Remaining the same throughout the change

Leicestershire has seen a flurry of regeneration activity in recent years and there is a determination that tough economic times will not derail its ambitious plans for the future. Andy Jowett reports

Sitting at the very heart of England, Leicestershire has been a key population and production centre for centuries. But while its boundaries remain largely unchanged since they were recorded in the Domesday Book, it is a county that has undergone radical changes over the years.

Modern Leicestershire is home to around 950,000 people, or around one-fifth of the population of the East Midlands. The county’s administrative and industrial centre, Leicester, currently has around 288,000 residents. Tracing its roots back to the Iron Age, the city’s position on the River Soar made it a strategically important settlement for the Romans, the Danes and the Normans. During medieval times, it became a market town built on the power of the guilds and frequently found itself at the heart of England’s stormy history.

The Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort, seized the throne in 1264 and in 1485, one of its most famous (or infamous) sons, Richard III , made it his base before his ill-fated set-to with Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Despite a lack of coal and iron reserves, Leicester was quick to join the Industrial Revolution, although its hosiery industry grew not in dark, Satanic mills but through the emergence of many small, family-run businesses.

In the 19th Century, the city’s population exploded as the development of canals and the railways made it a transport hub, as well as a centre for manufacturing and light engineering. Between 1801 and 1901, the number of people living in L eicester shot from 17,000 to 211,600.

This rapid growth resulted in very high population density, which shaped the city’s housing. Today, more than 40 per cent of Leicester’s domiciles are terraced – double the county-wide average.

Having so many of these Victorian and Edwardian relics has brought its own challenges: a 1995 survey by the city council found that Leicester had a relatively high proportion of properties without central heating and some 1.8 per cent of households had no inside bath, shower or WC, or they had
shared facilities.

Semper eadem?
Leicester’s motto – semper eadem – may mean “always the same” but, its history and a quick consultation of my pocket Latin dictionary suggest it should perhaps be semper eadem, semper mutatio (always the same, always changing) as it has undergone – and embraced – many transformations.

This has helped to make it one of the most diverse areas of the country – approximately 28 per cent of the population are of Asian or West Indian origin and Leicester has the largest B ritish-Indian community in the country.

To meet the long-term social, environmental and housing needs of the city’s residents, the Leicester Partnership, which brings together the council and representatives of voluntary, community and private sector organisations, has developed an ambitious 25-year plan known as One Leicester.

Agreed in March 2008, this wide-ranging strategy identified seven “levers for change” deemed crucial to delivering a more sustainable city, as well as a better quality of life for its people. These include improving the “life chances” of Leicester’s children; reducing health inequalities; cutting carbon emissions; investing in skills and enterprise; involving residents in creating safer communities; ensuring planning favours pedestrians and families over cars; and, finally, encouraging civic pride and “talking up” the city.

When it comes to sustainability, there is already plenty to be proud of. In October 2010, the think tank Forum for the Future ranked Leicester second out of the UK’s 20 largest cities for its environmental performance, quality of life and “future-proofing” against issues like climate change.

Its report said the city, which had been ranked 14th out of 20 just four years earlier, had the lowest ecological footprint of all the conurbations studied, as well as the lowest levels of household waste and the best performance in terms of protecting biodiversity. It was also commended for its “strong” climate change plans, high recycling rates and its support for an emerging business sector focused on sustainability and environmental management.

The fabric of Leicester is also changing. Since the launch of a masterplan focused on a Strategic Regeneration A rea (SRA) in 2002, more than £1 billion has been invested in renewing the centre of the city.

The SRA identified five “character zones” with their own priorities and objectives: the city core; the business gateway; the waterfront; Belgrave Gate; and the university and sports district.

Several multimillion-pound developments have already been completed within these zones, including the Highcross shopping centre; probably the biggest single scheme to have been built within the historic core of the city since the Roman forum was completed in the second century.

There has also been a £32 million, five-storey building for Leicester College in Belgrave Gate and a £30 million A&E extension for the City Hospital.

On the housing side, the council – Leicester’s largest landlord – completed a decent homes programme covering its 22,200 properties in December 2010. It also helped to bring 456 private residences up to the standard last year and supported another 300 households in securing affordable heating.

Furthermore, the council has worked to expand the city’s housing pool. Since 2004, it has brought 1,000 empty properties back into use and between 2008 and 2010, completed 166 new affordable dwellings.

For the first time, the authority is now set to build its own properties after securing £7 million to fund the delivery of 146 rented properties.

Challenges ahead
Despite the considerable progress already made in Leicester, there are still many challenges to confront – particularly the need to build more housing. Since the One Leicester strategy was agreed, the city’s population has grown by 10,000 and the council has estimated that the city will need over 20,000 additional homes within 20 years.

A major project designed to meet some of this demand is Ashton Green, a 130-hectare Greenfield site that has been held by the council as a strategic housing allocation since the mid-1970s.

Under plans approved in December 2010, it will become a “sustainable urban extension” of 3,000 homes. The aim is to have around 1,000 properties and supporting infrastructure completed within five years of work starting on site in 2012.

In line with the One Leicester strategy, the development is intended to be an integrated community rather than a detached dormitory, so alongside the planned mix of family homes, apartments and sheltered accommodation, Ashton Green will also get a primary school, shops, offices, a civic square, allotments, wildlife areas and a new park with sports facilities.

To ensure long-term sustainability, residences will be built to the highest level of the Code for Sustainable Homes and, in order to reduce car use, every property will be within 400 metres of a bus stop. On top of that, there will be clubs for people who might occasionally need a vehicle but do not want to own one and even personalised travel plans to show residents how they can make their everyday trips without a car.

It’s all about creating a place where people want to live and work for the long-term; the aims of the One Leicester strategy captured in a single development.

To build on Leicester’s successful regeneration – and to ensure its benefits spread beyond its boundaries – the city and county councils have joined forces to create Prospect Leicestershire. This alliance means that for the first time, there is a single organisation charged with delivering urban renewal, jobs, new housing and inward investment across both city and county through a Multi-Area A greement (MAA).

There are, of course, many hurdles ahead. Social deprivation is still a problem in many wards and the recession and subsequent public spending cuts pose a significant financial challenge, but Leicestershire’s ambition and new-found sense of optimism appear undimmed.

As the MAA states: “In 2020, Leicester and Leicestershire will have a prosperous, enterprising and dynamic economy, characterised by innovating businesses and creative people, attractive places and sustainable communities.”

Semper eadem, semper mutatio – always the same, always changing.