Urban regeneration companies are key in the creation of sustainable communties and may be granted more powers, according to the government's leading urban policy adviser.
David Lunts, director of the urban policy unit at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, hinted at a bigger role for the 11 companies at the Urban Regeneration Companies Conference in Sheffield on Wednesday.

Lunts said the responsibility of URCs would go beyond their own interest and offer a flexible and fresh approach on delivery. There will be more information in coming months, he said, on the powers of URCs and how they function.

But Lunts added that the regeneration sector must ask itself if it is doing enough to break down barriers and tackle issues such as compulsory purchase order, planning, and infrastructure provisions. They also needed to consider whether there is a need to restructure to make them more efficient, for example whether there is a need for a single funding pot.

Lunts told delegates: "You are the people who can turn around cities that have not been handled with care.

"Doing this will mean time, money and conviction and URCs are best placed to make the best of urban renaissance. Unless you are successful, government aspirations will simply wither."

Source

Housing Today