News & Stories

The commission into prosperity and community placemaking, which is chaired by Toby Lloyd, former special adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May, was set up a year ago to promote the best ideas for regeneration and ensure that the ‘levelling up’ agenda delivers on the government’s promises. It has spent a year gathering ideas and evidence from frontline community organisations and experts from around the country – captured in a sixteen detailed case studies and multiple points of evidence. The case studies include Livin Housing’s estate regeneration at York Hill, Spennymoor, County Durham.

Rachael Orr, CEO PlaceShapers, Paul Fiddaman CEO Karbon Homes & PlaceShapers Board member and Gareth Swarbrick CEO Rochdale Boroughwide Housing have all been heavily involved in the report as commissioners

The final report makes recommendations that will "replace spirals of neighbourhood decline with a virtuous circle of wellbeing and prosperity". 

Homes and neighbourhoods are at the heart of this. With social landlords identified as key actor within communities.

The report calls for:

  • A Homes England reboot: with a new mission-based remit to focus on retrofitting, quality, regeneration, and long-term placemaking; and more devolved decision making
  • Neighbourhood Improvement Districts giving non-profit bodies the right of first refusal on homes that come up for sale, and which are prioritised for all asset purchase and retrofitting funds
  • Allow social landlords flexibility to use the Recycled Capital Grant Fund for retrofitting work
  • Launch a £1.3bn National Housing Conversion Fund for long-term, non-profit organisations to purchase homes in low demand neighbourhoods in preparation for retrofitting work

Read the full report here.