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Uniquely fusing public and private sector expertise we offer the “balance“ needed to create a shared vision for a collaborative, successful and sustainable future with multi-stakeholder outcomes.
We believe sustainable change is more than creating platforms for new development. Designing better places is about people, functionality, sustainability and creativity.
We offer innovative, multi-disciplinary and strategic thinking, with the capability to pull together key-stakeholders into developing a holistic picture that they can buy into. We understand the dynamic landscape; the politics, the council officers responsibilities and limitations, the voluntary and community sectors, and the requirements to get private sector investment.
Our ambition is to create equitable partnerships between public and private sectors with shared risk and reward , where mutual interdependence creates sustainable growth, balanced with a circular economy and positive social impact.
The starting point is understanding people and place – many towns are suffering from a lack of pride in place and fading hope. Regeneration is about the people. It needs to consider not only the town centre built environment, but the impact that can be brought to health, education, skills, employers, housing, arts and culture and sustainability in the wider area.
If you are genuinely up for making a difference to your place, then invite us to join the journey – you will not regret it! We will not only help create the vision, identify individual strategies for unique places, we will help execute and empower effective leadership.
The old ways of managing shopping centres, property assets and town centres is largely broken. Talk to us about a new approach; innovative re-purposing of assets into sustainable mixed use with innovative management solutions.
We will help you develop an asset plan that is viable, can be understood and delivered. We look way beyond the red line of ownership to find the key ingredients that help your Team execute successfully.
We understand the metrics and valuation nuances to help deliver money-saving, income stability and then growth. At the same time we foster community and stakeholder engagement to generate bottom up growth, help get the granular stuff done, and ensure everybody is bought into the long term vision and the journey.
To succeed, changing the negative mindset of people who have been managing decline for years is critical across the Client Team, the shop-workers and the wider stakeholders. (see Case Study – Quayside)
We believe that the principles of integrated and sustainable asset management also apply to other settings, including residential areas and business parks.
Be brave and colourful !
Our extensive experience and track record gives us the ability to help you deliver commercial or residential solutions (we have expertise dealing with registered social landlords/RP’s) or we can directly deliver development projects.
We think and do differently so don’t expect standard product and boring design coming out of our stable. We believe in giving people something much better and designing-in multi-stakeholder outcomes from the outset, delivering impact way beyond just return on investment.
For example we have been commissioned to set up the Church of England as a Registered Provider, (see Case Study – CofE) and leading on major regeneration schemes in Tyneside and Teesside.
We want to work with occupiers who believe in delivering exceptional experiences for customers and creating ‘good’ within communities. We go way beyond the post-box style approach of many and will help identify and grow your sustainability credentials, giving you a competitive advantage with landlords, councils and banks.
We will then help you source the best locations nationally and the best terms, using our expertise and extensive networks.
In just over two years we helped STACK secure 12+ sites with a pipeline until 2028. These sites are substantial and sourced in a very competitive landscape – STACK invests over £4m per site. As well as agreeing deals with private landlords, we have completed public sector tender processes and secured public sector financial support.( see Case study- STACK)
CommercialisedPlaceManagement (CPM)
Property Owners and local authorities are alive to the need for exceptional place-making but struggle to identify the true value in order to justify capex. Place-makers do incredible things but often lack commercial acumen.
We have therefore set up Whatif…CommercialisedPlaceManagement (CPM) in conjunction with an experienced food and beverage operator to generate revenue from place, allowing it to help finance the softer side of community engagement. CPM can act as a direct operator or as a consultant securing local operators, to help build a new ecosystem adding to a positive brand image.
We are also building a portfolio of mini partnerships with responsible companies that can derive value from town centre locations and are willing to contribute financially.
Our expertise in real estate and community combined with our imagination gives us the competitive advantage.
For private landlords we can create vibrant exciting places, facilitating lettings while also generating a shared revenue stream to help fund the community events needed to build sustainable and healthy neighbourhoods.
For the public sector we can create new ecosystems of operators; building brand value, pride in place, local wealth creation opportunities and potentially revenue to pay for public realm improvements.
Well Placed
We are working in conjunction with TheArtHouse Wakefield, Historic England and Institute of Place Management to expand the already successful projects of MakeyWakey and SalfordLoading… creating value for multiple stakeholders by curating occupation of empty units for local arts, cultural, charities and social enterprises.
This is the granular side of regeneration, building hope and ambition from the bottom up and adding vibrancy back into town centres. We aim to create a national platform that uses rates mitigation savings to fund local arts charities who curate empty spaces on behalf of property owners. We have already seen great social impact and are running action research project, exploring how this helps create positive impact on place and people.
Community (Pro bono)
Backing up our values in working with voluntary, charitable and community sectors, we have recently supported a successful funding application for a new community centre, acted as “ Expert Witness” in a Public Inquiry for a major new incinerator and provided free advice to a number of worthy social enterprises.
Watch this space for new partnerships coming soon…
Everything we do builds on environmental, social and governance-it’s part of our DNA!