Communities support regeneration. What they increasingly question is how it is delivered.

Regeneration has a public mandate, but the findings from Ardent’s latest research suggest that mandate cannot be treated as unconditional.

Community Perspectives on Regeneration: Lessons for Land & Consent explores how people across Greater Manchester perceive regeneration and what they believe successful regeneration should look like.

With 1,500 Greater Manchester residents polled, the report finds that 77% of respondents viewed regeneration positively, compared with just 2% who felt negatively, which challenges the assumption that communities are inherently resistant to change.

Read the report in full

People recognise the potential benefits of regeneration. They associate it with improved public spaces, economic growth, new housing, stronger local services, job creation and better transport. They understand why investment matters, and they can see how places may benefit when change is delivered well.

However, the same research also shows that public support is directly impacted by the way regeneration is planned, communicated and experienced.

For communities, regeneration is not experienced through planning applications or programme plans. It is experienced through disruption, uncertainty and questions about what change will mean for their homes, businesses and neighbourhoods. Long before success is measured in homes delivered or investment unlocked, it is measured by how people experience the journey.

The report identifies rising living costs, lack of affordable housing, disruption, displacement and lack of local input as key concerns. In other words, the question for many people is not whether regeneration should happen, but whether it will feel fair, transparent and beneficial to the people already living in the area.

Trust sits at the heart of that challenge. Half of respondents said they had very little or no influence over regeneration decisions, while almost half lacked confidence that developers communicate clearly and transparently.

Those findings should matter to anyone involved in bringing forward major projects, because when people feel decisions are distant, unclear or already made, even schemes with strong long-term benefits can face understandable scepticism.

Tom Hacker, Head of Stakeholder Engagement and Communications at Ardent, said:

“The findings show that communities aren’t opposed to regeneration. They’re asking to understand it, influence it where they can and have confidence that they’re being treated fairly.”

“Engagement shouldn’t be something we do because the planning process requires it. It should be recognised as a fundamental part of delivering better projects. When communities feel informed, respected and listened to, we create stronger relationships and ultimately better conditions for successful delivery.”

The research also points to a growing expectation that wellbeing should be considered as part of responsible regeneration.

While many respondents believed regeneration could have a positive impact on their wellbeing, others associated it with uncertainty, anxiety and stress. Most significantly, 87% said mental health support should be available to people affected by regeneration, while 75% said they would be more likely to trust a project if wellbeing support was provided from the start.

The research suggests wellbeing should no longer be viewed as a separate social value initiative. It is becoming an integral part of how communities judge whether regeneration is being delivered responsibly.

The report’s conclusion is therefore not that regeneration lacks public support. The evidence clearly demonstrates the opposite.

People are broadly positive about regeneration and recognise the benefits it can bring but that trust and confidence is earned.

For developers, public bodies and delivery partners, that means thinking beyond the statutory requirements of consultation and considering how relationships with communities are built and maintained over time. It means being clear about what is changing, what remains open to influence, who will benefit and what support is available to those most affected.

The future of regeneration will continue to depend on land, planning, funding and delivery expertise, but public confidence will increasingly depend on whether communities feel informed, listened to and supported throughout the process.

The report provides clear evidence that communities support regeneration but the challenge for our industry is demonstrating that regeneration can be delivered in a way that earns trust, builds confidence and leaves communities feeling they have shared in the journey as well as the outcome.