黑洞社区

17 Cardiff Council

• Local authority
• Area of operation: Cardiff
• Key person: Emyr Evans, corporate director for sustainable Cardiff

Why listed?

• For the sheer ambition involved in being one of the first cities to attempt the wholescale regeneration of a former industrial area.

In regeneration terms Cardiff is best defined by Cardiff Bay (left) and the development corporation that was set up there in 1987. It was set the task of revitalising 1,100ha of derelict land, reunite the city with its waterfront and put Cardiff 鈥渙n the international map as a superlative maritime city鈥�. Since then this aim has been met with new transport links, hundreds of homes, the Wales Millennium arts centre, the National Assembly for Wales and numerous retail and office developments. As one judge said: 鈥淚t would be very churlish not to admire what they have done over the last few years.鈥�

18 New East Manchester URC

• Delivery agency
• Operating area: 1,900ha area to the east of the city centre
• Key person: chief executive, Tom Russell

Why listed?

• For addressing the issues of high-density suburban housing

New East Manchester has registered some big achievements in physical regeneration in its 1,900ha territory. Schemes such as New Islington Millennium Community 鈥� where the URC is working with English Partnerships, the council and Urban Splash to deliver 1,400 homes 鈥� and Miles Platting neighbourhood redevelopment (above) are projects that have a wider impact. Our panel said: 鈥淭hey are addressing the issues of building suburban housing at high density and are trying to find ways to make it work better.鈥�

19 Newcastle Council

• Local authority
• Area of operation: Newcastle
• Key people: Marie Fallon, director of regeneration; Cllr Mike Cookson, executive member for regeneration

Why listed?

• For its involvement in the housing market renewal pathfinder

Newcastle has just launched its latest regeneration strategy which will steer what happens in the city until 2021. In addition to this the council is in the throes of setting up a regeneration management company that will oversee regeneration projects and handle public and private regeneration investment. One reader said: 鈥淚t pioneered the idea of linking the masterplanning and delivery contract together. It made the whole process much more straightforward.鈥�

20 St Modwen

• Developer
• Operating area: national
• Key people: chairman Anthony Glossop; chief executive Bill Oliver.

Why listed?

• For delivering on the mixed-use agenda

The Midlands-based St Modwen is best known for dealing with contaminated land and coming up with deals to unlock complex sites. Among the sites it has in the pipeline are the former Llanwern steelworks, and MG Rover Longbridge. The company is also increasingly operating in urban centres, such as Edmonton and Farnborough. One of our voters praised its 鈥渆xpertise in delivering retail and commercial space. They have grasped the concept of mixed-use-led town centre regeneration to create desirable destinations in less glamorous town centre locations.鈥�

21 Quintain

• Developer
• Area of operation: nationwide
• Key people: Adrian Wyatt, chief executive; Nick Shattock, deputy chief executive

Why listed?

• PLC with the largest regeneration portfolio in the country. Would have been higher up but has yet to start work on its sites around the former Millennium Dome and Wembley Stadium

Quintain claims to be the PLC with the largest regeneration portfolio in the UK, but the developer is probably best known for its joint ownership of the former Millennium Dome and surrounding 190 acres. Another high-profile scheme involves the construction of 3,700 homes around the new Wembley Stadium in London.

One reader felt that the ambition shown in taking on two such high-profile and potentially risky sites was 鈥渁stute and far-sighted鈥�. Another added: 鈥淭hey are highly professional and entrepreneurial. They have taken challenges such as social housing demands, climate change and the drive for sustainable development and turned them into opportunities.鈥�

Our judges agreed, although they pointed out that much of what Quintain is doing on these sites had yet to be completed. For instance, it received planning permission from Greenwich Council in 2004 and in the words of local MP and former housing minister Nick Raynsford, 鈥渉as yet to build a single home there鈥�.

22 Haslam Homes

• Housebuilder
• Operating area: the North and Midlands
• Key person: group managing director, Peter Hindley

Why listed?

• For working with local authorities and communities in real partnership

Haslam Homes made the top 50 because, one of our voters noted: 鈥淭hey are one of the few developers that really does engage with communities and seek to regenerate rather than redevelop areas.鈥� Our assessment panel agreed, commending the work the company does in partnership. The housebuilder was delivering housing market renewal long before the government established its pathfinder programme and is now working with partners on the regeneration of Grimethorpe, south Yorkshire. The four sites being delivered in Grimethorpe include homes sold in partnership with Barnsley council to local young people for 拢60,000 and small business grants of up to 拢5,000 to help local shopkeepers refurbish their shopfronts. Haslam鈥檚 partnership approach is not surprising, given that its parent is the Keepmoat Group, an affordable housing provider that delivers 95% of its work through long-term partnering.

23 Oldham/ Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder

• Delivery agency
• Operating area: Oldham, Rochdale and parts of Middleton
• Key person: Dean Aggett, senior planning and design officer

Why listed?

• For their focus on design quality

This relatively small regeneration player punches above its weight with its commitment to transform this deprived area with high-quality, integrated communities and its ability to deliver. It has recently signed top architect Ian Simpson as a board member and won praise for its first scheme of 18 mixed-tenure homes in Oldham developed by Great Places Housing Group and designed by TADW Architects. The pathfinder is catering to the needs of its very diverse community with innovative and sensitive design solutions (pictured above).

24 Glasgow Housing Association

• Housing association
• Area of operation: Glasgow
• Key people: David Hastings, director of investment and regeneration; Taroub Zahran, acting chief executive

Why listed?

• Any client that spends 拢1m every two days can鈥檛 be all bad. It has some pretty ambitious estate regeneration plans, too.

GHA is the umbrella body for 63 local housing organisations that took ownership of 70,000 homes from Glasgow council in 2002. In the past five years it has received 拢814m in public funds and 拢725m in private sector borrowing and is investing these funds 鈥� along with the 拢200m it gets each year in rental income 鈥� in the improvement of its homes. To date it has carried out over 1m repairs and installed 26,800 new kitchens and bathrooms. However, it is also carrying out a series of consultations on what the future should be for eight deprived areas of the city. Expect to see GHA further up the list next year.

25 George Wimpey

• Housebuilder
• Operating area: countrywide, and the company operates in the USA
• Key people: group chief executive Peter Redfern; Ian Sutcliffe heads UK operations. Our voters highlighted the work done by Graeme Dodds, group business development director

Why listed?

• Their Design for Manufacture homes, conceived by signature architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Wherever the government action is, George Wimpey is increasingly there. The company was the first to have its Design for Manufacture homes completed, at Oxley Park in Milton Keynes. Less well known are the company鈥檚 activities in South Wales, where it is bringing through projects such as City Vizion, a 480-unit scheme in central Newport. Wimpey鈥檚 approach to design won praise from voters. One nomination said: 鈥淭hey have grasped the value of design to raise the ambition and assist in the promotion of the regeneration of post-industrial landscapes.鈥� George Wimpey鈥檚 13,600 unit-a-year UK output is set to increase with its acquisition of Taylor Woodrow.