Unlocking Value from Non-Operational Land & Open Space Assets
DevoCAT™ provides a delivery-led framework enabling local authorities to remove revenue liabilities, reduce estate risk and realise strategic opportunities from historically under-reviewed assets.
The Hidden Estate Burden
Across the UK, local authorities hold extensive portfolios of historic land and open space assets acquired over decades for sound policy, community and operational reasons at the time.
Many of these assets are now revenue-negative, operationally inefficient, politically sensitive and too complex or contentious to prioritise. While individually modest, collectively they represent a persistent and often escalating revenue liability alongside significant unrealised strategic potential.
For many estates teams, the constraint is not awareness of the issue, but capacity, sequencing and governance bandwidth.
From Policy to Delivery Gap
Most authorities operate a Community Asset Transfer policy or framework.
In practice, these are typically reactive mechanisms: assets are listed, a policy is published and the authority waits to be approached.
This passive model rarely produces meaningful outcomes and the result is predictable: the status quo persists.
DevoCAT™ reverses this and proactively delivers transfers to lower tier authorities or community interest groups.
Additionally in the context of Local Government Reorganistion our outcomes are increasingly important. Our approach supports hyper-localised decision making and control; protecting community influence within larger unitary structures.
Delivery, Not Advisory
DevoCAT™ is not a strategy exercise or advisory study. It is a structured delivery framework designed to systematically assess, categorise and progress outcomes for non-operational land and open space assets.
Developed over a two year period from within live authority-wide programmes, we have smoothed out a governance proof process. We have reviewed approximately 200 assets and demonstrated the ability to remove substantial ongoing revenue liabilities and identified development and rationalisation opportunities.
Our Process
01
Inspect
Authority-wide inspection & initial outcome profiling
02
Assess
Revenue position, liabilities, constraints and opportunities
03
Categorise
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Strategic vs Non-Strategic designation
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Clear pathway: Transfer / Develop / Dispose
04
Governance & engagement
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Designed for scrutiny, audit trails and defensibility
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Aligned with statutory obligations and policy frameworks
05
CONFIRM OUTCOMES
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Expressions of interest
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Business cases
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Best consideration confirmed
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Legal process
Indicative Programme Impact
While every authority portfolio is unique, consistent patterns emerge across councils with historic open space and non-operational landholdings.
The examples below are indicative order-of-magnitude guidance derived from live programmes and our peer to peer experience. They are not forecasts or valuations.
Relevant assets 200+
Suitable for Devolution / CAT 40%
Potential annual revenue savings £1m–£3m
Retained Assets 25%
Strategic / development potential 25%
Surplus Disposals 10%
Capital receipt / new homes opportunity Significant
Designed by Practitioners
The DevoCAT™ framework has been developed by asset managers with direct experience operating within live local authority estates and governance environments. It reflects practical sequencing, governance risk discipline, political sensitivity awareness and financial outcome alignment.
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Practical Built from delivery, not theory
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Governance Audit-friendly and defensible
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Capacity Adds an “oven-ready” delivery resource to hard-pressed estates teams
If you would like to explore potential savings across your estate please get in touch:
07393 014 842 Or 07779 806 903
FEES
It can be frustrating when businesses are not transparent about their potential order of cost. So, here is a guide to our approach and fee modelling but please bear in mind that every situation will be different.
DevoCAT's objective is to deliver measurable savings through successful Devolution, Local Control or Community Asset Transfers. We recognise authorities are under significant financial pressure and may need to rely on savings being achieved to meet expenditure commitments.
Which is why we share the risk and keep upfront costs low and align key remuneration with successful delivery and real savings.
This ensures that:
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The authority's initial financial commitment remains modest.
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DevoCAT remains incentivised to deliver outcomes.
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Both parties share in the benefits of a successful programme.
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The majority of DevoCAT's fee is linked directly to savings value created.
Stage 1 – Portfolio Review
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First 100 assets @ £475 per asset
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Next 100 assets @ £450 per asset
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Next 100 assets @ £425 per asset
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Above 300 assets @ £400 per asset
Stage 2 – Programme Delivery
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£5,000 per month programme management fee (usually partially or wholly recoverable from transferee)
Covers stakeholder engagement, governance support, reporting, project management, parish and town council liaison, transfer coordination and general programme delivery.
We offer a complete end to end service. If required planning, architectural feasibility and other viability assessment requirements, Red Book valuation and legal support can all be programme managed by DevoCAT. This is designed to provide you with a single point of contact and access to preferential rates through our trusted partners.
Stage 3 – Success Fee
20% of one years' stabilised annual revenue savings and 5% of any identified capital expenditure liability transferred or avoided.
Subject to a minimum fee of £3,000 per completed Local Control or Community Asset Transfer.