UKREiiF | ‘Do the boring stuff well’ – the keys to achieving local vision
A heavyweight panel featuring Homes England, Sheffield City Council, and Vistry shared practical advice for local partnerships to help deliver high quality regeneration at scale.
Participants in the panel, organised by Homes England at the Government Property Agency pavilion, were:
- Marc Thompson, group director of growth and regeneration at nationwide affordable housing developer Vistry Group
- Pat Ritchie, board member, Homes England, and chair of Government Property Agency
- Peter Denton, chief executive, Homes England
- Kate Josephs, chief executive, Sheffield City Council
- Chaired by Julia Hatmaker, editor, Place North West
Keys to achieving local vision and placemaking in practice
Marc Thompson: It’s not always the loudest voice that is the right voice you need to listen to.
Peter Denton: Pride of place is a phrase that’s overused, but it actually has meaning. If you believe in your place – really, really believe – that’s half the battle. And it’s not something to dismiss.
Pat Ritchie: I think you’ve got to deliver. And I think having a vision is one thing but having confidence in local communities. They want to see things happen and they want to see delivery. And then sometimes if you can get delivery moving, you need to just go that way because there hasn’t been momentum before, especially in more kind of creative, entrepreneurial places. It’s about setting the tone.
Kate Josephs: Do the boring stuff well. Take responsibility and be brave about the fact that we are stewards of our places, not just now but for a decade, two decades, three decades into the future. So that hard work or that incredibly rewarding work, which is going out and listening to your people about their hopes and aspirations and dreams, we have to hold that as the thing that gives you the fight in the morning to say we’re going to get it or we’re going to do the boring stuff. We’re going to deliver and we’re going to get through rocky times together. It’s that point about really owning the fact that you are steward of your place, not just now but far into the future.
UKREiiF concludes on 23 May at the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Stay up-to-date on the latest coverage of the convention on our UKREiiF news hub.
