Why collaboration is vital to successful urban regeneration

Collaboration is key to the success of any urban regeneration project. Be it with local authorities, local interest groups, retailers or tenants, the most effective projects are achieved when the developer views its footprint as part of a wider townscape that serves the community within it.

One good scheme within a failing town centre landscape can be a catalyst to change, but on its own it is not enough. Before kicking off any regeneration project, developers must gain an understanding of the footprint’s history and heritage, what is needed to make it a vibrant destination and potential barriers to change, be they physical, legislative or market related. Engaging a strong team of professionals from the outset – one that understands the location and market demand – as well as identifying and communicating with key stakeholders, is of paramount importance in achieving clarity of vision.

Community engagement

The most successful regeneration projects are those that are accepted and utilised by the local community. This is particularly relevant for town centre locations, where there’s often a feeling of ownership and strong sentiment from longstanding local residents. It’s rare that a developer comes from the project area and whilst this can be a positive in terms of bringing impartiality and a third-party perspective, without collaboration it can act as a barrier.

Engaging key local stakeholders as early as possible can help with this, by building up trust between all parties. Collaboration will help developers form ideas and identify areas of sensitivity that should be addressed in the design and build process.

In my experience, commencing dialogue early in the masterplanning process, including surveying local residents and traders, can significantly help to inform the type of end uses and spaces the scheme should aim to deliver. Following up with communications to acknowledge and illustrate the benefits of their input will further strengthen that relationship.

Local authority engagement

Engaging the local authority is particularly beneficial to town centre schemes where it may be an adjacent landowner, or where early discussions with the planning authority are needed due to the sensitive location of the site within the fabric of the borough. For developers, showing a willingness to collaborate with the local authority can help achieve positive planning results, especially for large-scale mixed-use regeneration schemes. I’ve seen local authorities bring forward and adopt a strategic planning framework for a town well into the pre app and design process. While this presented a major hurdle, interactive dialogue resulted in a successful planning outcome and an improved scheme design.

Local authorities can also play a crucial role in closing the viability gap, which is critical due to the significant build cost inflation seen over the past 18 months. This can come in the form of assistance with accessing grants or lending their covenant to part of a scheme to help unlock funding and investment. Now, more than ever, bringing homes back into town centre locations is fundamental to activating the high street and filling commercial space. Local authorities can play a pivotal role in making this happen. Therefore, open and transparent dialogue is necessary to finding a solution that meets both public and private sector aspirations.

Collaboration is key

A lack of collaboration with the local community and stakeholders at the concept design stage can all too easily result in negativity towards the finished scheme. Failure to collaborate can lead to formal objections from uninformed third-party landowners or existing tenants that may feel marginalised by a lack of communication, triggering unwanted delays that affect the financial return of the scheme.

Challenges invariably arise in regeneration schemes and regular communication is invaluable in terms of finding mutually beneficial solutions. Where possible, issues such as party wall agreements, rights of light, sensitivities around certain use types in a town centre, as well as appropriate height and massing, should be identified at an early stage and addressed proactively. Being presumptive and failing to communicate as a developer can result in delays, financial losses and an end product that fails to engage the local population.

Challenge of live trading assets

The regeneration of a live trading asset is probably one of the hardest projects to deliver and where collaboration is most critical. For example, taking on a regeneration while tenants continue to occupy their units means balancing their right and ability to trade with the commerciality of completing construction works in a timely and cost effective manner. Developers can achieve buy-in and trust by meeting with existing tenants and potential incoming tenants in advance of any works, to present the scheme and explain what the end product will look like, when and how it will be delivered and how it will positively impact their business.

This dialogue must be continued throughout the delivery process, which requires time commitment and a hands-on approach from the developer. Asking someone to trade through a period of extended build works could directly affect their livelihood. Recognising this and demonstrating empathy via regular communication can significantly improve what is a difficult period for both parties.

Creating goodwill

Early engagement allows developers to get beneath the skin of any urban regeneration project, giving an in depth understanding of the asset and its location. Collaboration creates goodwill and a sense of community amongst traders and local residents, and a good developer should understand that the answer to a successful regeneration project lies as much outside their ownership as it does within.

Collaboration helps create the vision and deliver a project that has much more chance of success with support from the local community and stakeholders who in turn help drive footfall, fill vacant spaces and create a ‘destination’. As a result, rental income and revenues are increased, vacant costs are reduced, and value is enhanced. Failing to collaborate in a meaningful way in regard to a town centre regeneration scheme – something so pivotal to the fabric of local society – is a risk that no developer or investor should be willing to take.