How Yorkshire Forward's Renaissance process works

Each renaissance town enters into a process of change, testing assumptions, working through problems, creating solutions. It is a step by step approach. There are three phases, firstly the rethinking, secondly the remaking and thirdly the regaining. Sometimes projects come quickly to the fore during the process, these opportunities need to be caught and placed strategically in the overall vision. Visions need to be kept up to date and revised so they don’t weaken.

Rethinking
• The ‘Town Team’: a locally-based group of individuals from a wide range of interests and local groups is established. Membership is not achieved just through time or years served or birth place etc, but through an emotional attachment, a love, a desire, a passion for a place. This is what roots the Town Team’s efforts. At the group’s core are key local authority officers and members, partnership representation, private sector and community representatives, all of whom have a commitment to drive and champion the success of future projects.

• The Expert Panel: Yorkshire Forward set up a world-class panel of architects, urbanists, landscape designers, engineers and economists from the UK, Europe and USA to work with the Town Teams.

• The ‘charrette’: the Town Team and Expert Panel work together to identify the longterm vision for the local area. As part of this process, a large community planning event takes place where a cross section of the public are engaged in the process of visioning for their town.

• Town Charter: the Town Charter is drawn up by the Town Team working with a specifically designated team of experts drawn from the panel. The Charter seeks to set out the central principles for the development of a long term, 25 year vision for the town.

• Strategic Development Framework (SDF): Once the Charter is completed, an SDF (which puts the detail on the charter) is prepared for each renaissance town. The SDF enables the town to progress projects as it is a written and drawn document of opportunity and direction for the town. From this, feasibility, appraisal and development work can be identified to realise the original Charter.

Remaking
• Investment Management Plans (IMPs) are developed. These plans identify the priorities and quantify the recommended projects to achieve the renaissance.

 They identify Yorkshire Forward’s funding as well as other funding and resources for the future.

• Programme Delivery and Sub Regional Investment Planning (SRIP) activity: The Investment Management Plans are directly linked to the SRIP. The SRIP is the overall management process for the RDA’s investment and the identification of other available public funding. Alongside this, management processes of monthly operational and quarterly strategic reviews are set up to drive forward the delivery of the programme and its projects.

Regaining
• Policy and Strategy: Increasing the impact of renaissance work is crucial. Firstly, this involves embedding the work in strategies, both current and future at a local, regional and national level. Secondly, enabling the renaissance work to continually grow by maximising linkages with other areas of economic development; and ensuring linkages occur at a local level with all regeneration agendas and activities; such as the work of other agencies and local authorities, such as English Partnerships, the Learning and Skills Council and the Highways Agency.

• Delivering skills, enabling and best practice to all partners is crucial in securing the renaissance. This happens with specific work programmes created by the In-house teams. Expert advice and support is drawn down from the renaissance consultancy panels to deliver the skills back to the towns as they progress through their programme.

• Additionally to help Town Teams and the Professions of the region there is also the Regional Centre of Excellence, called Integreat Yorkshire (part of the Renaissance Towns and Cities Team at Yorkshire Forward). It disseminates advice on best practice in place making through its great thinking, great learning and great working projects. It is delivering key projects such as design awareness training for politicians; and Town Team skills development via the Partnership Skills Programme. This includes training across six learning modules from design to development.

• Creating Legacy: this is the most difficult but the most important aspect of delivering real change. This part of the renaissance process is designed to create a legacy of knowledge that cannot be quenched through lack of funding, or a failure in leadership. Like learning to ride a bike, you have the skill for the rest of your life. If we can create a legacy of the practice of renaissance at all levels of society, then we can secure a step change for the future; where every decision focuses firstly on creating great places. We are developing programmes such as Renaissance Friends, Advocates and Ambassadors to reinforce the legacy and create the cultural shift required to release the forgotten people and to make great futures in great places.