We have been appointed by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and its partner organisations to work with local authorities across the UK. 

Our work supports the local authorities’ plans for economic growth, and delivery of high quality affordable housing.

Our relationship with the HCA has a national remit, with us fielding an experienced and multi-disciplined team of professionals to the HCA’s requirements at local and national levels.

Our work for the HCA is varied, with key projects including:

Get Britain Building

We were awarded a national contract by the HCA to deliver the Get Britain Building Project in 2012.

Get Britain Building aims to distribute £420m in government funded loans to residential developers, where it will unlock stalled development projects across the UK.

As one of the four consultants appointed, we are given a share of the expected 200-300 projects which require due diligence to assess their suitability for the loans. This enabled the HCA to lend over £50m into stalled projects and ensured the delivery of stalled residential units.

Valuations for asset transfers to Milton Keynes Council

The HCA is currently in discussions with Milton Keynes Council regarding the transfer of its assets to the council.

As part of this project, we are providing the due diligence and valuation advice associated with the proposed transfer. We have also provided market advice as to the anticipated timescales for the delivery of sites to the market, and the type of development to be undertaken.

Local Brownfield Strategies

We have assisted the HCA and a number of local authorities in preparing Local Brownfield Strategies in Allerdale, Barrow-in-Furness & Copeland, Bury and Lancaster. We are currently assisting with strategies in Cheshire West, Chorley, Nottingham, Preston and Stockton-on-Tees.

These strategies will ensure the effective and efficient reuse of previously developed land by identifying sites that can be returned to beneficial uses.

National Land Use Database

We also assist the HCA with data collection for the National Land Use Database (NLUD), having visited local authorities in East Hertfordshire, Forest Heath, Slough and Tameside to assist them with their NLUD returns.

Transactional services

We deliver transactional services to the HCA, which is currently disposing of residential sites at Cottam Hall in Preston and Lancaster Moor Hospital, the latter by way of a full open market tender through the OJEU process.

We have also provided viability advice on the Skelmersdale town centre redevelopment by St Modwen, and Office Agency advice on Arpley House in Birchwood.