The housing market is at the top of many political and social agendas with many trying to progressing housing development to fulfill the housing need. Whilst the intent is strong within the industry from local authorities, housing providers and house builders, the route to delivery is often slow and constrained.
It is a well published fact that the demise of housing provision over recent years has created an under supply of housing to meet the current need. Many local authorities hold land assets that have the potential to be used as development land thus contributing towards the required shortage. However, the process of taking an asset through to the end product requires significant investment in relation to time, money and development expertise; often these are in short supply within local authorities and become the main hurdles in taking development forward.
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (BCKLWN) identified their ability to boost housing provision within King’s Lynn and the surrounding area by forming a partnership with a constructor for the design, promotion, construction, marketing and sales of development schemes in the area. After a thorough procurement process in which numerous alternative routes to delivery were considered BCKLWN formed a partnership with Lovell Partnerships Limited (LPL) to deliver the services. The creation of this partnership required a joint vision of delivery through a shared approach to open, honest and fair business, it is this approach, shared by both parties that has enabled the partnership to become a success.
