which is good for the North and the Midlands and good for the environment. More importantly it will also help to reduce the economic and social differentials between North and South
"A modern transport system for a modern Britain that can only be delivered by Labour Governments."

Ralph Smyth, senior transport campaigner, with the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said:

"By using existing and disused transport corridors as well as tunnelling, the impact on the Chilterns is less than feared. But the impact on the Warwickshire, where the line is proposed to run through open countryside, is a major concern.

"There is a strong need for more than just fine-tuning. The firm commitment to community consultation made by Lord Adonis must be backed up by real engagement and flexibility. As with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, local people's contribution can help turn a contentious route into something that works both national and locally."

The Regional Cities East group of local authorities in the East of England have questioned the proposed high speed rail route, announced today by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis.

Neil Darwin, Director of Regional Cities East, said:

“The decision for the high speed rail line to completely by-pass the East of England is a big disappointment. The region has some of the most economically important cities in the country, including Cambridge, Peterborough and Norwich – the hot favourite to gain capital of culture status. Ignoring the region is a big mistake at a time when we need to get the best out of every economic asset.

“There’s also a danger that the huge costs of high speed rail will drain investment from other parts of the rail network. Routes like the Great Eastern Mainline, which connects Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester to London, are in desperate need of upgrades. Important though high speed rail is, we can’t afford to leave other areas lagging behind.”

Scotland secretary Jim Murphy said the Scottish Government will have to pay its share if the line is to be extended north.

He said: "This is a historic announcement by the Labour government, the fastest trains in history, 250mph, initially going to Leeds and Manchester, and then we're committed to getting it to Scotland as well."

Scotland's transport minister Stewart Stevenson said: "[Extending the line to Scotland] is of course something we will discuss with the UK government. Cross border services are a matter for Westminster rather than for ourselves in Scotland."