Report No 606/08
ANGUS COUNCIL
CORPORATE PROPERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN
Second Report
Corporate Services Department Property Division May 2008
Page 1 of 48
2
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 4
NATIONAL GUIDANCE/EXTERNAL INFLUENCES 4
PURPOSE AND FORMAT 6
PROPERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT 7 Definitions • Strategic asset management for land and buildings 7 • Property management 8
ORGANISATIONAL CONTROL 9
THE PROPERTY PORTFOLIO 10 Major Changes to Property Portfolio 11 Division of Portfolio 11 Operational Property 11 Statutory Performance Indicators 12 Capacity/Utilisation 14 Benchmarking 15 Non-Operational Property 16 Surplus Property 17 Common Good Properties 19
FUTURE REQUIREMENTS 20
FUTURE LOCAL/NATIONAL INFLUENCES 21
ENERGY 22
MAINTENANCE 23
SUMMARY 25
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN incorporating recommendations 26
APPENDICES
A – Perth & Kinross Council AMP Structure 30 B - Operational Properties 31 C - Categories C and D 34 D – Suitability Pro-Forma 37 E – Capacity/Utilisation Table 41 F – Principal Common Good Properties 43
3
INTRODUCTION
This is the second Angus Council Corporate Property Asset Management Plan (AMP), updating and expanding on the original AMP which was approved by the then Policy & Resources Committee at its meeting on 04 May 2006 (Report No. 555/06) and which concentrated on Operational Properties only.
Property Asset Management is a statutory function under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003, and is also a key component of the Efficient Government regime. It supports the delivery of corporate policy, ensuring that services are provided by the Council from an effective and efficient property portfolio.
The chart shown below, reproduced from the previous AMP, gives a simple illustration of how political vision and community, corporate and departmental plans all interlink with the AMP.
NATIONAL GUIDANCE/EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
Much work has been done on property asset management in Scotland across the last ten years, from work under the ‘Audit of Management Arrangements’ in the late nineties through the Schools Estate Management programme (SEMP) from 2002 onwards to the recent report by the UK audit bodies on VFM in Corporate Services. Development work has also taken place within the statutory performance indicator framework that usefully elaborates key aspects of performance of corporate property asset management. Additionally, the Joint Premises Project Board (JPPB) (a Scottish Government Working Group) has recently done useful work on the common core data set necessary to support collaborative asset management.
4
Conversely, however, the sheer proliferation of reports and guidance on asset management from governmental, regulatory, audit and professional bodies and organisations has resulted in Councils generating a wide variety of asset management plans with substantial differences both in style and content, and produced under equally varying methods of corporate leadership and control.
In negotiating extra funding of £220m for 2007/08 (£140m revenue, £80m capital) with the then Minister For Finance And Public Service Reform, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) agreed to undertake a programme of work around asset management, recognising that better information and practice around asset management was required and that Local Government accepted this as an integral part of demonstrating Best Value and Efficient Government.
The Improvement Service (IS) was commissioned to undertake preliminary research into property asset management in Councils, but this basic study actually went further into a number of areas around asset management. Subsequently Council Leaders agreed to delegate responsibility for overseeing the ongoing work around asset management to the Resources and Capacity Executive Group, and following its meeting on 28 November 2007 an Asset Management Strategy Group made up of representatives from the Society of Local Authority Chief Officers (SOLACE), Directors of Finance, the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors and Property Managers (ACES), the Federation of Property Societies (FPS), Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) and the JPPB was set up to evaluate not only the IS Report on property asset management but also work going on in other areas, such as the SCOTS Roads Asset Management Plan project and the ACES Property Asset Management Working Group, with a view to reporting back and making recommendations to the Executive Group - driving forward asset management at a political level will then become a key objective forming part of the business plan for the Resources and Capacity Executive Group.
Members may be interested in knowing that Angus Council is in the forefront of this activity, being represented on this Officers’ Strategy Group by its Chief Estates Manager not only in his capacity as a member of the Scottish Government’s JPPB to ensure continuity of work between this and other related governmental working groups, but has also been nominated to represent ACES.
In reviewing the IS report and considering the other areas of work, the Strategy Group concluded that a corporate view to asset management is essential and that a number of the recommendations made in the Improvement Service report can equally be applied to other areas of asset management. It was agreed that Councils should look at all assets to establish priorities in the context of outcome agreements and therefore should not look at asset management in terms of property in isolation but as a corporate framework which should encompass all streams of asset management including property, roads, ICT and fleet.
The future work for this Strategy Group in the medium/long term is therefore seen as producing formats for property, fleet, ICT, roads and combined overarching corporate asset management plans which CoSLA can then adopt and recommend to Councils as agreed formats which include all the required elements, and the degree of
5 commonality will enable comparisons/benchmarking and the sharing of best practice between Councils. However, it could be some time before this is finally completed, as for example the SCOTS Roads Asset Management project only started in 2008 and has a 4 year timescale for completion.
It is also known that Audit Scotland (AS) has recently formed an Asset Management Study Group and has intimated an intention to examine all Councils’ Property AMPs during 2008/09. It is understood that this will take the form of a detailed examination of six Council’s AMPs (Clackmannan, Edinburgh, Fife, Highland, Renfrewshire, Dumfries & Galloway) with questionnaires being sent to the remainder, with a view to producing a positional report in the early part of 2009.
Additionally, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has recently produced a document entitled “RICS Public Sector Asset Management Guidelines – A Guide to Best Practice”, supported by, amongst others, the Scottish Government, Office of Government Commerce (OGC), Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales (CLAW), ACES, FPS and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants (CIPFA).
PURPOSE AND FORMAT
An AMP is a corporate strategic document with the underlying purpose of achieving the better use of public assets and of minimizing the opportunity cost of resources tied up in land and buildings by developing strategies and programmes to ensure that they are deployed in the most effective way to meet the Council’s corporate and service objectives.
The Corporate Property Asset Management Plan provides an overview of the property portfolio owned and/or occupied by the Council and contains:-
• An analysis of the portfolio’s current performance, • An early indication of anticipated future property needs and opportunities, • Key areas for change required to support corporate and service strategies, and • Proposals for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the portfolio.
At the time of producing the first Angus AMP in 2006, there were many and varied differing styles and formats of AMP in use throughout England where they had been in existence for more than four years, but in Wales CLAW produced guidelines which the majority of Welsh authorities followed, and subsequently the Scottish Branch of ACES recommended that Scottish authorities also follow the CLAW format.
However, in view of the work ongoing within CoSLA and elsewhere as previously outlined, it seems sensible to now utilise the IS Report on property asset management, together with the RICS Asset Management Guidelines, as the principal sources of guidance in the preparation of this AMP.
It was also originally intended that in future years each service department would produce its own Departmental Property Asset Management Plan tailored to its own individual needs (such as Education’s SEMP), and the findings and proposals arising
6 from these Plans would be fundamental in producing the Council’s overarching Corporate Property Asset Management Plan, the purpose of which is to provide a strategic vehicle for dovetailing potentially varied service and community needs into a single strategic document to allow properly informed decisions to be made which will lead to a more cost effective and sustainable estate and a more operationally valuable asset.
In this context, however, recent guidance from Audit Scotland, work being carried out by the ACES Asset Management Working Group, plus personal contact with some of those other Councils which so far have managed to produce an AMP, appears to suggest that a geographical rather than departmental basis is a more logical approach which produces a better outcome and in a more practical and useful form to better assist with service delivery. The use of a geographical basis will also simplify the examination of properties to better identify opportunities for joint/shared occupation not only within the Council but also with other public sector bodies, and affords greater opportunity for elected members involvement eg when “their” area is under discussion.
Additionally, this basis will enable the four property-holding Common Good accounts to be examined at the same time.
It is proposed that the principal centres of population be used as the core for each geographical area, thus giving six such areas i.e. Monifieth/Carnoustie, Arbroath, Brechin, Montrose, Forfar and Kirriemuir, with the surrounding areas/wards being attached to the nearest or most logical principal centre.
Recommendations A) It is recommended that a geographical basis as outlined above be adopted for future AMPs
B) Future AMPs should also incorporate the various Common Good properties.
Alternative proposed timetables for future AMPs are shown as Recommendation C in the following section.
PROPERTY ASSET MANAGEMENT
The RICS Asset Management Guidelines document examined most if not all of the best known reports and guidelines on asset management and concluded that not only did there appear to be considerable consensus over the basic characteristics of strategic asset management for land and buildings but also a distinction between this and operational property management, and for assistance the definitions are reproduced as follows:-
Strategic asset management for land and buildings is the activity that ensures that the land and buildings asset base of an organisation is optimally structured in the best corporate interest of the organisation concerned. It seeks to align the asset base with the organisation’s corporate goals and objectives.
7 It requires business skills as well as property skills although only an overall knowledge of property matters is required. However property input within the overall process is imperative. It does not seek to respond solely to the requirements of any particularly operating part of the organisation, but rather, it seeks to take all requirements into account and to deliver the optimal solution in terms of the organisation’s overall operational and financial goals and objectives. It has a consultancy and executive orientation. It is a corporate, that is, whole organisation, activity and is normally led and/or coordinated by a property professional, although this is not always the case.
Property management is the activity that ensures that land and buildings matters are dealt with so that they operate efficiently and effectively. In effect it delivers the strategic asset management objectives for land and buildings. It is sometimes referred to as ‘operational’ and it is the activity of undertaking the professional/technical work necessary to ensure that property is in the condition desired, in the form and layout and location desired and supplied with the services required, together with related activities such as the disposal of surplus property, the construction or acquisition of new property, the valuation of property, dealing with landlord and tenant and rating matters, all at an optimum and affordable cost. It also involves offering advice to decision makers on the best ways of doing this. It has a customer orientation and it is normally undertaken by property professionals and technicians.
Following from this, both the IS Report and the RICS Guidelines concluded that there should be clear demarcation between asset management and property management decision making, and ideally asset management functions should be provided separately from day-to-day property management functions. The asset management function will provide coordination in relation to land and buildings and will closely interact with corporate policy and decision makers providing forward strategy and planning, with the size, scope and exact nature of the asset management team varying dependent on the characteristics of the organisation’s asset base. However, it is important that the asset management team has adequate resources and is separated from operational tasks, otherwise overlapping with operational responsibilities can often result in overall strategy and planning being neglected through undue pressure from day-to-day contingencies that should be handled elsewhere.
In Angus, property asset management is carried out by the Property Division of the Corporate Services Department, principally by the Estates Management Section, i.e. there is no separation of functions as recommended. It is known that many other councils have now created, or are in the process of creating, dedicated asset management sections separated from property management sections although still within the same property “umbrella”. By way of simple comparisons with other approximately similar councils, Perth & Kinross Council has had an eight strong team for over a year (for illustration purposes this team structure is reproduced at Appendix A) and East Ayrshire Council recently advertised for staff to form a seven strong asset management team. As mentioned previously in the National Guidance/External Influences section, an additional £220m was made available by the Scottish Government in 2007/08 for activities such as asset management, but it is not known whether this was fully taken up or, indeed, whether part may still be available to assist.
8 Recommendations A) It is recommended that a dedicated Asset Management Section be formed, with the size, scope and nature to be determined,
B) It should be ascertained whether all or part of the additional funding from the Scottish Government is still available to assist with the associated setup/running costs.
It should be noted that if it is decided not to form an Asset Management Section but to continue with the present format of utilising existing resources, then a side result will be that it will be necessary to phase the full completion of a geographically based AMP over a period of up to 6 years due to the necessities of day-to-day property management functions.
C) Proposed timetable for future Property AMPs EITHER If Asset Management section is formed:- June 2009 – Update of existing AMP to include Common Good properties June 2010 – First complete geographically based Property AMP June 2013 – First Corporate AMP incorporating Roads, ICT, Fleet etc OR If utilising existing resources:- June 2009 - First phase geographically based AMP incorporating area 1 June 2010 – Second phase updating area 1 and adding area 2 June 2011 – Third phase updating areas 1-2 and adding area 3 June 2012 – Fourth phase updating areas 1-3 and adding area 4 June 2013 – Fifth phase updating areas 1-4 and adding area 5 June 2014 – Sixth phase adding area 6 and completing geographically based Property AMP June 2015 - First Corporate AMP incorporating Roads, ICT, Fleet etc
ORGANISATIONAL CONTROL
The core legal and accounting position is absolutely clear. All property assets are owned by the Council as a corporate body, and all benefits and liabilities of property ownership accrue to the Council. (In some Councils such as Angus, departments and services are deemed to hold and deploy assets but this is simply an internal management and accounting arrangement and should not be interpreted as any form of “ownership”). The principles of Corporate Property Management were outlined in the previous AMP, but these have not yet been fully implemented.
At present in Angus, asset management functions are the responsibility of the Director of Corporate Services reporting to the Chief Officers Management Team (COMT) and to the Corporate Services Committee.
The simple structure shown on the following page is suggested as one which identifies the key roles and responsibilities that need to be present to facilitate a successful corporate approach to asset management. It is not grossly dissimilar to the structure already in place, the principal difference being the addition of a Corporate
9 Asset Management Group (CAMG) which would be made up of representatives from operational and support departments, and would include relevant elected members when properties within their wards were being discussed. The group would have an overall responsibility for developing a corporate approach to capital expenditure and the use of assets throughout the Council, take a strategic view of the capital programme and asset management and manage the implementation of the agreed asset strategy, capital strategy and asset management plan.
Translating this into Angus terms, the Asset Management Function is already in place, with meetings between representatives of the Property Division and the various Service Departments, the Senior Manager for Asset Management (SMAM) is currently the Director of Corporate Services, the CAMG is new as described above and for asset management purposes effectively replaces the COMT with a wider based group including elected members, and the Asset Champion would be either the Convener of the Corporate Services Committee, or the SMAM “doubling up” and fulfilling both roles.
RICS Public Sector Asset Management Guidelines – A Guide To Best Practice
Recommendation It is recommended that the above structure be adopted for the purpose of asset management organisational control.
THE PROPERTY PORTFOLIO
Excluding those properties held on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), the Council’s Property Asset Register (held and managed by the Head of Finance) has slightly in excess of 1,000 entries, listing everything from a few square metres of ground used as sites for public toilets or road widening schemes/materials dumps, through to major office blocks, large secondary schools, industrial units and country parks, with a combined total asset value of approximately £261m.
10 The Property Asset Register is revalued each year, with one-third being revalued by the Council’s external estates consultants in accordance with the relevant guidance and the remainder adjusted by the Finance Division to allow for inflation, etc. The school estate is currently dealt with separately under its own School Estates Management Plan (SEMP), which is reported separately to the Scottish Government. It is, however, part of the longer term aim that this will eventually be combined along with Roads, ICT etc as part of one overarching Corporate AMP in accordance with the CoSLA proposals outlined previously.
Major Changes to Property Portfolio Since Previous AMP
The principal changes to the property portfolio since the previous AMP on the acquisition side have been the continuing development of the office campus at Orchardbank, Forfar – now comprising the Council’s Print & Design Unit and three Council office buildings (Angus House, St Margaret’s House – shared with NHS Tayside - and William Wallace House) with a site reserved for a fourth office, currently intended to be a future replacement of County Buildings, Forfar. The disposal side has seen the sale of St James House and Broadcroft Car Park, Forfar, although the redevelopment of both has been subject to long delays due to the planning process.
The schools replacement programme is dealt with separately in the SEMP.
Division of Portfolio
The IS report proposed that for AMP purposes the portfolio should be divided and examined in three separate parts:-
• Operational property - ie that occupied by the Council for its own purposes and the delivery of its services. • Non-operational property - principally those held on the Economic Development account, plus a few shops and houses not held on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). • Surplus property – not currently utilised by the Council for any purpose.
Operational Property
In the strictest sense, the title of Operational Properties also encompasses Asset Register entries such as small sites used for road widening schemes, salt/gravel dumps etc. as technically they are being occupied and used by the Council for its own purposes. These, however, are generally of nominal value and logically the only decision that could be made on these would be to retain or dispose of, purely dependent on operational requirements. Accordingly ,redefining Operational Property into a more logical and useful grouping comprising basically those properties which have buildings and staff occupation resulted in a total of 183 relevant properties, categorised as shown in the chart on the following page (these are also listed in Appendix B to this report):-
11 Caravan Parks Operational Properties Depots & Yards
Community Centres 4 19 Halls & Theatres 3 53 Libraries 6 Museums 9 Offices 6 Pavilions
6 Registrars
Residential Homes & Care 10 Centres Sports Centres & Swimming 53 9 Pools 3 2 Training Centres
Cemeteries & Burial Grounds
Statutory Performance Indicators There are two Statutory Performance Indicators (SPIs) relating to condition and suitability, and these were first reported in 2007.
The Condition SPI has been assessed by the Council’s in-house property staff resulting in a grading for each property. These gradings are:-
• A Good – Performing well and operating efficiently. • B Satisfactory – Performing adequately but showing minor deterioration. • C Poor – Showing major problems and/or not operating adequately • D Bad – Life expired and/or serious risk of imminent failure
The results for 2007/08 are illustrated in the graph on the following pages, with the previous year’s results being shown for comparison purposes.
12 % of Overall Condition
80 72.92 70.52 70
60
50
2007 40 2008
30 25.17 26.33
20
10 1.82 3.06 0.09 0.09 0 Condition A Condition B Condition C Condition D
The relatively small number of properties in categories C and D are identified separately in Appendix C, along with recommendations for their future.
The Suitability SPI was assessed by the managers from the service currently occupying each property using a standardised pro-forma developed by another council. This focussed on the following seven factors:
• Location • Accessibility and DDA Issues • Environment • Safety & Security • Space • Fixtures and Fittings • Image
This pro-forma, a copy of which is shown in Appendix D for information, contains a self-generating scoring system which automatically calculates and places each property in the category which best represents its overall suitability. The categories are:-
• A Good – Performing well and operating efficiently. The buildings support the delivery of service and are considered suitable for use now and in the future. • B Satisfactory – Performing well but with minor issues. The buildings generally support the delivery of services and would be considered suitable. There is room for improvement in certain areas but the property is fundamentally OK.
13 • C Poor – Showing major problems and/or not operating optimally. The buildings impede the delivery of services and should not be considered suitable. • D Bad – Does not support the delivery of services at all. The buildings seriously impede the delivery of services and should definitely not be considered suitable.
% of Overall Suitability
80.00 70.06 70.00 64.54
60.00
50.00 % 2007 40.00 2008 30.00 20.1019.95 20.00 13.18 7.79 10.00 2.18 2.19 0.00 Suitability A Suitability B Suitability C Suitability D
Recommendation The relatively small number of properties in categories C and D are identified separately in Appendix C, along with recommendations for their future.
Capacity/Utilisation This is one of the indicators of how efficiently buildings are being used by the occupiers, and in its simplest form is calculated by dividing the internal area of a building by the number of staff based there, giving the average amount of space or area occupied by each person. As shown in the table contained in Appendix E, this indicates a seemingly extremely generous average space of 22sm per person.
Obviously, however, such a basic calculation is of little or no value since it takes no account of technically unoccupied/unallocated space such as common areas, meeting rooms, stores, toilets etc which distort the outcome – typical examples of this distorting effect are the Municipal Buildings in Forfar, which has a gross internal area of 410sm but only 6 staff based there, resulting in an apparently generous 68sm per person, and the Municipal Buildings in Carnoustie which suggests a staggering 101sm per person.
In view of resulting anomalies such as this, the ACES AMP Working Group suggested that in order to arrive at a more accurate and useful indication Councils should carry out space audits on all offices. This has now recently commenced in
14 Angus, and is following the guidance issued by Federation of Property Societies (FPS) and in the 2001 publication “Office space: How much is enough?” produced by Gerald Eve and the RICS Research Foundation, whereby space within each office area is categorised into:- • Workspace • Support (Stores, meeting rooms, printing areas, libraries, reference areas) • Ancillary (Reception, circulation, toilets, maintenance and space allocated to member areas)
The average space per person is then calculated by dividing the total area of workspace by the number of staff using that office. Once completed, this will provide a much more accurate understanding of the utilisation of the Council’s properties and the relationship between space occupied by staff and that used for other purposes, and it is intended that this audit will be reviewed annually and updated to reflect any significant changes in the use of space in offices - the identification of under occupied or badly utilised properties is a key identifying element to assist in the rationalisation of the property estate.
Additionally, once there is a more accurate figure for average space per person then the related average cost of space per person can be properly calculated, which in turn will enable the most financially effective buildings to be identified and appropriate corrective action taken on the most expensive, again assisting in the rationalisation of the property estate.
In simple cost terms, however, the obvious way to reduce office costs is to reduce the number of offices by reducing the number of office-based staff through greater utilisation of alternative working practices, such as home-working and hot-desking. An examination of these with a view to their relevancy/applicability to Angus Council was one of the recommendations in the previous AMP, but as yet no firm proposals have been made to adopt any of these on a large scale. Accordingly while it is accepted such practices will have little or no affect in the short term on accommodation requirements, nevertheless a Council-wide investigation should be carried out to establish any medium to long term potential savings.
Recommendations A) It is recommended that the office audits currently in progress be completed within the year, assisting in identifying under-utilised and/or costly buildings to enable appropriate corrective action to be taken.
B) It is further recommended that a Council-wide investigation be undertaken to establish the potential for alternative working practices which over the longer term would enable a reduction in the number of properties in the estate.
Benchmarking
The ACES Performance Management Working Group is preparing to provide a facility to enable Scottish Councils to benchmark against each other, both as a whole and in similar-profiled groups. Due to the proliferation of possible Performance Indicators (PIs) and the differing interpretations which could be placed on their
15 definitions, the Group is liaising with Audit Scotland to reach an agreement on PIs which are both calculable and useful, and to provide all Councils with common definitions.
Recommendation It is recommended that Angus Council participates in the ACES Working Group and utilises the benchmarking facility for performance comparisons, once in place.
Non Operational Property
Non-HRA Houses There are 31 houses held on the Education, Infrastructure Services and Neighbourhood Services accounts. Generally, these were originally constructed as tied houses for specific workers, e.g. teachers, school janitors, cemetery attendants, roadmen, etc.
As a broad generality the principle of tied housing no longer applies, although there are a few exceptions such as the country park lodges which continue to be retained for park staff. The Council’s practice has been to dispose of surplus houses on the open market as/when they become vacant although there are some which cannot be sold e.g. due to the location within school boundaries. The Right To Buy exists for the majority of these tenants but disposals on this basis are not actively pursued as generally it is in the Council’s interest to obtain the full market price by selling with vacant possession rather than at a discounted price to a sitting tenant.
Recommendation It is recommended that the present practice of holding these properties until vacated then selling at full value on the open market be continued.
Shops There is now only one shop remaining held on the Neighbourhood Services account, the rest having been sold off over the years, either on the open market when vacated or to the sitting tenants at prices equivalent to/better than the capitalised values of the rental income. However, to date this last remaining shop tenant has declined all offers to enter into potential sale negotiations.
Recommendation It is recommended that offers of sale continue to be made to this last remaining shop tenant, failing which the property be sold on the open market as/when it falls vacant.
Caravan Parks The Council has five caravan parks, one for travellers and four for tourists, one of which is already let to and run by a private sector company. The provision of the travellers’ site is a Council function, but with regard to the others, it is questionable as to whether or not these provide a direct service to residents. Although obviously the area benefits from the tourists staying on the parks, this is a function well-established in the private sector and there do not appear to be any overriding benefits obtained
16 from either direct Council management or retaining ownership of the remaining three tourist parks.
It was one of the recommendations in the previous AMP that consideration should be given to potential savings and revenue/capital receipts which could be obtained by leasing out or disposing of same, and at the beginning of this year the three sites were advertised for lease. There were several good expressions of interest but a decision was taken not to pursue the matter further at that time due to the nearness of the start of the holiday season.
Recommendation It is recommended that the three remaining tourist sites be advertised for lease as soon as possible, with a view to the lease commencing at the end of the season allowing the new management the winter closure period to carry out any works they may wish.
This will have an additional benefit in that rental levels established on the open market will also provide good comparisons when carrying out the rent review on the already leased fourth site.
Industrial Property In common with most local authorities, Angus Council holds a substantial amount of non-operational property on its Economic Development account. These properties were originally acquired/constructed for the purposes of generating or initiating economic development of a specific type or in a particular area and some continue to serve this initial purpose.
However, a substantial proportion has now graduated beyond that initial purpose and is held primarily as a source of revenue income. This part requires to be clearly identified and the financial performance maximised, not only correcting under- performance and disposing of those with poor or inappropriate returns but also considering whether it would be more beneficial to the Council to sell the good performers, exchanging revenue for capital.
This was one of the recommendations contained in the previous AMP, and earlier this year a study of the Economic Development Division’s property portfolio was carried out by the Division, assisted by input from the Finance and Property Divisions and the Council’s retained external estates consultants.
Recommendation As yet this report has not been considered by the relevant committee(s), and accordingly it is considered inappropriate to recommend any further action until the results of these deliberations are known.
Surplus Property
This category technically encompasses two types of property – that which is held pending future development but is currently not used by the Council for any particular purpose, and that which has been declared surplus to Council’s requirements.
17 Examples of the first type are Site 4 at Orchardbank, which has been purchased for the next phase of the Council’s office campus development, and the business park at Brechin, where land has been purchased for economic development purposes. It is intended that these opportunistic purchases continue as and when the opportunity and funds are available.
With regard to properties about to be declared surplus to Council requirements, a recent amendment to the Council’s Financial Regulations requires that once it has been ascertained that no department has an interest, any such property be referred to the Leader of the Council for consideration by elected members for possible viable alternative, eg community, use prior to being declared surplus and placed on the open market for disposal (subject to prevailing market conditions). At the present time this is one of the few occasions where elected members have an involvement in the property asset management planning process, but if accepted the amendments recommended previously in the Organisational Control section will lead to greater involvement in, and ownership of, the AMP.
Over the past 10 years, disposal of surplus property has achieved capital receipts in excess of £1.8m for the HRA, approximately £0.5m for Common Good accounts and in excess of £7.6m for the general accounts – the actual annual amounts are shown in the table below.
HRA CG General
1998/99 229,475 - 448,775
1999/00 92,050 53,505 180,872
2000/01 316,600 210,750 647,458
2001/02 70,950 6,500 314,208
2002/03 73,680 40,000 371,577
2003/04 160,700 27,273 281,600
2004/05 373,900 37,273 589,500
2005/06 284,250 68,900 1,114,981
2006/07 222,850 29,255 3,125,405
2007/08 13,700 - 720,596 Total
1,838,155 473,456 7,794,972 10,106,583
Obviously, however, this level of income is not sustainable in the long term as eventually the point will be reached where there will be no surplus property left to dispose of. When this point is reached then the only means left to generate a capital receipt would be a one-off sale and lease back transaction with the private sector for the operational properties.
18 This point of view was expounded in the Audit Commission’s report in 2000 entitled “Hot Property – Getting The Best From Local Authority Assets”, in which one of the main themes was that local authorities should, as much as possible, reduce the size of the owned estate and if necessary replace this with leased-in properties, and until recently this was supported by a misconception that one of the main drivers for AMPs also was to identify for disposal as much property as possible. It is now being recognized that while disposing of properties and leasing-in replacements is relatively straightforward for the larger urban authorities, it is much less practical for the smaller rural ones such as Angus where the availability of alternative properties is either severely limited or non-existent. Additionally, reducing the size of the owned estate, thus reducing the size of the asset base, does not sit comfortably with one of the requirements for Prudential Accounting, which requires a strong asset base to support borrowing requirements.
There is an alternative view which suggests that disposals should be planned for specific years with the capital income targeted towards the budget for planned projects. However, this would introduce an element of ring-fencing of income as standard policy, contrary to current practice. Additionally, this could make the viability of projects susceptible to a non-guaranteed income flow, for example the sale of St James House and the Broadcroft Car Park sites in Forfar were agreed in 2006, but due to planning and other development difficulties this income is now not anticipated until the 2008/09 financial year. Similarly, demands from other departments for surplus schools is threatening planned income from disposals for the Schools PPP project.
Recommendation It is recommended that the existing practice of selling surplus property on the open market as/when they are declared surplus and there is no identified viable alternative community use be continued.
Common Good Properties
There are five Common Good accounts throughout Angus, but only four of these - Arbroath, Brechin, Forfar and Montrose – hold land and/or property. These have not been included in this AMP but, as mentioned previously in the Purpose and Format section, if the recommended format alteration to a geographical basis is accepted then this will simplify their inclusion in future AMPs.
In order to ensure that Common Good properties receive full market values when let to the Council or on the open market, rental levels are assessed by external estates consultants to ensure all transactions are at “arm’s length”. For information purposes only, the principal common good properties are shown on the list attached as Appendix F, and the graph below shows the divisions in the various Common Good properties between those let to the Council and those let to other parties on the open market.
19 Common Good Properties
Land & Buildings Leased to 45 43 Angus Council
40 38 Land & Buildings Let on Open Market 35 31 30
25 24
20 19 Number 15 15 10 10 6 5
0 Arbroath Brechin Forfar Montrose
Recommendation It is recommended that Common Good properties be included in future AMPs.
FUTURE REQUIREMENTS
The site for a new building to accommodate the relocation of staff from County Buildings, Forfar, has been acquired at Orchardbank, although as yet no development start date or funding source have been identified.
While Bruce House in Arbroath is secure for the short/medium term, the long term future is less clear due to its age/condition and the likely future possibility of redevelopment proposals. Additionally, the Social Work Department in particular has an urgent need to centralise its presently widely dispersed services, not only in Arbroath but also elsewhere within the Council’s area, for example the scheme currently being examined to redevelop the former Chapelpark school in Forfar. However, due to ongoing best value reviews and current dialogue with NHS Tayside, it has not been possible at this time to quantify the future property requirements for the Social Work Department, and this will need to be done once the various reviews etc have been completed.
It is also anticipated that the proposed change to a geographical basis for future AMPs will simplify the identification/matching of property requirements.
As mentioned in the earlier section on Purpose and Format, greater attention needs to be paid to identifying opportunities for joint/shared accommodation and/or co- location, not only between Council departments and services but also with other public sector agencies. The first steps in this direction have already been taken by the
20 Social Work and Neighbourhood Services Departments sharing/co-locating with NHS Tayside and Tayside Police respectively, but this should be regarded as only the beginning of what should be a constant and on-going process.
Recommendation It is recommended that a Council-wide study be carried out to identify opportunities for joint/shared accommodation and/or co-location between Council departments and other public sector agencies.
FUTURE LOCAL/NATIONAL INFLUENCES
There is a growing trend, encouraged by the Scottish Government, for greater cooperation/sharing of services between adjoining councils, and members will be aware of ongoing discussions between Angus, Dundee and Perth & Kinross Councils exploring the possibilities of joint activities which could lead to better service delivery and achieve economies of scale.
An already established example of the former is the Planning Division’s participation in the City/Region planning concept, and examples of the latter are Tayside Police, Tayside Fire & Rescue and NHS Tayside, which all retained the boundaries of the former regional council.
Logically, the progression of such cooperation/sharing could possibly lead to centralisation of some services within one or other of the participating councils, which in turn could have implications for office or other property requirements.
Nationally, the Scottish Government’s hub proposals, an alternative means of acquiring/developing community facilities, continue to be progressed, and it is understood that the current proposals now involve hub being contained under the umbrella of the newly announced Scottish Futures Trust rather than as a separate organisation, as was previously planned.
It is known that the intention is to sub-divide the country in to 5 hub areas or territories with development schemes under local control and ownership but supervised and guided by a central organisation, and the present indications are that 2 territories will progress projects as pathfinders in the near future, with the other territories following in 2011. It is also known that initial funding assistance will be available although the details have not yet been made available.
Members may wish to be aware that Angus Council has been in the forefront of this development, being represented on the Scottish Government’s hub Delivery Working Group by its Chief Estates Manager as a CoSLA nominee to contribute local government estates management expertise, and this representation is likely to continue in the future as the project develops.
Recommendation It is recommended that a watching brief be maintained to identify possible future benefits to Angus.
21 ENERGY
Energy is managed centrally by a specialist unit within the Property Division, and this enables the co-ordinated management and monitoring of the consumption of energy throughout the Council’s non-housing portfolio to promote energy conservation, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce costs.
These responsibilities include corporate budget setting, the procurement, supply and delivery of Electricity, Natural Gas, Oil and Biomass fuel, the payment of the associated bills, reporting of the actual consumption, identification and commissioning of energy conservation works.
The energy conservation works are identified through a combination of the recommendations in the three year rolling programme energy audits and the annual maintenance inspections. These works are funded through a combination of sources, Spend to Save as part of the annual provisions from the Property Renewal and Repair Fund, the Central Energy Efficiency Fund, external grant funding and where appropriate capital maintenance.
On occasions funding is provided to support energy efficiency measures as part of new capital or large refurbishment projects.
Energy Spend
£2,500,000
£2,000,000 Electricity
£1,500,000 Gas
£1,000,000
£500,000 Oil
£0 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08
The electricity spend has increased by 26% between the financial years 2006/07 and 2007/08 - this increase is mainly attributable to the significant increase in the unit rate of electricity. Spend on gas shows a larger increase of 39% over the same time period - this is again is mainly attributable to the increase in the unit rate of gas and additions to the estate. At the present time energy is purchased as competitively as possible by using bulk purchasing through the Tayside Energy Consortium. However, next year all Councils will participate in a national purchasing scheme, and this will be closely monitored to establish whether this is of greater benefit to Angus Council.
Recommendations A) Continue with approved programmes of works to improve the efficiency of the estate to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions, reduce
22 energy consumption and reduce the cost of the various fuels. Full details of these are contained in the following recent committee reports:
• Report No 128/08 – Corporate Services Committee – Environmental Impact of Energy Consumption • Report No 454/08 - Corporate Services Committee - Energy Efficiency Initiative Fund Invest to Save Projects 2008/09 – Ph 1. • Report No 455/08 - Corporate Services Committee - Energy and Environmental Conservation Spend to Save Programme 2008/09 – Ph 1. • Report No 471/08 - Strategic Policy Services Committee - Carbon Management Programme.
B) Monitor energy purchasing under the new national purchasing scheme
MAINTENANCE
Service Departments have provision within their budgets for repairs and maintenance. However in order to maintain the fabric of Council buildings to a consistent standard, responsibility for the overall management of property maintenance budgets rests with the Property Division.
There are three main elements to property maintenance budgets:-
• Planned Maintenance and Service Contracts - this comprises work necessary to correct defects identified as requiring attention following inspection of the properties by the Area Clerks of Works/Property Inspector and includes both cyclical maintenance and annual service contracts. • Unplanned Maintenance - this comprises unforeseen and day-to-day repairs to properties and works on emergencies, breakdowns and safeguarding measures. • Renewal and Repair Fund - this is one of the special funds established by the Council to provide additional revenue funding for the urgent renewal or repair of property elements which could not otherwise be accommodated within planned or unplanned maintenance programmes.
The graph shown below indicates the change spend on the three elements that make up the revenue maintenance budget. Recognised good practice suggests that the spend on unplanned maintenance should be around 20% of the total, and with Angus Council currently spending on average 30% this is considered to be sufficiently close as to not raise immediate concerns.
23 Breakdown of Maintenance £1,400,000 Service Contracts £1,200,000
£1,000,000
£800,000 Unplanned Maintenance £600,000
£400,000
£200,000 Planned Maintenance £0
9 2 3 5 6 9 /98 /9 /0 /0 /08 7 8 1 2/0 4 5/0 7 8/0 9 9 00/01 0 0 03/04 0 0 06/07 0 0 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1996/97 1 1 1999/00 2 2 20 2 2 20 2 2 20
Service contracts include service works which are required to meet statutory obligations. These have increased from 18% of the budget in 1996/97 to 58% of the budget in 2008/09.
There has also been a corresponding reduction in the percentage of the budget being spent on planned work; which has reduced from 51% in 1996/97 to 12% in 2008/09. The current backlog of planned works is in excess of £22 million and at the current rate of spend it is estimated that it will take 88 years just to clear this backlog, without taking in to account any further repairs which would arise during that period.
In an effort to address this situation access has been given to the Property Renewal and Repair Fund to allow additional planned works to be carried out. However, as the Property Renewal and Repair Fund is funded essentially by being allocated a proportion of unspent general funds carried forward from the preceding year, this makes it difficult to forward plan/programme major repair/redevelopment works sufficiently far in advance, as by its very nature this is an inherently unpredictable source of funding being reliant on (A) a general surplus being carried forward and (B) the Property Repair & Renewal Fund has to compete for a share with the other Repair & Renewal Funds
Recommendation The annual revenue maintenance budget should be increased by 25% from the present level of approx £2m to £2.5m. This is regarded as the minimum amount required to address this shortfall and stabilise repairs programmes, in addition to any additional funding obtainable from the Property Repair and Renewal Fund to assist with reducing the backlog.
24 SUMMARY
As a generality, land and buildings are probably the slowest of all the strategic resources (finance, people, ICT and land and buildings) to respond to change. The reasons for this vary but they are mainly attributable to legal, financial, construction/development, regulatory and property market issues. As a consequence there are:
• long lead-in times for asset creation • existing assets are illiquid (i.e. long lead-in times, too)
Therefore there is a need to plan change in a very systematic way.
Annual incremental change will not suffice, as it cannot respond to the challenges of 21st-century public services and has often led to many parts of the public sector property asset base underperforming in non-financial and financial terms. Some examples of these are:
• Extensive maintenance backlogs • Poor fit between service requirements and the property from which it is delivered • Poor accommodation for the workforce impacting on productivity, recruitment and retention • Limited co-location of public services • Inefficient sourcing and procurement of property and construction and property support services • Inefficient use of capital • Insufficient control over running costs.
Thus, there is a need for a structured and programmed approach to long-term change in the asset bases of public sector organisations, in short: 21st-century, fit for purpose, land and buildings.
Whilst the first Angus Council Property AMP Report produced in 2006 went some way towards addressing this, and indeed Angus was one of the first Councils in Scotland to actually produce an AMP, subsequent guidance and developments in asset management planning now indicate that the proposed measures outlined in the following Implementation Plan are now the minimum requirements required in order to achieve the desired outcomes and comply with auditory and other guidance.
25 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN incorporating Recommendations
Target From Recommended Action Date By Page
7 A geographical basis be adopted for future AMPs Jun-08 DCS
7 Future AMPs should also incorporate the various Common Jun-08 DCS Good properties
9 Form a dedicated Asset Management Section Dec-08 DCS
9 Ascertain whether all or part of the additional funding from Aug-08 HoF the Scottish Government is still available
9 Select one of the alternative timetables to adopt for Jun-08 DCS future AMPs
10 The organisational structure shown be adopted for the Jun-08 DCS purpose of asset management organisational control
14 Adopt the recommendations in Appendix C for the May-09 HoP properties in categories C and D
15 Complete the office space audits Mar-09 HoP
15 Undertake Council-wide investigation to establish potential Jun-09 DCS for alternative working practices
16 Utilise the ACES Working Group benchmarking facility May-09 HoP for performance comparisons once in place
16 Continue practice of waiting until vacant possession before Ongoing HoP selling non HRA houses on open market
16 Continue with efforts to dispose of last remaining shop Ongoing HoP
17 Advertise the three tourist caravan parks for lease on the Aug-08 DNS/HoP open market
17 Implement action on industrial portfolio once recent review Dec-08 DIS/DCS has been considered
19 Continue with present surplus property disposal policy Ongoing HoP
20 Include Common Good properties in future AMPs Jun-09 HoP
26
Target From Recommended Action Date By Page
21 Carry out a Council-wide study to identify opportunities Jun-09 DCS for joint/shared accommodation and/or co-location
21 Maintain watching brief on Scottish Government's hub Ongoing HoP Proposals and local service sharing/cooperation
22 Continue with approved programmes of works to improve Ongoing HoP energy efficiency
23 Monitor energy purchasing under the new national Jun-09 HoP purchasing scheme
24 Stabilise and increase Revenue Maintenance Budget Sep-08 DCS
27
APPENDICES
28
Appendix A
Perth & Kinross Council AMP Structure
Property AMP Structure
Asset Manager Gordon Taylor
Senior Asset Man. Officer Senior Asset Man. Officer Roddy Brown Jim Carney
Building Surveyor Asset Management Officer Joann McCallum Paul Farrow
Systems Officer Building Surveying Derek Sword Technicians (2) John Stevenson/Bob Duncan
Systems Assistant Livingston Wang’oo
29
Appendix B
AMP - Operational Buildings 2008
Site Unit Address Address Town Dept
Caravan Parks 7411 003 Woodlands Caravan Park Newton Road Carnoustie RS 7458 003 Lochside Caravan Park Craig O Loch Road Forfar RS 7753 002 Montrose Caravan Park (Tayock) Tayock Montrose HO 7757 001 South Links Caravan Site Traill Drive Montrose RS Depots and Yards 4 7058 R04 Burgh Yard (Arbroath) Cairnie Loan Arbroath RP 3624 001 Elliot Depot (Tayside Contracts) Elliot Industrial Estate Arbroath TC 7334 001 Recycling Centre Elliot Industrial Estate Arbroath EH 7150 R04 West Links Amenities Queens Drive Arbroath RP 7266 001 Burgh Yard (Brechin) Southesk Street Brechin EH 0366 004 Recycling Centre (Brechin) Commerce Street Brechin EH 7834 R01 Store (Tractor Shed) Commerce Street Brechin RP 7297 015 Burgh Yard (Carnoustie) Balmachie Road Carnoustie EH 7242 002 Store Carseview Road Forfar RO 7520 R05 Burgh Yard - North East (Forfar) Queenswell Road Forfar RP 7519 006 Cleansing Depot (South West) Queenswell Road Forfar EH 0367 002 Depot (Forfar) Kirriemuir Road Forfar RO 7584 007 Burgh Yard (Kirriemuir) Bellies Brae Kirriemuir EH 7231 001 Roads Workshop Unit 4 Kirriemuir RO 7800 007 Burgh Yard (Monifieth) Riverview Drive Monifieth RO 7684 021 Broomfield Industrial Estate Broomfield Road Montrose TC 7862 002 Broomfield Recycling Centre Broomfield Road Montrose EH 0372 R03 Depot (Montrose) Broomfield Road Montrose RP 19 Community Centres 0024 A31 Damacre Community Centre Damacre Road Brechin ED 1291 031 Panmure Community Centre Kinloch Street Carnoustie ED 7874 001 4 Real Community Centre Victoria Street Monifieth ED 3
Halls & Theatres 7104 001 Webster Memorial Theatre High Street Arbroath CS 7201 001 Brechin City Hall Swan Street Brechin CS 7228 001 Inglis Memorial Hall High Street Edzell CS 7450 001 Reid Hall Castle Street Forfar CS 7634 001 Kirriemuir Town Hall And Library Reform Street Kirriemuir CS 7737 001 Montrose Town Hall Melville Gardens Montrose CS 6 Libraries 7106 001 Arbroath Library Hill Terrace Arbroath CS 7187 001 Brechin Library St Ninians Square Brechin CS 7294 001 Carnoustie Library High Street Carnoustie CS 7439 001 Forfar Library West High Street Forfar CS 7024 001 Library (Feuar's Hall) Auldbar Road Letham CS 7798 005 Monifieth Library High Street Monifieth CS 7658 001 Montrose Library High Street Montrose CS 7453 001 Wharncliffe Hall (Library) Church Street Newtyle CS 7328 001 Hunter Library Restenneth CS 9 Museums 7127 003 Signal Tower Museum Ladyloan Arbroath CS 7193 001 Brechin Town House & Museum High Street Brechin CS 7434 001 Meffan Institute West High Street Forfar CS
30 7590 001 Gateway to The Glens Museum High Street Kirriemuir CS 7014 001 William Lamb Studios Market Street Montrose CS 7740 001 Montrose Museum Panmure Place Montrose CS 6 Offices 0131 B31 Bellevue House Springfield Terrace Arbroath SW 7792 002 Bruce House Stobcross Arbroath SW 3415 001 Child Guidance Centre Addison Place Arbroath ED 7344 001 Community Education Office Guthrie Port Arbroath ED 5963 001 Community Education Office West Port Arbroath ED 7812 001 Criminal Justice Service High Street Arbroath SW 0314 001 Criminal Justice Services Lochlands Drive Arbroath SW 3071 002 Dewar House Hill Terrace Arbroath SW 3056 001 Harbourmasters Office Harbour Arbroath RO 1951 001 Child And Family Centre East Mary Street Arbroath SW 7159 001 Office West Grimsby Arbroath SW 7094 002 Offices Gravesend (Grnd & 1st Floor) Arbroath EH 7121 004 Old Kirk Kirk Square Arbroath HO 5026 001 Office Mayfield Terrace Arbroath HO 7120 001 Social Work Offices Peasiehill Road Arbroath SW 0312 001 Community Mental Health Service Gowanlea Arbroath SW 7196 004 Municipal Buildings (Housing) Bank Street Brechin HO 1488 001 Office Panmure Street Brechin SW 7295 001 Council Chambers High Street Carnoustie HO 0033 001 Office Dundee Street Carnoustie SW 7208 001 Angus House Orchardbank Business Park Forfar L & A 7502 001 County Buildings Market Street Forfar LAHQ 0961 R01 Forfar Loch Country Park- Office Craig O Loch Road Forfar RS 7534 001 Municipal Buildings The Cross Forfar LAHQ 0063 031 Music Centre Montrose Road Forfar ED 7438 002 Office North Street Forfar ED 3057 001 Office The Cross Forfar LAHQ 8050 001 Offices Castle Street Forfar LAHQ 1466 002 Offices West High street Forfar ED 1486 440 Offices - Ravenswood New Road Forfar SW 1486 001 Offices - Ravenswood New Road Forfar LAHQ 7242 001 Offices and Store Carseview Road Forfar SW 7208 Print Unit Orchardbank Business Park Forfar L&A 7815 003 Roads Division The Mart Forfar RD 7503 001 Sheriff Court (Part) Market Street Forfar LAHQ 1371 001 Social Work Office Strang Street Forfar SW 0302 001 Social Work Offices Strathmore Avenue Forfar SW 7205 001 St. Margaret's House Orchardbank Business Park Forfar SW 0303 001 Store/Shop North street Forfar SW 7535 001 Town And County Hall The Cross Forfar LAHQ 7195 001 William Wallace House Orchardbank Business Park Forfar HO 7521 R56 The Yard Queenswell Road Forfar RP 0066 003 Teachers Resource Centre East Gate Friockheim ED 0079 031 Kingsmuir Resources Centre Dunnichen Road Kingsmuir SW 7140 001 Access Office Bank Street Kirriemuir HO 0306 001 Fairlie House Kirkton Hill Kirriemuir SW 7864 001 Access Office High Street Monifieth HO 0096 004 Invertay House Maule Street Monifieth Finance 0959 R01 Monikie Country Park Monikie RLCP 0307 002 Broomfield Resource Centre Broomfield Road Montrose SW 7350 001 Chapel bond William Roger Drive Montrose SW 7657 001 Office High Street Montrose SW 7717 001 Town House High Street Montrose HO 53 Pavilions 7756 R01 Traill Pavilion Traill Drive Montrose RP 7398 R03 Football Pavilion Pitskelly Road Carnoustie RLTA
31 2 Registrars Offices 7081 001 Registrars Office High Street Arbroath L&A 1467 001 Registrars Office West High Street Forfar L&A 1617 002 Registrars Office John Street Montrose ED 3 Residential Homes & Care Centres 1436 001 Childrens Home Kinnaird Street Arbroath SW 3557 A31 Seaton Grove Seaton Road Arbroath SW 0289 043 St Drostans R H O P Infirmary Street Brechin SW 0292 031 Camus House R H O P West Path Carnoustie SW 7007 001 The Firs Linefield Road Carnoustie SW 0298 001 Beechill House Lour Road Forfar SW 1370 003 The Gables Arbroath Road Forfar SW 0304 A31 Lunan Park Guthrie Street Friockheim SW 1372 L01 Wirren House North Esk Road Montrose SW 9 Sport Centres & Swimming Pools 7135 R01 Arbroath Community Centre Marketgate Arbroath CS 1285 002 Arbroath High School Keptie Road Arbroath RS 7141 001 Saltire Leisure Centre Montrose Road Arbroath RS 7261 001 Brechin Sports Centre Inch Park Brechin RS 7352 001 Carnoustie Beachhall and Leisure Centre Links Parade Carnoustie RS 7537 001 Forfar Swimming Pool The Vennel Forfar RS 7457 008 Lochside Leisure Centre Craig O Loch Road Forfar RS 0085 003 Websters High School Glamis Road Kirriemuir RS 1337 001 Montrose Sports Centre Marine Avenue Montrose RS 7755 001 Montrose Swimming Pool The Mall Montrose RS 10 Training Centres 3460 031 Lochlands Resource Centre Cairnie Road Arbroath SW 7022 018 Arbroath Business Centre Dens Road Arbroath Per 3374 001 Intermediate Training Centre Catherine Street Arbroath SW 0053 031 Angus House Training Centre Inveriscandye Road Edzell ED 0708 B31 Lilybank Resource Centre Arbroath Road Forfar SW 0707 002 Rosehill Resource Centre Forties Road Montrose SW
32
Appendix C
Categories C and D
Operational Properties Condition - C
Social Work, Lochlands During 2007 the Estates Management Section has Criminal Justice Drive, Arbroath investigated the option of moving this service to the former Business Gateway building in Marketgate, Arbroath. This proposal did not proceed due to the high cost of adaptation.
Recommendation: Continue to seek alternative accommodation in Arbroath City Hall Swan Street, This first floor property is used by Community Groups. Brechin Recommendation: A review of halls used by the public in Brechin to be undertaken to establish future demand for this type of property. Social Work, Elliot New Road, Two storey Elliot style building in need or replacement. Office unit, Forfar Current review of Social Work property in Forfar may Ravenswood provide alternative accommodation.
Recommendation: To be included in review of Social Work property in Forfar Swimming Pool Montrose Proposals for new swimming pool being prepared by Property Services, Architects, on Common Good site adjacent to Montrose Academy.
Recommendation: Negotiate appropriate lease of land from Montrose Common Good at appropriate time.
Operational Properties - Condition D
Tractor Shed Commerce Timber building in poor condition and beyond economic Street, Brechin repair.
Recommendation: Alternative building to be obtained, examine possibility of new build on the same site.
33 Operational Properties - Suitability C
Social Work Office Peasiehill Road, First floor office accommodation. Problems with Arbroath location, parking, noise, size and appearance.
Recommendation: Review of office accommodation in Arbroath to be undertaken with a view to relocating all Social Work offices to one location in Arbroath Camus House West Path, Social Work currently carrying out a Best Value Review Carnoustie into the provision of care for the elderly.
Recommendation: Await outcome of review
9 Castle Street Forfar Social Work offices on first and second floors of Town centre building. Problems with location, parking, noise and disabled access
Recommendation: Review of office accommodation in Forfar to be undertaken with a view to relocating all Social Work offices to one location in Forfar
Depot, Kirriemuir Forfar Roads Department offices at Roads Dept. Unsuitable due Road to internal environment, noise and temperature control.
Recommendation: Investigate improvements to the building fabric
Library, West High Forfar Service delivery problems due to internal layout, lack of Street ventilation, noise, size and poor corporate image.
Recommendation: Investigate internal and external improvements to the building to provide an improved environment. Unlikely to be able to find alternative Town centre location
Town Hall and Kirriemuir Service delivery problems due to internal layout, poor Library temperature control, decoration and size
Recommendation: Investigate internal improvements to the building to provide an improved environment. Unlikely to be able to find alternative Town centre location Library High Street, Service delivery problems due to internal layout, Monifieth inadequate lighting, decoration, floor coverings, size and poor Corporate image.
Recommendation: Investigate internal improvements to the building to provide an improved environment. Unlikely to be able to find alternative Town centre location
34
Portacabin Office Broomfield Roads Department(Tayside Contracts) portacabin. Not Industrial suitable due to accessibility for disabled, lack of Estate, temperature control (summer/winter) and poor Corporate Montrose image
Recommendation: Investigate internal improvements to the building to provide an improved environment. Investigate possibility of providing permanent building. . Unlikely to be able to find alternative Town centre location
Wirren House North Esk Social Work currently carrying out a Best Value Review Road, Montrose into the provision of care for the elderly.
Recommendation: Await outcome of review
Operational Properties Suitability D
Tractor Shed Commerce See comments under Operational Properties - Condition Street, D Brechin Dewar house Hill This building has two occupants: Social Work to the rear Terrace, and Housing at the front. The Social work section is Arbroath category B while the Housing area is D. Problems include size, layout, welfare and toilet facilities, decoration and corporate image
Recommendation: Due to the construction of the building it may be difficult to alter the existing layout to provide better accommodation. Re-development of the building should be considered Social Work, Criminal Lochlands See comments under Operational Properties - Condition Justice Drive, C Arbroath The Firs Linefield This residential property is utilised by Social Work. It is Road, now accepted that this type of accommodation is not the Carnoustie most appropriate method of integrating people back into the community.
Recommendation: The existing occupants will be re- housed and the property declared surplus to requirements and sold. Shop North Social Work shop / store. Problems with location, Street, parking, disabled access, welfare facilities and toilets. Forfar Recommendation: To be included in review of Social Work property in Forfar
35
Appendix D
Suitability Pro-Forma
SUITABILITY SURVEY
Site No: Site Name: Address: Town/Village: Kirriemuir Postcode: Unit Description: Function: Client: Categories:
Suitability Gradings
A Suitable
Not completely suitable - can be
B improved Not completely suitable - cannot be
C improved
D Unsuitable
Section 1 - Location A B C D
Is the property in the right location? Is the property conveniently located to a good public transport network? Is the public on-site parking adequate Is the staff on-site parking adequate? Is the off-site parking adequate? Is the off-street car parking located within a reasonable walking distance?
Section 2 - Accessibility & DDA Issues A B C D
Is the property easily accessible externally for people with special needs? (Consider ramp access, automatic doors, designated disabled persons parking, those using prams/buggies)
Does the internal layout of the property permit ease of movement?
(consider the width of doorways & corridors, changes in internal levels and lift provision)
Is the property suitable for adaptation at an economically viable cost? Is the external signage to the property adequate? (Consider
their position, quality, clarity & whether they are up-to-date)
36 Is the internal signage to the property adequate? (Consider their position, quality, clarity, format (eg for disabled users/community language)
Section 3 - Environment A B C D
Is the appropriate temperature achieved in both summer and winter? Is there sufficient fresh air? Is the lighting appropriate for the service provided?
Is the lighting able to be controlled adequately? Are there problems with noise levels? (Consider the noise levels between rooms, height and finish/type of ceiling.)
Is the internal decoration suitable?
Are the floorcoverings suitable?
Section 4 - Safety & Security A B C D
Does the property provide a safe & secure environment for is occupants?
Is the property equipped with suitable means of reducing the impact of crime/vandalism?
Are there suitable means within the property for dealing with the initial outbreak of a fire? (consider the type and number of fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, hose reel, H&S issues)
Are emergency procedures in place for building evacuation in case of fire, bomb threat etc? Have risk assessments been carried out and measures taken to minimise risk to the occupants?
Section 5 - Space A B C D
Is the layout of the space suitable for the purpose of service delivery? (Consider how the different parts of the property relate to each other and whether facilities are located in the right place)
Is the property the right size?
(Consider whether the service delivery is being affected by it being too small or big)
Is the storage space adequate? (Consider the type of material being stored, the environment required to store it, eg dry atmosphere, the period to be stored - long/short term, potential H&S issues relating to racking, lifting & fire)
Are there adequate welfare facilities for staff? (Consider the need and extent for kitchen/canteen facilities, a medical room, changing facilities)
Are the toilet facilities suitable? (Consider the provision for both able and disabled persons; is there a need for toilets for the public)
37 Section 6 - Fixtures & fittings A B C D
Are the fixtures and fittings adequate for the designated use?
Section 7 - Image A B C D
Is the age of the building appropriate for the nature of the service delivered? (Consider whether the service is better from an older low profile property as distinct from a new high profile one)
Is the type of construction appropriate? (Consider perception issues arising from temporary type of structures, 'heavy', architecture, relative to the nature of the service being delivered) Does the property convey the appropriate corporate image? Is the contruction of the property suitable in terms of physical amenity and overall townscape appearance?
Is the external landscaping suitable? (Consider the extent to which it is needed relative to the location; the extent to which it 'softens' the structure of the property; offers hiding placed for 'undesirables'; restricts access to the generality of the property thereby reducing the risk of vandalism)
Suitability Gradings
A Suitability = 3 pts
B Not completely suitable - can be improved = 2 pts
C Not completely suitable - cannot be improved = 1 pt
D Unsuitable = 0 pt
"A" = 3 "D" =
pts "B" = 2 pts "C" = 1 pt 0 pt Section 1 - Location Section 2 - Accessibility Section 3 - Environment Section 4 - Safety & Security Section 5 - Space Section 6 - Fixtures & Fittings Section 7 - Image Total
Category Total Suitability Points 75% & above = A Category Max. Suitability Points Possible 102 60 - 74% = B
38 Suitability Category Percentage Grading Banding 45 - 59% = C Category 44% & below = D
Assessing Officer/s
Name
Department
Date of Assessment
39
Appendix E
Capacity/Utilisation Table
G.I.A. No of Address Address Town Dept Total Staff G.I.A./Person Bellevue House Springfield Terrace Arbroath SW 762 29 26 Bruce House Stobcross Arbroath SW 3,857 191 20 Child Guidance Centre Addison Place Arbroath ED 103 5 21 Community Education Office Guthrie Port Arbroath ED 91 5 18 Community Education Office West Port Arbroath ED 81 2 41 Criminal Justice Service High Street Arbroath SW 154 10 15 Criminal Justice Services Lochlands Drive Arbroath SW 366 24 15 Dewar House Hill Terrace Arbroath SW 1,719 51 34 Harbourmasters Office Harbour Arbroath RO 20 3 7 Child And Family Centre East Mary Street Arbroath SW 404 17 24 Office West Grimsby Arbroath SW 139 10 14 Gravesend (Grnd & 1st Offices Floor) Arbroath EH 385 10 39 Old Kirk Kirk Square Arbroath HO 510 11 46 Office Mayfield Terrace Arbroath HO 36 1 36 Social Work Offices Peasiehill Road Arbroath SW 342 35 10 Community Mental Health Service Gowanlea Arbroath SW 1,223 65 19 Municipal Buildings (Housing) Bank Street Brechin HO 797 14 57 Office Panmure Street Brechin SW 462 29 16 Council Chambers High Street Carnoustie HO 404 4 101 Office Dundee Street Carnoustie SW 120 32 4 Angus House Orchardbank Business Park Forfar L & A 5,265 301 17 County Buildings Market Street Forfar LAHQ 3,470 160 22 Forfar Loch Country Park- Office Craig O Loch Road Forfar RS 132 3 44 Municipal Buildings The Cross Forfar LAHQ 410 6 68 Music Centre Montrose Road Forfar ED 578 57 10 Office North Street Forfar ED 155 4 39 Office The Cross Forfar LAHQ 1,011 24 42 Offices Castle Street Forfar LAHQ 539 30 18 Offices West High street Forfar ED 200 4 50 Offices - Ravenswood New Road Forfar SW 294 15 20 Offices - Ravenswood New Road Forfar LAHQ 1,315 67 20 Offices and Store Carseview Road Forfar SW 319 24 13 Print Unit Orchardbank Business Park Forfar L&A 735 9 82 Roads Division The Mart Forfar RD 1,856 42 44 Sheriff Court (Part) Market Street Forfar LAHQ 270 11 25 Social Work Office Strang Street Forfar SW 101 5 20 Social Work Offices Strathmore Avenue Forfar SW 324 13 25 St. Margaret's House Orchardbank Business Park Forfar SW 1,433 88 16 Store/Shop North street Forfar SW 40 4 10 Town And County Hall The Cross Forfar LAHQ 413 0 0 William Wallace House Orchardbank Business Park Forfar HO 1,190 88 14 The Yard Queenswell Road Forfar RP 790 24 33 Teachers Resource Centre East Gate Friockheim ED 728 19 38 Kingsmuir Resources Centre Dunnichen Road Kingsmuir SW 218 4 55 Access Office Bank Street Kirriemuir HO 227 8 28 Fairlie House Kirkton Hill Kirriemuir SW 1,341 53 25
40 Access Office High Street Monifieth HO 200 2 100 Invertay House Maule Street Monifieth Finance 1,983 102 19 Monikie Country Park Monikie RLCP 201 2 101 Broomfield Resource Centre Broomfield Road Montrose SW 291 9 32 Chapel bond William Roger Drive Montrose SW 62 2 31 Office High Street Montrose SW 258 11 23 Town House High Street Montrose HO 757 31 24 39,081 1770
G.I.A / person = 22
41
Appendix F
Principal Common Good Properties
Site no Unit Property Tenant No
ARBROATH
Council Leases 7065 R56 Hayswell Park Neighbourhood Services 7072 001 War Memorial - High Common (A) Corporate Services 7072 R56 High Common and Low Common Neighbourhood Services
7074 R56 West Common Neighbourhood Services 7083 R01 Elliot Golf Links Neighbourhood Services 7104 001 Webster Memorial Theatre Neighbourhood Services 7105 001 Provosts Lamp High Street Neighbourhood Services 7106 001 Arbroath Library Neighbourhood Services 7107 R56 Boulzie Hill Neighbourhood Services 7108 R56 Springfield Park Neighbourhood Services 7116 R56 Keptie Pond and Park Neighbourhood Services 7119 004 Ruxton Memorial Corporate Services 7119 R56 Victoria Park Neighbourhood Services 7121 003 Old Parish Church Neighbourhood Services 7132 R56 MacDonald Park Neighbourhood Services 7150 R12 Queens Drive Recreation Area Neighbourhood Services 7150 R56 West Links Recreation Area (Part) Neighbourhood Services 7162 R56 Abbey Green Park Neighbourhood Services 7094 001 Gravesend Infrastructure Services
Open Market Leases 5022 001 NOSWA storage tanks underground. Scottish Water 7012 R01 Abbey Bowling Green & Premises Abbey Bowling Club 7078 002 Ground East Grimsby G & T's Snack Bar 7078 003 Ground at 19 East Grimsby E & O Fish 7130 R01 Lochlands Bowling Green & Premises Lochlands Bowling Club
42 7094 003 Tourist Information Office, Gravesend Visit Scotland
BRECHIN
Council Leases 7193 001 Old Town House Neighbourhood Services 7193 002 Town Hall Clock Corporate Services 7201 001 Brechin City Hall Neighbourhood Services 7211 056 Public Convenience Bridge Street Park Infrastructure Services 7257 LO3 Ground Lease - Decant Housing Brechin Neighbourhood Services Public Park 7257 R04 Park Lodge Brechin Public Park Neighbourhood Services 7257 R56 Brechin Public Park Neighbourhood Services 7261 A56 Brechin Leisure Centre - Ground Lease Neighbourhood Services 7261 B56 All weather pitch - Ground Lease Neighbourhood Services 7261 C56 Parks Stores - Ground Lease Bridge Street Neighbourhood Services Park 7261 D56 Car Park Bridge Street Park Neighbourhood Services 7262 R56 Inch Park PPN Neighbourhood Services 7269 R56 The Den Neighbourhood Services 7273 R56 St Ninian's Square Neighbourhood Services 7281 056 Brechin Golf Course Neighbourhood Services 7281 A56 Site of former reservoir, Golf Course Neighbourhood Services 7281 R53 Fair Agreement/Market Stance Golf Course Neighbourhood Services 7287 R01 Wards Park Neighbourhood Services 7834 R01 Store Commerce Street Neighbourhood Services 7266 056 Cleansing Depot, Southesk Street Infrastructure Services 7196 001 Municipal Buildings, Bank St (Ground floor) Neighbourhood Services 7196 053 Municipal Buildings, Bank St (Ground for Neighbourhood Services Extension) 7196 004 Municipal Buildings, Bank St (First Floor- Corporate Servies Court) 7196 002 Municipal Buildings, Bank St (Second Floor Flat)
Open Market Leases 5017 056 Ground at Willie Mills Burn, Hoodston Farm Private Individual
43 5024 003 Cattle Raik, Friendly Park Private Individual 5050 056 Ground - Cattle Raik 'Lochty 5051 056 Ground - Cattle Raik Trinity 7186 001 Office 10 St Ninians Place Private Individual 7188 001 Shop 11 Swan Street Private Individual 7189 001 Shop/Store 13 St Ninians Place G & S Kitchens 7190 001 Ground Floor Shop 13 Swan Street Angus County Press 7191 001 Former Firestation 14 Southesk Stree Revivals 7197 001 Store 50a High Street Private Individual 7198 001 Outreach Office 5 Swan Street Angus College 7199 001 Shop 50 High Street Private Individual 7200 001 Shop 7 Swan Street One Up Travel 7213 056 Cattle Raik Careston 7213 056 Ground - Cattle Raik Careston 7213 056 Shed - Cattle Raik Careston 7218 001 Club - Gym Premises Commerce Street Sold 7218 056 Ground, Commerce St Territorial Army 7237 R01 Guthrie Park cricket ground Brechin Cricket Club 7256 001 Advertising Hoardings, Southesk St J.C.Decaux 7257 L01 Parkview Bowling Club Parkview Bowling Club 7257 L02 Site for Sub Station, Victoria Park Scottish Hydro Electric 7257 L04 Park Lodge Brechin Public Park Private Individual 7262 R02 Pipe Band Hall Bridge Street Park City of Brechin Pipe Band 7275 001 Mechanics Institute Brechin Mechanics Institute Trust 7281 B56 Brechin Golf & Squash Club Brechin Golf & Squash Club 7931 002 Site for Garage Commerce Street Private Individual 7931 005 Site for Garage Commerce Street Private Individual 7931 006 Site for Garage Commerce Street Private Individual 7931 007 Site for Garage Commerce Street Private Individual 7931 008 Site for Garage Commerce Street Private Individual
FORFAR
Council Leases 0961 C56 Recreation Area Forfar Loch Neighbourhood Services
44 0961 D56 Car Park - Orchardbank Forfar Loch Country Neighbourhood Services Park 0961 E56 Car Park Forfar Loch Country Park Neighbourhood Services 0961 F56 Football Pitches Forfar Loch Country Park Neighbourhood Services 0961 G56 Car Park Ranger Base Forfar Loch Country Neighbourhood Services Park 0961 H56 Car Park All Weather Courts Lochside Neighbourhood Services Leisure Centre 0961 R01 Ranger Base Forfar Loch Country Park Neighbourhood Services 0961 R56 Forfar Loch Country Park Neighbourhood Services 3804 053 East Greens Car Park Infrastructure Services 3804 R53 East Greens and Grass Mail Neighbourhood Services 5052 056 West Greens Bleaching Field Neighbourhood Services 5053 056 Zoar Field 7432 001 Ex. Guide Hall 7441 001 Site of Public Convenience Arbroath Road Infrastructure Services 7446 003 Balmashanner War Memorial Corporate Services 7446 R56 Balmashanner Woods Neighbourhood Services 7450 053 Reid Hall Car Park Neighbourhood Services 7450 056 Reid Hall Field Neighbourhood Services 7456 001 Site of Public Convenience Craig O Loch Rd Infrastructure Services 7457 A56 Car Park Lochside Leisure Centre Neighbourhood Services 7457 B56 Car Park (North) Lochside Leisure Centre Neighbourhood Services 7457 R01 Lochside Leisure Centre - ground lease Neighbourhood Services 7457 R05 All weather Courts Lochside Neighbourhood Services 7457 R06 Playpark Forfar Leisure Centre Neighbourhood Services 7458 002 Lochside Caravan Park Neighbourhood Services 7467 002 Steeple & Clock Forfar Parish Church Corporate Services 7493 R01 Ground for Decant Housing Craig O Loch Neighbourhood Services Road 7500 A56 Market Muir Car Park Corporate Servies 7500 B56 Site of Public Convenience Market Muir Infrastructure Services 7500 R56 Market Muir Public Park Neighbourhood Services 7505 053 Myre Car Park Infrastructure Services 7505 R56 Common Myre Neighbourhood Services 7519 006 Ground Lease Forfar Recycling Centre Infrastructure Services 7534 001 Municipal Buildings Corporate Servies 7535 001 Town and County Hall Corporate Servies 7535 002 Town and County Hall Clock Corporate Services
45 7535 003 Public Convenience Town & County Hall Infrastructure Services 7535 LO1 Town and County Hall Offices Corporate Servies
Open Market Leases 0961 A56 2 areas of ground for Sailing Club Forfar Sailing Club 0961 B56 Forfar Loch Trout and Pike Fishing Rights Canmore Angling Club 7455 001 (Old Renton Hut) Forfar Racing Pigeon Club Racing Pigeon Club 7455 003 173.34 sq m Ground Craig O Loch Road 7455 004 Craig O' Loch Road Lowson United AFT 7457 056 Sewage Pumping Station Forfar Loch NOSWA 7493 LO1 Ground South East of Guthrie Park Forfar Hort. Soc 7493 R56 Guthrie Park Forfar Albion FC
MONTROSE Council Leases 0102 053 Parking Area Montrose Academy Education 0102 056 Hockey and Football Pitches Marine Avenue Education 1337 A56 Grass Area Montrose Leiseure Centre Education 3806 053 Car Park Baltic Street Infrastructure Services 5048 056 Grass Area Marine Avenue Neighbourhood Services 7286 056 Central Tree and Park Area 'Dorward Road Neighbourhood Services 7324 R56 Melville Park Neighbourhood Services 7325 R56 The Mall Neighbourhood Services 7687 R56 West End Park Neighbourhood Services 7689 A53 Car Park Traill Drive Neighbourhood Services 7689 B53 Car Park East Links Neighbourhood Services 7689 R56 East Links Recreation Area Neighbourhood Services 7708 R56 Deans Park / Panmure Gardens Neighbourhood Services 7714 001 Fountain High Street Corporate Services 7715 001 Statue/Fountain (The Port) High Street Corporate Services 7716 001 Church and Steeple Clocks Corporate Services 7717 001 Montrose Town House Corporate Services 7717 004 Town House Clock Corporate Services 7733 R56 Show Site Marine Avenue Neighbourhood Services
46 7736 R01 Melville Bowling Green & Premises Neighbourhood Services 7741 R56 Burns Park Neighbourhood Services 7745 R53 Car Park Rosehill Neighbourhood Services 7745 R56 Curlie Park Neighbourhood Services 7752 R56 Scott's Park Neighbourhood Services 7756 A53 Car Park Traill Drive Pavillion Neighbourhood Services 7756 B53 Car Park Traill Drive - opposite café North Neighbourhood Services 7756 C53 Car Park Traill Drive - opposite café Mid Neighbourhood Services 7756 D53 Car Park Traill Drive - opposite café South Neighbourhood Services 7756 E53 Car Park Traill Drive - Seafront Neighbourhood Services 7756 F53 Play Area 2 (North) Traill Drive Seafront Neighbourhood Services 7756 G53 Play Area 3 (adjacent to Road) Traill Drive Neighbourhood Services Seafront 7756 R01 Traill Pavilion Neighbourhood Services 7756 R02 Play Area Traill Drive Seafront Neighbourhood Services 7757 R56 Montrose Caravan Site Neighbourhood Services 7759 R56 Green Park Neighbourhood Services 7762 001 Tennis Courts & Premises Dorward Place Neighbourhood Services 7762 A56 Mid Links (North) -Dorward Pl, Warwick Ter Neighbourhood Services 7762 R56 Mid Links(South) -Dorward Pl, Warwick Ter Neighbourhood Services 7764 R02 Hope-Paton Park Neighbourhood Services 7768 R56 Jamisons Park Neighbourhood Services 7771 R56 Montrose Golf Courses Neighbourhood Services 7358 056 Whites Place Neighbourhood Services 3086 056 Broomfield Road, Yard Infrastructure Services
Open Market Leases 5006 056 Ground at Esk Road Montrose Sailing Club 5045 056 Broomfield Playing Fields Montrose Roselea J.F.C. 5046 B56 Ground at Broomfield Montrose Model Aero Club 5015 056 Site 9sq metres Substation, Traill Drive Scottish Hydro Electric 5046 A56 Club Hut Broomfield Road Pigeon Club 5046 C56 Grazing lease Broomfield Road Private Individual 5047 056 Ground 0.262 HA Broomfield To be sold 5048 A56 Right of Access Bonnyman Developments 5049 056 Ground Western Road Craigarran trading Co Ltd 7164 LO1 Ground Newhame Road Borrowfield Comm. Ctre
47 7309 056 Site of Coastguard Station Traill Drive Sec of State Environment 7733 A56 Right of Access to Health Centre Prime UK 7746 R01 Inch Bowling Green & Premises Rossie Island 7760 R56 Union Park Rugby and Cricket Ground Cricket & Rugby Club 7764 R01 Hope Paton Bowling Green & Premises minute of agreement until 2010, Hope Paton Bowling Club.
48