Plans for replacing housing in areas of low demand at a “faster rate” must take account of the impact they will have on communities, leaders of the market renewal pathfinders have warned.

Their warning comes in a response to the final draft of the Northern Way plan – an earlier draft of which was leaked to Housing Today and called for a more radical approach to demolitions (HT 13 August, page 7). The strategy was launched on Monday in Leeds by deputy prime minister John Prescott.

Max Steinberg, chief executive of Elevate East Lancashire, welcomed the setting up of a £100m growth fund, comprising £50m from the ODPM and the remainder from the three northern regional development agencies.

He added: “It would be surprising if low demand houses weren’t replaced with better quality homes but the work has to be grounded in the fact that we are dealing with people’s lives.”

Alistair Graham, director of Oldham and Rochdale’s pathfinder, stressed that the government needed to avoid being caught up in “a numbers game with regard to demolition and replacement”.

“There is a case for that rate of renewal to be speeded up but we would need extra capital and revenue funding for that,” he added.

The Northern Way strategy also proposed centring growth on eight city regions and creating “premier transport links” by 2025. The strategy was the culmination of eight months of work since it was unveiled by Prescott in January.

Source

Housing Today