Realized in the United Kingdom Regeneration Projects - Essay Example

Introduction Over time different regeneration projects have been going in the UK to improve the specific areas and make the areas provide better services than before. The major regeneration projects that will be discussed are the Greenwich peninsula regeneration scheme and the Elephant and Castle regeneration schemes. The two schemes have drastically changed their respective areas and modernized them The Greenwich Peninsula- Who are the stakeholders? The stakeholders of the project are the local community, the business community, the Greenwich council, the government and other important groups that have interest in the project. (Greenwich council, 2007) The master planning The plain to project to regenerate the Greenwich peninsula is being led by the Greenwich council, the planning of the project was done by Meridian Delta Ltd and submitted to the council who approved the master plan, which will cost a staggering 5 billion sterling pounds and it is estimated to take 15 years before it is completed. (Greenwich council, 2007) The consortium members, The Greenwich council, granted the permission of regenerating the Greenwich peninsula to a group of consortium named Meridian Delta Ltd, the Anschutz Entertainment group and the national regeneration agency. The group is supposed build the proposed regeneration project of the area which will include; building new nursery, primary and secondary schools, Building modern health facility, improving the transport system, which will improve the employment opportunities of the local community. (Greenwich council, 2007) Anschutz entertainment group: one of the global leader in the sports and entertainment presenters in the world. The management owns and control many international famous and best venues, arenas and sports franchises. Meridian delta limited: this is a joint venture company which comprises of Lend Lease and the Quintain Estates & Development Plc, which was formed to specifically lead the regeneration of Greenwich Peninsula Quintain Estates and Development Plc: this is a major Britain development and property investment company that specializes in redevelopment, property acquisition and asset management in many property sectors. (Greenwich council, 2007) A description as what is there now, At present the Greenwich peninsula is considered as a derelict and contaminated. There is no any meaningful development. As Cllr. Chris Roberts of Greenwich council state, “the council is building a new community on peninsula, land that used to be derelict and contaminated” The Greenwich peninsula comprising of 300 acre is physically secluded land with gasworks which are in derelict and contaminated. In 1996 a multidisciplinary team was selected to develop a master plan to develop the entire peninsula. (Greenwich council, 2007) Why the need for regeneration, The project was aimed at developing a modern mixed-use residential together with commercial quarters. The master plan capitalized on the new speedy link to canary and the new station at the North Greenwich to concentrate retail and office in the new central underground station. Big scale commercial were grouped alongside southern edge of black tunnel. (Greenwich council, 2007) The regeneration project The Greenwich council has a comprehensive plan of regenerating the peninsula, the project proposal includes; Building the millennium dome Building 10,000 new homes, Improving the transport system Providing an approximated 24, 000 job opportunities to the local community Providing 3,800 low cost houses which targets teachers and nurses and also 300 more affordable houses for students and persons with special needs The proposed dome will be an entertainment and also a sports complex which will have 20,000 seat-arenas The Anschtz entertainment group will be in charge of developing the arena. The projected Dome will offer world-class venue for entertainment and music events. (Greenwich council, 2007) The cost The regeneration of London’s Greenwich peninsula is estimated that it will cost 4.0 billion sterling pounds when it is completed. The project it expected to transform the city through offering new low cost houses, improving the transport system and creating new job opportunities. The landmark regeneration scheme is among the biggest ever undertaken in Britain and it is expected to offer 10,000 new modern homes, 3,800 of them being low cost houses. (Greenwich council, 2007) Dates The 5billion sterling pound regeneration projected is expected to take 15 years to be completed. On its completion the area is expected to be transformed into a new modern 1.4 million m2 community project. The projected was started in 1996 and it is expected to be completed by 2011. (Greenwich council, 2007) Environmental impacts and the benefits of regenerating the area The proposed project to regenerate the peninsula has taken into consideration the environmental impact and it is seen to be very environmental friendly. If completed it will offer parks, improve the surrounding air, provide a well planed transport network and improve the general environmental conditions of the area. arena with seating capacity of 26,000 leisure, sports, and retail outlets in the Dome more than 3,800 affordable dwellings more than 10,000 new modern homes, including student and special-needs housing more than 3,000 m2 of office space a modern business park local community facilities including schools and health provision 194,200m2 (48 acres) of open space between 300 and 500-bedroom hotels Approximately 25,000 jobs opportunities in commercial and retail enterprises(Greenwich council, 2007) The Elephant and Castle Regeneration project the stakeholders The main stakeholder of the regeneration project are the Southwark people, the Southwark council, the business community, the government and any other groups involved directly or indirectly such as the environmentalists. (Southwark council 2007) The master planning Master planning of the regeneration programme was undertaken by Southwark council in conjunction with a multidisciplinary development team, which included Foster and Partners Architects, Jan Gehl, Tibblads Planning Urban Designs, Space Syntax, JMP and Steer Davis Gleeve and many others. The team together with Southwark council have been able to create a framework plan for the regeneration of Elephant and Castle. The framework for regeneration was adopted the year 2004 to be a supplementary planning guideline after a through three month consultation with the public, of which 80% of the local community supported the project proposal. (Southwark council 2007) The consortium members Southwark council selected Lend Lease, First Base and Oakmayne as the consortium to carry out the 1.5 sterling pound billion project that is expected to take 10 years to be completed. The continuum was selected based on its sound resources, financial capacity and expertise of the company. (Southwark council 2007) A description as what is there now, The town present structure was formulate in 1960s under a plan named “new sights of London” which was a plan to create a city that more space on the ground and higher in the higher. Pedestrians on and traffic were to travel at different level, thus a huge traffic gyratory system was designed, a labyrinth of subways running for 2 km, and a big enclosed shopping mall. The Heygate Estate with 1,200 units was finished in 1970s. However, the 1960s vision did not materialize, for the reason in which Elephant and Castle was built. The region has not been able to evolve with time, and instead it has sunk into despair. In 2002 the Southwark council agreed that the approach to of improving the town is to do away with the physical barriers and have a new lay out and design for the town. The barriers were; 1. Badly outdated buildings which required a lot of investment 2. Low quality housing 3. Heavy amount of traffic 4. Divided community because of the layout of the town 5. High pollution level in the town 6. A hostile surrounding, which leads to crime and crime fear(Southwark council 2007) Why the need for regeneration, The regeneration has been undertaken due to the need to improve the town’s living standard in terms of better housing, efficient transports system and others. Southwark council has undertaken an important leading role in ensuring the regeneration proposals adhere to the long term requirements of the Southwark people, and leave a positive mark for many years to come. The requirements of the residents in the town includes, more job opportunities, improved security, better housing facilities, improved schools, new modern business opportunities, increased number of shops and improved leisure facilities. (Southwark council 2007) The regeneration project Elephant and castle regeneration programme is an ambitious project to transform the area to make it one of the biggest regeneration project ever done in entire Europe. The projected which is estimated to cost 1.5 billion sterling pounds, 170 –acre project includes creating a modern pedestrianised town centre, a market square; new green spaces and also hundreds of new homes and new jobs. South council has taken the lead in the program which is projected to be completed by 2014. The project when completed will benefit the local community through providing improved open spaces; tree lined streets, amore traffic free surrounding, increased job opportunities and training opportunities, and modern cultural and recreational facilities such as swimming poll and cinema. The project is aimed at returning the town to it’s hey day by making it a thriving urban area where people across the company can come to shop, relax, eat and be entertained. The project covers 170 acres, and its aim is to create a new desirable surrounding for the present residents, through provisions of better housing facilities, improved transport system, enhanced heath care facilities, education, better training and more job opportunities.(Southwark council 2007) The cost The project is estimated to cost 1.5 billion sterling pounds, the170 –acre project includes creating a modern pedestrianised town centre, a market square; new green spaces and also hundreds of new homes and new jobs When completed the project will transform the area completely. (Southwark council 2007) Dates, A summary of the timeline of the project May 2002 New commitment by Southwark executive committee Jan 2003 The council publishes the framework for the regeneration of elephant and castle June 2003 Draft development framework June 2004 Framework perfected by MAKE architects Jan 2005 Start of procurement process for development partner August 2005 Two housing consortia selected August 2006 Heygate residents move to Wansey street Present and future July 207 selection of commercial developer Early 2008 Plans for removal of southern roundabout Spring 2008 Begin construction of 16 Heygate housing 2008-2009 Heygate estate residents move to new house around elephant and castle, phased demolition of the estate 2008-2010 Continuous demolition of elephant and castle shopping centre and redeveloping Heygate estate 2014 Completion of Regeneration of elephant and castle Environmental impacts and the benefits of regenerating the area The project will improve the environment as it is aimed at reducing pollution, using innovative ways to conserve energy, decongesting traffic and creating an overall good environment. Southwark council works in partnership with commercial developer in regenerating the entire area, following the framework guidelines for the development of the project. (Southwark council, 2007) Through taking the lead in master planning, the council has taken a radical approach as large scale regeneration projects are hardly ever led by the public sector. The main features of the development plan include; 1. Flattening of the Heygate estates and the shopping centre 2. Relocating of residents of Heygate estate in better quality public housing in the elephant and castle area 3. Removing of the crowded road network system and redirecting of traffic out of the main area 4. Creation of modern pedestrian-more friendly town hub 5. Building of 6,600 new modern home 6. Designing an enhanced transport interchange 7. Creating of about 75,000m2 of new retail shops and leisure amenities 8. Creating two modern parks 9. Building two more schools, that includes a city academy 10. Creating more than 4,000 new job opportunities 11. Adopting of various innovative means to reduce energy consumption (Southwark council 2007) Slough Town Centre- There are plans to regenerate slough in water is termed as the heart of Slough regeneration scheme that has been started by the Slough Borough council. The regeneration project is aimed at regenerating 11. 75 hectares of land (English partnership 2007) The present The present situation is that there is need to regenerate 11.75 Hectares of land which includes the stadium and the land within the town centre; britwell and Northborough of which is underdeveloped and which is supposed to be turned into a sports complex. Another area that is being target for regeneration is the Kennedy Park which is currently scrub land. (English partnership 2007) Need to be regenerated The area needs to be regenerated in order to improve the present conditions, upon regeneration the area will have a modern facilities that will improve the general standards of the wider and the local communities living there The stakeholders The local community of slough, the council, the local football team, private developers are among the main stakeholders of the regeneration project. (English partnership 2007) The benefit The regeneration will improve the quality of the life of the residents and also the wider community through; Improved parking areas Creating new facilities for leisure and recreation Better centre High quality housing Good transport network between Britwell and Northborough (English partnership 2007) Conclusion When carrying out regeneration it is important to carry out a feasibility study to know of effective the project will be. Greenwich and elephant and castle regeneration projects are a big success that have been undertaken by the respective authorities and have a high potential of improving the life of the local communities and the wider communities in terms of providing better services. The slough council should plan well for them to successful implement a regeneration project in the area. Reference: English partnership (2007): Slough regeneration projects; Retrieved from; www.englishpartnerships.co.ke/a-zlist; Accessed on 14/12/07 Greenwich council (2007): big plans for Greenwich peninsula; retrieved from; www.greenwich.gov.uk/greenwich/news Southwark council (2007): Elephant and Castle Regeneration; building under construction; Retrieved from www.elephantandcastle.org.uk/regenerationprogramme accessed on 14/12/07 Appendix Regeneration models Slough regeneration model source; www.englishpartnerships.co.ke/a-zlist Regeneration model of Greenwich peninsula, source; www.greenwich.gov.uk/greenwich/news The Elephant and castle regeneration model source; www.elephantandcastle.org.uk/regenerationprogramme accessed on 14/12/07 Read More