11 acres/ Inside final

28 Pages·2007·7.22 MB·English

A Production of the Fatima Community
Regeneration Team: eleven acres
Marja Almqvist,Mary Byrne,Cathy Costello,
Tracey Henderson,Karen Hoey,Jim Lawlor,Denise Lucas,
Ann Malone,Gemma McKenna;Eleanor McClory,
Niall O’Baoill (Co-Chair),Aileen O’Gorman (Co-ordinator),
Charlie O’Neill,Deirdre Reid,Róisín Ryder,Pat Tobin, ten steps
Irene Ward (Co-Chair).
November 2000
With special thanks to Ian Magahy and Kathleen O’Higgins
for their contributions.
Kindly supported by
A brief from the community of Fatima Mansions
Public Communications Centre and the
Department of Social,Family and Community Affairs to the public representatives, planners, developers and
Copies of this report may be obtained from:
Fatima Groups United service providers tasked with the regeneration of the housing estate.
18J,Fatima Mansions
Dublin 8
Tel/Fax:[phone]
Email:[email protected]
The Principles and Recommendations in this
Community Regeneration Brief have been
Designed by Public Communications Centre
presented to and endorsed by:
PHOTOGRAPHERS:CHRISMAGUIRE,ENDAO’BRIEN,DEREKSPIERS.
PHOTOSFROMFATIMAHISTORYPROJECTCOMPILEDBYKIERANDOYLEO’BRIEN Fatima Groups United
& JONIEWHYTE Rialto Community Network
COVERPHOTOSUPPLIEDBYANNIEDONOGHUE
Rialto Youth Project
1950SPHOTOSSUPPLIEDBYEVELYNDALY
Rialto Community Drug Team
The Brief has been profiled and discussed with a Rialto Family Centre
range of State, Municipal and area-based bodies Rialto Parish Management Committee
including: Rialto Parish Team
Rialto Development Association
Fatima Task Force
New Ireland and District Residents Association
Dublin Corporation
Integrated Services Process (D8)
Canal Communities Regional Youth Service
The Common Ground (Arts Development Agency )
All elected representatives within the Local Constituency
have been advised and are broadly supportive of the main
Contents
Section One
The old ways won’t work by Joe Donohoe page 3 •
Executive Summary page 4 • Core Principles and 3 Main Recommendations page 4 •
10 Sensible Steps to a Flagship Fatima page 5
Section Two
Fatima Mansion page 6 • The Community Regeneration Team and The Community
Regeneration Brief page 6 • The Potential and Capacity of the Site page 8 • Fatima Groups United and Existing Community-
delivered Initiatives pages 8 • Fatima Facts page 9 •
Section Three
10 Sensible Steps to a Flagship Fatima
Step 1. Secure an integrated regeneration programme for Fatima Mansions page 10 • Step 2.
Retain the use of the existing 11 acre site page 12 • Step 3. Implement community-based estate
management procedures page 13 • Step 4. Facilitate the community to participate fully page 14 • Step 5.
Maximise employment opportunities page 15 • Step 6. Combat educational disadvantage page 15 •
Step 7. Optimise the potential of young people page 16 • Step 8. Resource initiatives to tackle
ill-health page 17 • Step 9. Create a safe and secure neighbourhood page 18 • Step 10. Improve the
quality of life through recreational and cultural programmes page 19 •
Section Four
Forward Strategy page 22 • The Fatima Regeneration Board page 22 •
The Estate Agreement page 22 • The Fatima Regeneration Office page 23 • A Target Timetable page 23 •
Diagram of structure page 24 •
Appendices
Community Participation Case Studies pages 26 • References page 28
2
The old ways won’t work
Section One
By Joe Donohoe,Chairperson,Fatima Groups United
atima Groups United is proud and delighted to present this Community things right this time is useless unless we are joined by the other key players -
F
Regeneration Brief to the Fatima Task Force, Dublin Corporation, the Dublin Corporation, the various government departments and agencies.
Department of the Environment and all the key departments and Happily, it seems that there is huge consensus and willingness among
players involved in the renewal of Fatima Mansions. these to do the right thing. Maybe they also realise now from our collective past
This document contains the solution to most of the problems Fatima failures that the old ways won’t work. And, the solution, put at its simplest, is
Mansions struggles with. I know that’s a huge claim. But Fatima Groups about understanding and respecting each other. And formalising that respect
United, the residents and all of the important local and area-based groups with by putting in place a failsafe structure so that participation is not just assumed
whom we’ve shared the recommendations in these pages are convinced that to be happening, it is in fact automatically checked right through the process.
this is the right way forward. Never before in Fatima’s history, and never in any If this kind of participation is in the DNA of the process, everything else will
of the recently regenerated marginalised communities in Dublin, has there follow with ease.
been such a consensus. Such certainty. The old ways won’t work. George Bernard Shaw said in one of his
This Brief is not a raft of complaints or a set of demands. It is a plays ‘Take care to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you get.’
considered, forward-looking, problem solving, practical document. It is offered The Fatima residents won’t go back down that road. And I think all the key
as an assistance to Dublin Corporation and the other service providers as they players are ready to take the kind of care needed to ensure it doesn’t happen.
define their crucial roles in the regeneration of Fatima. This Brief is fuelled by Fatima Groups United believe that this Brief ensures that all of us get
expert analysis, extensive consultation and creative thinking. not only what we like, but more importantly what Fatima/Rialto - and society
It proposes a workable, common-sense, model of best practice to generally - absolutely needs.
deliver a regenerated Fatima. It champions an inclusive process where all the Finally a huge thank you to the Regeneration Team and their advisors
stakeholders are allowed play to their individual strengths and remits while for their dedicated, expert and innovative work on this landmark document.
working as a team. Its content is truly formidable.
However, if having absorbed this document, you are to be left with
only one compelling truth, we want it to be the one from which all others will
flow. And it’s so obvious I’m afraid it will get lost. It’s simply this:
The old ways won’t work.
If Fatima is to be regenerated successfully, it will mean building-in a
new and innovative structure for meaningful participation for the residents.
The old ways won’t work.
I know this is the kind of statement that bores decision-makers and
causes the TV cameras and radio mikes to be switched off in droves.
‘Consultation and participation - well we do that already’, most agencies and
decision-makers claim. But if there is one major barrier to the regeneration of
Fatima it is the gulf in understanding which exists between the residents on the
one hand, and the landlord and service providers on the other.
The old ways won’t work.
This is not meant as a judgmental comment. Our very different
realities and priorities dictate this. We are culturally different. It’s simply a
statement of fact. But it’s something which must be addressed. And, that can George Bernard Shaw said
only be done if we all - all of the stakeholders - are prepared to change. And
that means changing mind sets, traditional ways of working and inappropriate
in one of his plays ‘Take
models of participation.
The old ways won’t work. Fatima has been formed by its past traumas
and little victories. It is a unique community. No generalised model of care to get what you like
participation or consultation can be imposed and expected to work. We need to
invent a new way together and that means that the residents and resident’s
or you will be forced to
organisations have to be resourced and allowed to skill up and be given good
reason to trust. The other key players must be prepared to skill up also and
learn from our expertise and creativity They have to be given good reason to like what you get.’
trust us also.
The old ways won’t work. This document proves that we have already
embarked on embracing a new way. But our energy and determination to do
3
11Acres, 10 Steps; In Brief
Section One
Executive summary
The story so far
Fatima Mansions is almost fifty years old. Originally conceived as a brave
alternative to slum inner-city living, to many, the flat complex has become known
as the most notorious local authority estate in the country. Through the years,
it’s 11 acres, 14 four-storey blocks and 700 residents have had to fight an unfair
battle against the oppression of drugs, poverty and inevitable social problems.
However, recently the estate has been designated by Dublin
Corporation for redevelopment. But because of a difference in vision around
this regeneration, agreement has not yet been reached between the local The residents and all of the
representative organisations, Fatima Groups United (FGU), and Dublin
Corporation. Consequently, FGU assembled a Regeneration Team to examine important local and
and represent the needs and vision of the 700 residents. This Regeneration
Brief is the result of that Team’s dedicated work. area-based groups are
convinced this is the right
What is a Community Regeneration Brief?
This Regeneration Brief is exactly what its name suggests. It is a brief from the
way forward
people of Fatima to the planners, developers and service providers who are the
key players who will help shape the renewal of Fatima. These include Dublin
Corporation, the Fatima Task Force, The Integrated Service Process, the
departments of the Environment and Local Government; Education and
Science; Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Health and Children; Social,
Community and Family Affairs; Justice, Equality and Law Reform; Arts,
Heritage and the Islands; and Tourism, Sport and Recreation.
This document outlines the history and context for the regeneration.
It explains who all the key local organisations and initiatives are. It sets out the
residents’ vision and needs around regeneration and the need to build on the
exciting and crucial services already provided within Fatima through dynamic
local action. It specifically outlines core principles, strategic steps and
recommendations for action. It also offers an innovative and pragmatic
structure and timetable for achieving all of this.
Three core principles Three main recommendations
What follows are three bottom line principles which are absolutely crucial to Here we propose a workable and innovative structure to deliver a new, vibrant
the successful regeneration of Fatima. If these do not underline the renewal and sustainable Fatima Mansions.
programme, we firmly believe that it will not gain the support of the residents
1
and key Rialto-based organisations. Consequently it will fail. A new Regeneration Board to replace the existing Fatima Task Force to
be charged with stewarding the regeneration process, putting in place
1
Local residents and representative organisations must be meaningfully the financial package and overseeing the work programme. It will have
included in the process from early planning to managing the completed senior representatives from Dublin Corporation, the relevant government
estate. A structure must be put in place to guarantee this. departments, service providers and community players. A structure will
be put in place so that local residents and key organisations will be fairly
2
The regenerated Fatima Mansions will be of the highest international represented and resourced.
quality in terms of its design, process and delivery, offering itself as a
2
‘gold standard’ role model for other communities. An Estate Agreement will be entered into by these relevant resource
agencies and departments which will clearly document and guarantee
3
The entire 11.05 acre site will be redeveloped to facilitate ‘real choice’ the delivery of the necessary resources.
of new housing and community facilities solely for the residents and
3
families of Fatima Mansions. A healthy social mix will be achieved by A Regeneration Office with its own executive and infrastructure will be
de-ghettoising Fatima and integrating the new estate with its already set up to implement the work programme of the Regeneration Board
socially diverse Rialto neighbourhood. based on the 10 Strategic Steps outlined in this document.
4
10 Sensible Steps to a
Flagship Fatima
1
SECURE AN INTEGRATED REGENERATION PROGRAMME FOR FATIMA
MANSIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE WIDER RIALTO NEIGHBOURHOOD.
2
RETAIN THE USE OF THE EXISTING 11 ACRE SITE FOR THE
PROVISION OF A CHOICE OF QUALITY HOMES AND COMMUNITY
FACILITIES FOR ALL RESIDENTS OF FATIMA.
3
IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY-BASED ESTATE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES.
4
FACILITATE THE COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE FULLY IN
THE REGENERATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF FATIMA.
5
MAXIMISE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND
DEVELOP THE LOCAL AND SOCIAL ECONOMY.
6
COMBAT EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGE AND EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING.
7
OPTIMISE THE POTENTIAL OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN FATIMA.
8
TACKLE THE HIGH RATES OF ILL-HEALTH AND IMPROVE
THE HOLISTIC WELL-BEING AND SPIRIT
OF THE COMMUNITY.
9
CREATE A SAFE AND SECURE NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR ALL TO ENJOY.
10
IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE WHOLE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF
RIALTO THROUGH RECREATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMES
5
.
y
t Section Two
i
c This section provides a profile, key facts and a brief history of Fatima

e Mansions. It describes the residents’ organisations and initiatives and it looks at the capacity of the site to
h
deliver on the real needs.
t

r
e
v
o
other development organisations working
Fatima Mansions

l Fatima Mansions, a Dublin Corporation flats in Fatima, to ensure that the community is
l
a
complex in the south inner city, was completed in resourced to be active participants in the

m 1951 and now houses over 700 people. future regeneration of their neighbourhood.
o
r For many decades, the residents of Fatima and The Team has built on past research
f
other local authority estates were devastated by conducted in Fatima, for example, Making
e
l misdirected social and economic policies as Fatima a Better Place to Live (Corcoran,
p
Dublin’s traditional industries closed down and no 1998); Social Housing in Ireland (Fahey et
o
e alternatives were put in place. Whole families and al, 1999); and Regenerating People, Place
p their children were reduced to lives on the dole, and Partnership (FGU, 2000). In addition,
with inadequate welfare benefits and decreasing we have identified examples of good and
y
b social services. bad practice from evaluation studies of
other regeneration programmes and have
s and delivering services in the community. The FGU
g A now acknowledged mismanagement of the formed our recommendations on the basis of these,
u has played an active part in the workings of the
housing stock and poor allocation policies our own expertise, and FGU’s intimate knowledge
r Fatima Task Force and in building the community’s
d contributed to the physical decay of the estate and a of the estate.
capacity to shape its own future.
concentration of residents with few resources to
f
o
counteract the problems they faced. The Community
In 1999, negotiations between Dublin Corporation
e Regeneration Brief
and the FGU regarding the redevelopment of
s The heroin epidemic, which first swept through This Community Regeneration Brief is
u Fatima ended inconclusively. In light of this,
Dublin in the late 1970s, took root in Fatima the outcome of this period of research, reflection
Fatima Groups United assembled and mandated a
d
feeding on the chronic social conditions that and analysis. The Brief proposes a holistic strategy,
n Community Regeneration Team to research and
existed and exacerbating them even further. based on a recognition of the interdependency
a deliver a Regeneration Brief which would outline
The estate became a site for the dealing, buying and between the social, economic, physical and
g the analysis and action needed to regenerate, not
n use of drugs by people from all over the city. Many environmental problems experienced in Fatima.
just rebuild, Fatima. This brief will be presented to
i young people died unable to achieve their potential, This strategy is outlined in a series of ten
y the Fatima Task Force, Dublin Corporation, the
u and without access to other life opportunities. interrelated Strategic Steps, each of which is
Minister for the Environment and other relevant
b addressed in turn and clear Key Principles and
government departments and all the key local
, In the mid 1980s, Dublin Corporation carried out a Actions Requiredidentified.
g players.
n large-scale refurbishment programme at a cost of
i
l £5 million. Unfortunately, within a few years of the
a Fatima Groups United assembled and mandated a Community
e refurbishment, recession-led cutbacks in housing
d maintenance had led to some of the blocks and the Regeneration Team to research and deliver a Regeneration

general neighbourhood becoming degraded.
e
h Brief which would outline the analysis and action needed to
t Today the estate is described, as being “seriously

r run down… seriously troubled… with a severe regenerate, not just rebuild, Fatima.
o
heroin problem” (Fahey 1999:96) and the
f

neighbourhood is ranked among the most deprived
e
The Community Regeneration The Brief concludes with recommendations for a
t in Ireland.
i Team Forward Strategy for the regeneration programme.
s
The Regeneration Team is made up of local What is proposed is a new and innovative model for
a Against all these odds, residents and workers in
residents, representatives of local organisations, and neighbourhood regeneration that will require a new
e Fatima have been struggling to turn Fatima
experts in community development; social policy; way of working that builds on and links into existing
m around. In 1995 the Fatima Task Force (consisting
arts and culture; communications; and urban models of co-operation such as the Integrated
a of residents, community groups, statutory agencies,
regeneration. The Team has developed, through Services Process (Dublin 8). We do not underestimate
c Dublin Corporation, public representatives and
e consultation and research, a ‘gold standard’ the challenges these recommendations pose, in
Gardaí) was established as a partnership approach
b regeneration model for Fatima Mansions as particular for Dublin Corporation and the local
to tackle the effects of long-term social exclusion
e described in these pages. community. Nonetheless, a shared determination to
and marginalisation in Fatima.
t seize this unique once-off opportunity to turn
a
t The Team has linked in with an intensive Fatima around and create a neighbourhood where
s Alongside this development, Fatima Groups United
e programme of capacity building and community people are proud to live, work and visit provides the
(FGU) was established as an umbrella organisation
development being carried out, by the FGU and inspiration for this venture.
e made up of residents and local groups, operating
h
T
6
The Team has linked in with an intensive
programme of capacity building and
community development being carried out,
by the FGU and other development
organisations working in Fatima.
The potential and capacity of the
site
For the purposes of this Brief, the Team enlisted
the services of an expert engineer to provide us
with data to calculate the housing density and
capacity of the Fatima site. He surveyed the estate
and also examined some existing and proposed
city housing for comparative purposes. He also
took into account the density of housing in the
neighbourhood adjacent to Fatima Mansions.
We are conscious that, until an Estate Agreement is
“…and all of a sudden Fatima Mansions loomed up. It was right beside me
put in place, there is no conclusive audit results of
the exact housing needs of the residents. Neither is before I saw it coming and I looked to the left and saw that the place was
there a definitive conclusion around the expansion
poorly lit and I was stopped in my tracks to see… In fact I know now that it
and upgrading needs of existing community
facilities. The obvious need for new facilities has was K Block that I was standing at and I said Jesus what’s this? And then I
also not been quantified. However, the Team
looked and I saw a lot more blocks and I said what’s this place and the young
through the informal local consultations of Fatima
policeman told me it was Fatima Mansions.”
Groups United is aware of the general preferences
expressed by residents and local organisations. Community Garda on his first day on duty in Rialto.
It would be broadly accurate to state that most
Source: Bissett (1999) Not waiting for a revolution: Negotiating policing through
residents want a standard-sized house (appropriate
to their family unit size) with a garden or yard. It the Rialto Community Policing Forum.
would also be stating the obvious to say that all the
existing community facilities need urgent expansion FATIMA GROUPS UNITED FATIMA WOMEN’S
and extra resources. The residents of Fatima Mansions were ready ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMME
to undergo a new phase of community Provides a range of courses,skills training and
development in the middle 1990’s.A critical issue support services to women from Fatima and
With those needs in mind, our engineer
at that time was to form a single representative surrounding areas.It also networks and provides
concluded that if 3 acres body – through which all the major concerns and community leadership and back to work
issues of the flat complex – could be channeled training. A Fatima History Project involving
nominally were set aside for
and addressed in a co-ordinated manner. exhibitions and web site development has
recently been completed and accessed widely
amenity areas, 8 acres would
All the exsisting organisations in Fatima in within the Rialto area.
remain for development, considering this further, then coalesced into the
new FGU, which was subsequently legally
which could yield 240 three
incorporated as a company limited by guarantee
bedroom/three storey houses and a registered charity. FATIMA CHILDRENS AND ADULT
EDUCATION PROGRAMME
with small gardens (27-33 per
Since its inception the FGU has pioneered a range (also known as the Homework Club)
of initiatives in applied research, policy and Established in 1996,the club has had an
acre - similar to adjacent
planning development, education and training immediate impact in ameliorating educational
neighbourhood density) and courses, community consultation processes, disadvantage through creating a set of
forum and flat blocks committees development unique facilities,tuition and support to
street parking on one side.
alongside providing a vital range of direct services local young people.It has also served as a
It seems clear that though any redevelopment plan
and support to its member organisations and the role model for similar initiatives in
will be pressured for space, there is just about
population at large. other areas of Rialto and beyond.
enough room within the 11.05 site to facilitate the
urgent current needs.
It is widely recognised for its central role as the
lead body through which the grass roots energy FATIMA YOUTH SERVICE
and views of the community are related to Local (under the auspices of Rialto Youth Project)
Government and those State departments and The youth work philosophy in Fatima is part
agencies,who maintain a brief relevant to the well of a long established commitment to respecting
being and future of Fatima. and working creatively with people who’s
personal and cultural circumstances are
Fatima Groups United comprises residents and especially challenging – its range of methodologies
representation from the following groups and and interventions are as eclectic as the young
community-delivered initiatives: people themselves.
8
FATIMA TREATMENT CENTRE
Fatima Facts
The Rialto Community Drug Team,
which operates from a community development
model,runs an innovative treatment centre in Occupancy pattern by use
Fatima – in conjunction with a treatment
Source: FGU 1 September 2000
committee,comprised of local residents.
Occupancy type Number of units %
This offers treatment and holistic care for
Family households 181 68%
drug-users in the flats complex.
Single person Households 63 24%
Community facilities 9 4%
Undetermined 11 4%
FATIMA CRECHE Total occupied 264
(also known as the Little Peoples Palace)
A childrens day care centre for residents of
Occupancy pattern by person
Fatima that caters for children from 2 years to
school going age.Recently expanded and with a Number of Adults 396
professional staff operating in partnership with Number of Young people 312
local families and other support workers,it
hopes to broaden the age band it serves in the Total 708
very near future.
Age Profile
As at December 1999. Source: Dublin Corporation
Age +0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-40 41-64 65+
FATIMA MAJORETTES Number 79 107 77 64 67 215 125 23
A hugely popular and expanding activity group Percent 10 14 10 9 9 28 17 3
that provides exciting and socially formative
opportunities for children and young people, Total 757
which is locally managed and financed and enjoys
community-wide support for it’s stalwart work
Population Profile
Source: Corcoran (1998)
• 52% of the population are aged under 25 years
• 91% are dependent on Social Welfare for income
In addition Fatima groups United also manages • 44% were early school leavers with no formal educational qualifications
the Fatima Community Employment • Only 15% attained Junior/Inter/Group certificate level
Scheme, which engages up to 40 mainly local • 11 per cent had a Leaving Certificate or higher qualification
participants, who in turn are trained and
• Around one-third of the residents have some chronic illness or disability
supervised in providing a range of support services
within the community eg: childcare, homework
Technical Details of the Estate
assistance, youth work, drug outreach, cleaning/
maintenance and a knitting co-op. Construction of Fatima Mansions as an estate of social housing was completed
. in 1951
FGU is also primed to manage the newly on behalf of the Dublin Corporation. The development is located off Grand
established Family Resouce Initiative,which Canal Walk
i s
in Rialto, Dublin 8. It is accessed from a number of residential streets including
due to come on line by the end of 2000.It is aimed
St. Anthony’s Road and Rueben Street.
at providing a new sensitivity and co-ordinated
response, among existing service providers – to The development covers an area of 11.05 acres and comprises:
the needs and many of the most critical issues fac-
A. Fourteen four-storey blocks of flats
ing families in Fatima.
B. Two two-storey buildings used for community purposes
C. Circulation areas
D. Playing field
Each block contains between 24 and 28 flats (partly occupied) with balcony
access.
Occupancy levels have varied (and continue to vary) over time.
9
Section Three
Here we outline our 10 sensible steps or recommendations which we
believe are crucial to delivering a new Fatima, a model estate which will win the support and pride of all
the key stakeholders and resource players.
other issues.No alternatives were made in any
STEP1
Secure an integrated
basic aspect of the way the Corporation managed
regeneration programme for Fatima
the estate. In essence, therefore, the refurbishment
Mansions in the context of the
and the consultation focused on architect’s plans
wider Rialto neighbourhood.
and was limited only to those issues that architects
could deal with. (Fahey, 1999:120)
It is accepted that many of the problems of the area
are inter-related and mutually reinforcing.
Furthermore, the recognition that many of the
Therefore it is vital that an integrated approach to
causes of a neighbourhood’s chronic socio-economic
regeneration is employed i.e. one which provides a
difficulties are located beyond the estate – in the
holistic way of dealing with the multi-layered
economy and the broader policy context – and that
needs. This is also consistent with a number of
these difficulties are mutually interdependent, has
current government policy programmes, such as
led urban policy-makers world-wide to the view
the area based Partnerships and the Integrated
that multiple difficulties need to be tackled through
Services Process.
a holistic and integrated approach. An approach
which must be tailored to meet the particular
Evidence from the successes and failures of previous
difficulties of each neighbourhood.
and existing regeneration programmes (for example
the UK’s Estate Action; City Challenge and
Consequently, this Brief proposes an integrated
Housing Plus programmes) indicates clearly that
needs-based regeneration strategy which encompasses
physical regeneration alone is not sufficient to
quality designed homes and facilities and high
reverse the fortunes of neighbourhoods such as
standards of housing management, along with
Fatima, where residents experience multiple social
measures to tackle social exclusion issues such as
and economic difficulties in addition to those
community development, employment, education,
elated to poor housing.
health, community safety, and youth work. A
regeneration programme that does not address
The past experience in Fatima – of a purely
these issues poses a very strong risk that low
physical regeneration programme -proves the
income tenants in poor housing simply become
point. An analysis of this programme, carried out
low income tenants in new housing.
in the mid 1980s at a cost of £5 million (£13,500
per unit), concluded that it failed to deliver
solutions to the key problems. In other words, a KEY PRINCIPLES
narrow based physical refurbishment did not, and
A.
Physical improvements by themselves will not
in fact could not, tackle the wide range of physical,
social and economic problems. Consequently, it did lead to the sustainable regeneration of Fatima: the
nothing to halt the decay of the estate or improve roots of social exclusion must also be tackled
other aspects of the quality of life. (Fahey, 1999). through the implementation of an integrated,
holistic regeneration programme.
Such are the implications for the future regeneration B.
Partnership must be at the heart of a regeneration
of Fatima, and elsewhere, that this analysis is worth
strategy, as the breadth of issues to be tackled
reproducing in full:
means that they cannot be addressed by any single
The refurbishment in Fatima Mansions failed
because it focused wholly and narrowly on physical agency. However, the nature of that partnership
upgrading, while the pressing problems of the needs to be defined with care beyond the commonly
estate were primarily social in character (CAN, accepted and limited form, a form which is proven
1997). The estate had experienced severe social
very useful where all the partners are equal in
problems for at least ten years, and drugs had
terms of power and resources. However, where
penetrated the estate in the latter portion of that
there are patently unequal partners at the table –
period, yet the refurbishment made no attempt to
as in this case – a new model must be collectively
deal with these issues. There were some efforts at
invented so that the very process of partnership
consulting tenants about the refurbishment but the
starting premise was that the Corporation’s rebalances that inequality. Where skills sharing,
refurbishment programme was confined solely to capacity building and consensus are the norm.
physical structures and had no remit to address C.Securing the involvement and long-term
10