What it's like to live in a 'Regeneration' Area

What it’s like to live in a ‘regeneration’ area.

I live on a street in South Leeds made up of back to back terraced houses all about 100 years old.

I have lived there for about 7 years. As a private owner occupier I have often found it a challenge to feel fully settled in a landscape with such a transient population and as a result I think the community I live in does not always gel as well as it could.

Just over a year ago I received notification from Leeds City Council that the two rows of houses opposite mine would be purchased and demolished to make way for new housing. After the initial shock I began to see the positives; better housing, increased property values, a more permanent population etc, this could only be a good thing right?

With the support of Leeds City Council we began to form a community group and as a group we began to envision what our new environment might look like and how we might be able to influence its progress and development; initial shock turning to a general sense of hopefulness and welcoming positive change.

Progress has been slow though this I’m told is not unusual; membership of the community group is relatively low and not necessarily representative of the whole community who are more often than not tenants either in social housing or via private landlords, rather than owner occupiers. We’ve probably met about 6 or 7 times over the last year and a half but with the changing economic and political climate since the 2010 election, things do not look hopeful.

As the houses opposite me have been purchased for demolition the surrounding area has taken on an air or abandonment and dereliction. The view from my window and my daily walk home from work gives me charming scenes of bin yards full of dumped rubbish, boarded up houses, vandalised doors and windows that all contribute to the sense of neglect that envelops my street. The long winter nights have not improved this.

I used to drive past places like this and think, ‘thank goodness I don’t live there’, but now I do and it’s not a happy realisation. So what’s this blog all about?

Feeling isolated and a bit abandoned, but generally I hope being a positive person I want to record is what it’s like to live amongst this general atmosphere of neglect and decline and draw attention to the real impact of Government cuts on already disadvantaged communities. What I hope will come through is that we can still impact upon decisions that affect our every day lives and to track and document a living example of Prime Minister Cameron’s Big Society. Also I might post the odd amusing story about live in South Leeds in general. Wish me luck, I think I might need it.