grainger town project appraisal

15
Grainger Town Project Appraisal Urban Regeneration of Newcastle's Historic Core Niall Simpson

Upload: niall-simpson

Post on 13-Feb-2017

36 views

Category:

Documents


3 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

3

Grainger Town Project Appraisal

Urban Regeneration of Newcastle's Historic Core

Niall Simpson

Page 2: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

4

Contents 1. Introduction 1

2. Summary of background and policy context for project 1

2.1. Project vision, objectives and outputs 1

2.2. Projects geographical area 3

2.3. Project delivery structure 3

2.4. Flagship regeneration 4

3. Public sector intervention 4

3.1. Financial input 4

3.2. Delivery structure 5

3.3. After project's completion 5

4. Assessment and evaluation of impact of project 5

4.1. Introduction 5

4.2. Business development and enterprise 6

4.3. Non property developments 6

4.4. Access to opportunity 6

4.5. Housing 7

4.6. Quality of environment 7

4.7. Management, marketing and promotion 7

4.8. Grainger Town Partnership 8

4.9. Sustainability of the project 8

5. Conclusion 9

6. Bibliography 10

7. Appendix 12

Page 3: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

5

Illustrations

Figure 1 3

Figure 2 4

Figure 3 5

Figure 4 8

Figure 5 9

Table 1 9

Page 4: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

1

1. Introduction

This appraisal will evaluate the Grainger Town Project's performance with regards to positive and negative effects generated to assess the contribution that physical regeneration can make to urban renaissance. To appraise the project the vision, objectives and outputs project will be identified along with urban policies and programmes that supported the project. Public sector agencies that were involved will be highlighted. The focus will be on explicitly identifying the intervention that was provided by the public sector, this will include financial and other data. Fundamentally the appraisal will evaluate the performance of the project by identifying the whether or not the vision, objectives and outputs were achieved. Multiple indicators within the context of business development and enterprise, non housing property development, access to opportunity, housing, quality of environment and management marketing & promotion will be used to measure the projects performance. This helps evaluate the impact the project had on the urban area, local community, occupiers and businesses. Positive and negative effects the project generated will be identified to evaluate the impact and performance of a property-led regeneration project.

2. Summary of background & policy context for project 2.1 The Grainger Town Project, which ran between April 1997 and March 2003, was a regeneration programme designed to draw the area back from decline (Cullen & Lowie, 2003). Decline in the project area began "in the 1980s and 1990s as many businesses moved out to suburban locations, leaving empty office space behind (Cullen & Lowie, 2003). This led to economic decline and physical decay in Grainger Town (Robinson, 2003). Issues began to be tackled by the Grainger Town Conservation Area Partnership Scheme in 1994 which halted the decline of the areas rich architectural assets (Cullen & Lowie, 2003). However this strategy was outdated and mostly associated with the 1980's trend of redevelopment. Focus shifted to sustainable heritage led regeneration of the whole Grainger Town area to tackle the environmental, economic, social and cultural issues. This resulted in English Partnerships, Newcastle City Council and English Heritage appointing consultants, EDAW, in 1996 to draw up a comprehensive ten-year strategy for physical regeneration that was linked to an effective strategy of long term economic development (Cullen & Lowie, 2003), this would become the basis for the Grainger Town Project. EDAW's strategy produced the Grainger Town's Project vision: "Grainger Town will become a dynamic and competitive location in the heart of the city.

Grainger Town will develop its role in the regional economy within a high quality environment

appropriate to a major European Regional Capital. Its reputation for excellence will be

focused on leisure, culture, the arts and entrepreneurial activity. Grainger Town will become

a distinctive place, a safe and attractive location to work, live and visit."

(Cullen & Lowie, 2003, p.37)

Page 5: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

2

The project vision aimed to be realised through inter-related strategic objectives:

Business development and enterprise, to encourage the development of the existing company base, generate new entrepreneurial activity and broaden the area's economic base

Non housing property development, to secure investment and economic activity in a range of uses including office, housing, retail, arts and leisure, leading to the repair and re-use of historic buildings and the redevelopment of key sites

Access to opportunity, to improve training and employment opportunities in Grainger Town for the long-term unemployed in adjoining inner city wards

Housing, to increase the residential population of Grainger Town through creating a wide range of affordable housing for rent and sale

Quality of environment, to improve the quality of the public realm and the operation of its infrastructure to enhance Grainger Town's competitiveness as an area to work, live and visit

Management, marketing and promotion, to improve the overall stewardship of the area and to actively promote and market Grainger Town for arts, culture and tourism

(EDAW, 1996, p.8) The key quantitative outputs which were produced were:

1900 new jobs created

725 residents of the target area accessing training and employment

64,000 sq.m of new business/commercial floor space

20,000 sq.m of refurbished business/commercial floor space

200 new business start ups

522 housing units

5.4 hectares of public open space created/improved (EDAW, 1996), (Robinson, 2003) & (Cullen and Lowie, 2003) Such objectives and outputs are indicative of urban policy during this time period because in 1994 the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) came into operation to address the fragmentation of urban funding (Greenhalgh, 2016). To successfully bid for such funding, Grainger Town's Project had to meet objectives set by the SRB which focused on employment prospects, sustainable economic growth, improved housing, improved environment and more (DCLG, 2007). Therefore Grainger Town's holistic approach to urban regeneration partly stems from urban policy movements in the 1990's. Objectives and outputs set for the regeneration of Grainger Town are also complimentary of Robert and Sykes urban regeneration definition: A comprehensive and integrated vision and action which leads to the resolution of urban problems and which seeks to bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environment condition of an area that has been subject to change (Robert and Sykes, 2000). The project therefore had the potential to renew and reverse trends and find a new basis of economic growth and social well being (Clarke et al, 2014).

Page 6: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

3

2.2 The Grainger Town Project was focused on an area of about 90 acres (35 hectares) in Newcastle's city centre (see Figure 1) (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). 40% of buildings in the area are listed as being of special architectural or historic interest (Cullen, 2011). Therefore the characteristics of Grainger Town encouraged a property led regeneration project within the context of urban policy during the 1990's because "historic areas and the special atmosphere that they create are especially attractive for certain activities, such as tourism, housing, entertainment, creative industries and specialty shopping" (URBED, 2000, p.6).

Figure 1: Grainger Town Project Study Area (EDAW, 1996, p.21)

2.3 The project was delivered by the Grainger Town Partnership. The board had 20 directors, six city councillors, six nominated by the various public agencies, six from the private sector and two Grainger Town residents (Cullen & Lowie, 2003). The Grainger Town Project also had a dedicated team with 14 professionals to provide advice on aspects of the regeneration (URBED, 2000). During the 1990's the government reformed urban policy to promote partnership between the three main sectors: public, private and community (Greenhalgh, 2016). The Grainger Town Partnership was a manifestation of this reformed urban policy as it facilitated a multidimensional approach, using the knowledge, skills and resources of different actors (Friesecke, 2007).

Page 7: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

4

2.4 The Grainger Town project can be labelled flagship regeneration because it is indicative of a high profile and prestigious land and property regeneration which aim to create high profile and high end retail, residential, entertainment and tourist spaces in derelict and underused urban space (Doucet, 2007). Changes in urban policy were a major factor in the use of to flagship approach because there was a shift towards economic growth models, property based regeneration and more entrepreneurial forms of urban governance (Doucet, 2007). This change produced the foundations for Grainger Town to adopt a flagship.

3. Public Sector Intervention 3.1 Figure 2 shows the financial inputs made by public sector agencies such as the English Partnership, Newcastle City Council and English Heritage for the Grainger Town Project. This funding provided the basis for the project and with additional public sector input by the total financial intervention was roughly £40 million. The majority of programmes and funding regimes that supported the project were used to upgrade the public spaces and the overall environment, but it also made available expertise to help interested property occupiers and owners (URBED, 2000). The public funding aimed to develop Grainger Town as a mixed use historic urban quarter (Cullen and Lowie, 2003) by levering in private sector investment into developments supported by the project to cover the remaining costs of the £120 million regeneration project (Robinson, 2003).

Figure 2: Public Sector Financial Inputs to the Grainger Town Project (Robinson, 2003, p.12)

3.2 Figure 3 outlines the Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy Delivery Structure and within the delivery structure there is a strong public sector presence which led to significant public sector contribution in processes of regeneration within the project.

Page 8: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

5

Figure 3: Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy Delivery Structure (EDAW, 1996, p.15)

3.3 Public sector intervention continued within the Grainger Town Project area post 2003 due to the Forward Strategy which safeguarded the project’s investment in the public realm by setting out agreed maintenance responsibilities for the City Council (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). Continued public sector funding can be found in Grainger Market which received £3 million for refurbishments by Newcastle City Council in 2004 (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). English Heritage continued to intervene in the project area post 2003 by supporting work on Grade I and II* listed buildings at risk (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). Continued public sector investment and intervention shows the area is continually promoted and that plans for future delivery are sustainable. 4. Assessment and Evaluation of Impact of Project

4.1 To effectively appraise the project this section will identify the key outputs of the project in relation to the strategic objectives and its impacts. The operational aspects of the partnership will be evaluated to assess partnership working. Finally contemporary data for Grainger Town will be examined to evaluate the sustainability of the project.

Page 9: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

6

4.2 The first output to measure the projects performance is business start ups which relate directly to the strategic objective: Business development and enterprise. The initial target was set at creating 200 new businesses; this was exceeded as by 2003 286 new businesses existed (Cullen and Lowie, 2003). From 1992 to 1997 the number of businesses in the area decreased from 1144 to 950 (Oldershaw, 2003). Quantitative data of the intervention type results in the estimated deadweight (The level of outcomes that would have been produced anyways without the projects intervention) (Dancer, 2013) being 760 by 2003. With the addition of 286 businesses it can be estimated that the net additional impact of the project on business development and enterprise was 476. Evaluating this objective determined the provision of economic opportunities in Grainger Town was enhanced (Homes and Communities Agency, 2008). In terms of commercial property the new businesses had a positive effect by enabling a large proportion of vacant sites of historical importance to be brought back into use (Pickard, 2008).

4.3 Another key indicator which can be used to measure the projects performance is non housing property developments. The project exceeded its targets in as it produced 80,900 square meters of new and refurbished commercial floor space (Robinson, 2003). This indicates the long term future of the architectural heritage and urban area was made secure because this led to renewed confidence in commercial markets within the area (Cullen and Lowie, 2003). The additional impact of the project in regards to non property development can be calculated because 47% of the area's listed buildings were deemed in risk due to poor state (Robinson, 2003). This can be used to estimate a maximum deadweight of 0. Resulting in the net additional impact from the projects' intervention to be 8.09 hectares. However contrastingly in 2003 26.1% of business premises in Grainger Town remained vacant, this is higher than the city total (23.9%) (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). Overall much was achieved in non property developments by the project but empty office space needed to be rejuvenated and focused on further (Robinson, 2003) to prevent historic buildings reverting back to decline.

4.4 Access to opportunity was an objective which aimed to improve training and employment opportunities. The project did a significant amount to create work for local workers by provided training opportunities (Pickard, 2008). However the positive impacts on the local community and whether the project worked within urban policy context during its implementation are unclear because it is not known "how many new jobs in Grainger Town were filled by those disadvantaged in the labour market" (Robinson, 2003, p.15). Although data on job creation and training weeks does detail positive impacts of the project in regards to this objective. 1506 jobs were directly created by the project and 5080 training weeks took place by 2003; however the outputs failed to achieve their targets. Consequently this can be interpreted negatively by highlighting that the project did not achieve what it set out to do. However because the actual outputs were close to their targets the positive impacts on the local community must not be overlooked. Quantitative employment data for the project area suggests the deadweight was expected to be a 3020 decline in numbers employed over 4 years (Robinson, 2003). However by 2001 there had been an increase of 1404 total employed (Robinson, 2003). Therefore the net additional impact for access to employment was 1404 by 2001. It should also be noted that forecasts for job creation predicted that by 2006 once remaining schemes are completed a further 800 jobs will have been created, exceeding the target (Robinson, 2003,). It can also be argued there was spill over into the

Page 10: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

7

construction industry. Spill over refers the number of jobs created that benefit those outside the project area (Dancer, 2013). Unfortunately the number of spill over construction jobs generated isn't clear due to part of the local community experiencing these benefits also, but it is key to note spill over to effectively represent the projects overall positive impact.

4.5 Assessing housing outputs will determine whether objectives to provide a range of affordable housing for rent and sale alongside residential population increase succeeded. By 2003 housing outputs were below the target of 522 housing units at a mere 289 (Robinson, 2003). However it is forecasted that this target will be exceeded following the completion of further residential development post 2003 (Robinson, 2003). The residential schemes implemented provided a mix of social and market rented alongside owner occupied properties (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). The degree of these positive benefits can be determined by the residential population trends from 1997-2003. The residential population increased from an estimated 851 in 1997 to 1077 in 2003 (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010). The residential population in 1996 was described as "falling" (Oldershaw, 2003) which determines the deadweight to be at the maximum 0, therefore the net additional impact of intervention in housing was 226. The range of social housing enables the possibility of displacement (the number of intervention output accounted for by reduced outputs in the project area) (Dancer, 2013) to be rejected because housing needs were tailored to the local community. It is also important to acknowledge that private rented housing was substituted (where one activity is substituted for another) (Dancer, 2013) for affordable social housing showing the possible beginning of gentrification. Therefore further conversions are required to bring more social and private housing to other vacant upper floors in the area (Gateshead City Council and Newcastle City Council, 2015).

4.6 Quality of environment targets set to enhance Grainger Town's competitiveness as an area to work, live and visit were not achieved. The project aimed to create/improve 5.4 hectares of public open space however the delivery plans indicate only 3.4 hectares was achieved. However the net additional impact reveals that developments significantly improved the area because by the mid 1990's the project area had a public realm in poor condition (Robinson and Zass-Ogilvie, 2010), therefore estimates of deadweight can be assumed as 0. The net additional impact of major improvements is then 3.4. Whilst the objectives set weren't met the extent of the additional impact is shown by the high quality urban designs implemented. The high quality public realm works based on Gillespie's urban design framework generated confidence and produced an attractive environment (Robinson, 2003). Such high quality helped to attract visitors significantly increased private sector investments and therefore had a positive impact on the urban area.

4.7 Whilst no quantitative outputs were set the project did outline qualitative objectives for the management, marketing and promotion aspects of the project. These were to actively promote and market Grainger Town for arts, culture and tourism (EDAW, 1996). Manifestations of the projects success in arts, culture and tourism was through awards such as the British Urban Regeneration Association Best Practice (Cullen and Lowie, 2003), awards helped to create a sense of a special place undergoing revival (Robinson, 2003) and successfully increased the public's awareness of the value of the area's built heritage (Pickard, 2008). Such marketing and promotion generated confidence in the area which

Page 11: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

8

attracted private sector investment (Robinson, 2003) and contributed to positive transformation in the projects urban area.

4.8 To fully appraise the project, operational aspects must be evaluated and this project was operated through partnership working. Through evaluating the key outputs it is clear that real partnership was achieved as public sector agencies recognised the need to work together on the project. However there were tensions between the Grainger Town Partnership and the City Council such as difficulties about roles and opinion differences but nonetheless the partnership had a shared view of the problems and solutions (Robinson, 2003) which in turn generated successful outputs. Partnership also added value to the project because it allowed strong personal commitments by various stakeholders to develop proven as key stakeholders stayed for the lifetime of the project (Robinson, 2003), this was key to long term success of the project.

4.9 The sustainability of the project post 2003 is critical in order to appraise the project effectively. A forward strategy was developed to ensure the process of regeneration continued post 2003. The main element of this was to protect the assets/outputs created. As of 2007 there were 330 new businesses (INHERIT, 2007) which shows a steady increase since 2003. Access to opportunity also steadily grew with the creation of an additional estimated 800 jobs (INHERIT, 2007). However there was no new/improved floor space added and therefore there was still vacant floor space. The core strategy for Newcastle and Gateshead highlighted it would refurbish and re-use buildings in Grainger Town for residential use to continue regeneration (Gateshead City Council and Newcastle City Council, 2015). However Figure 4 reveals signs of vacancy within Grainger Town on ground and upper floors as of 2016. Contrastingly Figure 5 reveals how private sector investment continued to be encouraged and is expected to continue within Grainger Town (See Appendix 1) to sustain urban regeneration.

Figure 4: For sale and letting signage in Grainger Town (Source: Own Image)

Page 12: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

9

Figure 5: Shop window poster showing current and future projects designed to encourage private sector investment (Source: Own Image)

5. Conclusion Table 1 presents the key findings and overall net additional impact of the project. Subsequently the Grainger Town Project can be deemed a successful flagship regeneration project because it achieved its objectives by meeting and exceeding the majority of targets set within the context of urban policy at that time. The project reversed economic decline and supplemented physical regeneration alongside developing the cultural and social aspects of the project area through developments in business, non housing property, opportunities, housing and the environment. The holistic approach and outputs has resulted in the project being widely recognised as an exemplary scheme (Cullen and Lowie, 2003). Furthermore, long after the conclusion of the project signs of the projects impact remain prominent highlighting the sustainability of the project. Overall, significant outputs with sustainability rejuvenated the physical urban area which generated economic, social and cultural interest for the local community and businesses. There were no direct negative effects of the project to note, however developments related to vacant buildings must be addressed specifically by the city council in order to encourage residential and retail development in the area and thus prevent reversing the projects successes.

Table 1: Net additional impacts of intervention types by the Grainger Town Project (Source:

Own Table)

Page 13: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

10

Word count: 3298

6. Bibliography

1. Cadell, C. and Winskell, C. (2001) Grainger Town Shopfront Guide, Grainger Town Partnership

2. Clarke, J., Furness, H., Greenhalgh, P., Kirk, R. and McGuinness, D. (2014) ‘Regeneration’, in Jowsey, E. (ed.) Real estate concepts: A handbook. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.

3. Crowley, L., Balaram, B. and Lee, N. (2012) People or Place? Urban policy in the age of austerity. Lancashire: The Work Foundation

4. Cullen, F. (2011) Conservation Area Profiles. Newcastle City Council 5. Cullen, F. and Lowie, D. (2003) Newcastle’s Grainger Town: An Urban Renaissance,

London: English Heritage. 6. Dancer, S. (2013) Additionality Guide Fourth Edition. London: Homes & Communities

Agency. 7. DCLG. (2007) The Single Regeneration Budget: final evaluation, Urban Research

Summary No. 25. DCLG. London

8. Dodds, S. (2011) Government Urban Regeneration Practice; Review of UK Evidence. Scottish Government.

9. Doucet, B. (2007) Flagship Regeneration: panacea or urban problem? Utrecht: Utrecht University. pp. 1–27.

10. EDAW. (1996) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy. 11. Friesecke, F. (2007) The Role of Partnerships in Urban Regeneration – Similarities

and Differences between Germany and United Kingdom. Germany: University of Bonn.

12. Gateshead City Council and Newcastle City Council (2015) Planning for the Future: Core Strategy and Urban Core Plan for Gateshead and Newcastle upon Tyne 2010-2030.

13. Gillespies (1998) Grainger Town - Newcastle City Centre: Public Realm Strategy. 14. Grainger Town Partnership (1997) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy SRB

Challenge Fund: Round 3 Year One Delivery Plan 1997/98. 15. Grainger Town Partnership (1998) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy SRB

Challenge Fund: Round 3 Year Two Delivery Plan 1998/99. 16. Grainger Town Partnership (1999) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy SRB

Challenge Fund: Round 3 Year Three Delivery Plan 1999/2000. 17. Grainger Town Partnership (2000) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy SRB

Challenge Fund: Round 3 Year Four Delivery Plan 2000/01. 18. Grainger Town Partnership (2001) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy SRB

Challenge Fund: Round 3 Year Five Delivery Plan 2001/02. 19. Grainger Town Partnership (2002) Grainger Town Regeneration Strategy SRB

Challenge Fund: Round 3 Year Six Delivery Plan 2002/03. 20. Greenhalgh, P. (2016) 'Evolution of Urban Policy Further Reading. Urban

Regeneration. [Online] Available at: https://elp.northumbria.ac.uk/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/file?cmd=view&content_id=_4367130_1&course_id=_292710_1&framesetWrapped=true (Accessed: 10 December 2016).

21. Harding, A. and Nevin, B. (2015) Cities and public policy: a review paper. Review of Future of cities: working paper, by Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

22. Homes and Communities Agency (2008) Grainger Town: Addressing economic and physical needs. Available at: https://udc.homesandcommunities.co.uk/grainger-town (Accessed: 14 December 2016).

Page 14: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

11

23. IDOX plc (2006) Review of evaluations of area-based regeneration initiatives. NERIP.

24. INHERIT (2007) Investing in heritage: A guide to successful urban regeneration. Edited by Brian Smith. Norwich: European Association of Historic Towns and Regions (EAHTR).

25. Newcastle City Council (no date) Theatre Village & Chinatown Development Strategy.

26. Oldershaw, C. (2003) Memorandum by the Grainger Town Project. Available at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmodpm/47/47we59.htm (Accessed: 14 December 2016).

27. Pendlebury, J. (2002) ‘Conservation and regeneration: Complementary or conflicting processes? The case of Grainger town, Newcastle upon Tyne’, Planning Practice and Research, 17(2), pp. 145–158.

28. Pickard, R (2008) The Grainger Town project : sustaining the historic city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. In: Sustainable Development Strategies in South-East Europe. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, pp. 183-19

29. Roberts, P.W. and Sykes, H. (2000) Urban regeneration: A handbook. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

30. Robinson, F. (2003) Pride of place: The final assessment of the Grainger Town project. Durham University

31. Robinson, F. and Zass-Ogilvie, I. (2010) Sustaining Regeneration: Grainger Town Review 2010, Newcastle City Council, English Heritage and One North East

32. Smyth, H. and Smyth, H. (1993) Marketing the city: The role of flagship development in urban regeneration. United States: Taylor & Francis Group.

33. URBED. (2000) Investing in quality: Grainger Town (a heritage handbook), Grainger Town Partnership

34. Vila Vazquez, J.I. (2010) Critical Analysis of the Flagship Urban Projects, Santiago de Compostela: University of Santiago de Compostela.

Page 15: Grainger Town Project Appraisal

12

7. APPENDIX ONE

Source: NE1:

http://www.newcastlene1ltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/15_2829-NE1-Annual-Report-

2015_V3-MR.pdf