Burness has announced that it will be playing a larger part in the regeneration of Scotland after announcing that it will be advising key partners in relation to the development of the legal framework for all three of the new Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs) announced by Jack McConnell last week as part of the Scottish Executive\'s commitment to the regeneration scene in Scotland.
URCs are companies set up by the key public sector partners - usually the local council and local enterprise company - but with directors also being drawn from the private sector; in some cases there is also community representation at board level. Initially driven by public funding URCs are geared towards facilitating private sector partnerships and, crucially, private sector financial investment. The overall aim is to regenerate communities that have suffered long-term economic and social decline by creating jobs, homes and retail and leisure facilities, as well as by making significant improvements to the overall environment.
Stephen Phillips, the partner who heads Burness\' urban regeneration practice, said: \"The introduction of URCs into the Scottish regeneration scene is undoubtedly something to be welcomed - they bring a new focus and energy to the regeneration of areas in Scotland which are suffering serious economic disadvantage and the multiple social problems which come with that.
\"A critical success factor is ensuring an effective legal framework, which captures the key features of the regeneration proposals and keeps progress towards achieving the overall vision on track.
\"One particular challenge is the need to allow for the financial returns required to secure financial viability and to attract private sector investors, while ensuring that the more difficult elements cannot be pushed to one side. There remain queries among regeneration practitioners about how far URC\'s will deliver on all four essential requirements of true regeneration - the social, economic and environmental dimensions as well as the physical dimension - but my personal view is that, properly structured URCs can and will make a significant contribution.\"
Clyde Gateway, Riverside Inverclyde and Irvine Bay, are focussed on areas billed for priority action within the east end of Glasgow and parts of Lanarkshire; the Waterfront between Port Glasgow and Greenock; and Irvine Town Centre, Ardeer and Ardrossan town and harbour in North Ayrshire. These come in addition to Craigmillar (Edinburgh), Clydebank and Raploch (Stirling).