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News Archive - Dec/January 2010

Warrington’s Exemplar for Joint Service Delivery

THE £30M Orford Park Project has been granted planning permission by Warrington Borough Council.When completed, the development will transform 50 acres of a former landfill site as well as enhancing the facilities of an adjacent Victorian community park. It will provide a wide variety of community, health and education facilities including a community sports village complete with pools, sports hall, health and fitness suite, football pitches, library, health centre, and a £3.9m 14-19 Diploma Centre. Scheduled to open in November 2011, Orford Park is expected to have two million visitors each year.

Located in a Super Output Area, the scheme is already regarded as an example of best practice in promoting joint service delivery, health and wellbeing, community safety, sustainable communities, lifelong learning, and social and economic regeneration. The project is the fundamental element of Warrington’s ambition to establish community hubs with local partners across the local authority area.

Capita Symonds worked with the Council to establish a framework for effective project management; refine the mix of facilities within the scheme and develop the detailed business case. It also supplied expertise in the areas of cost management, site suitability and procurement. An innovative approach to capital and revenue funding – central to the establishment of the project – was also developed with the Council.

Health and leisure will be integrated with many other Council services on site, with a major focus on skills development and capacity-building within the community. The planned presence of a commercial retailer on site will also provide significant regeneration opportunities while the extended site masterplan includes the complete replacement of William Beamont School in 2012 under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, and full integration with the redevelopment of Warrington Collegiate.

The development of the scheme has proved no less innovative and has attracted an integrated funding partnership with the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Sport England North West Region, the Football Foundation, the Big Lottery Fund and support from the DCSF through BSF. Funding for the Diploma Centre has also been allocated by DCSF through its Exemplar Diploma Initiative.

Key to the sustainability of the project is the development and delivery of a Community Investment Fund providing an annual revenue stream that will support ongoing maintenance and replacement/renewal of equipment. In addition, it also provides monies for engagement and outreach development to increase participation in physical activity and subsidised admission for target groups, as well as attracting private sector investment which will help support a number of localised initiatives including the creation of new jobs and securing of office space.

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