Project Management for Culm Garden Village Project

Mid Devon District Council wishes to procure consultancy work in relation to the Culm Garden village. This opportunity specifically relates to the procurement of consultancy support for the management of this project.

In March 2016 the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published a prospectus titled 'Locally-led Garden villages, Towns and Cities' which aimed to deliver accelerated housing supply through the support of high quality locally-led schemes that will realise a new generation of garden villages, towns and cities. Mid Devon District Council submitted an expression of interest for a 'Culm' garden village for up to 5,000 dwellings on land to the east of Cullompton.

The submission Local Plan Review identifies land to the east of Cullompton as a suitable location for strategic growth and includes a draft policy for the allocation of mixed use development including 1,750 dwellings with at least a further 800 post 2033. In addition a neighbourhood planning exercise for Cullompton is well underway and is expected to set out aspirations for community infrastructure /facilities on further land to the east of Cullompton.

The prospectus represented an opportunity to apply for Government support to help deliver the Council's and local community's aspirations for land to the east of Cullompton, which is considered to bolster resources for the project, reduce risk and could result in infrastructure investment through the Government's capital road and rail programmes and Housing Infrastructure Fund. Improved road and infrastructure at junction 28 of the M5 has already been identified as being required and the Local Plan, both adopted and proposed aspire to see the reopening of a Cullompton railway station.

The garden village therefore represents an opportunity to raise the profile of the proposals and gain Government assistance in its delivery. The Government confirmed via a ministerial announcement on 2 January 2017, the success of Mid Devon's expression of interest for a garden village, one of 14 to be announced nationally.

The expression of interest was supported by Cullompton Town Council, Cullompton Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership. Since the announcement of garden village status, work has started to identify and scope out priority work streams and tasks, critical path and milestones for project progress.