RBWM Imperial Road Development Project

Overview

RBWM is considering the re-development of a site at Imperial Road. The site is owned by RBWM and currently houses two day centre buildings which will be relocated. The existing buildings have a gross external footprint of 821.5m2 and sit within a 4649m2 plot. RBWM intends to lease the site at low to nil consideration for 250 years. In return for this lease, the partner would be required to secure capital funding to fund the redevelopment of the site into housing (independent living) for people with a learning disability. RBWM wishes to procure a partner who can redevelop the site by demolishing the existing buildings and building two new schemes. It is anticipated that each scheme will be for 11 people with learning disabilities who have medium to high needs (total of 22 units). The current proposed configuration is for each building to have a six-unit shared home, with staff and communal facilities and five self-contained single person flats above. RBWM intends that one scheme will be targeted at young people with learning disabilities aged 18-25 who will live together as their permanent home. RBWM intends that the second scheme will be for 25+ age group. Both schemes will provide lifetime homes. RBWM is however open to alternative proposals that could meet its requirements. This partner (or their sub-contractor) must be able to provide a full housing management service to the tenants (to address repairs and maintenance issues, for example) of each scheme and work in partnership with the identified care provider. The Authority will be awarding a lease under this procurement process (250 years) and is not relying, at this juncture, on the exemptions carved out in the Procurement Act 2023 (specifically Schedule 2, Part 2, Section (8)(1)). The case law pertaining to development projects - especially in scenarios where the Authority benefits economically - is complex. The Authority therefore ran a process under the Act for the avoidance of doubt.