Real Estate

Since the start of the programme in 2014, over 160 properties have been sold by NHS Boards, Colleges and Police Scotland generating capital receipts of more than £214m, with the release of sites enabling almost 10,000 homes to be built, generating an estimated direct GVA of £929m per annum.  

The team works with public sector partners on the delivery of their property disposal programmes, focusing on the sale and repurposing of land and buildings that have been identified as surplus. 

The portfolio of assets is varied in scale, complexity, value, and geography, with a significant number of them having a heritage dimension and securing viable future uses and investment in Listed buildings has been an important focus for the work.

The benefits of the work are not only financial but also provide opportunities for place-making, economic investment and wider outcomes for the public sector. There are opportunities for approaches with a greater emphasis on local place-making, Community Asset Transfer and public-to-public sector disposals. 

In addition, we work with public bodies on assets that are likely to be surplus, helping to develop and shape the strategies for their sale often with significant lead-in times for complex assets. We are assisting several health boards to develop strategies for the re-use of heritage sites either to serve clinical or other healthcare support or to dispose of them, for example working with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on heritage assets at Gartnavel Hospitalodp.   

There is a focus on encouraging the public sector to adopt best practices in planning for the future use or disposal of their assets as taking a joined-up approach to service planning and investment decisions (Asset Strategy Guidance 2022) 

Many parts of government and public bodies are now reassessing and reducing their occupational property footprint post-COVID and considering options to co-locate. This will lead to further disposals and opportunities for placemaking, communities and improvement in net zero targets through reuse and investment. 

The team has assisted public sector partners (including Scottish Government Economy; DITI; Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Cities Alliance) on complex or stalled property development-related projects which will unlock and deliver significant economic outcomes.  

We work with the public and private sectors on developing investable propositions capable of attracting inward investment/international investment, including the identification of alternative delivery mechanisms, funding/financing or partnering strategies.

This work has strong links to key themes and priorities in Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan, particularly related to inclusive economic growth, with a focus on delivering additionality of investment and accelerating appropriate development activity and building resilient and sustainable places.  

The team also provides input to frameworks and panel meetings for the selection of projects suitable for key funding opportunities through Scottish Government initiatives, such as the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, the Place Based Investment Programme, the low carbon Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme and the Town Centre Demonstrators work.