SWM were delighted to be invited by our members Mott Macdonald to their event on One Public Estate including representatives from all three sectors on Thursday 8 June at La Tour Hotel in Birmingham. One Public Estate supports collaborative property-led projects in local areas, delivering ambitious projects that transform local services. David Sheard of Mott Macdonald introduced the four speakers and talked of the increased efficiency and increased capital receipts that One Public Estate brings. He passed over to Richard Angrave of Angrave Business Consulting Ltd who presented on the consolidation of estates. His case study project was the consolidation of three Derby City Probation Operations and Trust Corporate Services buildings into one. Richard stated the key to success within this project as being stakeholder management. Anna Bright of SWM, enquired into disposal of surplus furniture and whether reuse was addressed. It was pleasing to hear that wherever possible, furniture was passed on to charities, staff members or redistributed within the Ministry of Justice. The second speaker was James Dunn of Telford and Wrekin Council who discussed his experience of maximising growth and return on public sector sites. Telford and Wrekin Council are currently investing in various development sites; both residential and commercial. Will Butcher, of Mott McDonald asked if the council were investing in local, sustainable energy sources for the developments to which James replied that they are considering the possibility of utilising their solar farm near Hortonwood West. They have also signed up with SWM members Veolia on a contract to manage their future waste responsibly. Final speakers Andrew Pollard of Place Partnership and Jude Wildgoose of Community Health Partnerships also focused on the importance of stakeholder relationships in their respective project deliveries. For more information, see presentation slides here. Many thanks to Mott Macdonald for hosting this insightful event on cross-sector partnerships and collaborative working.
