Gloucester Renaissance: The Magnificent 7

GLOUCESTER RENAISSANCE

The man who helped transform Gloucester from a wilderness of dereliction to a thriving city

Chris Oldershaw has been the driving force behind the successful regeneration of Gloucester. More than anyone else, his determination and ability to bring people together ensured that Gloucester’s renaissance was built on rock solid foundations. Mr Oldershaw was chief executive of Gloucester Heritage Urban Regeneration Company (GHURC) from its birth in 2005 to its winding up in March 2013, following the government’s decision to scrap the South West Regional Development Agency. He had wide experience in urban regeneration prior to coming to Gloucester. He worked at Chester City Council on heritage and conservation and then moved to Merseyside, where he was heavily involved in the regeneration of Liverpool in the 1980s. He then went over the Pennines to Stockton-on-Tees to work on regeneration, before going to Newcastle-upon- Tyne, helping to transform the city centre with a scheme that gained international awards and recognition. Now retired and living in Cirencester, Mr Oldershaw still visits Gloucester, the city he helped to transform and remembers his arrival and the mammoth task he faced. “The first thing I needed to ensure was that the city had a ten-year strategy and we commissioned Terence O’Rourke Ltd to provide a ten-year plan for us,” he said. That was officially launched in October 2006 at both Gloucester Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament, crucially with around 80 national investors and developers in attendance. The major regeneration areas were dubbed the Magnificent Seven. “That was a good start. What also helped us

tremendously was having Peel (owners of Gloucester Quays) as a major player at an early stage, which gave us a really big boost,” said Mr Oldershaw. “They did not get planning consent until several years after, but to have one of the major developers involved in Gloucester was tremendously helpful and helped to pull in investment from other parties as well. It provided confidence.” Peel had already had experience of waterfront developments in the North West of England and the company’s owner John Whittaker was impressed with what Gloucester had to offer. Mr Oldershaw said: “When they saw Gloucester, I think they realised the huge potential down here and that was the start of a considerable amount of investment by Peel. “We had a very good board at GHURC with a good mix of skills and a strong chair and vice-chair, Greg Smith and Ian Mean. What I had to do then was pull together a good team.” From the outset, he was determined be inclusive with public involvement in the regeneration process with community and business forums, often sharing confidential reports before they became public. “Building firm foundations in the early years is critical for any regeneration project. You have to go to the grassroots to make sure you begin to build up that level of support locally. The residents and community forum was a good way of helping to build up ownership in the area of the regeneration scheme,” said Mr Oldershaw. One example of how the community forum became involved was its call for the protection of trees in the city.