Property

Glasgow has a wide range of property assets supporting a diverse range of services. These include:

• Operational properties, such as office accommodation for staff and for the delivery of front-line services;
• The schools estate
• Facilities for the support of the vulnerable such as elderly residential and day care facilities
• Facilities for the care of young people
• Recreational facilities, such as sports centres and libraries
• Cultural facilities such as museums.

The council's operational and non-operational property is supported in partnership by City Property (Glasgow) LLP. The overall property asset management planning principle is to provide the most effective and efficient premises from which the council can deliver its services. This is currently addressed via the council Operational Property Asset Management Plan (COPAMP). The council's property estate supports services within Social Work, Education, Land and Environmental Services (LES) and Glasgow Life. These properties contain a diverse range of building styles include historic, iconic and listed buildings as well as purpose built state-of-the-art facilities.

The property asset class has been linked to the economic growth theme in the Council Plan.

Property asset management also closely involves one of the council's ALEOs, City Property.

City Property (Glasgow) LLP - established on 1 October 2009, in order to provide for the management, development and disposal of the Council's non operational land and property assets

The main role of City Property (Glasgow) LLP is to deliver the following core services:

• the management, development and disposal of the Council's non-operational land and property assets to generate capital receipts, helping to stimulate development within the city and generate an invaluable source of capital income to support the delivery of the Council's Capital Programme
• to deliver a property management service to the Council in the areas of valuation, technical services, insurance and asbestos
• to provide strategic property management advice to the Council and other ALEOs
• to provide project management and monitoring of property related projects to the Council and other ALEOs, and
• the management of the open markets across the city.

City Property Glasgow LLP works with Glasgow City Council to ensure the best and most productive use of property assets. Playing a key role in the Council's Asset Management process City Property Glasgow LLP provides expert professional property advice in all aspects of the decision making process to ensure the property portfolio is managed in an efficient and effective manner.

As part of this process City Property Glasgow LLP reviews the suitability of land/property for disposal or development. City Property will provide guidance on the marketability of the asset and the estimated costs that will be incurred by the Service Department until such time as the disposal process is complete. The method for the disposal of assets is assessed and determined on a case-by-case basis through reviewing all of the options in detail. All issues relating to the land or property, including social, environmental and economic benefit and legal issues and agreements, are taken into account when determining the method of disposal.

Property disposals provide an invaluable source of capital income which supports the delivery of the Council's capital programme. As such, City Property continues to generate capital receipts by bringing a variety of opportunities to the market and by reacting quickly to market demand and conditions. Over £46 million of capital receipts has been generated by City Property Glasgow since its inception in October 2009. City Property Glasgow has an annual target for generating capital receipts set annually by corporate finance; the target for 15/16 was £10m and £20m for 16/17.

In addition to the above City Property Glasgow has played huge role in the Tomorrows Office project generating £4.2 million for 112 Ingram Street and on course for £5.65 for George Street Complex. This funding enabled the project to go ahead.

City Property are working closely with Glasgow City Council to achieve the disposal of 20 sites, in the year 2015/16, to Registered Social Landlords which will contribute to the Council delivering 5,000 affordable houses over the next 5 years. Additional sites will be identified for the remaining years.  

In addition City Property is working in partnership with the council on an accelerated Programme for releasing residential sites for both private and social housing in Castlemilk, Drumchapel and Easterhouse areas.

Property governance within the council is presently under review and we are moving towards a corporate landlord model with a much more centralised approach to the management of property across the council family.

Lastly, the provisions of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 are highly relevant in this area - there is more information on this legislation on the Community Asset Transfers pages of the website.