Government property finder
On 20 August 2014, the Efficiency and Reform Group (ERG) within the Cabinet Office launched a new Government Property Finder which enables people to search the government’s property portfolio.
This is seen as a part of the government’s Right to Contest initiative which allows businesses, local authorities and members of the public, to challenge the government to sell a site where they think it is not being used effectively. Cases are only rejected if government departments can demonstrate that the site is vital for operational purposes or that alternative considerations outweigh the potential for better economic use. This extended a previous right, the Community Right to Reclaim Land which allows communities the right to ask that under-used or unused land owned by public bodies is brought back into beneficial use.
The Right to Contest is intended to facilitate development of publicly-owned sites to boost local growth and to contribute to paying down the deficit.
The Government Property Finder is described as an ‘…easy-to-use tool that maps government property and land … For the first time ever, you can search the government’s property portfolio listing everything from ambulance stations to vacant airfields’, suggesting that it ‘…supports the government’s aims to increase transparency, save money and support regeneration and growth.’
Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude, said ‘As part of our long-term plan for a stronger economy we are slashing our own costs and getting the most out the property we own. Since the 2010 general election we have got out of 1,250 properties, but we need to do more. We want the public to use this new map and the Right to Contest to challenge us to release properties we are not using efficiently enough to cut the deficit, support growth and provide more houses.’
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Community Right to Reclaim Land.
- Efficiency and Reform Group.
- Green belt.
- Localism act.
- Neighbourhood planning.
- Related articles
- Right to Contest.
- Self-build initiative.
- The compact sustainable city.
[edit] External references
Featured articles and news
Delayed, derailed and devalued
How the UK’s planning crisis is undermining British manufacturing.
How much does it cost to build a house?
A brief run down of key considerations from a London based practice.
The need for a National construction careers campaign
Highlighted by CIOB to cut unemployment, reduce skills gap and deliver on housing and infrastructure ambitions.
AI-Driven automation; reducing time, enhancing compliance
Sustainability; not just compliance but rethinking design, material selection, and the supply chains to support them.
Climate Resilience and Adaptation In the Built Environment
New CIOB Technical Information Sheet by Colin Booth, Professor of Smart and Sustainable Infrastructure.
Turning Enquiries into Profitable Construction Projects
Founder of Develop Coaching and author of Building Your Future; Greg Wilkes shares his insights.
IHBC Signpost: Poetry from concrete
Scotland’s fascinating historic concrete and brutalist architecture with the Engine Shed.
Demonstrating that apprenticeships work for business, people and Scotland’s economy.
Scottish parents prioritise construction and apprenticeships
CIOB data released for Scottish Apprenticeship Week shows construction as top potential career path.
From a Green to a White Paper and the proposal of a General Safety Requirement for construction products.
Creativity, conservation and craft at Barley Studio. Book review.
The challenge as PFI agreements come to an end
How construction deals with inherited assets built under long-term contracts.
Skills plan for engineering and building services
Comprehensive industry report highlights persistent skills challenges across the sector.
Choosing the right design team for a D&B Contract
An architect explains the nature and needs of working within this common procurement route.
Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Advisor
Thouria Istephan; Architect and inquiry panel member outlines ongoing work, priorities and next steps.
The 2025 draft NPPF in brief with indicative responses
Local verses National and suitable verses sustainable: Consultation open for just over one week.