News

Regeneration Professionals Sign Up To Working Together For Wales

5th October 2006

Leading professional institutions in Wales have joined together as the Regeneration Skills Collective, in an agreement that is unique to the UK, to confirm their commitment to joint working on regeneration activities throughout Wales.

At the third annual Welsh ‘Delivering Regeneration’ Conference, ‘A Memorandum of Understanding’ was signed by the respective chairs of RICS (The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Wales, RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute) Cymru, ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers) Wales, CIH (the Chartered Institute of Housing) Cymru, RSAW (The Royal Society of Architects in Wales) and LIW (Landscape Institute Wales) at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea.

The professional bodies pledged to continue to work together and with others, to deliver coordinated economic, social, environmental and physical regeneration.

An action plan has been prepared by the Collective that identifies a number of priorities. These include the establishment of a Welsh Centre of Regeneration Excellence to serve the needs of the whole of Wales. Skills development and the exchange of best practice are likely to be the key activities associated with this proposed centre.

Cathy McLean, director of RICS Wales commented on the forming of the Collective:

“The Regeneration Skills Collective is seeking to work with the Welsh Assembly Government, the Welsh Local Government Association, the private sector and others, in giving a sharper focus to the delivery of regeneration in Wales. There are serious skills gaps at all levels that need to be addressed urgently and Wales could learn from good practice elsewhere in Europe and further afield.

“We are proud to be a member of the Collective as it is the envy of many professional institutions throughout the UK. Breaking down the boundaries between professional bodies is essential if successful comprehensive regeneration is to be achieved in Wales and through the Collective, we will be looking for positive progress over the next year.”