What is a Millennium Community?

English Partnerships' (now known as Homes & Communities Agency) Millennium Communities Programme brings together new ways of planning, designing and constructing homes to enable a more sustainable way of living. It is creating seven inspiring places to live across the country.

Millennium Communities are designed to include different types and sizes of home, to attract a wide range of residents. They will all include green open spaces, wildlife areas and recreation facilities. Good transport links, shops and community facilities are also a priority.

Planners are asked to give as much thought to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, as they do car-users. Local residents are encouraged to get involved in the early stages of planning and design and to gain a sense of ownership by helping to run their community's new facilities. Millennium Communities demand quality from developers in construction, finish and environmental impact.

The Programme is attracting some of the UK's most talented architects and successful developers. Their challenge is to create an exciting new vision for a place – one that helps the area to attract more opportunities and investment and establish flourishing neighbourhoods with bright prospects.

What is the Programme delivering?

There are seven Millennium Communities in the country. The Millennium Communities Programme will deliver:

6,000 quality new homes by 2010
Nearly 9,000 new homes in total
More than 70,000 sq m commercial floorspace
More than 1,000 new jobs
Over £770m private sector investment attracted
£165m investment by English Partnerships
Five new primary schools, one improved pre-school and one secondary school
Seven new community buildings
Three new health centres
Environmental performance standards

Each community will meet environmental performance standards for its buildings that are more exacting than current building regulations. They will, for example, reduce the energy used in constructing homes by 50 per cent, the amount of metered energy consumption by 20 per cent, the amount of water consumed in them by 20 per cent and waste disposed in them by 50 per cent.

The innovative approach of the Millennium Communities Programme will influence delivery and standards in other national programmes driven by English Partnerships, including the National Coalfields Programme, the National Brownfield Strategy and Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders.

The aim of the programme is to encourage house-builders to use Modern Methods of Construction, adopt higher standards of design quality and utilise more environmentally-friendly materials to reduce the consumption of resources in new homes. The programme is setting the standards that other developments will follow. It demonstrates that more exacting standards are achievable regardless of geographic location or specific market conditions.

All Millennium Communities aim to meet the following objectives:

Minimise resource consumption
Protect and enhance local environment capital
Maximise design quality
Improve construction quality and efficiency
Increase social inclusion and participation
Improve quality of life
Achieve long-term economic viability

For further information on the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area please contact the NORA team on:

Tel: 01553 616889 or 616891

Email: enquiries@narouse.co.uk