Transforming Bedfordshire – One Public Estate
Philip Simpkins
Chief Executive of Bedford Borough Council
Strategies for bringing forward public
sector land for development
OPE Transforming Bedfordshire Programme
• Funding: Phase 3: £500k; Phase 5: £401.5k
• Themes:
– Bedford Town Centre Regeneration
– Health and Care Integration, Bedford & Central Bedfordshire
– Blue Light Services, Bedford & Central Bedfordshire
• 25 projects in total
OPE Projects
Regeneration theme
• Focused on releasing land for development
• Key drivers:
- Releasing land supply for housing;
- Local plan review and delivery of outputs,
- Economic growth
Bedford – Public Sector ownership
Strategic approach – Working in partnership
• Strong partnership - senior leadership and good
governance
Joint commitment to:
• Reducing running costs
• Rationalising estates/releasing land and property for
development – capital receipts or revenue streams
• Sharing of operational property, improving efficiency in
use of retained assets
• Maintaining and improving services by working together
Strategic approach – Collaboration
• Master planning – working together to master plan wide
areas including a number of surplus sites
• Local Plan review – using this work to inform the review of
the Local Plan and develop planning policy
• Promotion – positive promotion of outcomes with key
stakeholders, including local business and developers
Strategic approach – Collaboration
• Delivery – development to be jointly managed and phased
as a programme of projects
• Capability and capacity – shared us of in-house and
externally sourced specialist skills to make most efficient
use of resources
• Joint ventures – possible use of joint venture
arrangements to achieve development
Strategic approach – Projects, Feasibility and
progress
• Master Planning includes town centre projects others are:
- Health & Care Integration across Bedfordshire
- Police and Fire and Rescue across Bedfordshire
• Housing and mixed use development:
- Police Headquarters
- Nursing Accommodation
Strategic approach – Successes so far!
• Complex needs
apartments –under
construction, ‘One Housing’
• Former Housing
Association (BPHA) HQ –
vacated and converted to
apartments (customer service
centre re-provided in BBC building)
• Endsleigh House –
sold for conversion to
apartments
• Police station – being
vacated ready for disposal for
housing/mixed use development
(shared office space with BBC)
Strategic approach – ‘One Public Estate’
• Strategic programme – overarching and avoiding silos
• Supportive – proactively supporting the partnership,
unblocking reluctant parties where necessary, developing
contacts in the right place and at the right level
• Working with partners – providing advice, coaching and
resources when necessary
Summary – Key strategic success factors
• Strong committed partnership
• Focus on key drivers for development
• Planned and collaborative approach
• Sharing of resources
• Joint delivery programme
• Don’t lose focus on delivery of development
projects!
Transforming Bedfordshire – One Public Estate
Phil Simpkins, Chief Executive,
Bedford Borough Council