Overview

LocatED was brought in to conduct an Estates Review of eight Further Education establishments in the Southampton area. The City Wide Solution (CWS) initiative was aimed at
developing a long-term solution for FE provision in the city and surrounding area. Following the review, the DfE was able to make informed decisions and rationalise Southampton’s Further
Education provision to better suit the post-Covid economic climate.

Challenge

The DfE identified a need for a strategic solution for Further Education institutions in the Southampton area. Low learner numbers and weak financial performance at two institutions raised significant concerns. The wide geographical spread of multiple sites further contributed to issues around quality of provision, duplication of services, and, in some cases, outdated infrastructure.

LocatED was asked to produce information packs for eight in-scope sites, to include a report on title, planning review, a technical review and valuation reports, and an initial assessment of property and estate opportunities and issues.

In addition, a Summary Report would provide a review of all in-scope providers and highlight an initial assessment of property and estate opportunities and issues across the estate.

Solution

The final reports for the CWS programme revealed 17 sites across 116.22 acres of land and 126,050 m2 of FE floorspace, from eight in-scope providers. The total enrolment across the estate was 13,058 16-19 year-old students.

The Summary Report outlined the key challenges and opportunities across the estate, including disposal options, the complex planning environment, and specific concerns related to infrastructure and the quality of provision.

Impact

LocatED’s review and reports presented the DfE with a combination of options, highlighting what combination of space across the colleges could be retained and where there was surplus. Eight options were whittled down to three viable possibilities. The DfE then undertook considerable consultation before deciding to merge three of the existing colleges into The South Hampshire College Group. Thanks to the work done by LocatED’s extensive review, the group has been able to identify surplus land and assets for disposal, which have generated capital receipts to support further education delivery.