Almost every story in this report involves the public sector taking a positive and proactive lead at some stage in the varied design / development journeys.  Often this has been in partnership with private and third sector actors and has typically waxed and waned at different stages in the evolution of projects.  Yet to deliver well designed projects in seemingly unpromising locations, it is almost inevitable that a strong public sector guiding hand will be required, and (often) some form of direct or indirect investment and/or subsidy.

These cases – Gascoigne Estate (story 11) and Goldsmith Street (story 12) – offer examples where the public sector has been instrumental across all stages of project realisation from establishing the vision, to giving leadership throughout its planning and development, to delivering whole-life place value on site.  What is remarkable is how unremarkable the funding of these projects was, through a combination of public grants and debts, which until relatively recently would not have been possible (and is still relatively rare).  Both councils have relied solely on their own resources to borrow funds at favourable rates from HM Treasury, topped up with Right to Buy receipts and grants from, respectively, the Mayor of London and Homes England, to deliver their vision for high quality affordable homes and neighbourhoods.  In each case the borrowing has been guaranteed against income from a large, retained stock of social housing, as well as future rental income from new projects.  The cases show the power of public sector vision and leadership when the will exists to exercise it, and when the rules allow councils to do so.