Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2007-11
The Property Development Industry and Sustainable Urban Brownfield Regeneration in England: An Analysis of Case Studies in Thames Gateway and Greater Manchester
The property development industry is a key actor in UK brownfield regeneration projects. UK policy has attempted to interlink `sustainable development' and `sustainable brownfield' policy agendas, which have found an additional focus through the UK government's `Sustainable Communities Plan', part of a growing international emphasis on sustainable development. This paper examines the emergence of these agendas and related policies, and the role of the property development industry in the regeneration of six differing brownfield sites, based in Thames Gateway and Greater Manchester. Using a conceptual framework, the paper investigates aspects of the sustainability of these projects and highlights key lessons from them for both the UK and overseas. The research is based on structured interviews with a variety of stakeholders, including developers, planners, consultants and community representatives to highlight emerging best practice and related policy implications.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Adams, D. (2004) The changing regulatory environment for speculative housebuilding and the construction of core competencies for brownfield development , Environment and Planning A, 36, pp. 601—624.
2.
Adams, D. and Watkins, C. (2002) Greenfields, Brownfields and Housing Development . Oxford: Blackwell Science.
3.
Adams, D., Payne, S. and Watkins, C. (2005) Corporate social responsibility and the UK housebuilding industry. Paper presented to the ESRC Planning and Development Seminar on Planning and Housing Development, Cardiff University, April.
4.
Barker, K. (2003) Review of housing supply: securing our future needs (interim report- analysis). HM Treasury, London.
5.
Barker, K. (2004) Review of housing supply— delivering stability: securing our future housing needs. Final report—recommendations. HM Treasury, London.
6.
Bell, S. and Morse, S. (1999) Sustainability Indicators, Measuring the Immeasurable . London: Earthscan.
7.
Brundtland Commission (1987) Our common future. World Commission on Environment and Development, New York.
8.
Bura (British Urban Regeneration Association) ( 2004) Public—private joint ventures in urban regeneration: keys to success. BURA, London.
9.
Cabernet (Concerted Action On Brown-Field And Economic Regeneration Network) (2003) Conceptual model of brownfields regeneration. Report No. BIS 11, CABERNET, Nottingham.
10.
Ciria (Construction Industry Research And Information Association) (2001) Contaminated land risk assessment: a guide to good practice. CIRIA, London.
11.
Dair, C. and Williams, K. (2005) Sustainable land re-use: the influence of different stakeholders in achieving sustainable brownfield development in England. Working Paper No. 4, Cities Unit, Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development.
12.
Detr (Department Of Employment, Training And Rehabilitation) (1998) Planning for Communities of the Future . London: The Stationery Office .
13.
Detr (2000) Our Towns and Cities: the Future: Delivering the Urban Renaissance. London: HMSO.
14.
Dixon, T. (2006) Integrating sustainability into brownfield regeneration: rhetoric or reality? An analysis of the UK development industry, Journal of Property Research, 23(3), pp. 237—267.
15.
Dixon, T., Pocock, Y. and Waters, M. (2006) The role of the UK development industry in brownfield regeneration: vol. 3, case studies (Thames Gateway and Greater Manchester): summary. Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development, Oxford Brookes University (available at: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/be/oisd/ilm/workingpapers/index.html).
16.
Donovan, R., Evans, J., Bryson, J. ET AL. (2005) Large scale urban regeneration and sustainability: reflections on the barriers typology. Working Paper No. 05/01, School of Geography, University of Birmingham.
17.
Eac (Environmental Audit Committee) (2005) Housing: Building a Sustainable Future, Vol. I. London: The Stationery Office .
18.
Eic (Environmental Industries Commission) ( 2004) Position paper: national brownfields strategy. EIC, London.
19.
Elkington, J. (1994) Towards the sustainable corporation: win-win-win business strategies for sustainable development, California Management Review, Winter, pp. 90—100.
20.
Elkington, J. (1997) Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business. Oxford: Capstone.
21.
English Partnerships (2003) Towards a national brownfield strategy: research findings for the Deputy Prime Minister. English Partnerships, London.
22.
English Partnerships (2005) Press release: pilot programme will tackle England's brownfield legacy. English Partnerships, London.
23.
Entec (2004) Study into the environmental impacts of increasing the supply of housing in the UK: final report. London: Entec/DEFRA .
24.
Eu Commission (2005) Cohesion policy and cities: the urban contribution to growth and jobs in the regions . Staff Working Paper, EU, Brussels .
25.
Eu Commission (2006) Communication from the commission to the council and the EU parliament: urban thematic strategy . EU, Brussels.
26.
Guy, S. and Henneberry, J. (2002) Development and Developers: Perspectives on Property . Oxford: Blackwell.
27.
Hartwell, C. (2001) Manchester. London: Penguin.
28.
Healey, P. (1991) Models of the development process: a review, Journal of Property Research, 8, pp. 219—238.
29.
Healey, P. (1992) An institutional model of the development process , Journal of Property Research, 9, pp. 33—44.
30.
HM Government (2005) Securing the future: delivering UK sustainable development strategy. DEFRA, London .
31.
Ipf (Investment Property Forum) (2006) Institutional investment in regeneration: necessary conditions for effective funding: executive summary. IPF, London.
32.
Jacobs, M. (1991) The Green Economy. London: Pluto.
33.
Kearns, A. and Turok, I. (2003) Sustainable communities: dimensions and challenges . ESRC and ODPM Urban and Neighbourhood Studies Network , London.
34.
Lutzkendorf, T. and Lorenz, D. (2005) Sustainable property investment: valuing sustainable buildings through property performance assessment, Building Research & Information, 33(3), pp. 212—234.
35.
Manchester City Council (2004) Manchester: shaping the city. RIBA, London.
36.
Meadowcroft, J. (1999) Planning for sustainable development: what can be learnt from the critics, in: M. Kenny and J. Meadowcroft (Eds) Planning Sustainability, pp. 12—38. London: Routledge.
37.
Meadows, D.L. (1972) The Limits to Growth. New York : Universe Books.
38.
Nicol, C. and Hooper, A. (1999) Contemporary change and the house building industry: concentration and standardisation in production, Housing Studies , 14(1), pp. 57—76.
39.
Odpm (Office Of The Deputy Prime Minister) ( 2000) Planning policy guidance 3: housing. ODPM, London.
40.
Odpm (2003a) Sustainable communities: building for the future. ODPM, London.
41.
Odpm (2003b) Creating sustainable communities: making it happen, Thames Gateway and the growth areas. ODPM, London.
42.
Odpm (2004) Creating sustainable communities: greening the Gateway. ODPM, London .
43.
Odpm (2005a) Land use change in England: residential development to 2004 (LUCS-20). ODPM, London.
Odpm (2005c) Sustainable communities: homes for all. ODPM, London.
46.
Odpm (2006) UK Presidency EU ministerial informal on sustainable communities: European evidence review papers. ODPM, London
47.
O'Riordan, T., Cameron, J. and Jordan, A. (2001) Reinterpreting the Precautionary Principle. London: Cameron May.
48.
Pagonis, T. and Thornley, A. (2000) Urban development projects in Moscow, European Planning Studies, 8(6), pp. 751—766.
49.
Parkinson, M. (2000) Urban regeneration policy: refelctions upon the European perspective. Paper delivered at PEFRN Seminar, University of Ulster.
50.
Pediaditi, K., Wehrmeyer, W. and Chenoweth, J. (2005) Monitoring the sustainability of brownfield redevelopment projects: the redevelopment assessment framework, Land Contamination & Reclamation, 13(2), pp. 173—183.
51.
Post (Parliamentary Office Of Science And Technology) (1998) A brown and pleasant land. POST, London.
52.
Power, A., Richardson, L., Seshimo, K. and Firth, K. (2004) A framework for housing in the London Thames Gateway . LSE Housing, London School of Economics.
53.
Raco, M. (2005) Sustainable development, rolled-out neoliberalism and sustainable communities, Antipode, pp. 324—346.
54.
Raco, M., Henderson, S. and Bowlby, S. (2006) From trickle-down economics to aspirational politics: the new politics of sustainable city-building in the UK. Paper presented at the Association of American Geographers' Conference, Chicago, March.
55.
Rescue (2003) Analytical sustainability framework in the context of brownfield regeneration in France, Germany, Poland and the UK: final report of work package 1 (www.rescue-europe.com ).
56.
Riordan, T. (2006) Financing the Northern Way: incentives for regeneration in the North, in: P. Hackett (Ed.) Incentives for Growth, pp. 34—49. London: Smith Institute.
57.
Robson, B. (2002) Mancunian ways: the politics of regeneration, in: J. Peck and K. Ward (Eds) City of Revolution: RestructuringManchester, pp. 34—49. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
58.
Utf (Urban Task Force) (2006) Towards a strong urban renaissance. UTF, London.
59.
Whitehead, M. (2003) (Re)analysing the sustainable city: nature, urbanisation and the regulation of socio-environmental relations in the UK, UrbanStudies, 40, pp. 1183—1206.
60.
Williams, K. and Dair, C. (2005) A conceptual model of sustainable development. Working Paper No. 3, Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development.
61.
Williams, K. and Dair, C. (2007) A framework for assessing the sustainability of brownfield developments, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 50(1), pp. 23—40.
62.
Wwf (World Wildlife Fund) (2003) Building sustainably: how to plan and construct new housing for the 21st century . WWF, London.
63.
Wwf (2004) Building towards sustainability: performance and progress among the UK's leading housebuilders . WWF, London.
64.
Woudhuysen, J. and Abley, I. (2004) Why is Construction so Backward?Chichester: Wiley.
