More than 50 architects, engineers, surveyors and technical staff from Wolverhampton City Council Property Services, technical and management consultants Jacobs Babtie and property consultants Bruton Knowles met to celebrate the second anniversary of their Strategic Partnership.

The partnership was formed in November 2003 to deliver property related consultancy services to Wolverhampton City Council and is currently managing an annual Capital Building Programme worth over £60m - maximising the benefits from the City’s property assets, as well as encouraging inward investment and urban regeneration.

Over the last two years the Strategic Partnership has undertaken a wide range of property activity, ranging from day to day property management to major building projects and acquisitions. The partnership has contributed to bringing forward major strategic development sites including the 18th Century Molineux Hotel and also the historic Bilston Town Hall; two historic sites which have attracted funding from the European Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands, The Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage.

The Strategic Partnership team is looking forward to the next 12 months of activity where a variety of significant developments and projects are being explored and developed. These include a new Primary school at Rakegate within Oxley Ward, a mixed use scheme at Blakenhall Gardens, Graiseley High Rise refurbishment, Children’s Centres across the city, together with ongoing support of the retail core expansion and project i54.

Tony Woods, Head of Wolverhampton City Council’s Property Services Division commented, "It is an exciting time for the city of Wolverhampton. The City is in the process of delivering a number of important new schemes, ranging from i54, the major retail core expansion to Bilston Urban Village and the Interchange project. The Strategic Partnership has played an important part in building the capacity for our teams to manage these major schemes as well as dealing the day to day management of our property portfolio. We have been delighted with the progress of the partnership over the last two years and look forward to working with Jacobs Babtie and Bruton Knowles over the next three years."

The Partnership with Jacobs Babtie and Bruton Knowles has also provided the opportunity for skill and learning exchanges as part of their commitment to working with the Council. Staff from both companies have been seconded into Wolverhampton Civic Offices to work directly with the in-house property team giving an opportunity to work within a public sector environment. Support has also been given to the ongoing professional training of members of the in-house team with Wolverhampton City Council property graduates being mentored by Bruton Knowles employees who have been trained as Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) assessors.

The partnership has proven to be successful, easily achieving original expectations of the agreement drawn up in 2003. As a result the relationship has been extended to its maximum term of five years. The three partners are also exploring other ways in which they can work together to maximise the performance of the city’s property assets and deliver more successful urban regeneration.