Aims

Barclays SiteSavers aimed to make communities cleaner, safer and greener.

Projects made immediate physical differences to the quality of the local environment by tackling dereliction, vandalism, graffiti and wasted space. The programme also promoted a joined up approach to neighbourhood regeneration :

 

Improving the local environment

turning derelict sites into well-managed facilities which immediately improve the visible appearance of neighbourhoods but also provide long-term solutions for problematic public spaces

Generating community confidence

encouraging people to work together helping them feel greater pride in where they live and providing opportunities for them to get to know each other better

Creating new facilities

not just arresting decline but providing the focus for new community amenities and services in neighbourhoods often lacking basic facilities

Reducing conflict

generating greater understanding between different sections of a community, for example, young people and adults or groups from different cultural or social backgrounds

Delivering education

helping children become active citizens and supporting the delivery of education for sustainable development

Providing training

presenting opportunities for long term unemployed people to gain new work skills by undertaking practical regeneration activities in their own neighbourhood

Stimulating inward investment

changing the image and perception of disadvantaged areas as a means of supporting and retaining local businesses and attracting new investment

Reconnecting people with nature

providing valuable habitats for wildlife and helping educate people about their responsibilities towards the natural environment. The programme provided a model for delivering environmental regeneration in deprived communities and fed directly into Government initiatives to promote neighbourhood renewal and liveability.