Are communities getting value for money from Developer Contributions?

Lucinda Mitchell, Project Director from First Base, talks about Section 106 agreements and how to improve public awareness of developer contributions.

Section 106 Agreements, also known as ‘developer contributions’, are a mechanism which make a development proposal acceptable in planning terms.

However, in our experience, there needs to be more public awareness of what developer contributions pay for and the benefits a development brings to local communities.

What is section 106?

Section 106 are agreements between local authorities and developers which cover contributions to local infrastructure, transport improvements, public art, education and improvements to local parks and gardens.

However, a lot of the focus is on affordable housing when it comes to Section 106.

Why is this an issue?

The strong focus on affordable housing has led us down a road where that’s all we talk about, from how many homes are being built to how few, what types of homes, who will have access to them and what price point they will have. Whilst this is understandable as this is critical, the focus then shifts away from the vital needs as mentioned above, all of which the Section 106 also covers, and means that most local people are totally oblivious to how much they can benefit from a development.

It is critical to get local residents to buy-in to the importance of the scheme to the local area. Getting buy-in, involvement and developing local advocacy should be the purpose of Section 106.

The agreement typically appears at the end of the planning process, when the scheme has already been designed and the numbers have been agreed. The assessments of the need are usually decided without direct involvement of local people and, in turn, when the need is implemented, local people can often feel disconnected to what has been delivered.

How can we deliver social value?

We believe that regeneration cannot be delivered just through housing, as this does not deliver long-term lasting change. It is important to start every scheme by asking local people, businesses and stakeholders what the needs and issues are in the local area and then undertaking an honest analysis with a design team, landscapers and engineering consultants to look for ideas and opportunities to address these issues and positively make a difference.

The Edward Street mixed-use scheme

First Base has just submitted a planning application for the former Amex House site on Edward Street. This is a mixed-use scheme with workspace, homes and three new green areas.

The site sits within the Queens Park ward; one of the most deprived in Brighton and Hove and in the South East. Before anything was designed, we embarked on a series of meetings with local residents, businesses, community groups and local councillors to understand the issues and concerns in the area. The most common concerns were anti-social behaviour, unemployment, social isolation and high rates of health issues.

Many developers have a tendency to move on quickly in this situation, as many of the issues are not ones that property developers can directly address.

However, we go against the grain and believe that it would be a tragedy to develop a £100m scheme in an area with nothing being done to address the existing issues that are prevalent.

From looking at the specific issues in the area, we identified them and started to design the Edward Street scheme in direct response.

Unemployment

Our initial thoughts were for a residential led scheme to address unemployment in the area, however, we turned this into a commercial led scheme to deliver over 1,250 jobs.

All our procurement contracts were written with a requirement for construction companies and businesses to:

·       Employ local people

·       Implement a training and apprenticeship scheme

·       Spend a day a quarter at a local school to discuss future career opportunities

·       Build a relationship with the Unemployed Resource Centre

Anti-social behaviour

We heard from local people that anti-social behaviour is prevalent locally. In direct response to this, we made sure that all our ground floor areas are active and busy throughout the day, our design included good lighting and we removed any ‘muggers’ alleys.

We are also working closely with local agencies such as Drug Rehabilitation teams to provide support where appropriate. 

Social isolation

We have started working with local agencies to bring new and existing communities together. We have joined forces with Brighton Sunday Roast Club, Brighton Casserole Club and Impetus to provide the biggest charity Sunday roast Brighton has ever seen on 25 March to celebrate togetherness and combat social isolation in the Queen’s Park area.

We have also designed in three public green areas for people to use, meet others and enjoy and part of our commercial space will encourage people to come in for a drink and meet others for free or at a reduced cost.

High rates of health issues

Our landscape plans have been designed to encourage people to move around, to play, for children and adults alike, and improve their health and wellbeing.

To combat the health issues in the area, we are proposing the inclusion of a GP surgery within the plans to increase access for local residents.

We have also included several trees in our plans to bring wildlife and nature back to the area as well as fresher air.

We have taken careful thought and consideration of the issues affecting the immediate area around the development, which we will continue throughout the stages of planning.

It’s all our collective responsibility to ask more from the whole industry. Of course, affordable housing is of the utmost importance, but let’s broaden the discussion so that we can focus on how developments will have a long-term positive impact, not just a short-term fix.

Thanks to our February Construction Voice sponsors, First Base, for writing this blog. 

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk