Issue - meetings

- report by Kalpana Desai, HMR Team

Kalpana Desai, HMR Team, reported on a recent visit by the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Rotherham East and Rotherham West ADFs and Jeff Goode, TSY, to Durham to gain an insight into how joint venture company arrangements were delivering transformational change to a number of neighbourhoods within the City of Durham,

Durham had chosen to develop a joint venture company framework as a vehicle to deliver regeneration activity across the city.  The Durham Villages Regeneration Company brought together Durham City Council and Keepmoat to co-ordinate the delivery of a holistic programme of activity including a mix of housing investment, demolition of unsustainable housing stock, new housing construction, neighbourhood scene improvements and community based investment activity.  The company worked in close partnership with the community partnership for the area in determining programme priorities and delivering the wider neighbourhood programme.

The day of the visit was very much developer lead.  Discussions would also be held with Durham City officers to obtain a rounded view and discuss the benefits of establishment the framework as the preferred model for the city.  It was proposed that dedicated officer time would be spent on this issue so by March, 2007, there was a clear picture of where Rotherham would like to be in terms of market renewal, how public sector partnerships could work and hopefully engaging the private sector in working alongside.

Agreed:-   (1)  That the report be noted.

(2)  That the HMR Team develop a framework to engage the private sector and progress reports be submitted bi-monthly.