Discipline Type

Economic Development

COVID-19 has accelerated the challenges already facing high streets and town centres, and heightened existing needs for economic development and regeneration. Authorities have a critical role to support local businesses and organisations, collaboratively develop new visions for town centres, and ultimately build more resilient local economies and communities. This requires agile, place-based and entrepreneurial approaches that bridge between socio-economic and physical regeneration.

WHO THEY ARE

Regeneration placements combine commercial skills with a high level of social impact. Not only will these placements be responsible for improving local town centres, but the lives and livelihoods of the people in and around it. People who would suit this type of role have had an active role in shaping policy implementation and projects that improve lives and outcomes for residents. They are also very good relationship builders and should be the kind of person who isn’t afraid to ask for something if it will benefit the local community.

WHAT THEY DO

Developing and delivering growth or recovery strategies, combining economic, social and physical interventions.
Establishing governance and place management structures, such as town teams, and engaging with them on behalf of Authorities.
Engaging communities in the co-design of their neighbourhoods.
Developing town centre action plans or recovery plans to build diversity and resilience in town centres.
Identifying new regeneration opportunities through engagement with residents, businesses, landowners and developers.
Preparing briefs and bids to secure funding for new programmes or projects.
Commissioning and overseeing the delivery of regeneration and public realm projects.
Building relationships with businesses, cultural organisations and community organisations to establish activation and events programmes.
Supporting local businesses and organisations through problem-solving, coordination and signposting further aid.
Helping businesses and town centres return to operation, transition in response to changing conditions, and potentially transform their purpose.
Establishing affordable workspace, startup programmes and grants.
Training, employment programmes and skills brokerage in response to changes in the economy.
Feeding into policy to support economic growth.

ANDREW CATCHESIDE

TED MAXWELL

Regeneration Manager

NKECHI OKEKE-ARU

High Street Recovery Lead

ANDREW CATCHESIDE

Prior to joining Public Practice, Andrew was a co-director of Building BloQs, London’s largest open access workshop. He contributed to the regeneration strategy of Meridian Water in Enfield and coordinated a funding bid for the social enterprise, BloQs. During his studies, he began working for BloQs and was integral in the application for £2.7m as part of the GLA’s London Regeneration Fund (LRF). The project will facilitate the expansion and diversification of BloQs at Meridian Works - a launch project for the Meridian Water regeneration scheme in Enfield.

Part of the second cohort of Public Practice, Andrew joined Enfield as Town Centre Development Manager to implement a Town Centre Action Plan to guide and support the diversification and resilience of the key Town Centres, drawing on best practice as well as identifying opportunities to innovate.

In July 2021, Andrew helped to launch a new space for local businesses to provide outdoor dining on Fountain Island. As well as transforming the area into a social space for residents and visitors, the initiative includes a support scheme to provide participating businesses with essential equipment.

You can contact Andrew via his LinkedIn account.

#alumni
#lb-enfield
#town-centres

TED MAXWELL

Ted is a creative team and project leader with experience in the 'meanwhile' side of the property sector. Since 2015 he has worked at Dot Dot Dot, the property guardian social enterprise, becoming its Head of Business Development & Marketing in 2018. He has created and managed partnerships across sectors, delivering property guardianship in regeneration contexts, enabling creative and charitable uses, such as artist studios and community kitchens, and securing long-term outcomes from interim opportunities. Before working in the property sector, his career included leadership roles in the transport, tech, events and community sectors.

Ted’s role as Regeneration Manager for Oxford’s Covered Market entails leading on a feasibility study and business case for major investment to help deliver the Oxford Strategic Partnership’s objective of inclusive growth, including agreeing a procurement and delivery strategy for major capital works.

In July 2021, Ted helped to launch Broad Meadow, a temporary meanwhile project promoting active travel, biodiversity and arts & culture in the public realm. The space helped to increase footfall in the town centre and aims to inform the development of longer-term regeneration projects.

#alumni
#oxford-city-council
#town-centres #project-management #heritage

NKECHI OKEKE-ARU

Nkechi has over 15 years local government experience completing outcome-based research projects and delivering high profile service improvement and change projects in a range of council services including homeless-ness prevention, housing provision and regeneration. At Brent she managed the infrastructure delivery plan, including developing infrastructure policy, managing S106 projects and an award winning CIL programme. Most recently she has been developing strategic interventions and construction packages to improve Oxford Street’s public realm at Westminster City Council. Nkechi is also on the steering group of a local community-led housing organisation.

Nkechi has taken on the role of High Street Recovery Lead at Kingston, where her focus is on delivering the agreed objectives of the Kingston Economic Recovery Taskforce. This includes addressing unemployment through actions on skills and employment, inward investment in high streets, and the transition to green economy and digital inclusion. She is project leading on the development of adaptive strategies and bespoke programmes for town centre diversification and renewal through innovation and experimentation.

Contact Nkechi via LinkedIn.

#alumni
#royal-borough-of-kingston-upon-thames

Back

Discipline Type

Economic Development

WHO THEY ARE

WHAT THEY DO

ASSOCIATES WHO TOOK ON THIS ROLE TYPE

ANDREW CATCHESIDE

TED MAXWELL

NKECHI OKEKE-ARU

ANDREW CATCHESIDE

TED MAXWELL

NKECHI OKEKE-ARU