Tim Johnson, head of development consulting, London & southeast at DTZ, gives step three of his advice for getting private developers involved. Links for Tim’s previous two articles are at the bottom.
<<< Back: To read Tim’s articles from the start, click here

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In the last post, I set out the …

Law firm Pinstent Masons has today published guidance for public bodies looking to create Local Asset Backed Vehicles (LABVs), in order to make use of their land for development (download below).
The guide, which is entitled Driving Efficiency through Public Private Partnerships, aims to give local authorities enough knowledge to contemplate …

The Audit Commission has today published guidance on accounting for fixed assets under International Financial Reporting Standards.
The briefing, which is called Countdown to IFRS: Accounting for non-current assets, explains what problems could arise from IFRS for property professionals in the public sector.
In February, the Audit Commission’s deputy chairman Bharat Shah …

Today, the new government begins work cutting the country’s huge budget shortfall. Here, five public sector experts tell Nick Johnstone what they would do:
Look for a pools win
Alex Plant, chief executive,Cambridgeshire Horizons
In Cambridgeshire, we could do better with our public sector assets if we pool them all into a single, …

I’m a council property manager. What can I learn about Total Place to help me save money?
Peter Parkes, head of property services at Worcestershire County Council, which undertook one of the pilot projects as part of the Total Place initiative responds:
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Our first task in the Total Place pilot scheme task was to …

Communities secretary John Denham has launched an investigation into the way the Lands Tribunal values publicly-funded buildings including museums, galleries and sports venues for rating purposes.
Previously, the Valuation Office Agency could reduce a property’s business rates bill if it was constructed with the help of a grant.
However, the Lands Tribunal …

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) schemes are all the rage in Scotland.
The funding mechanism allows private sector companies to borrow from the public sector for developments, guaranteed by future increased business rates. It is already being used for three projects in Scotland, but is yet to catch on elsewhere in the …

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are coming to local authorities. How do they affect the way I do my job?
Julian Rickett, public sector partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers responds:
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Property professionals may think this only affects accountants, but IFRS is not just an issue for the finance department.
Implementing these accounting standards by March …

I manage properties for an NHS foundation trust. How can I manage my estate more efficiently so I can make savings?
Mike Bothamley, head of the real estate sector at law firm Beachcroft, responds:
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There are a range of possible options open to you: some strategic and some operational.
First, at the strategic …

I work for a council planning department. Developers are asking me about Tax Increment Financing. What do I need to know?

Alistair Parker, partner in development and planning at Cushman & Wakefield, responds:
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Tax Increment Finance (TIF) is an American fiscal tool that uses future gains in taxes to …