Supporting councils through every stage of the property lifecycle

Local authorities are under growing pressure to deliver homes and regeneration. Mandatory housing targets remain in force, and councils are expected to adopt Local Plans within a shorter 30-month timetable. For many, that means bringing their own land and town centre schemes forward while meeting strict procurement, valuation and funding requirements.

Each stage of a public sector development tests the scheme in a different way. A master plan has to be viable, the procurement route has to stand up to scrutiny and the business case has to satisfy funders. When one adviser covers every stage, a decision made early is less likely to cause problems later.

Master planning and viability

In Portsmouth, the council needed an independent view of an existing master plan. The work covered a review of the master plan, a development viability assessment and advice on compulsory purchase. Testing viability at the planning stage gives a council a realistic basis for decisions on land assembly, including whether compulsory purchase powers are needed.

Procurement and valuation

Reading's Minster Quarter is a £220m town centre scheme led by residential development. Alongside the master plan, the council needed procurement advice and a Red Book valuation to support its decisions. The scheme also secured a £2m infrastructure grant, which helps cover the cost of the enabling works that town centre regeneration often depends on.

Co-ordination and delivery

At Lincoln City Council, the work ran from co-ordinating the master plan and viability advice through to a land sale agreement with Linden Homes. Programme management kept the scheme on track across those stages. That continuity matters when the terms agreed at the land sale depend on assumptions made years earlier in the master plan.

Business cases and funding

For Cambridgeshire County Council, the work centred on master planning a hospital campus that includes a new extra care housing scheme. This included a business case for the £20m project and advice on land acquisition and leases. Public funding for projects like this depends on a business case prepared to the Treasury Green Book standard, which sets out the case for spending public money in a way funders and decision-makers can rely on.

How we can help

Our Land, Planning and Development team works with local authorities and public bodies across the whole property lifecycle. We advise on master planning, development viability, public procurement, Red Book valuations, Green Book business cases, financial modelling, and public and private property companies. To discuss a scheme, contact the team.