Regeneration is about more than money!
I was at an interesting meeting in the church offices in Edinburgh today. It was a conference where Town Planners, Property Developers and Church Leaders, in areas undergoing regeneration, were all invited to listen to each other and understand the whole process involved in regenerating a community. It was interesting to hear this discussion in the light of the latest news regarding the regeneration of Bo'ness. What was going to be a spectacular waterfront development starting with the harbour and shops and waterfront cafes, has been reduced to a couple of six storey tower block flats and a few three storey town houses. Quite a disappointment for the town! There is a promise though without any guarantees that the harbour will eventually be tackled when the right financial package can be arranged. The thing is Falkirk Council seem willing to promote this slimmed down revised plan as being acceptable in the present economic climate. Breaking promises because they may cost more seems to go with the territory of making money. Some of my colleagues today were impressed by one of the speakers who was a developer, because he spoke clearly and honestly reminding everyone that the role of the developer was simply to make money. The thing is, I wasn't totally convinced. You see, I think simply making money is not enough even for the most successful. I've come to the conclusion that most people with wealth that I have known want to make a difference in the world if they can, and it is the role of the Church and Christians like us to help them find ways to make their wealth bring about changes in the world for the better. I couldn't resist asking the young upwardly mobile developer as he left the room about his statement regarding the sole purpose of the developer to make money. "So tell me I said, after you've made the money what do you do with it. Surely making money is not an end in itself. You know I think the penny dropped, or the money dropped. He looked at me as he went out the door, and said, "When I make my first million I'll get in touch with you right, I'll help you make a difference. He was gone before I could make the reply, "You don't need a million to start making the difference - you need a heart." So I think what I'd like to say to ING and the Council is this, it takes more than a pile of money to make a community. You see you can't regenerate a town without understanding the importance of community and you can't create community where there is no trust.
Posted By: Kate On: 29 May 2008 At: 2:21pm
Heartily agree Albert. I pray that all who read this article will pray for hearts to be changed and those involved to be moved to do what is best for this community. Also to have a view of the bigger picture and to contribute to developing communities globally.