Section: Research & Surveys

Research Update

New research found that 64% of UK adults would like to see more properties built in urban centres, rather than on brown-field and green-field sites. The survey by Experian was carried out online, and used a representative sample of over 1,500 adults (aged over 18 years) across the UK, between 20 and 23 November 2006.

More than half of the respondents said they thought it either easy or very easy for developers to get planning permission to build in their communities. The survey found that 44% thought there are too many new residential developments being built in their areas, while only 10% thought there are not enough.

43% of those living in areas where new developments are taking place thought the buildings are out of keeping with the architecture and scale of the local area.

A recent Treasury-commissioned report into the planning rules, by economist Kate Barker, called for more green-field sites to be used for homes.
A study aimed at providing practical guidance for housing providers on managing mixed communities was launched. English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation have commissioned URBED, with the University of Westminster, to provide practical guidance on managing mixed communities.

The study will use a survey of housing practitioners and case studies of leading examples to show how the barriers to creating sustainable communities can be overcome at the briefing and developer selection stages. The guidance will also cover how residents can be effectively engaged in the on-going management of their neighbourhoods in different situations.

The study will build on Who Runs This Place?, which reports on work by URBED into how the new town of Northstowe in Cambridgeshire might best be managed. It will also draw on a good practice guide developed by the University of Westminster - Creating and Sustaining Mixed Income Communities.

JRF Findings

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation published the following in its Findings series during December 2006:

No. 1977: Minorities Within Minorities: Beneath the Surface of Community Participation

This study of participation issues in Bradford supports the view that minority voices within broader minority groups, such as the South Asian community, are not properly heard by the authorities.
No. 1992: Respect and Renewal: A Study of Neighbourhood Social Regeneration

This takes a looks at the outcomes of a programme of work that investigated the nature of social exclusion in deprived council estates and neighbourhoods and explored the use of 'soft regeneration' strategies to revitalise them. It sets these results against the progress of wider national policies and programmes to help poor people and places.
No. 1980: Monitoring Poverty and Social exclusion in Scotland 2006

The 2006 analysis of trends in poverty and social exclusion indicators in Scotland.
No. 1979: Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK 2006

The latest analysis by the New Policy Institute, monitoring indicators of poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom.
No. 1981: Local Affordability Issues for Working Households Buying their First Home

This study analyses the difficulties working households (aged 20-39) faced buying a first home in every local authority area of Great Britain in 2005.

Book Review

Help Us Somebody: The Demolition of the Elderly
by Bob Dumbleton 192pp, The London Press,
£5-95

Help Us Somebody: The Demolition of the Elderly discusses the effects of redevelopment and regeneration, through the demolition and replacement of obsolete and unhealthy housing, on the elderly. It argues that although for many the changes are welcome, the hidden devastation, albeit hard to prove, is the forced upheaval of the elderly - many of whom are said to be unwell - from their homes. It is alleged to sometimes consequence in premature ending of life, due to the anxieties, stress and fear created in those affected.

Using oral histories, the book's focus is the demolition of prefab homes in Newport (Gwent) and Bristol.

The book uncovers the inconvenient truths behind 'urban regeneration,' from the breakdown of communities, to threats of eviction through compulsory purchase at 'market value.' Other consequences of the processes of modern-day demolitions include 'right to buy' options not always being honoured, little communication of the stages of development, and drawn-out schedules of arrangements for moving home, with some people being temporarily housed in mobile homes. This is said to have not only affected people physically, but also psychologically. The book suggests that a medical and Social Services team assess every individual need of those living in homes lined up for demolition.

Help Us Somebody: The Demolition of the Elderly holds up a mirror to the cost of 'urban regeneration' for those elderly persons forced out of their homes. The book argues that few lessons have been learnt since older slum clearance programmes shattered lives, and urges recognition of this fact so that action can be taken.

If you would like to submit a review of a recent housing or associated publication, please contact us.

Section: Research & Surveys

Research Update

JRF Findings

Book Review

Housing Monthly Diary

Reporting on December 2006

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