Securing the future of five education sites for a London borough
A London borough council commissioned 31ten to undertake an evidence-based review of five of its maintained education asset sites. The aim was to ensure the best use of public assets by identifying viable future options for each site that addressed financial sustainability while supporting the borough’s priorities for education, community services, and wider social impact.
Our role
31ten led a structured, three-stage options appraisal process combining financial analysis, strategic alignment assessment, and stakeholder engagement. We assessed each education asset site (four which were co-located with other community services) against clear shortlisting criteria including building condition, community need, and financial viability.
Through this process, we explored a range of options such as retaining sites for continued education use, repurposing for community or temporary accommodation use, or disposal and redevelopment.
Using Vestega, our proptech land valuation tool, we:
- Modelled the maintained education sites in scope, and provided early-stage land value estimates for the five sites
- Considered a range of scenarios across the five sites, from ‘do least’, to ‘do most’ to demonstrate the range in upfront capital investment, and longer-term revenue savings opportunities across different scenarios
- Modelled and assessed the financial and social implications of each scenario, including revenue impact, net present value, and funding requirements over 40 years.
To ensure our recommendations supported the broader council objectives, such as affordable housing, economic growth, and sustainable service delivery, our analysis was aligned with the council’s key strategies, including their:
- Climate Action Plan
- Health and Wellbeing Strategy
- SEND and Alternative Provision Strategy
Key Outcomes
As a result of the work, the London Borough now has:
- Site-specific recommendations to support informed decision-making, based on a robust, portfolio-level appraisal
- An overall balance of assets between community benefit and best value, focused on:
- Retaining one site for education,
- Repurposing two sites for other community uses to support the Council’s strategic aims and responsibilities
- Disposing of two sites
- Robust and financially sound investment decision-making, based on supporting evidence.
- A clear roadmap for Phase 2 due diligence and individual business cases for implementation.
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