Regeneration agency of the year

English Partnerships is not only the biggest regeneration agency in the country, it’s also the best. And it’s got the numbers to prove it. This year it has increased its investment programme 18% to £483m, started work on 4439 new homes, 43% more than expected, reclaimed 293 ha of brownfield land, against a target of 260 ha, and generated 185,096 m2 of floor space for employment. EP uses its £500m-a-year budget to make a difference across the entire country – this year it invested £46m in the regeneration of the country’s former coalfield areas, secured contracts for the re-use of the Millennium Dome and broke ground at Liverpool’s £390m Kings Waterfront development. And that’s just for starters. A truly deserving winner.

EP’s “Summit House” at the Sustainable Communities Summit demonstrated best practice through modern methods of construction

Runners-up

The Glass-House is a pioneering agency that believes local people should be at the heart of attempts to revitalise their communities – and works with tenants and residents groups to provide them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to put them there. In just four years the agency has run 40 residential training courses, covering 165 community groups and more than 700 participants. And the good news is it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Pride in Camp Hill

Camp Hill in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, is one of the 10 most deprived domains in the country, with low economic activity, low levels of education, a high level of crime and a high rate of unemployment. But Pride in Camp Hill is ensuring that it isn’t going to stay that way. This partnership is working to transform the area by taking a holistic approach to regeneration, ensuring that social and economic changes are not isolated initiatives but go hand in hand with improvements to the built environment.

Southwark council

That Southwark is home to so many landmarks, including the Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Peckham Library, is no coincidence. It is the council’s sheer hard work and determination to turn the 12th most deprived borough in England and Wales into a vibrant community that has put this area of London back on the cultural map. And with the Shard at London Bridge and the revamping of Elephant & Castle, Canada Water and Bermondsey Spa still to come, watch this space.