South Seaham Garden Village

Durham County Council

Having secured Garden Village status for a residential-led mixed use development at South Seaham, Durham County Council instructed Hive to lead on the establishment of a governance structure to oversee the implementation of the GV.

Delivery

The Council, and other key stakeholders, were keen to put in place a robust governance structure to drive delivery against the programme, act in a stewardship capacity to ensure the key aspirations of the GV were achieved, and provide a robust basis upon which future funding opportunities could be channelled and explored. Hive commenced the instruction with a Project Inception Document, followed by one-to-one stakeholder meetings to understand their roles, organisational requirements, aspirations and views on what they regarded was fit for purpose, given the unique characteristics of the project.

Designing a detailed strategy and programme to unlock 48 residential sites with a capacity of 3,500+ new homes.
Production of a PID, implementation plan, site prioritisation matrix, area based promotion and marketing documents, and individual proformas for each site including an analysis of the interventions required
A landowner engagement strategy and extensive engagement with funding bodies (including Homes England) aimed at specifically addressing viability challenges.
Drafting an investment prospectus and launch event to directly market the sites to developers.

Outcome

Drawing on a wealth of experience on working on other GVs, Hive were able to advise on the most suitable structure to adopt, based on key legal and financial considerations and the appetite of stakeholders. The key output was a report setting out governance structure options, with a preferred option, providing a clear structure designed to be as streamlined as possible, whilst allowing for multiple stakeholders to have a meaningful input into the project. The report was accompanied with practical advice around the legal documents required to underpin the structure (including a MOU and ToR). Hive led on the set up of the working groups and their respective remits to fit within the wider Council governance framework and the role of the Board.

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2020 Winner of the national Planning Awards Editors Choice Award for best overall project and the Increased Housing Delivery category for Preston City Living Strategy

2020 Winner of the Spatial Planning and Plan-Making award in the RTPI North West Regional Awards for Planning Excellence for the Preston City Living Strategy

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