Past regeneration programmes

There is a lot to learn from past schemes that have sought to tackle one of the most persistent policy challenges – how to regenerate the most deprived or ‘left behind’ neighbourhoods. This is work we will undertake to support our call for government policy to refocus on neighbourhoods.

Local Trust asked the Centre for Regional Economic Social Research (CRESR) at Sheffield Hallam University to review the learning from significant neighbourhood regeneration and  management initiatives over the past twenty five years. Building on previous work commissioned from Onward, working jointly with Cambridge University, they recommended how we might best secure renewal of the areas that most need it in the future.

The commission from CRESR marks the twenty fifth anniversary of the publication of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. The Social Exclusion Unit’s ground breaking strategy report Bringing Britain together was launched in the autumn of 1998. It kickstarted New Labour’s approach to tackling place-based disadvantage through its neighbourhood renewal strategy, providing the basis for a raft of policies and programmes supporting resident-led regeneration of deprived neighbourhoods. These policies marked the last significant attempt by any government to regenerate deprived neighbourhoods.

Over autumn 2023 and into 2024, we are holding a series of events examining the learning from a range of past programmes including the Single Regeneration Budget and the New Deal for Communities.