The facts
Project Location: Warrington
Client: Warrington Borough Council
Start Date: July 2007
Completion Date: Ongoing
Contract Type: Fixed Fee
Procurement method: Commission
Construction Value: £30m
Services provided: Sport, Leisure and Culture
Consulting, Project Management, Design, Environmental Services,
Structures
The project
Orford Park Community Sports Hub is based on a
joint-service sports village combining health, leisure, library,
parks, education, adult and children’s services under one roof,
developed within a park environment in the deprived ward of Orford
in Warrington.
The Hub features an innovative set of partnerships, funding and
procurement solutions to deliver a £30 million regeneration project
that will be the first of its kind in the UK.
The unique features of the project include:
- A one stop shop approach for local residents
- Integrated health and leisure services
- An integrated approach with the North West Regional Development
Agency
- Integration of a broad range of council services under one
roof
- A major focus on skills development and capacity building
within the community
- Enabling development by a sports retailer on site to provide
significant regeneration opportunities
- Single funding application to Funders such as Sport England,
Football Foundation and Big Lottery Fund
- Developing an old leisure centre site to support funding the
Orford Park Project
- A unique procurement route involving a LIFT scheme
- Masterplanning the whole site to incorporate a BSF development
at William Beamont School and full integration on campus with
Warrington Collegiate.
Capita Symonds was originally invited to audit the scheme by
Sport England who was exploring a solicited approach to the Council
to bid for £3 million grant aid to support the scheme. Following an
independent evaluation by consulting and cost teams at Capita
Symonds, the Council commissioned us to provide project support and
in effect, turn the project around and seek to optimize its chances
of becoming a reality.
Key work undertaken in 2007 and 2008 includes establishing a
project management framework, refining the facility mix,
incorporating BSF opportunities, development of a detailed business
case, development of a revenue support model linked to commercial
development which will ensure the long-term sustainability of the
facility.
Capita Symonds' Sport Leisure and Culture Consulting
team, has played a pivotal role in taking the business case forward
and developing plans for the procurement of the facility.
We are being retained as project advisors and providing a range
of support as follows:
- Strategic Advice
- Project management
- Cost Management
- Planning Development Support
- Design
- Environmental services support.
We have been supporting the Council at critical points of
negotiation with funding agencies who often require significant
management to keep them on board and crucially, keep their funding
secure.
We have had to resolve a number of major challenges linked to
dealing externally with the Primary Care Trust, Sport England,
Northwest Development Agency, Football Foundation and Educational
partners on site. We have also played a key role in bringing
the Council’s internal functions together in developing the
Business Case – this has been acknowledged as having a major impact
on the Council’s future way of working and on its strategy for the
development of neighbourhood hubs.