Description of the contract
The University is seeking to appoint a suitable Town Planning Consultant and Valuer to provide the necessary support and assistance in taking forward the project as follows:
A) To prepare a suitably detailed report identifying alternative uses of sites within its property portfolio in Swansea together with the provision of possible sale values, including alternative options for disposal that may allow the University to receive a capital receipt in advance of any decant to new accommodation.
The University will provide plans of the sites and outline of buildings together with any restrictive covenants that may affect values. The Consultant will always advise the client of the date and time of each visit. There may be times when a site visit will need to be deferred.
B) The appointed consultant will identify possible alternative uses for whole or part of the sites, bearing in mind the need to maximise values and general demand for the available land / buildings. The University needs to ensure that no site is left to deteriorate in a way that will undermine the University’s commitment to City and County of Swansea.
Alternative uses are expected to be innovative and demonstrate lateral thinking (such as land swaps), and should be cognisant of all related market forces that could impact use / value. The University is aware that the City and Council of Swansea need to dispose of some of its land assets to fund its School Redevelopment Programme up to 2018.
C) The consultant will discuss and generally engage with Swansea City Council planners at a senior level to consider these alternative uses bearing in mind all matters, such as highway access, design restrictions and if applicable, environmental, noise and retail impacts as well as other issues and concerns that the planners may have with regard to the proposed disposals.
D) The consultant will identify approximately the developable areas within the sites.
E) The consultant will require some heritage expertise given that there are listed buildings on the Mount Pleasant campus, and this is likely to be a significant factor in determining development / site capacity and needs to be considered at the outset.
F) The consultant must consider access issues which will also have a potential bearing on the type and quantum of uses likely to be acceptable on sites.
G) It is anticipated other issues, such as ecology, will be covered as part of separate commissions at a later date, but should be noted for more immediate review if considered appropriate.
H) The consultant will provide the client will copies of all correspondence including e-mails of discussions with the planners.
I) The consultant will appoint a firm of Chartered Surveyors as a sub-consultant who will work with the planners during the appointment to identify land sales in line with the potential development use class opportunities.
J) The consultant and the valuers will provide the University with the feasibility of alternative uses and disposal values to maximise the returns to the client. The University will expect plans showing general areas that can be developed or subject to change of use (detailed floor plans of potential conversions will not be required). The consultant will coordinate this commission with the University’s Master Planning Design Team in order to consider all associated opportunities and constraints.
K) The consultant will work closely with the University’s Financial Advisor to consider the opportunities for maximising the return on all assets within the current portfolio in order to ensure that the contribution of the Disposal Strategy is thoroughly and robustly reviewed and tested.
L) The values will be set out either as a whole or within respective lots indicating possible timing of sales. Values will be based on experience and any necessary market testing exercises as considered appropriate and as made explicit in the submitted bid.
M) This is a one-off consultation at present which will end at the time of issue of the final report. Any further work should the University proceed to dispose of any sites at a future date will be subject to a new tender.
N) For clarity purposes the tender figure will include both planning and valuation work. The lead consultant is also required to provide a cost for developing and implementing a Marketing and Disposal Strategy.
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