Description of the contract
Summary: Quotes are sought for a feasibility study to assess the options and sustainability of enhancements to infrastructure on Llangorse common, to support the local visitor economy and residents’ use. This project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, supported by Powys County Council.
Timescales: Quotes must be received no later than Monday 4th December 2023 and the contract will be awarded by Friday 8th December 2023.
The study must be complete and invoices submitted by 15th March 2024. It is expected that a draft report will be submitted to the Council for review no later than 1st March 2024.
Background: Llangorse common and lake is a popular area for visitors to Powys and is within the Brecon Beacons National Park. The common is subject to a Scheme of Management under which Powys County Council has discretionary management powers. The visitor infrastructure is in need of urgent improvement. Short term funding is needed to achieve this, together with a sustainably funded longer term management plan.
Outcomes:
• A business case with a cost benefit analysis around enhancing infrastructure on the common and its long-term management, as a basis for a grant funding application.
• Options appraisal to support formation of a legally constituted management group.
• Recommendations around realistic options for funding sources, both for implementation of capital work and revenue maintenance.
Outputs:
• A report identifying:
o The infrastructure enhancements that are most needed to support the local visitor economy and the costs of carrying out capital work.
-The options and costs of longer-term revenue maintenance.
-An analysis of the likely benefits for local businesses.
-A plan for enhancement of the common that is sympathetic to its designation as common land, its biodiversity and the character of the area.
-Realistic funding sources for both capital work and revenue maintenance.
Project activities:
1. Engage with the owner of the common, registered graziers, businesses and other organisations directly connected with it to understand the current (baseline) position and their longer-term needs and aspirations for the area.
2. Engage with the Local Member, Community Council and wider community in Llangorse to understand the actual and potential benefits that the common could bring to the community, from the perspective of tourism and local use.
3. Liaise with Powys County Council and the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority to understand the constraints, implications and opportunities around the designation as common land, biodiversity, highways and planning and associated consents (e.g. SuDS or designated sites.)
4. Investigate options and income sources for both capital enhancements and revenue maintenance e.g. car parking charges. This may require footfall studies or other assessment of realistic income levels through the year.
5. Develop a plan with a costed set of options for sympathetic and sustainable enhancements to the common, including the car parking area.
6. Consult with the owner of the common, registered graziers, businesses and other organisations directly connected with it, Community Council and Local Member around the plans to agree priorities for a final, costed plan.
7. Review the options for a constituted management group that addresses issues around liability and insurance and seek any necessary supporting advice (e.g. legal) to provide a recommendation for a sustainable structure, with any ongoing costs.
8. Prepare a business case setting out the recommendations, conclusions and costs in relation to the above, as a basis for a grant funding application and formation of a management group.
Further information:
• The contractor will need to make at least one visit to the common to familiarise themselves with it and is highly likely to need to make further visits e.g. to observe footfall. This may include weekends, as the busiest times for visitors to the common.
• The contractor will need to accommodate a range of engagement styles including face to face, phone, email and Teams depending on the preferences of those being consulted. The Council will provide a list of the names and contact details of those who wish to be involved and any information that we hold about their preference e.g. face to face. The contractor will work under a data processing agreement in carrying out this work.
• The Council will provide maps of the common as a starting point, showing known constraints e.g. designated common land boundaries, environmentally protected areas. The contractor will need their own GIS mapping software, but the Council can provide datasets showing the registered common land boundary and public rights of way.
• Questions around the designation as common land and public rights of way legislation can be discussed with Powys County Council, as the commons registration authority and highway authority. However, the contractor will need to assess the implications of this for the proposed management.
• The quote should include the costs of any specialist external advice required e.g. around legal issues or practical work options and costings. The costings for carrying out capital enhancements is expected to be at current rates. For longer term maintenance costs, assumptions around inflation must be explained.
• The core group who are likely to have key roles in managing the common have already begun to investigate the options for forming a constituted group and will continue to progress this, as a basis for discussion with the successful contractor.
Quotes: The budget is capped at £20,000 excluding VAT.
Quotes should include the hourly rates being charged for each role employed by the contractor, anticipated travel and subsistence costs and any associated costs e.g. legal advice, together with the assumptions on which these are based.
The contractor should set out their proposed approach and timelines for this feasibility study, together with any previous experience of carrying out studies of this nature.
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