Regeneration - more like community destruction?

Re: Regeneration
« Reply #154 on: Today at 01:32am »

Published on Sefton MBC website 10th March 2004
"Sefton Council
Town and Country Planning Act 1990
Housing Topic Paper
Prepared by Sefton MBC Planning Department
Sefton Unitary Development Plan
Pubic Local Inquiry 2004

3.19 Table 9 of the New Heartlands Prospectus (CD/0085) indicates that, within the Sefton area, during the 15 year lifetime of the Pathfinder Initiative, some 1,921 dwellings will be demolished out of a total of 22,500 properties, some 8.5% of the total stock. This is made up of 886 properties which are privately owned, and 1,035 which are owned by Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) or the Council. The number of dwellings which may be cleared is likely to change as proposals for the priority neighbourhoods are still evolving, and is dependant on a continuing dialogue with the local community about clearance and refurbishment, particularly outside the two priority areas where clearance plans are most advanced.

3.20 As indicated in paragraph 3.10 above, some 7.6% of the private sector and RSL dwellings in the Pathfinder Area are vacant at the time of the private Sector House Condition Survey which was carried out in 2002. However not all of the properties which are currently vacant will be demolished. Outside the clearance areas, a small proportion will be demolished where they are in capable of being brought back into beneficial use, but most will be re-furbished, thereby reducing vacancy rates. Some will be used to re-house displaced residents, while others will be occupied by new residents moving into the area. Table 9 of the New Heartlands Prospectus confirms that there is likely to be an overall net loss of 281 dwellings, but that there will be a greater decrease in the social sector stock. This is explained partly because significantly fewer social sector dwellings will be built than are demolished, and more private sector houses will be built than are demolished. However more private sector dwellings will be built than are demolished, which will help to redress the current imbalance between privately owned and social housing.

3.21 This table also indicates that 1,640 new dwellings will be built in Sefton, 828 on cleared sites (13 hectares) and 812 on other sites (16 hectares) at an average density of 50 dwelling per hectare. Most of these dwellings will be built within the Pathfinder Area. However, because of the lack of available vacant land, and extremely high existing densities (over 100 dwellings per hectare in places) combined with low vacancy rates, especialy in the Klondyke area, it will not be possible to re-locate everyone either within the areas which will be cleared or necessarily within the Pathfinder area. Some people will also want to make their own arrangements, and may move further afield.

3.24 The situation is compounded because many of the sites which are being considered for possible redevelopment for housing are, or have in the past, been used for a variety of industrial purposes including chemical works, tanneries and lead works, or have been filled with radioactive tin slag, and are severely contaminated. The costs of remediation are extremely high, and notwithstanding the availability of grant aid, the levels of contamination may affect the suitability of some of the sites for future housing or limit the areas within some sites which can be developed.

3.25 More recent work on the first two priority neighbourhoods of Klondyke and the Bedford Rd/Queens Road areas has indicated that some 7.4 hectares containing approximately 830 dwellings are likely t be cleared in the Klondyke area in three phrases starting later this year, which will ultimately be redeveloped to accommodate a minimum of 280 dwellings. For phase 1 of the area to be cleared, three sites in the immediate vicinity in the Hawthorne Road Canal Corridor have been identified for off-site replacement. In addition, two further sites are allocated under Policy H3, (Sites H3.A (Ash Road/ Beach Road) and H3.B (Former Secrets Site and are also expected to contribute towards meeting this need (Minute 305, Cabinet, 15th January, 2004 (CD/112), and Minutes 228. Planning Committee, 11th February, 2004 (CD/113). It is calculated that these sites could meet most of the need for off-site replacement for these sites, with the remaining households decanted into vacant housing stock in the locality.

3.26 Plans for the re-structuring of the Bedford Road Queens Road area are less advanced. It is envisaged that some 195 dwellings will be cleared in phase 1, of which approximately 70 are voids. Because of lower housing densities and larger property sizes in this area, it is anticipated that 155 dwellings could be redeveloped in this area. The refurbishment of other vacant Council-owned and RSL properties outside the clearance area will be able to re-house a proportion of people from this area. However, there is still a need to identify sites which can be deevloped into which displaced residents can be transferred into before more comprehensive clearance in this area can occur."