Economic development and social regeneration

In most cities of north-west Europe there are brownfield areas (land that has already been built on) that need to be revitalised to preserve or improve the quality of urban living. The revitalisation of brownfield land will not only enhance the urban landscape but can also create new employment and stimulate the local economy.

Every country has its own approach to brownfield regeneration, mainly due to specific national rules and guidelines. The six partners in the REVIT project confront brownfield problems that are essentially very similar and can be tackled more effectively by improved co-operation. The overall goal of REVIT was to increase the efficiency and sustainability of brownfield regeneration policy significantly, through transnational co-operation. Project partners were:

• Stuttgart (Lead partner -Germany);
• Nantes (France);
• Tilburg (The Netherlands);
• Hengelo (The Netherlands);
• Torfaen (Wales).

REVIT was part-funded by the European Regional Develoment Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg IIIB initiative. This funding stream supports transnational co-operation in spatial development between local, regional and national authorities. To achieve project goals, partners focussed on three common co-operation issues:

• formal and informal brownfield regeneration instruments and methods that stimulate community involvement;
• new financing techniques, public-private partnership models and the re-use of marketing concepts;
• multi-functional development; preservation and intelligent re-use of industrial heritage; elimination of environmental damages as well as protection of natural assets.

Medway is one of the biggest urban areas in the south-east outside London. Brownfield land covers around 4.7 per cent of the city's surface and are mainly located along the riverside.

The Medway waterfront is of strategic importance. The river has played a pivotal role in the history and development of the area since the 16th century, with the arrival of the Chatham Dockyard. However, in 1984 the dockyard closed and large areas of redundant land were created. In other parts of the Medway waterfront, industrial and marine activities have been restructured, creating further brownfield land. Access to the waterfront can be limited and there is a legacy of contamination and decay.

The sites require ground remediation, flood protection and new infrastructure to facilitate redevelopment and integration into existing Medway facilities. Finally, there is the need to put in place the appropriate support structures to create a sustainable community. With the help of REVIT this vision will be realised. REVIT continued until autumn 2007. For further information, please visit www.revit-nweurope.org.

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