In the first decade of the century, regeneration was the development industry’s biggest buzz word. Renewal of the UK’s cities and most deprived areas was a huge priority of government, with architect Richard Rogers leading the urban task force that revolutionised policy. The period saw the centres of Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham were irrevocably changed – and the industry made billions off the back of it.

But spending austerity cut the funding and shut the institutions that had supported all this activity. While brownfield development continued to be theoretically promoted by the planning system, the idea of specifically subsidised development programmes at scale designed to achieve social and economic aims was dropped in favour of a simpler ambition. “For a while regeneration was a dirty word around government,” says Mary Parsons, regeneration and partnerships director  at partnerships housebuilder Lovell. “It was all about housing numbers.”

In the summer of 2024, Labour came into government promising a decade of national renewal. Now, whatever you might think about how well that phrase has aged in the 18 months since, there are nevertheless some signs the ambition is resulting in a renewed focus on regeneration. A regeneration of regeneration, if you like.

This time around, however, it is being driven as much by powerful local and combined authorities as big government agencies. To mark the launch of a new editorial initiative, Regen Connect, which over the coming months will explore the regional urban regeneration picture across the UK, Housing Today here asks what the landscape looks like for regeneration, and what the prospects are for a revival in fortunes of the sector.

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