黑洞社区

1 Manchester council

• Local authority
• Area of operation: the 11,565 ha city area
• Key people: Chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein (pictured); deputy chief executive, Eamonn Boylan

Why listed?

• For drive, determination and entrepreneurial skill

Ask Manchester council鈥檚 chief executive Sir Howard Bernstein about the cities his own is competing with and he does not even mention Birmingham or London, but he can give you chapter and verse on New York. That is a measure of how far this city has progressed in its regeneration, and of its ambition. In putting Manchester at number one in our listing, our assessment panel recognised that, 鈥渢he city doesn鈥檛 stand still. It is constantly planning its next move鈥�. Bernstein says: 鈥淲e鈥檙e at a stage in a journey. Twenty years ago our ambition was to be taken seriously as an international city. Now the ambition is to be best in class.鈥�

Much of its transformation has been down to Bernstein himself, the Manchester city clerk who rose to become chief executive, and a man renowned for his passion for his home city and his entrepreneurial skills. Bernstein has applied both attributes to deliver a string of physical symbols of renaissance: from the Urbis museum (produced when Bernstein headed the Manchester Millennium partnership formed to rebuild the city centre after the IRA bombing) and the Commonwealth Games stadium to the new Spinningfields office district and East Manchester's funky new housing.

But what is the secret of Manchester鈥檚 success as top client? Bernstein attributes it to three factors: 鈥淵ou have to have leadership, not only in projects but in a commitment to a place that transcends organisational boundaries. You have to have clarity of purpose 鈥� be clear on the outcomes that need to be delivered. And you have to have the confidence to work with different stakeholders.鈥�

And don鈥檛 forget that the council has also worked extremely hard. The city scored a major coup two years ago when the Bank of New York decided to locate there. Bernstein points out: 鈥淎 deal like the Bank of New York does not happen every week. Those initiatives take years 鈥� we are working hard on more and hope to have at least one to announce this year. You don鈥檛 build a strategy on speculative inward investment. You have got to expand and develop your critical mass.鈥�

There are still fresh challenges for the city, as Bernstein acknowledges: 鈥淲hat we have started to do is create an economic profile and a level of competitiveness that should mean we can look forward to continuous growth. But there are impediments to that growth path 鈥� congestion could be one, and so we are putting in place a radical strategy to deal with that. But the biggest challenge is securing local benefits for local people. That is about improving standards of education, reducing levels of worklessness 鈥� those are substantial issues and they need to be addressed not only by the local authority, but working with a range of stakeholders.鈥�

2 Glasgow council

• Local authority
• Area of operation: Glasgow
• Key people: Steve Inch, director of city development; John Bury, head of planning; Cllr Steven Purcell, leader of the council

Why listed?

• Altered the image of Glasgow over recent years by overhauling the town centre and embarking on a 10-year, 拢1.2bn redevelopment of 49ha in Glasgow Harbour and the 拢1.6bn Clyde Gateway Project

鈥淲e do like to think that our innovative approaches have made Glasgow a very attractive place for development by any measure,鈥� says the director of city development at Glasgow council, Steve Inch. So just what is it that is so innovative about what has happened over recent years in Glasgow that merits it coming second in our list?

Our judges were effusive in their praise: 鈥淕lasgow compared with 15 years ago is just a different place. The Merchant City [in the city centre] and everything coming from it is just fantastic. It has been at it for a while and has created a city that is one of the best in Europe.鈥�

Add to that its plan to streamline its planning policies in order to speed up major regeneration projects, as well as the redevelopment of Glasgow Harbour of which the 拢20m Clyde Arc (above) is a part, and it becomes hard to believe that the council didn鈥檛 top our list. Inch admits, however, that there is still a long way for the city to go: 鈥淥ur main challenges are to continue the development and regeneration processes so that the city鈥檚 economic success can continue.鈥�

With a decision due in November on whether Glasgow will host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the council could well be following in our top client Manchester鈥檚 footsteps next year in more ways than one.

3 Places For People

• Housing association
• Area of operation: nationwide
• Key people: David Cowans, chief executive; David Power, head of neighbourhoods; David Shaw, head of development and procurement

Why listed?

• For leading the way for modern housing associations with a 拢300m land-buying joint venture with developer Cofton and its involvement in 8,500-home Upper Strand development in Edinburgh city centre

鈥淵ou need to create a whirlwind.鈥� This, according to David Cowans, chief executive of Places for People, is the key to being a successful regeneration client. 鈥淚t will draw all of the funding and key players to the table which will join up the procurement process and make something happen,鈥� he explains. This is certainly an area where Cowans and his team have excelled over recent years and led to it being nominated by several of our readers. Projects which readers mentioned include the 8,500-home Upper Strand joint venture in the heart of Edinburgh; the 300 homes on the site of a former railway station at Wolverton Park in Milton Keynes; and the partnership with Newcastle council to build 1,780 homes in the deprived Walker area of the city (pictured, left). The judges felt equally strongly that Places for People 鈥渃ould not be ignored for the scale of what it is doing. It is the one [housing association] leading the way away from [Housing Corporation] grant-dependent development鈥�.

Cowans agrees that his 鈥渄esire to do big things鈥� and 鈥渢alk to local communities鈥� makes Places for People a good client. 鈥淲e take a long-term position. We are prepared to work somewhere for 15-20 years to ensure that a place will work,鈥� he says.

4 Sheffield council

• Local authority
• Area of operation: Sheffield
• Key people: Sir Bob Kerslake, chief executive; Joanne Roney, executive director of neighbourhoods; John Mothersole, executive director of development

Why listed?

• Has steered the city from zero to hero with chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake (below) playing no small part in the past decade

Our judges probably best summed up why Sheffield council is in the top five: 鈥淭hirty years ago it was on its knees and on the verge of bankruptcy. Now it has managed to drag itself up and has made so much more progress than other places that have had the same or more funding.鈥� For readers that nominated Sheffield, there was only one man responsible: the council鈥檚 chief executive Sir Bob Kerslake.

鈥淚 am delighted we are in the top group,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t is very important that we are seen as good to work with. I am also flattered that people feel this is due in some part to me.鈥� Kerslake has been at the council since 1997 and says that his team 鈥� including Joanne Roney and John Mothersole 鈥� deserve much of the credit too. The proudest moment of Kerslake鈥檚 time in Sheffield has been the 鈥渢ransformation of the city centre to create conditions where it is attractive for the private sector to invest鈥�. He also mentions the iconic Park Hill regeneration that the council has worked on for several years to secure a development partner in the 鈥渂rilliant鈥� Urban Splash.

He adds that a good regeneration client 鈥溾��needs to have a clear and consistent sense of direction. This sounds straightforward but in reality is quite difficult stuff. What our partners want is a client that is clear about want it wants and can work with those delivering the project.

鈥淵ou also need to be sensible and pragmatic. The key test is how you react not so much when everything is going swimmingly but when it isn鈥檛,鈥� he adds.

5 Argent

• Developer
• Area of operation: National, but particularly London, Birmingham and Manchester
• Key people: Joint chief executives, Roger Madelin and David Partridge

Why listed?

• For its perseverance in making central London鈥檚 biggest regeneration project for 150 years happen at King鈥檚 Cross Central (pictured)

Argent used to be best known for bringing mixed use to Birmingham city centre with Brindleyplace. Since then that achievement has been overshadowed by the prospect of King鈥檚 Cross Central. The numbers for King鈥檚 Cross Central are breathtaking, particularly those involved in bringing the scheme through to planning approval: it has taken seven years to get approval to start building the 8mft2 scheme. As one nomination said: 鈥淚鈥檇 vote for them for their approach, and their sheer perseverance with King鈥檚 Cross.鈥�

Last month the developer and its landowner partners London and Continental Railways and Exel won what they hope is the final battle with protestors following a judicial review, and now construction is under way on the 拢350m first phase. With up to 60 buildings, 20 new London streets, and 10 open spaces on a 67 acre site, Madelin says of the scheme: "It isn鈥檛 ours, it鈥檚 London鈥檚."

6 London Borough of Newham

• Local authority
• Area of operation: East London
• Key people: Sir Robin Wales, mayor of Newham; Seema Manchanda, regeneration director

Why listed?

• For juggling 拢4bn Stratford City development and a 拢1.7bn project to redevelop Canning Town with the 拢9.3bn London Olympic Games

Where do you start? Not only is Newham responsible for overseeing the planning process for the 2012 Olympics and is a key player in the success of the London section of the Thames Gateway housing growth area, it is also working with developer Lend Lease on the 拢4bn Stratford City development. Another key project is at Canning Town where a 拢1.7bn project will see the construction of 8,000 homes and 500,000m2 of commercial space in a revitalised town centre. Besides this, as one of our readers who nominated the borough pointed out, it is dealing with the fact that it is one of the most deprived areas in the UK and 鈥渋t has to handle tricky estates regeneration in the shadow of the Olympics鈥�. In total the work under way in Newham will attract 70,200 people and add 32,000 homes and 75,000 jobs.

7 Bellway

• Housebuilder
• Area of operation: national
• Key people: chief executive, John Watson. Bill Stevenson, chairman of Bellway City Solutions.

Why listed?

• For working with English Partnerships to produce a viable, quality solution for Barking Reach (pictured)

Hull鈥檚 docks, Hulme in Manchester, Barking Reach in London Thames Gateway 鈥� they are among the toughest sites to deliver in the UK. Bellway has taken on a developer role in them all, a factor that prompted our assessment panel to give the housebuilder this high placing. Hull鈥檚 Victoria Docks and Hulme have long been completed, but the new community of 10,800 homes at Barking Reach, where Bellway is working with English Partnership, is just getting under way. More innovative solutions for difficult sites are in the pipeline, notably EASEL, a 拢1.2bn project in east Leeds. The housebuilder has entered a strategic partnership with Leeds council to deliver 5,000 homes over the next 20 years. Bellway and the council will form a joint venture company to re-invest profits from the development back into the community.

8 Greater London Authority

• Regional government for London
• Area of operation: London
• Key people: Ken Livingstone, London mayor; Neale Coleman, director of business planning and regeneration

Why listed?

• For championing the cause of more housing and development in London

Love him or hate him London mayor Ken Livingstone has certainly made a difference as far as regeneration is concerned in the capital. The controversial London Plan has been in force for a number of years now which demands that 30,500 new homes are built each year and has resulted in increased housing densities in higher rise developments, containing a greater proportion of social and affordable housing. His demand for an average of 50% of all new housing in London to be affordable has caused much gnashing of teeth. Livingstone also now chairs the London Regional Housing Board and separate to this has over 拢50m of government funds to invest in estate regeneration.