How We Work
Successful regeneration depends on:
- a clear framework or plan;
- the involvement of local organisations;
- funding;
- suitable sites for development;
- planning permission and;
- neccesary experience, resources and skills to deliver all the
above.
We provide the framework, resources and skills
needed to guide development in Thurrock. Key aspects of our
approach are:
Advocacy: Major developments
can face legal challenges and development maybe resisted. We aim to
help Thurrock fulfil its potential and we focus on developing
Thurrock’s long-term interest and overcome obstacles.
For example, we have made the case for
improving and enhancing Lakeside to grow to maintain its unique
role and Port of Tilbury to expand to remain competitive. Without
advocacy, the potential of these assets would be lost in today’s
intensely competitive market which could lead to negative growth
and loss of jobs.
Funding and Partnership: The ability to
bring suitable partners into projects is an essential skill in our
market. We have strong experience in the property and development
markets and have established good relationships with key developers
and investors. We consult and engage suitable partners and
structure investment to suit investor needs, for instance packaging
or phasing development in line with market requirement.
We also consider the full range of delivery
and funding options. For the development of Purfleet, we have set
up a special purpose public private partnership, PRIDe (Purfleet
Regeneration Investment and Delivery), designed to attract a lead
developer. This model allows the Development Corporation to work in
partnership with a private company, sharing risk and reward with
benefits for Thurrock and for a successful project.
Market Testing: It is vital that we ensure
there is a local and wider market for our developments. Bringing
partners and developers together is important. We approach the
potential investors (be they public or private), and the
organisations necessary to make the development work. For example,
when we developed the Grays Learning Campus, we worked with three
regional colleges to establish the market for the Campus and to
develop detailed plans. For the redevelopment of Purfleet and
Lakeside Basin, we have market tested and engaged in early
discussions with developers.
For the New Generation Community Hospital in
Grays, we have worked closely with the local Primary Care Trust to
establish demand and engage their support for this much-needed
facility.
Engagement: Local engagement is equally
important in assuring that a project will work on the ground. As
well as partnering with Thurrock Council, we work with a range of
local community groups, with our local MPs and with local service
providers. Our Board members are representatives of a range of
local organisations both public and private. Our strategy is
closely intertwined with the Council’s as our work on the vision
for Thurrock has shaped their strategy.
Identification and assembly of Land: Finding
and purchasing land to assemble suitable and coherent sites where
development can take place can be a lengthy and complex process of
negotiation. Existing landowners or occupiers may have to be
relocated and land itself re mediated to be ready for use. This is
a key skill for us, which involves building relationships and
understanding with local landowners or tenants and working with
them, often over long periods of time, to shape the sites we
need.
Project Management: Effective project
management is vital to the development process, particularly where
a number of private and public sector partners are involved. Our
professional project management skills and tools mean we can take a
leading role in managing projects, such as the Royal Opera House
Production Park, from identifying and hiring contractors to holding
and managing budgets.
Community Engagement: We work with the local
community in a range of formal and informal ways. Consultation is
an integral part of the planning and development process. For each
master plan there are two formal phases of consultation lasting
approximately six weeks. The first ‘Issues and Options’ stage asks
the community to look at a range of suggestions for development of
an area. The second ‘Preferred Options’ stage, invites comment on a
narrower range of alternatives.