Northern Beaches Council

The council amalgamations of Manly, Warringah and Pittwater as Northern Beaches Council (Council) created a large portfolio of land and buildings that serve a range of community, administrative and commercial uses. The consolidated portfolio resulted with 540 buildings and over 2,500 land parcels held by Council.

Council commissioned HillPDA in 2019 to undertake a strategic property review of Councils portfolio. The objective of this review was to provide the Council with a documented position about the portfolio of land and buildings, including a commentary on every building within the property portfolio, with regards to performance, utilisation, need and provision. The culmination of this project provided Council with a Prioritised Property List for resolution.

The second part of the engagement provided this long-term Property Strategy framework on which to base key portfolio decisions which address how property is utilised, optimised and developed for the long-term benefit of the Northern Beaches, the Council and its community.

Our value add

• Provided Council with a Prioritised Property List from the complete portfolio review for resolution
• Engaged with Council staff and Councillors through multiple consultation workshops to ensure the property strategy was fit-for-purpose
• Reviewed 12 domestic and international property strategy policies to understand best practice for government property strategies
• Developed nine bespoke guiding principles to underpin Council’s approach to decision making with respect to managing the property portfolio, including property acquisition, repurposing and disposals
• Ensured Council’s property strategy governance had transparent decision making protocols with clear reporting guidelines
• Provided Council with a property strategy implementation workflow and associated decision support guides. This framework provides linkages between various strategic, policy and statutory protocols and ensures that staff are equipped with the required property information and direction to effectively manage the property portfolio on behalf of the Community
• Ensured Council’s long term portfolio position is safe, fit-for-purpose, economically and environmentally sustainable, protects the natural environment and serves the needs of the community.

Outcome

The outcome of this project is currently ongoing.

Services:

• Portfolio Analysis/ Management
• Strategic Asset Planning
• Highest and Best Use
• Market Research
• Policy development
• Divestment Advisory
• Development Advisory

Client: Northern Beaches Council
Project date: 2019

For more information, contact Virginia Phillips, Associate