A report (updating one from a year earlier) said that in the five years between 1997 and 2002, specialised stores such as butchers and newsagents closed at the rate of 50 per week; that the average person travelled 893 miles a year to shop for food; that in spite of government intervention and a commitment to keep post offices open in areas of high deprivation, branch closures increased in the year to March 2003 to a total of 345; and that by the end of 2002 Britain had lost one-third of its bank branch network in a decade.
Source: Julian Oram, Molly Conisbee and Andrew Simms, Ghost Town Britain II: Death on the High Street, New Economics Foundation (020 7820 6300)
Links: Report (pdf) | NEF press release
Date: 2003-Dec
The government began consultation on a revised planning policy statement on planning for town centres (PPS6). The policy encouraged retailers to develop in town and city centres rather than build new stores in out-of-town locations.
Source: Consultation on Draft Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Consultation document | ODPM press release
Date: 2003-Dec
A study examined the quality of life of people aged 15-35 living in eight cities. Participants were asked for their views on issues such as public transport, retail and sporting facilities, cleanliness and entertainment.
Source: Urban Behaviours project run by Henley Management College (01491 571454) and Teleconomy, reported in The Guardian, 20 November 2003
Links: Guardian report | BBC news report | Early findings
Date: 2003-Nov
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the evening economy in towns and cities. It said that it recognised that the more people lived in town and city centres, the more their attractiveness and vitality in the evening would improve, adding to security and encouraging more visitors, including tourists.
Source: The Government Response to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Committee s Report on the Evening Economy and the Urban Renaissance, Cm 5971, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | MPs report
Date: 2003-Oct
A new book addressed a range of key themes relevant to the government's urban policies, including: the dynamics of employment and population change; long-term decentralisation and de-urbanisation; the challenge posed by household growth and resulting development pressures; social exclusion, social cohesion and social polarisation; the role of knowledge-based new economy sectors; and new urban forums.
Source: Martin Boddy (ed.), Urban Transformation and Urban Governance: Shaping the competitive city of the future, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Oct
The Town and Country Planning Association set out a plan for widening the effects of the urban renaissance in England. It said that successful urban renaissance had for too long been confined to the core areas of cities.
Source: Urban Renaissance in England, Town and Country Planning Association (020 7930 8903)
Links: Report (pdf) | TCPA press release
Date: 2003-Oct
A review found that community involvement in urban policy had grown in the previous ten years, but that it occupied an ambiguous position, often lacking specific aims and targets. It also found that guidance on community involvement and literature on urban change were rarely linked. There were greater obstacles to community involvement in disadvantaged areas.
Source: Gabriel Chanan, Searching for Solid Foundations: Community involvement and urban policy, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-Sep
A committee of MPs said that successful evening and late-night economies in urban areas needed the right local authority planning and licensing systems, a safe and secure public transport system, action to reduce fear of crime, and action to reduce binge drinking.
Source: The Evening Economy and the Urban Renaissance, Twelfth Report (Session 2002-03), HC 396-I, House of Commons Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Regeneration news story
Date: 2003-Aug
A paper argued that the problems afflicting contemporary cities could not be resolved by reforming the city itself, however radical such a reform might be: there were no local solutions to globally generated problems.
Source: Zigmunt Bauman, City of Fears, City of Hopes, Centre for Urban and Community Research/Goldsmiths College (020 7919 7390)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2003-Aug
A working group report underlined the importance of cities to the economic health of their regions.
Source: Core Cities Group, Cities, Regions and Competitiveness, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf) | ODPM press release
Date: 2003-Jun
A report argued that quality in urban design and conservation were essential to an effective planning system, and that planning could be a positive and creative force for promoting successful, sustainable communities.
Source: Moving Towards Excellence in Urban Design and Conservation, Planning Officers Society, available from English Heritage (0870 333 1181)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jun
Researchers concluded that the private sector would not invest in regeneration areas without substantial public sector commitment. They said the role of the public sector was to create confidence in a regeneration area as an investment location, thereby reducing the level of risk to investors. This could be achieved through various mechanisms, physical and fiscal: but increasingly attention was being focused upon more innovative 'financial vehicles'.
Source: Alastair Adair, Jim Berry, Stanley McGreal and Arlene Quinn, Factors Affecting the Level and Form of Private Investment in Regeneration, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3274)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2003-May
A new book assessed the government's approach to the revitalisation of cities, and the meaning and relevance of 'community' as a focus for urban renaissance.
Source: Rob Imrie and Mike Raco, Urban Renaissance?: New Labour, community and urban policy, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-May
A joint statement was issued by central and local government, setting out shared priorities for urban regeneration. It said that local leadership was an essential ingredient for successful urban renewal, and the starting point for tackling local challenges.
Source: Press release 20.5.03, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Press release
Date: 2003-May
The government issued a statement clarifying its planning policy on town centres. The government said it wanted to see greater use of multi-storey and mixed-use developments (which might include housing) and use of home delivery services.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 10.4.03, columns 27-30WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | ODPM press release
Date: 2003-Apr
The government set out a strategy and action plan for housing and community development. It said it was 'determined to put an end to poor housing and bad landlords, to deliver more affordable housing, especially for key workers and young families, and to develop new sustainable communities in regions of high demand': but that 'in doing so, we must raise the quality of how we build and what we build, protecting and enhancing the countryside and green spaces for all to enjoy'. It said the plan would include: 5 billion for more affordable housing, including 1 billion for homes for key workers; 300 million to encourage 'modern build' housing; 500 million for deserted and rundown housing areas in the north and midlands; 2.8 billion to improve social housing; and 201 million for improving the local environment (all figures in aggregate for the three years 2003-04 to 2005-06). The Environment Agency warned against the environmental risks of the government's strategy. The opposition Conservative spokesman accused the government of proposing 'bulldozing the north and concreting over the south'.
Source: Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 5.2.03, columns 273-293, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 5.2.03, Environment Agency (08459 333111)
Links: Report | Press release (1) | Press release (2) | Hansard | CABE press release | Shelter press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Feb
A report highlighted the need for the government to tackle problems of excess housing demand in the south east and excess supply and abandonment in the north and Midlands. It said that some older inner-city areas have suffered greatly from abandonment and should be targeted for redevelopment.
Source: Katharine Mumford and Anne Power, Boom or Abandonment: Resolving housing conflicts in cities, Chartered Institute of Housing (020 7833 9712)
Links: Summary
Date: 2003-Feb