Prince of Wales: communities must be involved in regeneration

If communities were more involved in planning regeneration in their local areas ‘there is a chance we might see rather less campaigning against the things people don’t want and rather more pro-active campaigning for the things they do want,’ the prince wrote in the Prince’s Foundation What People Want report

‘I have pointed out many times that any approach to today’s problems of environment and development which does not have a strong element of community participation is virtually certain to fail,’ His Royal Highness states at the beginning of the report. ‘Local communities must be involved at the earliest stage as key partners.’

He visited a Hyde Homes development in Islington with the housing minister Brandon Lewis to launch the report. Hyde’s ‘tenure blind’ social let four and five bedroom Georgian style mansion blocks were developed by Hyde to be indistinguishable from the private blocks on the square.

What People Want incorporates case studies on estate regeneration, city and town regeneration and community involvement in local planning.

It warns developers risk repeating the problems of the past such as social segregation, and aims ‘to help overcome NIMBY opposition to new house-building through proving that people have strong opinions on their built environment and an equally strong desire to be properly consulted’.  

Those consulted said they did not want too many tall or large buildings to be developed, did not want their local area to lose a strong sense of identity, didn’t want change to be too rapid, gradual or overwhelming, and wanted to protect green space from urban sprawl. A strong desire for any development to support the local economy and offer employment was also expressed.