Neighbourhood regeneration in an era of austerity? Transferable lessons from the case of Braunstone, Leicester

The purpose of this paper is to provide transferable lessons from the ‘chalk face’ experiences of a case study area-based initiative and neighbourhood regeneration organisation, as part of exploring the political, social and economic consequences of the withdrawal of a government-sponsored regeneration programme, leaving the neighbourhood to ‘go it alone’. It aims to contribute to a better understanding of the practical challenges of delivering regeneration at a neighbourhood level in a period of ‘austerity’. The paper draws on empirical investigation undertaken by the authors and their colleagues since late 2008, originating from research for a Final Programme Evaluation for the Braunstone New Deal for Communities programme (Leicester, UK), completed in early 2010. The authors’ intelligence on the experience of neighbourhood regeneration in Braunstone has been maintained by ongoing engagement with key players involved in this process at the local level, whose views and insights have been drawn upon to inform the content of this paper. The findings suggest that key ingredients for sustainable neighbourhood regeneration are about building and maintaining collaborative and co-dependent relationships between regeneration bodies, agencies and communities. Paradoxically then, the paper concludes by suggesting that sustainable neighbourhood regeneration in an austere climate is all about ensuring that we do not ‘go it alone’ at all.