surplus land pilot scheme

We believe that there is a moral and financial imperative for the public sector to maximise the value of its estate, both in terms of capital return and revenue income, to assist with funding the best possible facilities for local communities. The D1 education estate is enormous with 22,000 school sites across the UK, many of which are in a dilapidated condition. The latest cost estimate for essential maintenance work across the D1 estate sits at £60 billion. Many of these school sites are poorly planned and are operationally inefficient.

Central government has begun to understand the potential for the release of surplus land on school sites, to generate much-needed capital for refurbishment and improvement of schools. In cities, this manifests itself through mixed-use and air rights development projects where schools are integrated with residential or commercial development. In rural areas, surplus school land is sold to provide new housing in order to meet ever-growing demands.

Architecture Initiative and WSP have been commissioned by government-owned property company LocatED, to undertake a national pilot study review of 50 school sites across the UK to establish the viability of surplus land disposal. The design work we completed has released multiple sites for residential development, delivering 1,500 new homes which are currently being delivered by Homes England.