National Regeneration Summit News

HCA boss to address renewal summit

The boss of England’s housing and regeneration quango will take part in a Question Time-style debate on the future of regeneration at a conference in London next month.

Pat Ritchie, chief executive of the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA), will be joined by Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, deputy chair of the panel responsible for advising ministers which projects should receive cash from the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund, and Clive Betts, chair of the communities and local government select committee.

During the Question Time-style debate they will take questions from the audience on the vision for future regeneration.

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Seven reasons to attend

A host of top-level speakers will gather at a London conference to explore how regeneration professionals can deliver projects in the current funding environment.

The seventh annual Regeneration & Renewal National Regeneration Summit will focus on maintaining cost-effective regeneration in an era of localism.

The event, to be held at London’s Business Design Centre on 17 May, will hear from some of the main figures involved in delivering the Government’s agenda as well as bosses at key regeneration agencies.

Up to 200 private and public sector delegates working in economic development, physical regeneration and community renewal will have the opportunity to network and share ideas with colleagues from across the UK.

1. Hear the Government’s plan for regeneration in the era of localism Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) minister Andrew Stunell is at the heart of coalition plans to devolve decision-making power to local areas. He is responsible for community cohesion, race equality, building regulations and the implementation of the Big Society agenda in relation to housing and regeneration. Stunell is working closely with ministerial colleagues on initiatives including neighbourhood planning and the New Homes Bonus, which is intended to reward local areas for allowing development. In his keynote address, he will explain how the Government hopes to build on lessons learned in community engagement from recent initiatives and how its approach differs from that of the previous administration.

2. Learn how to access Regional Growth Fund cash Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, the first president of the Liberal Democrats, is deputy chairman of the Regional Growth Fund advisory panel, reporting to its chair, Lord Heseltine. He will address a breakout session explaining how councils and private firms can tap into the fund, which was set up to provide £1.4 billion over three years to encourage economic development in areas hit by public sector job losses. Last week the Government announced the 50 projects selected to receive cash through the fund’s first round and launched its second round, which will hand out around £1 billion. In his session, Wrigglesworth will explain how the first round was allocated and what the fund is looking for from second-round bidders.

4. Discover alternative funding models In the current economic climate, public-private sector working has never been more important. A growing number of councils are harnessing private money by developing new delivery mechanisms. A dedicated breakout session on the new generation of funding models will see Chris Brown, development manager of the Igloo Regeneration Fund, joined by Bournemouth Borough Council programme director Stephen Godsall, and London Borough of Lewisham chief executive Barry Quirk. The trio will explore how European JESSICA funding, local asset-backed vehicles and Public Works Loan Board cash can help get development projects off the ground. In a separate session, senior DCLG officials will be joined by Ashish Anand, director of infrastructure and structured project finance at Barclays Corporate. They will discuss new measures to raise funds for infrastructure, including Tax Increment Financing and the Community Infrastructure Levy.

4. Join the debate In a Question Time-style session, delegates will be able to put their queries to some of the regeneration sector’s biggest hitters. The first member of the panel is Pat Ritchie, chief executive of England’s housing and regeneration quango the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA), which must provide affordable housing on a radically reduced budget following last year’s spending review. Ritchie will be joined by Sir Ian Wrigglesworth and Philip Cox, director for local economies, regeneration and European programmes at DCLG. The final guest is Clive Betts, chairman of the House of Commons communities and local government committee, who has been scrutinising regeneration policy since 2002.

5. Get to the bottom of the Big Society Following minister Andrew Stunell’s keynote address, Lord Shipley, former leader of Newcastle City Council and board member of regional development agency One North East, will debate how localism can help regeneration with Iain Tuckett, group director of London-based social enterprise Coin Street Community Builders. A breakout session will then consider opportunities for community-led bodies to deliver public services, including a case study from Greenwich Leisure, a social enterprise that manages more than 90 public leisure centres. A separate session will examine how the Big Society concept translates into regeneration practice. The session will explore what funds are available, examine the role of community organisers and hear lessons from one of the government-anointed Big Society vanguard councils.

6. Listen to experts explain how to deliver regeneration despite continuing cuts Delegates will hear from a variety of speakers explaining the new financial environment. A breakout session will explore how the new funding environment for housing will affect regeneration, with HCA deputy chief executive Richard Hill mulling the issues with Tim Collins, deputy director for external affairs at the Home Builders Federation. Another session will see two investors join Peter Cosmetatos, director of policy (finance) at the British Property Federation, to discuss how to secure private sector funding for projects. After lunch, Jon Rouse, chief executive of the London Borough of Croydon, will join Stewart Murray, director of planning, housing and regeneration at the London Borough of Barnet, to explore how local authorities can try to limit the impact of the cuts through improved efficiency and partnering. Later, a breakout session will outline the funding options for voluntary and community groups.

7. Share your ideas The conference will provide an unrivalled opportunity to make contact with fellow regeneration professionals dealing with today’s most challenging issues. Up to 200 delegates will descend on London’s Business Design Centre from across the country. Outside the main conference hall and session streams, delegates can swap experiences in a networking area. Economic development professionals will mix with representatives from the charity and voluntary sector, while property agents and architects will get the chance to talk to officials from local and central government. There will also be a chance to look at stands promoting the work of the conference’s main sponsors and to talk to senior staff. In addition, delegates will be able to attend smaller workshops on specialist topics related to renewal. Keep an eye on our website www.national regenerationsummit.com for details of these as they are announced.

A selection of key speakers

Andrew Stunell, Parliamentary under-secretary of state, Department for Communities and Local Government The DCLG’s only Liberal Democrat minister, Stunell is responsible for areas including community cohesion and the implementation of the Big Society agenda in relation to housing and regeneration.

Tony Burton, Director, Civic Voice Burton has more than 20 years’ experience in community campaigning. He formerly worked for the Campaign to Protect Rural England as deputy director, and also served on Lord Rogers’ Urban Task Force.

Peter Andrews, Chief executive, London Thames Gateway Development Corporation Andrews is a chartered surveyor with more than 25 years’ experience of developing urban sites. He joined the corporation in 2005 from Swindon’s urban regeneration company, where he had been chief executive since 2003.

Peter Cosmetatos, Director of policy (finance), British Property Federation Cosmetatos joined the BPF in 2008 after working for ten years as a tax adviser in the City of London for public and private bodies.

Philip Cox, Director, local economies, regeneration and European programmes, DCLG Cox, a senior civil servant who previously worked as principal private secretary to former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott, is responsible for local growth and regeneration, including local enterprise partnerships, the Regional Growth Fund and European funding.

Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, Deputy chairman, Regional Growth Fund advisory panel A former Labour and Social Democratic Party MP, Wrigglesworth is now chief executive of Gateshead-based property firm Bluehall Properties. He was the founding chairman of the public-private NewcastleGateshead Initiative.

Pat Ritchie, Chief executive, Homes & Communities Agency Ritchie took on her current role in 2010, having served as HCA director for the North-East since 2008. Her previous roles included a spell as assistant chief executive (strategy) at regional development agency One North East.

Toby Blume, Chief executive, Urban Forum Blume has been chief executive of community renewal umbrella body Urban Forum since 2004. Prior to that, he was a director of homelessness charity Groundswell.

Clive Betts, Chairman of the Commons communities and local government committee Labour MP Betts formerly worked as an economist for the Trades Union Congress and leader of Sheffield City Council. He has chaired the CLG select committee since last June, having served on its predecessor committees since 2002.

Jon Rouse, Chief executive, London Borough of Croydon Rouse was formerly chief executive of design adviser the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and social homes agency the Housing Corporation.