Regeneration schemes: their value should be judged by more than just their financial viability

By Jerry Gilbert · 20 October 2022

ARK Director Jerry Gilbert attended the Housing Forum’s Annual Conference in London this week. This major event was attended by over 300 leading sector figures and included panels of speakers which sought to address the profound current challenges the housing sector faces in supply, safety and regulation.

Here are Jerry’s thoughts on the event:

“I enjoyed attending the Housing Forum’s AGM in the Royal College of Physicians. This striking Grade 1 listed building in Regents Park is apparently built to represent elements of the human body (not that I could see it myself!)

With a host of well-informed speakers, it is hardly surprising that collaboration, quality, building safety, zero carbon, dealing with rising costs and a diminishing labour force dominated the day – all problems and competing demands that we and our clients are all grappling with on a daily basis.

However, one issue stood out for me: adding the social, cultural and community benefits to our thinking about what justifies a regeneration scheme. I know this is close the heart of my fellow director, Helen Scurr, who has long been an advocate and specialist in ascribing a financial benefit to elements beyond the bricks and mortar.  With the diminishing financial viability of regeneration schemes and in an environment where it appears increasingly unlikely that there will be additional financial support from the government, surely broadening our approach to scheme viability to embrace valuing the contribution that regeneration makes to the wellbeing of residents and the community is what being in social housing is about?”

ARK have worked with many clients on regeneration schemes and we are also experts on helping organisations to understand and measure social return on investment. If you would like to speak to Jerry or Helen about either of these areas, please contact us on 0121 5153831 or email marketing@arkconsultancy.co.uk