BURA’s Framework For Regeneration

The British Urban Regeneration Association’s Framework for Regeneration sets six criteria by which to assess the various political parties’ proposals for regeneration. A long and serious conversation about regeneration and sustainability is now required. Already, BURA has published responses to the recent Labour Government’s Budget, and the Conservatives’ paper on Big Society not Big Government.

Having first declared my formal Interest (I am an elected non-exec director), I hope I’ll be forgiven if I blow BURA’s trumpet for a minute.

BURA, the British Urban Regeneration Association, is generally acknowledged to be the UK’s leading independent organisation championing regeneration. We therefore have a very active (and strictly non-partisan) interest in what the various political parties plan for regeneration, should they succeed in securing a mandate from the electorate come 6th May 2010. And we have certainly been busy….

After much discussion, we took the opportunity at our recent 20th birthday bash to launch a Framework for Regeneration against which we could develop a view on the politicians’ proposals.

The Framework addresses issues in ‘more for less Britain’, listing six criteria (‘key principles’) which the BURA board agreed are critical for continued regeneration, and then employing the standard traffic light indicators for how successful/effective the politicians’ proposals seem to us.

The key principles of the BURA Framework are: putting people first, sharpening the focus, making hard choices, starting with the local, being smart about money and using the knowledge.

Since then BURA has responded to the Labour Government’s 2010 Budget and to the Conservatives’ very recent paper on Big Society not Big Government.

More BURA responses are of course in the pipeline, as the parties’ manifestos and other pronouncements come to public attention. You will find these BURA responses listed (and your opportunity to respond) here.

So now it’s over to you. BURA is keen to ensure that the spectrum of opinion in regeneration and sustainable communities is heard, and to take this opportunity to develop thinking around the big issues in regeneration in all its guises.

A version of this article first appeared on the New Start Blog on 15 April 2010.