Research continues to demonstrate that communities prefer to see historic buildings reused wherever possible, often before new development is considered, and that heritage buildings are a central foundation of the civic fabric of places.1 We also know that social infrastructure - the physical spaces and facilities which bring people together to build meaningful relationships - much of which is housed in historic buildings and managed by charities and social enterprises - is increasingly under threat.2
Central to place-based regeneration, particularly of deprived areas, is also the improvement of the quality of the environment and securing the social infrastructure and services that local communities need. This in turn attracts new investment and people. Our support and funding typically helps to link these two important themes and is central, in our view, to what the economist Martin Sandbu has called the ‘strategies of attraction’3 that can contribute to helping turnaround places still experiencing significant levels of deprivation.
