In its first 12 months the new Labour Government effectively “turned off the tap” on the series of capital funds (including, for example, the Towns Fund and Levelling Up Fund) introduced by the previous Government to help support new regeneration and infrastructure projects in some of our more deprived towns and neighbourhoods.  

We were beginning to wonder whether any new funding initiatives specifically aimed at revitalising our centres and high streets would replace these legacy funds.

We had our answer last week (25th September) when the Government launched its expanded and rebranded “Pride in Place Programme”. This is a £5 billion investment over ten years targeting some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in England, Scotland and Wales. In summary, some 250 places are to receive over £20m of funding over the next decade to help build stronger communities and create thriving high streets and neighbourhoods. 

This is complemented by the £150m “Pride in Place Impact Fund”, which will provide immediate support for improvements to high streets, public spaces, and community facilities in 95 places.  Each will receive £1.5 million over two years.

It has been heralded as “a break from the past” and “a new way for government to work in partnership with communities and neighbourhoods, empowering them with the tools and levers to drive meaningful change that reflects their priorities”.

At the outset Neighbourhood Boards will need to be formed to provide the necessary leadership, governance and decision-making structures.  These Boards will comprise all stakeholders with a vested interest in their local areas, including community leaders, local residents and businesses, faith representatives, and the relevant local MP. An independent chair will be appointed by the local authority who will “act as a champion for the place and provide leadership for the board, ensuring it is community-led and embedded within the local area”. 

The Board will be responsible for developing the 10-year vision and Regeneration Plan for their area – in partnership with the local authority - to deliver the strategic objectives of the programme. This should cover opportunities to attract and combine new and existing private, public, and other funding streams.

The different “tools and levers” the Government is introducing to help create thriving places include:

• Community Right to Buy local assets such as libraries, pubs, parks, etc.
• Compulsory Purchase of empty shops/ buildings and derelict buildings to bring them back into use
• Regulation of unwanted businesses, with the power to block new gambling centres, vape shops, or ‘fake barbers’ where these activities are over-concentrated. 

In summary, the Pride in Place Programme is a positive response to the issues and challenges facing some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas. It is designed to empower communities with the resources, tools and funds needed to identify and deliver sustainable changes in their local areas, by fostering a sense of ownership and restoring pride.

However, it is not clear how the “tools and levers” available to Neighbourhood Boards will overcome the challenges that local authorities have consistently faced in delivering high street regeneration for decades. As ever, the devil will be in the detail. 

Time will tell whether this Government initiative will be a success or not.  In the meantime, the town centre and CPO experts in our Planning, Regeneration + Infrastructure (PR+I) team give their views below on the Pride in Place programme based:

Nyear Yaseen, Director of Land Assembly & Compulsory Purchase for the South believes the successful application of proposed reforms to the compulsory purchase process and land compensation rules designed to help regenerate our high streets will depend on strong collaboration and a partnership-based approach to make it happen. Nyear comments: “Communities will lead the evidence-based vision and strategy for the revitalisation of their high streets and, where necessary, public bodies will need to apply their CPO powers. Working together I believe this will be an exciting way to deliver change and regeneration, particularly in areas where the private sector is significantly challenged.” 

Bláthnaid Duffy, a Director in our specialist Town Centre & Economic Regeneration (TCER) team states: “The Pride in Place Programme is an ambitious and worthy initiative; but thought needs to be given on how these new community powers will align with local planning policy and how they can overcome the flexibility of uses afforded by planning reforms.There is risk the initiative will direct funds to ‘quick fix’ short term solutions, rather than tackling the many root causes of deprivation that plague town centres and influence urban decline and problem uses.”

Atul Joshi, a Senior Associate Director in TCER team welcomes the increase in High Street initiatives introduced by the Government, but adds: “Without proper co-ordination they risk working at cross purposes. Any new initiative must be assessed against others such as High Street Rental Auctions mandated under the Levelling-up & Regeneration Act 2023, where local authorities carry clear accountability. The same rigour and alignment must apply to community involvement, ensuring local partners are not sidelined, but positioned as critical accountable actors in reviving our high streets” 

Christine Reeves, an Associate Director in our TCER team also questions whether local community groups have the capacity, resources and skills to deliver the programme. Chrstine thinks: “Local governance will be key, and parish/town councils may be best placed to form Neighbourhood Boards in order to deliver quick wins.” 

LSH can help local authorities, community groups, town and parish councils to work together to deliver targeted interventions and strong governance that revitalise town centres. Through our deep understanding of the policy, social and economic challenges facing UK towns we are able to drive impactful place making and regeneration to shape vibrant and resilient communities.