Chief Executive of the Regenda Group Dr Michael Birkett shares learning from Liverpool’s Grove Street regeneration project. This includes the importance of involving residents and why a pipeline of regeneration schemes matters. He says regeneration is about more than replacing old homes, it’s about renewing opportunity, restoring pride and building the conditions for long-term prosperity.

When people hear the word regeneration, they often picture skyline projects and headline developments. In Liverpool, that might bring projects like Liverpool One or the new Hill Dickinson stadium to mind. These schemes matter. They signal confidence and attract investment.  

But regeneration also happens street by street, community by community. Regeneration happens where housing associations work alongside residents to reshape neighbourhoods that have been left behind. If Renew is about delivering growth, tackling the housing crisis and strengthening communities, then housing-led regeneration rightly sits at the centre of that conversation. 

At Regenda, we see regeneration as more than replacing old homes with new ones. It is about renewing opportunity, restoring pride and building the conditions for long-term prosperity.

Linking homes to economic growth

The government’s £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme and new ten-year rent settlement provide something the sector has needed for years: stability. Regeneration is not a quick intervention. It requires patient capital, long-term planning and confidence that funding frameworks will support multi-phase schemes that often stretch beyond five-year cycles. 

In the past, short-term funding windows made it difficult to commit to estate renewal programmes that can take a decade or more to complete. With greater certainty now in place, housing associations in the North are well positioned to lead ambitious, housing-led regeneration that aligns with devolution priorities and local growth plans. 

Done well, this approach delivers far more than new units. It creates jobs, strengthens local supply chains, improves health outcomes and supports wider economic activity. It is growth rooted in place. 

Grove Street: from decline to renewal

Grove Street, on the edge of Liverpool city centre, is a great example of what this looks like in practice. 

Built in the 1970s, the estate comprised 144 low-rise social rented flats. Over time, the homes became increasingly difficult to let. Energy performance ratings ranged from D to F. Residents experienced damp, poor insulation and cold communal areas. Demand was falling and voids were rising. 

An options appraisal in 2015 concluded that refurbishment would not deliver the long-term quality or sustainability required. Demolition and comprehensive redevelopment offered the best route to secure the future of the neighbourhood. 

From the outset, we took a people-centred approach. We appointed We Make Places, a social enterprise specialising in community engagement, to work directly with residents. Through interviews and drop-in sessions, residents helped shape the design brief. They were clear about what mattered: 

  • High-quality design that would restore pride and act as a catalyst for wider regeneration. 
  • Safer, warmer homes fit for the future. 
  • Better public spaces and access to green areas. 
  • A neighbourhood that connects to the surrounding areas like the Georgian Quarter, Knowledge Quarter and Paddington Village. 
  • A mix of homes and tenures to create a more balanced and resilient community. 

This early engagement shaped every stage of the masterplanning process. 

Rebuilding the urban fabric

A design competition was held to create a new masterplan. The winning proposal more than doubled the number of homes, increasing provision from 144 to 304 across five phases. The new development includes apartments, houses and townhouses, delivered across a multi-tenure offer including social rent, Rent to Buy, private rent and homes for sale. 

Crucially, the scheme repairs the urban fabric. It re-establishes historic street patterns, reinstates street-facing front doors and improves pedestrian and cycle links between Falkner Street and Vine Street. Mature trees are retained. New open spaces are created. Buildings range from two to nine storeys, creating a varied but coherent streetscape. 

The estate is no longer inward-looking. It is reconnected to the city around it. 

A core commitment was to replace the existing social rented homes on a like-for-like basis and offer residents who lived in the homes that were replaced the opportunity to move back. Regeneration should not mean displacement. It should mean renewal with communities, not around them. 

Making long-term regeneration viable

Initially, Grove Street was to be funded primarily through Regenda’s borrowing capacity, supported by £1.3 million from the Brownfield Land Fund. Because we had invested in early design and planning, Phase 1 was “ready to go” when Homes England introduced regeneration flexibility into its Affordable Homes Programme in 2023. The new flexibility enabled us to secure £8.9 million in additional grant, strengthening the scheme’s viability. 

Housing associations must be supported to develop pipeline schemes, even when funding routes are uncertain. When national investment becomes available, the North needs projects that can move quickly. 

Phase 1, comprising of 89 one- and two-bedroom apartments, is nearing completion. Residents who were moved out of the existing properties will be offered new homes in this phase. Future phases are programmed through to the end of the decade. 

All new homes will meet a minimum EPC C rating, with later phases targeting EPC A and incorporating renewable technologies. For residents, that means warmer homes, lower energy bills and better health outcomes. For the city, it means progress toward net zero goals.

Beyond housing: social value in action

Physical change is only part of the story. In Phase 1 alone, the project has generated more than £3 million in social value. This includes local employment opportunities, apprenticeships, volunteering and spend within the regional supply chain. 

We funded a PLACED Academy programme to support local young people interested in careers in the built environment. Two degree apprentices have been employed on the project and work experience opportunities have been directly generated for existing residents with local consultants. These are small numbers in national terms, but for the individuals involved, they represent life-changing opportunities. 

Later phases will introduce commercial space and a community hub, ensuring the neighbourhood supports local enterprise and social connection. Regeneration must create places where people can live, work and thrive, not simply sleep.

Resetting the narrative

In recent years, as economic pressures have intensified, the conversation around housing has understandably narrowed to numbers: how many homes, how quickly, at what cost. 

Supply matters. But regeneration asks a broader question: what kind of places are we building, and who benefits from that growth? 

Housing-led regeneration can: 

  • Support inclusive economic growth in areas of deprivation. 
  • Improve health and wellbeing through better quality homes and green space. 
  • Create mixed, resilient communities. 
  • Unlock brownfield land in sustainable locations. 
  • Align with devolved growth strategies and local industrial plans. 

For the North, where the housing crisis often combines affordability pressures with ageing stock and uneven demand, regeneration is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

A call to act with confidence

Renew provides an opportunity to reset the narrative around regeneration. With long-term rent certainty, transformational investment in social housing and strong devolved leadership across the North, the foundations are in place. 

What is needed now is confidence and collaboration: between housing associations, local authorities, developers, investors and communities. The Liverpool City Region Housing Associations (LCRHA) is a great example of this. 

Grove Street may not dominate a skyline. But it demonstrates what housing-led regeneration can achieve when it is patient, partnership-driven and rooted in community. 

At Regenda, we believe regeneration must go beyond bricks and mortar. It must restore dignity, unlock opportunity and create places where people genuinely want to live. 

If we get this right, housing-led regeneration will not only tackle the housing crisis. It will help power the North’s next chapter of growth. 

The perspectives collection showcases a range of opinions about regeneration. The views expressed in the articles are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of the NHC or the Renew inquiry.