leicesterregeneration.co.uk


	Press Releases
	16th December 2003 LRC confirm consultants for Leicester waterside 2nd December 2003 LRC seeks public opinion on Abbey Meadows proposal 27th October 2003 LRC signs up consultants for New Community 16th October 2003 LRC Welcomes New Affordable Housing Policy 6th October 2003 Prime Office Core - Public Consultation 21st July 2003 LRC Relocates to New City Centre Premises 16th July 2003 LRC Unveils the Definitive Masterplan for Leicester 2nd July 2003 LRC Confirms Consultants for Future Science and Technology Park 22nd May 2003 International Consultants Appointed for Leicester's Masterplan 14th May 2003 Work on LRC's Waterside project starts May 2003 Vote of Confidence in Leicester Regeneration Company May 2003 Building a New Team 3rd April 2003 Leicester's Housing Associations & Regeneration Company Clear the Air 27th February 2003 Building a new team 8th January 2003 LRC Masterplan wins EMDA approval 8th January 2003 Key LRC development received planning go ahead ________________________________ 16th December 2003 LRC confirm consultants for Leicester waterside On 10th December 2003, the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) appointed a team of specialist consultants to create a development framework for the redevelopment of the Leicester Waterside in the Frog Island area of central Leicester. The Waterside is one of the five key projects in the LRC masterplan. The team will be headed up by the partnership ‘White Young Green’ - engineering, traffic and project management consultants and ‘Hopkins Architects’ - specialists in British architecture and urban design. The rest of the team will comprise of: King Sturge – property consultants, Innes England – local property consultants, James Sellicks- residential specialists, JS & P Architecture –local architects and Battle McCarthy- experts in sustainable development. This exciting scheme will transform Leicester’s ten miles of waterside, much of which is currently underused and underdeveloped. The LRC aims to reunite this unique waterfront with the rest of the city centre to create a vibrant and cosmopolitan area, with residential development and commercial facilities. A city centre marina and beautiful waterside are also planned as key focal points, which aim to attract investment, new residents and visitors to this brand new development. Over the next four months, an intensive programme will be undertaken by the LRC and its consultants to develop the concepts presented in the masterplan into a clear plan for delivery. The precise location and size of the proposed marina will be decided, a design plan for the residential and commercial uses will be prepared and the highways framework surrounding the area will be redesigned. The proposed plans will be revealed by the LRC and its consultants in April 2004, when the Leicester public will be fully consulted. In the meantime, LRC will keep businesses in the area fully informed, and invites them to contact LRC with any queries they might have. Caroline Simpson Watkinson, Development Manager for the Waterside project at the Leicester Regeneration Company said: “The appointment of consultants is a major turning point for the LRC. There is already a wealth of activity taking place around the waterside and the LRC’s exciting project can now promote this further. This scheme is about quality, vast amounts of public space and getting much better access to the waterways in the city, which are truly stunning but have been hidden for many years” She adds: “We appointed this specialist team as they possessed all of the attributes we were seeking from a consultant team. The WYG Hopkins team, which includes several local specialists, has an intimate knowledge of Leicester, which is complemented by substantial national experience in planning other large scale projects like the Leicester waterside. The team also benefits from a strong understanding of sustainability issues, which is imperative to the success of the waterside.” Derek Hickman, White Young Green’s, Project Manager for the Waterside framework said: “As a national Consultant but with a significant local office employing 75, we have already carried out initial feasibility studies for the marina and its surrounding traffic. We are therefore particularly pleased to be able to continue to work on such an exciting and prestigious project in the heart of Leicester. We have assembled an excellent team who are very keen to deliver a unique and vibrant solution to the development of the waterside.” The LRC received over 35 applications from organisations wishing to tender for this project and 4 organisations were invited to an interview. The LRC was set up in 2001, and is a not for profit partnership between the public sector, private sector and the wider community. The company’s aim is to improve the physical image and environment of the city and further its economic prosperity. In 2002, the LRC launched a Masterplan, which is a framework for redevelopment in the city centre around the ring road and along the Grand Union Canal/River Soar for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan encompasses five important projects: the Waterside, New Community, Science and Technology Park, Prime Office Core and Retail Circuit. Visit the LRC on leicesterregeneration.co.uk MEDIA ENQUIRIES: For more information or a photo opportunity please contact Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail on 2nd December 2003 LRC seeks public opinion on Abbey Meadows proposal The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) is organising a public exhibition at select locations in Leicester from the 9th -12th December 2003. The event will provide the people of Leicester with a chance to comment on the proposed plans to redevelop Abbey Meadows in Leicester. One of five exciting regeneration projects planned by the LRC, the redevelopment of this site includes a new science and technology park with a large, mixed use housing development. The exhibition will take place at three different locations in Leicester: The National Space Centre on Tuesday 9th December from 8am-5pm, Sainsbury’s, Belgrave Road on Wednesday 10th and Thursday 11th December from 8am -5pm and the Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre, Room 7, Rothley Street from 12pm-4pm on 12th December 2003. Members of the LRC project team will be available at the event to present the ideas for the Abbey Meadows site and engage with the Leicester Public. The Abbey Meadows development is expected to impact significantly on Leicester and its economy, as well as improving the river and canal side areas around the Space Centre and Wolsey Island. Over the last five months, the LRC has been working with a specialist team of consultants led by Building Design Partnership (BDP) - Architects, Urban Designers and Masterplanners, to prepare a detailed design and highways framework for the Abbey Meadows area. The LRC’s proposed option for the redevelopment of Abbey Meadows includes a new science and technology park, comprising of around 40,500 square metres of office laboratory and business incubator space with the National Space Centre as its centrepiece. An estimated 60 new small and medium sized business are planned, which will result in the creation of around 1800 high income jobs, focused around science and technology related industries. The public will benefit from a new gateway entrance on the A6 as well as new green pedestrian walkways and cycle routes stretching northwards to create pedestrian bridges over the River Soar and Grand Union Canal. Up to 2,000 new houses are also proposed for the Wolsey Island area to the East side of the River Soar and Grand Union Canal in the Ross Walk area of Belgrave. The housing development will include work/living units and will be supported by improved educational, health and retail facilities. Peter Conboy, Development Manager at the Leicester Regeneration Company said; “The redevelopment of the Abbey Meadows area will play a crucial role in improving the future economy of central Leicester. At this stage, it is vital that we consult the public on our plans before drawing up more detailed plans for this project’s delivery. The public consultation will ensure we can engage with the people of Leicester and find out what they think about this proposal. “ The LRC needs the publics view before it can go any further with more detailed plans for this area. Feedback on the Abbey Meadows redevelopment can be sent c/o Leicester Shire Promotions, Freepost LE 6249, Leicester LE1 7ZP or e-mailed to . To find out more about this key LRC project please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk The LRC was set up in 2001, and is a not for profit partnership between the public sector, private sector and the wider community. Their aim is to improve the physical image and environment of the city and further its economic prosperity. Following an ongoing public consultation programme in 2002, the LRC launched a Masterplan, which is a framework for redevelopment in the city centre around the ring road and along the Grand Union Canal/River Soar for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan encompasses five important projects: Science and Technology Park with new Residential Development, Prime Office Core, Retail Circuit, New Community and Waterside. Media Enquiries For further information or a photo opportunity please contact Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail . Artist impressions and images of the plans can be e-mailed on request. 27th October 2003 LRC signs up consultants for New Community On 24th October 2003, the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) appointed a team of specialist consultants to provide a detailed design and development framework for its New Community scheme - one of the five major masterplan projects aimed at regenerating central Leicester. This highly experienced project team will be led by Lovejoy based in Birmingham. The team has a wealth of urban regeneration expertise, with Lovejoy providing the lead urban design role. The rest of the team will comprise of: property consultant King Sturge’s specialist regeneration division; PRP – residential design and experts in sustainable residential architecture; ARUP Consulting – highways and civil engineers and Gardiner Theobald – cost consultants. The concepts presented in the LRC masterplan identified the New Community as a residential led regeneration project, which will create around 2000 new dwellings in the St George’s North area of the city. A new standard of city living is proposed for the area consisting of a diverse mixture of housing tenures, prices and types. One of five key masterplan projects set to regenerate central Leicester, the New Community aims to develop a greater sense of vitality in the city centre as a whole and promote sustainable development. At the heart of the community in Lee Circle, Leicester, good quality support services will also be provided such as leisure, convenience shopping, schools and health facilities. Peter Conboy, Development Manager at the LRC said: “A large number of organisations submitted expression of interests for the New Community commission and we were very impressed with the high standard. The successful team fulfilled all of our key criteria combining specialist skills in mixed use urban design and sustainable residential development and expertise in attracting development funding. They also have extensive local knowledge, with some of the key staff living in Leicester or originating from the City. We are very confident this partnership will be a huge success and are looking forward to getting started on the plans this week.” Mark Rose, Associate Director at Lovejoy said: "We are delighted to be working with the Leicester Regeneration Company in the preparation of a development masterplan for the St. Georges North area. This is a key step in delivering the vision of a sustainable community in the heart of the city. The area's successful regeneration is critical to the continued prosperity of Leicester and we are looking forward to engaging with the local community to ensure that its full potential is realised." Ends – The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) was set up in 2001, and is a not for profit partnership between the public sector, private sector and the wider community. The company’s aim is to improve the physical image and environment of the city and further its economic prosperity. In 2002, the LRC launched a Masterplan, which is a framework for redevelopment in the city centre around the ring road and along the Grand Union Canal/River Soar for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan encompasses five important projects: New Community, Science and Technology Park, Prime Office Core, Retail Circuit and Waterside. For more information on the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk. MEDIA ENQUIRIES: For more information or a photo opportunity please contact Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail on 16th October 2003 LRC Welcomes New Affordable Housing Policy The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) has welcomed the City Council’s new policy on affordable housing within its area. Throughout Leicester the Council requires that 30% of all new housing projects be ‘affordable’. But because of fears this would stifle the emerging housing market within central Leicester, the Council previously agreed to a moratorium on this requirement within key parts of LRC’s area for a fixed period expiring this month. LRC Chief Executive, John Nicholls commented: “We are very concerned the moratorium would come to an end and we would simply revert to a stark ‘30% or nothing’ policy. This would have seriously affected the growing confidence in the housing market in our area. So we are delighted that the moratorium will be replaced by a new and more realistic requirement. We fully share the Council’s ambition to have a wider range of tenure and affordability in our area and our negotiations have been about how, not whether that should be achieved.” The overall target for the LRC area remains at 30% affordable housing in new developments, but the Council will now assist developers to work with registered social landlords to achieve this and crucially will support applications to the Housing Corporation for grant aid for half the affordable element within their schemes. The Regional Housing Board’s published strategy contains a specific policy that Housing Corporation investment in the LRC area should be one of its regional priorities, suggesting that this aid will be forthcoming. LRC consultants are currently preparing a series of detailed development frameworks for each of the five major projects in the company’s area and these will be ready early next year. The Council has agreed to further discussions at that time to consider varying the affordable housing requirements within each project, depending on market profile and other s106 requirements, within an overall target of 30%. John Nicholls continued: “Until now, the moratorium was temporary and covered only a few parts of our area. The rest of it was subject to the full 30% requirement. Now, the whole LRC area benefits from a long term and much more realistic policy – in effect, the cost to developers is about halved, putting us on an even footing with similar cities. And yet our shared ambition for a real affordable component in our new housing remains achievable. I think the Council, the city’s Housing Associations, and the Housing Corporation deserve great credit for this.” Ends- The LRC was set up in 2001, and is a not for profit partnership between the public sector, private sector and the wider community. Their aim is to improve the physical image and environment of the city and further its economic prosperity. Following an ongoing public consultation programme in 2002, the LRC launched a Masterplan, which is a framework for redevelopment in the city centre around the ring road and along the Grand Union Canal/River Soar for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan encompasses five important projects: Prime Office Core, Science and Technology Park, Retail Circuit, New Community and Waterside. Visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk for more LRC information. MEDIA ENQUIRIES: For more information or a photo please contact Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail 30th September 2003 Leicester Public consulted on Prime Office Core The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) is organising a public exhibition from 6th – 9th October 2003 at select locations in Leicester. The event will enable the LRC to engage with the citizens of Leicester and gain feedback on proposed plans for the city’s new Prime Office Core. Since May 2003, the LRC has been working with a specialist team of consultants led by Benoy, an internationally recognised architecture and design consultancy appointed to produce an urban design development framework for this project. The LRC and its consultants have been busy translating conceptual ideas in the masterplan for Leicester and have undertaken detailed appraisals of options for the new 50,000sqm Prime Office Core. This has included the overall design of building layout, spaces and the realignment of the ring road. Two principal options for the relocated ring road have now been drawn up and the public’s view is now required before the LRC undertakes detailed work on the delivery plans. The exhibition will be held at three different locations in Leicester: Leicester Railway Station on Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th October between 8am and 6pm, Leicester Mercury on Wednesday 8th October from 9am until 5pm and the Haymarket Shopping Centre on Thursday 9th October between 9am and 5pm. The first proposal intends to reroute St George’s Way across the existing station car park to join Station Street, which needs to be widened to accommodate the amount of traffic that currently uses the ring road. The new road alignment will create a large area for the new office development, including land occupied by the current alignment of St George’s Way. The second proposal for St George’s Way would run behind the new IBIS Hotel, roughly along the line of Constitution Hill. This second option would bring together a greater amount of office space in a single area on the city centre side of the ring road, which is connected by a network of attractive streets and spaces. John Nicholls, Chief Executive at the LRC says: “LRC is working toward the delivery of this major project, but there is still a long way to go and a detailed plan is the next step. This is a project of fundamental importance to the future of Leicester’s economy: to restructure the whole area around the station to provide a major and high-quality office development, which will create upwards of 3000 new jobs in the city. As well as comments on layout we need peoples’ views on how the widest possible community benefit could flow from this project.” MEDIA ENQUIRIES: For more information or a photo please contact - Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail 21st July 2003 LRC Relocates to New City Centre Premises On 22nd July 2003, the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) will move to its new office premises at a prime Leicester City Centre site: Charles Street, Leicester, LE1 1HA As a consequence of its relocation from Waterloo Way, Leicester to its new office block in Charles Street, Leicester the LRC has acquired a new business phone number of , which will be effective following the 22nd July 2003. On a temporary basis the previous LRC land line of will still remain but will redirect users to the new number. All e-mail communications with the LRC team will also be back in operation after the 22nd July 2003. John Nicholls, Chief Executive at the LRC said: “The LRC’s relocation to Halford House, Charles Street in Leicester is a deliberate move by the company to get closer to the heart of regeneration. Now the final report of the masterplan has been launched and we are moving into detailed development plans, the time has come for a base of our own where we can provide high quality presentations to our potential development partners. The initial office base provided by KPMG was invaluable to the LRC; however the LRC had expanded to a point whereby we needed a place of our own. I would like to thank all of our partners; Leicester City Council, East Midlands Development Agency and the national regeneration body, English Partnerships for their support in making this move possible together with West London Properties, which has pulled out all of the stops to ensure our move ran smoothly.” The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) was set up in 2001, and is a not for profit partnership between the public sector, private sector and the wider community. The company’s aim is to improve the physical image and environment of the city and further its economic prosperity. In 2002, the LRC launched a Masterplan, which is a framework for redevelopment in the city centre around the ring road and along the Grand Union Canal/River Soar for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan encompasses five important projects: Science and Technology Park, Prime Office Core, Retail Circuit, New Community and Waterside. For more information on the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk. MEDIA ENQUIRIES: For more information or a photo opportunity please contact Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail on 16th July 2003 LRC Unveils the Definitive Masterplan for Leicester On July 16th 2003, Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) and the government’s national regeneration body, English Partnerships (EP) officially launched the final and published version of the Masterplan – a technical and extremely detailed plan for physical development and change in Leicester City Centre over the next ten to fifteen years. Created by Roger Tym and Partners – Planners and Development Economists with a team of specialist consultants, the definitive report of the masterplan was unveiled at Soar Lane Bridge in Leicester by the LRC’s Chairman, Peter Wheeler and Chief Executive, John Nicholls in partnership with EP’s Chair, Margaret Ford. EP is one of the influential partners funding and supporting the LRC’s mission to regenerate central Leicester. Priced at £25.00 and targeted at developers and major partners involved in the exciting regeneration programme, this masterplan follows the widely supported overview document launched in November 2002, which offered a summary of the LRC masterplan and highlighted the five development projects: Prime Office Core, Retail Circuit, Science and Technology Park, New Community and Waterside. The published final report provides much fuller detail on the rationale for the regeneration of 1,000 acres of central Leicester, encompassing the areas within the ring road, around the station, and the river and canal corridor from the National Space centre to the Walker stadium. The completed report comprises comprehensive information on: the research and analysis underpinning the masterplan, key objectives, a strategic framework of the masterplan, the five key projects and their development frameworks and an outline of the principles of the delivery of the masterplan. Peter Wheeler, Chairmen of the LRC comments on the final masterplan: “This report represents the final, published outcome of the extensive work done for us by the Consultants team lead by Nora Galley of Roger Tym and Partners. I thank and congratulate them on it: we feel it breaks new ground in rooting a physical regeneration programme in the economic, structural, social and cultural potential of the city which it serves. This document reflects our increasing detailed knowledge of key parts in the development areas identified.” Nora Galley of Roger Tym and Partners said: “The masterplan, detailed in parts and indicative in others, is designed to achieve specific objectives for improving Leicester’s performance as a place and an economy. These objectives were agreed by LRC, its partners and the people of Leicester following the team’s analyses of Leicester’s performance and wide consultation on the outcome. The Masterplan is also a vision for the future of Leicester and aims to capture the imagination inspire and unite the aspirations of Leicester’s people around a common goal: a beautiful, lively, multicultural city.” Margaret Ford, Chair at EP said: “EP has been involved in supporting the LRC’s regeneration programme for central Leicester from the very beginning. Over the last 6 months, EP has invested in a number of crucial land sites in Leicester, helping to kick start the prime office core and enabling a relocation to bring about a major waterside scheme.” The LRC is now taking orders for the final report of the masterplan. To place an order contact the LRC on or e-mail orders to . For further information on the LRC and its masterplan for Leicester visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk In April 2001, the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) was set up in a response to the government white paper and to reflect an emerging sense of partnership in the city. Funded by English Partnerships, East Midlands Development Agency and Leicester City Council, LRC is a not for profit partnership between the private and public sectors. MEDIA INFORMATION: For further information please contact Lindsay O’ Connor on or e-mail at 2nd July 2003 LRC Confirms Consultants for Future Science and Technology Park The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) has appointed a team of specialist consultants to prepare a detailed design and highways framework for the Abbey Meadows area, which will include the proposed Science and Technology Park. Abbey Meadows is one of the five major projects identified in the LRC’s Regeneration Masterplan, and the LRC is preparing detailed proposals for all of them through the spring and summer of this year. The project team will be headed up by Building Design Partnerships (BDP) and was announced on Friday 27th June 2003. Five expert organisations make up the team of consultants brought together by BDP - Architects, Urban Designers and Masterplanners. The additional consultants include; Civil Engineers ‘Posford Haskoning’, Traffic Engineers and Planners ‘MVA’, International Property Consultants ‘Jones Lang LaSalle’ and Cost Consultants ‘Thomas and Adamson’. Located in the Abbey Meadow area of Leicester, this exciting project is expected to impact significantly on Leicester and its economy. Situated in an attractive riverside setting, which is currently grossly underused, the Science and Technology Park will cover around 45,000 square metres and will be constructed around the National Space Centre. The presence of a Science and Technology Park will maximise on the two universities’ expertise in biotechnology, medicine, space science and design, attracting high-income jobs into the city and encouraging graduate retention. The design framework will also provide the basis for the whole scale regeneration of the Wolsey Island and Ross Walk area with new housing, leisure and community facilities. Around 40 Expression of Interests were initially received from consultants wanting to participate in this innovative project. Following a thorough selection process, the LRC then interviewed 3 organisations before making a final decision. The design and feasibility study is set to commence immediately and is envisaged to continue throughout the Summer 2003. The first phase of building work is estimated to commence mid 2004. Peter Conboy, Development Manager at the LRC, comments on the successful team of consultants as: “We are extremely pleased to have awarded the Abbey Meadows and Science and Technology project to this team of consultants. Led by BDP, the consultants demonstrated an excellent track record, with real evidence of achieving high quality work on other science and technology parks in the UK. We believe we have appointed an extremely knowledgeable team of architects, urban designers and masterplanners and look forward to working with them in the coming months.” Stephen Redfern, Director at BDP said: “The design team led by BDP is delighted to be commissioned for this significant project in Leicester. The Abbey Meadows area offers an opportunity to create an international science park reflecting the world class standard of local university research. The overall development framework will provide a unique live/work environment, maximising the potential of the waterfront and integrated with the wider urban fabric and community.” 22nd May 2003 International Consultants Appointed for Leicester's Masterplan The Leicester Regeneration Company has appointed Benoy, internationally recognised architecture and design consultants, to direct the development of an urban design framework for Leicester’s Prime Office Core – a significant project in diversifying Leicester’s economy. The contract was awarded to Benoy on Friday 16th May 2003 and work is due to commence by the end of May 2003. The concepts presented in the LRC Masterplan identified the Prime Office Core as generating 50,000sqm of new office space and potentially creating over 3,000 jobs. The development will also be focused around a re-aligned railway station exit, new bus and rail interchange and high quality public spaces, reuniting this area with the city centre by radically reducing the impact of the inner ring road. This exciting scheme attracted Expressions of Interest from 33 consultants of extremely high calibre. Following a thorough selection process, a short list of 7 companies was drawn up. 3 organisations then were invited back for a final interview stage, and Benoy was announced as the successful consultant for this project. The urban design framework will be the next phase in defining how the new Prime Office Core will physically look once developed. Consequently, expert consultants were required with an excellent track record in urban design, highway re-alignment, railway transformation and public transport interchanges. Based in Offices in Newark, Nottinghamshire, Benoy satisfied these strict criteria. Initially, the first task will be to investigate the technical options available for re-aligning the inner ring road within the urban design framework. This will identify solutions to reconnect the Prime Office Core with the city centre and generate interest from developers and occupiers alike. Chief Executive John Nicholls said ‘The standard of tenders we have received has been extremely high, but we felt that Benoy could offer us the extensive experience and expertise we need for this important scheme. We are looking forward to working with Benoy and expect work on the framework to be drafted by September, when we’ll be liaising with the public to obtain their views.’ Benoy will be supported by a specialist team of sub consultants: Innes England will be offering advise on commercial property, Ove Arup & Partners will cover highways and transportation and Turner & Townsend will deal with development costs. Michael J Wilson MacCormack, Senior Associate Director at Benoy comments, "We are delighted to be working with Leicester Regeneration Company on such a important city centre development. Creating a new Masterplan for the station area is a great opportunity to create a vibrant business quarter and put Leicester firmly back on the map." MEDIA INFORMATION: For further details or images please contact Janine Williams on . 14th May 2003 Work on LRC's Waterside project starts Work has started this week on waterside developments, one of the Leicester Regeneration Company’s masterplan projects. Consultants White Young Green have been appointed to carry out a detailed study in the Frog Island area of the city, to investigate the practicalities of developing the proposed the marina here. The environmental condition of the area will also be investigated as it may have been affected due to prolonged periods of industry around Frog Island. This is the first stage of investigations in the area and these findings will provide the preliminary basis for future waterside designs. Development Manager Caroline Simpson Watkinson said ‘We are delighted to have appointed White Young Green and look forward to receiving their findings. This is the first step in defining plans for the city’s waterfront, but is very significant as it will inform us on future developments and indeed the location of the proposed marina.’ White Young Green Associate, Kevin Raven said ‘This investigation is key to the future plans of the LRC. We will be investigating thoroughly the land in Frog Island and identifying what impact the presence of industry has had over the last fifty years. Future plans will ensure that improving the environmental condition of this area is paramount, and we look forward to working with the LRC in making this happen.’ Developing the waterside is one of five key projects identified in the Leicester Regeneration Company masterplan, which was launched last year. For more information on the work of the Leicester Regeneration Company, please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk or call . MEDIA INFORMATION: For more details, please contact Janine Williams on . May 2003 Vote of Confidence in Leicester Regeneration Company Two major sites totally around £5 million have been purchased on behalf the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) as a first step in implementing its masterplan. The company’s funders, East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, have each bought key sites in Leicester. English Partnerships has bought a 5.5 acre site at Abbey Lane, adjoining the new Greens Health and Fitness Club. The site will be used to assist in the relocation of businesses in the LRC area, facilitating key housing projects in the Abbey Meadows area. Mark Rogers, English Partnerships’ Senior Development Executive, said “This is our first land purchase in Leicester, and shows the strength of our support for LRC. We are partners in the company and plan to be fully involved in assembling sites and assisting in the delivery of the LRC masterplan, a key strategic area for English Partnerships.” Emda has bought the 1.3 acre Police Station in Charles Street. Leicestershire Constabulary will continue to occupy it until their planned move in Autumn 2004. LRC and emda intend to have redevelopment details fully worked out to implement as soon as possible. Ian Lodder, emda’s Head of Leicestershire and Northamptonshire teams, said, “We strongly support LRC’s strategy, and particularly the proposals for a Prime Office Core round the railway station. It will help to diversify Leicester’s jobs base, which relates directly to our target of becoming a top twenty European region by 2010. Redevelopment of this site is an essential first step. We envisage a high-quality design, retaining and reusing the important listed building in this developing part of the city.” Emda’s purchase is their third in the LRC area. Two years ago they bought the Abbey Meadows depot. Leicester City Council currently occupies the site, but will be moving shortly, freeing the site for LRC’s proposed Science and Technology Park. Emda also own the former William Caple site, which will form a key part of the LRC’s masterplan. Peter Wheeler, Chairman of LRC said; “This is great news. Putting sites together is the first step in implementing our masterplan, and such strong support from two of our key partner bodies is invaluable. It shows that the plan is for real, and the action is starting. We are delighted”. For more information on the work of the LRC please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk. MEDIA INFORMATION: For further details please contact Janine Williams on . Notes to Editors: Urban Regeneration Companies have been promoted by the government and established by local partners, to champion and stimulate new investment into areas of economic decline and co-ordinate plans for their regeneration and redevelopment. The national regeneration agency, English Partnerships, is involved in the 11 existing URCs and facilitates the sharing of best practice through conferences, symposium and the website, www.urcs-online.co.uk where more information can be found. Leicester Regeneration Company is funded by English Partnerships, East Midlands Development Agency and Leicester City Council. May 2003 Building a New Team The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) is expanding its team of regeneration experts to take the company into its new phase: implementing its masterplan. The LRC was established in April 2001. Since then the company has helped bring forward several development projects, and has worked with consultants Roger Tym & Partners on developing the regeneration masterplan for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan was launched in November 2002, and sets a framework for major change in central Leicester. The LRC team has now been expanded to prepare for this important and demanding task. Currently the team consists of: Chief Executive, John Nicholls, Development Director, Chris White, Development Manager, Caroline Simpson-Watkins and Office Manager Hazel Bevins. However from mid February, they will be joined by: Jim Johnston, Finance Director. Jim is a property banker and finance expert with over twenty years experience. He has previously worked with Lloyds TSB and other property funders and will be working on financial structuring of projects and on liaison with LRC’s public sector partners on business planning. He will work on a part time basis while continuing to run his own consultancy business. Technical Director, Stanislav Andryszewski. ‘Andy’ joins the company from Yorkshire Forward where he was a Senior Regeneration Office. He has previously worked on a number of complex reclamation and development projects and will be dealing with programme and contract management as well as highways and infrastructure. Peter Conboy, Development Manager who joins the team from Shannon, Eire where he has been working on public/private partnership structures for regeneration projects and brings sixteen years of experience. This new structure will enable LRC to deliver the five major projects envisaged in the master plan: the prime office core, the new city centre community, the science and technology park, the new retail circuit, and reuniting the city with its waterfront. For more information on the work of the Leicester Regeneration Company, visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk. MEDIA INFORMATION: For more details please contact Janine Williams on . 3rd April 2003 Leicester's Housing Associations & Regeneration Company Clear the Air Issued jointly by the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) and the Leicester Housing Associations Liaison Group (LHALG) Following recent media debate regarding a so-called “ban” on affordable housing in the Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) area of central Leicester, representatives of local housing associations met John Nicholls, Chief Executive of the LRC on Friday 28th March. During the meeting, Mr Nicholls explained the LRC Masterplan to the representatives of Leicester Housing Associations Liaison Group (LHALG) and confirmed that, contrary to press reports, it did include the objective of creating a balanced city centre residential community. This community will include elements of new social and affordable housing alongside apartments for market renting or sale and family housing for owner occupation. The Housing Association representatives, co-ordinated by Harry Perry of Leicester Newarke HA, expressed their approval for the balanced community objective and stressed their track-record in sustainable housing and social regeneration. They expressed their readiness to help deliver the LRC’s housing strategy across a wide range of tenures, prices and types of accommodation. Associations said they could do this in partnership with private developers, in alliance among themselves or acting individually. Mr Nicholls welcomed the offer and confirmed that associations would be among those invited to propose schemes for sites as the land assembly process gathered pace. He expressed a desire to make use of associations’ expertise and invited them to nominate individuals for the LRC board’s steering group on the “new community” element and for the officer level working party actually managing its delivery. The S.106 Moratorium Mr Nicholls explained that the LRC’s support for Leicester planners’ current moratorium on S.106 requirements within its area had been intended to help raise outturn property values to a level at which potential profits would provide the necessary level of cross-subsidy for affordable housing. Research jointly commissioned with city planners and the housing department was now being undertaken to ascertain the impact of the moratorium and a decision will then be taken about extending it beyond September. The HA representatives believed the moratorium should be ended as it was difficult to see how the Masterplan objective of a balanced new community could be achieved with it still in place – unless HAs were invited to deliver the whole range of provision. The participants debated whether the City’s 30% target for affordable housing within private developments was too demanding, especially taken alongside other S.106 requirements. Specific project constraints meant that the target was, in any case, rarely met. The participants acknowledged that a lower target could allay the anxieties of developers while still making some contribution to the Masterplan objective of a balanced community. “Community lettings” policies could also help deliver the objective within the affordable housing. The proposed new nightshelter On a side issue, Mr Nicholls reported that the LRC’s concerns about the location of a proposed new nightshelter were based entirely on it being in an area identified within the Masterplan as part of the enhanced “retail circuit”, where LRC would prefer uses which would help to add life and vitality. Having visited the present Nightshelter he expressed his very positive impressions of its management and agreed with the housing department that it needed to move to more suitable premises. Conclusion Everyone attending the meeting agreed it had been extremely useful in finding common ground for a partnership between affordable housing providers and the LRC in delivering the “new community” element of the LRC’s Masterplan. MEDIA INFORMATION: For further details, please contact Janine Williams on . LRC representative: John Nicholls, Chief Executive Leicester Housing Association Liaison Group (LHALG) representatives: Pat Elderfield, Chief Executive, East Midlands HA (PE) Corey Henry, Operations Manager, Riverside HA East Midlands (CH) Gary Kirk, Asst. Director (New Initiatives), Leicester HA (GK) Harry Perry, Chief Executive, Leicester Newarke HA (HP) Colin Towell, Director, Foundation HA (CT) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Further information available from: Harry Perry, Leicester Newarke HA, John Nicholls, Leicester Regeneration Company, 27th February 2003 Building a new team The Leicester Regeneration Company (LRC) is expanding its team of regeneration experts to take the company into its new phase: implementing its masterplan. The LRC was established in April 2001. Since then the company has helped bring forward several development projects, and has worked with consultants Roger Tym & Partners on developing the regeneration masterplan for the next ten to fifteen years. The masterplan was launched in November 2002, and sets a framework for major change in central Leicester. The LRC team has now been expanded to prepare for this important and demanding task. Currently the team consists of: Chief Executive, John Nicholls, Development Director, Chris White, Development Manager, Caroline Simpson-Watkins and Office Manager Hazel Bevins. However from mid February, they will be joined by: Jim Johnston, Finance Director. Jim is a property banker and finance expert with over twenty years experience. He has previously worked with Lloyds TSB and other property funders and will be working on financial structuring of projects and on liaison with LRC’s public sector partners on business planning. He will work on a part time basis while continuing to run his own consultancy business. Technical Director, Stanislav Andryszewski. ‘Andy’ joins the company from Yorkshire Forward where he was a Senior Regeneration Office. He has previously worked on a number of complex reclamation and development projects and will be dealing with programme and contract management as well as highways and infrastructure. Two Development Managers: Jeannette Franklin, who has been working as a Principal Surveyor at Leicester City Council. Jeannette brings over twenty years of experience to the team and will specialise in land acquisition and development, particularly in the central retail core. Peter Conboy, who joins the team from Shannon, Eire where he has been working on public/private partnership structures for regeneration projects and brings sixteen years of experience. This new structure will enable LRC to deliver the five major projects envisaged in the master plan: the prime office core, the new city centre community, the science and technology park, the new retail circuit, and reuniting the city with its waterfront. Five LRC-led Project Groups have been set up to deliver these. Each group will draw in key people from all the organisations involved to make each project happen. In addition LRC Board has structured itself into steering groups, based around the different masterplan projects, to advise and support this work. As well as LRC Board members, these groups will invite others who can bring specific knowledge and expertise. A sixth group will focus on ensuring that the benefits flowing from LRC’s physical projects, like new jobs and prosperity, will spread as widely as possible throughout Leicester communities. Chairman Peter Wheeler said ‘We are delighted to welcome these new members to our team. It’s a clear indication that work on implementing the masterplan is now well underway and the Board are confident that we have the team in place to really take things forward. ’ Chief Executive, John Nicholls said ‘This new structure will help us in carrying out each of the major masterplan projects It’s a huge task, and this is the best way of tackling it. The combination of the commitment and knowledge from our Board, the welcome additions to our staff team, and our other partners will ensure that we have the best possible people working on each of the projects.’ For more information on the work of the Leicester Regeneration Company, visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk, or for a copy of the masterplan please call . MEDIA INFORMATION: For more details please contact Janine Williams on . 8th January 2003 LRC Masterplan wins EMDA approval The Leicester Regeneration Company’s masterplan for future development has received formal approval from the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), one of the company’s supporting partners. The masterplan was produced by consultants Roger Tym & Partners and launched last November. It outlines physical regeneration in the city over the next ten to fifteen years. The emda sub-board met at the end of last year and gave their formal approval of the plan. Emda’s decision indicates ‘in principle’ support for the projects in the masterplan, potentially including funding and the use of emda’s Compulsory Purchase Order powers. This enables LRC’s key projects to progress. These include the development of the prime office core and the Science and Technology Park. John Nicholls, Chief Executive of the LRC said ‘Emda has been a staunch supporter of the LRC from the outset. This decision is a clear signal of their support for our strategy and of emda’s willingness to help us to deliver it.’ Ian Lodder of emda said ‘We are delighted to endorse the LRC masterplan, which we see as a key means of delivering our mission to enhance the economic competitiveness of the region.’ The Leicester Regeneration Company is supported by emda, Leicester City Council and English Partnerships. For more information on the work of the company please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk or for a copy of the masterplan call . MEDIA INFORMATION: For further details on current projects, or the masterplan, please contact Janine Williams on . 8th January 2003 Key LRC development received planning go ahead. A Planning application, which will kick-start one of the Leicester Regeneration Company’s (LRC) key projects was approved by Leicester City Council at a meeting held on Tuesday. Westbridge Wharf, on the riverside in Bath Lane, will consist of 113 apartments, ranging from studio flats to penthouses and will include a restaurant and residents Health Centre. LRC have been one of several partners, including Leicester City Council, developers Living in the City, and Jonathon Smith Architects, working to ensure that the scheme is appropriate both for the area and fits in with the masterplan for regeneration of the city over the next ten to fifteen years. Caroline Simpson-Watkinson, Development Manager at LRC said ‘We are delighted that this scheme has received planning permission. It will be the first development in our waterside target area, and is a great first step towards our masterplan’s aim of waterside regeneration, which will ultimately reunite the city centre and riverside. It will add vibrancy to the ten miles of underused waterfront in central Leicester, and is an excellent example of a number of parties working together to ensure a scheme which meets all their aims.’ For further information on the work of the Leicester Regeneration Company please visit leicesterregeneration.co.uk or call . MEDIA INFORMATION: For further details please contact Janine Williams on . PREVIOUS PRESS RELEASES 2001-2002 LATEST PRESS RELEASES