Development Management Service for the Better Barnsley Retail and Leisure Project

For further information relating to this project, please register interest and download the MOI, PQQ and scoring guide. Barnsley MBC (the Council) is seeking to appoint a development management organisation inclusive of design team professionals to deliver the retail and leisure aspect of a major town centre regeneration scheme with associated mixed uses.

In July 2014 a 'Better Barnsley' Town Centre prospectus was launched for consultation that set out the Council's objectives for the Town Centre. The prospectus set out a new vision for the town centre which now included civic amenities such as the new library, a more prominent market and a new square complemented by a series of development platforms that could be used to accommodate new leisure and retail activity.

The Town Centre prospectus was agreed by Cabinet in December 2014, along with a total funding package of £50M as a significant Council contribution to deliver some of the town centre scheme. The total cost of the scheme to deliver all elements including the construction of the new retail and leisure facilities (development of which are the subject of this procurement) on plots created through demolition and the refurbishment of existing buildings, will be in excess of £75M, and therefore additional investment from the private sector will be required for this retail and leisure element.

The Council has engaged a professional team to develop a master plan for the Better Barnsley scheme. The design has evolved over a period of months with detailed consultations with project stakeholders via an extensive public consultation process.

This has culminated in outline planning permission approval for: -Refurbished market floor space to anchor Barnsley as a market town -New retail/food and drink space to increase retail offer in the town centre -A space for a new cinema -A 3000 m2 library -New public Open Space to provide space for events -A pedestrian footbridge across the railway The scheme submitted for outline planning has the potential to create approximately 28,000 m2 of retail and leisure space, and so there is significant flexibility to deliver a development that addresses the objectives of Better Barnsley' but is also attractive to retail and leisure operators. The Council is now seeking to appoint a development management organisation to further its vision for key retail and leisure facilities as part of the Better Barnsley scheme.

The development management organisation will work with the Council to develop the retail and leisure part of the scheme to a point where the risk and potential return is much clearer and acceptable, triggering an approach to the market to fund delivery of the scheme. It is envisaged that the development management organisation will work with the Council to get the scheme to a point where there is the achievement of the following for the new retail and leisure elements of the scheme:- -Detailed planning consent -Sufficiently designed a...(cont)