Strategies for Delivering Joint Facilities

Delivery agencies, local authorities, developers and service providers across different sectors, working and delivering in partnership, can achieve the cross-cutting benefits of culture and sport in communities.

Developing partnerships can help all partners achieve a desirable outcome by sharing resources, facilities, knowledge or simply to strengthen culture and sport provision in their area or community. Partners should consider the following:

• What type of operator do we need?
• How much risk do we want to take?
• Is there a capital funding gap?
• How can revenue funding be supported?
• How important is design and quality?

Examples of mechanisms

• The Use Classes Order is a deregulatory device that allows changes of use of buildings between activities that have similar impacts, without the need to apply for planning permission. The Government recently announced plans to allow temporary (two-year) changes of use for vacant buildings.
• Local Development Orders (LDOs), issued by local authorities, effectively allow certain developments to proceed without the need to apply for permission within a designated area. LDOs have recently been adopted to allow changes of use of buildings to encourage growth in the creative industries.
• There is a growing role for social enterprises in the delivery of culture, arts and sports facilities. Trusts enjoy certain VAT and business rate privileges and are frequently better placed than local authorities to attract external funding from lottery and grant-making trusts. Some social enterprises involve culture, sport and other revenue-raising activities, generating funds that can be reinvested in service development and delivery.
• Community asset transfer is a means of facilitating community ownership and management of publicly owned land and buildings, involving the transfer of management and/or ownership of land and buildings from a public sector body to a community-based organisation (such as a local charity, a Community Interest Company or an Industrial and Provident Society, such as Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation). Transfer options vary, but communities typically take on the ownership or management of an asset on either a freehold, long-lease, short-lease or a licence-to-occupy basis.
• Community development finance initiatives provide seed funding for creative projects and bridging loans for capital projects that have income streams.