29/03/2008 - "Me and My Place"22/03/2008 - The SLOW HOME Movement21/03/2008 - Old Houses v. New Build02/12/2008 - LIFE IN MY OBSOLETE TERRACE12/12/2007 - Communities Against Demolition Report - Publicity05/12/2007 - Communities Against Demolition - Anne Power, LSE Housing, CASE; Annexes: Adam Wilkinson, SAVE Britain's Heritage; Martin Edwards, Barrister (How to Resist a CPO); and Planning Extracts.27/08/2007 - Closing the Deal18/10/2007 - Chavez Ravine Los Angeles USA01/10/2007 - Goole Action Group legal action against demolition09/07/2007 - Affordable Housing27/06/2007 - Communities Under Threat Think Tank16/06/2007 - BATS?21/05/2007 - Sustainable Development14/05/2007 - Kevin Flynn elected Deputy Mayor04/05/2007 - Election Results30/04/2007 - End of the Path??19/03/2007 - Response to 'Low Demand and HMR Pathfinders'17/03/2007 - Terraced Houses see the biggest price rises16/03/2007 - "Once they called it Rachmanism. Now it's being done with taxpayers' money"06/03/2007 - The Price of Property28/02/2007 - Understanding Housing Demand in Rising Markets27/02/2007 - Goole Action Group has reported a fantastic response to their latest exhibition26/02/2007 - Modern Slavery - in Goole18/02/2007 - The Big Issue in the North14/02/2007 - Agency backs fight against compulsory purchase02/02/2007 - BBC Radio 4 - You and Yours13/12/2006 - Sign of the Thames ...01/12/2006 - Victory in Liverpool!01/11/2006 - GAG want problem streets to be SAFE AS HOUSES27/09/2006 - Woman wins home demolition fight09/10/2006 - Battle to save homes in the North20/09/2006 - Market renewal funding is 'inadequate'18/09/2006 - 94% Support Renovation!14/09/2006 - Open Day at Goole Leisure Centre10/08/2006 - Resident fears she will be forced out of 'unsafe' home01/08/2006 - Goole Town Council accepted discussions on alternative renovation schemes16/07/2006 - Project Manager of 'Advance Goole' in refusal to discuss renovation15/07/2006 - "Prescott's troubled £3bn demolition plans face enquiry"07/07/2006 - Simon Jenkins on Prescott26/06/2006 - Renovation ideas to be presented to Goole Town Council02/06/2006 - Interesting news from Birmingham Pathfinder23/05/2006 - Blogging David Miliband gets us noticed22/05/2006 - Neighbourhood Renewal Unit - IPSOS MORI survey20/05/2006 - "Majority doesn't want old houses to be demolished"18/05/2006 - Correspondence with ERYC - Answers and Questions15/05/2006 - How Master Planning is done elsewhere07/05/2006 - Cartoon Reality - Andrew O'Hagan, writing in SHORT CUTS06/05/2006 - David Miliband and Jane Jacobs05/05/2006 - David Miliband's Blog03/05/2006 - Painting the place ORANGE!

19/03/2007 - Response to 'Low Demand and HMR Pathfinders'

By JOHN EARNSHAW

Hi Simon.   I have just read your wonderful article entitled: 'Once they called it Rachmanism. Now it's being done with taxpayers' money' and have read many of the responses, some good, some bad and some ugly or otherwise totally incorrect.

I am the Low Demand Project Manager with the Empty Homes Agency - see Empty Homes Agency and would like to recommend a book called 'An Introduction to Urban Renewal' by Michael S Gibson (Birmingham Polytechnic) and Michael J Langstaff (North British HA) and which was published in 1982.

It shows how successive generations and governments have simply, without much thought or otherwise, 'thrown money' at regeneration schemes in an effort to try and resolve the housing/social problems and all of which, in time, proves nothing and the problems just re-occur twenty years or so later on!

They need to look at the bigger picture and much wider issues, the what I call 'ABCD factor' - anti social behaviour, crime and drugs and look at whether Community Anchors (schools, shops, hospitals and parks and open spaces etc are in place, otherwise, if they are not, regeneration will fail miserably! 

It is time for a much needed change of direction with regeneration procedures and more innovative solutions!

As project manager, I have been involved with many of the affected community groups in England (Pathfinder and Non-Pathfinder) and have helped and supported them right up to the present time. All most of them really want, is an equal say in their future community redevelopment, after all it is their community and without them, there would be no communities! They need (and deserve) quality consultation and engagement! They are not out to get rich quick!

I am currently advocating to the many local authorities and pathfinders I am working with, that they seriously consider setting up, from day one, 'local community partnerships' who will deal with the issues in their communities and who will jointly make recommendations regarding CPO's, demolition, refurbishments, remodelling, voluntary acquisitions etc etc, after and not before, they have 'seriously' engaged and consulted with the whole of the 'affected' community and not the usual 20 - 30% unrepresentative surveys as at present.

This will obviate the need for expensive, complicated and time consuming CPO's and any dwellings required for any subsequent demolition and/or 'thinning out' can be acquired by voluntary acquisition, as they will have the full backing and support of the newly formed 'Local Community Partnership'.

Please see the HALIFAX report below on terraced housing, which is good, strong evidence to support the keeping of much of our terraced housing in our current times of an acute housing shortage across the country.

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