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Dealing with a problem that is more than just housing or the environment?
Need to resolve conflict within the community?
Want to create a successful neighbourhood?
Since her earliest days in housing management, Ann Flint has recognised that difficult-to-live-in communities need help to deal with a wide range of issues, not just housing. Housing led regeneration has its place – why should those suffering from poverty, antisocial behaviour and lack of facilities also be forced to live in poor housing? But it is not enough in itself and action must be taken to deal the root cause of the problems.
Early regeneration projects looked at local labour and the feasibility of community development organisations that could lead the regeneration process or create local jobs. Estate regeneration projects tended to require transfer of housing stock to local housing associations and local control of social assets however some of the earliest successful projects we were involved with looked solely at local management of repairs.
Most recently, our community regeneration projects have looked at issues of community safety, development of safe and pleasant walking routes, development of off-road bike schemes for young people, working with asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants and finding ways of making multi-story flats more family friendly.