The Feasibility Studies Working Group seeks YOUR feedback on our draft action plan. Please drop us a line at n15developmenttrust@gmail.com by Friday 5 February to let us know what you think, especially about the priorities we have identified for 2016. Have we missed anything? Got anything wrong?
Working Group 2) Feasibility Studies
Our role is to develop our understanding of the technical and financial feasibility of the Trust’s first project to deliver the community plan for Wards Corner.
Feasibility Studies are studies undertaken to test whether a proposed project is technically and financially feasible and generally include:
- Assessments of building condition
- Costs of refurbishment and green infrastructure
- Business plan
- Legal issues
- Management development and project development.
Technical and professional skills and surveys will be needed in order to prepare this information for the community plan. The starting point for the Working Group is the information already prepared by the Trust and WCC for the purposes of the planning application. Developing this further will help us to secure funding, gain support from key stakeholders such as Haringey Council and Transport for London and to get ready to restore the Wards building.
Links with other Working Groups: There is a very strong interplay with the Business Plan (Working Group 1). For example, the Business Plan will be a key determinant of the feasibility of the community plan for the Wards building and, at the same time, the Business Plan will include costings for refurbishment work that will be produced through feasibility studies. The two documents have different roles, however: the Business Plan will be a living document that will continue to be developed and used once the Wards building has been restored, whereas the Feasibility Studies are used only prior to beginning restoration.
Our work so far: Small group discussions on Working Group 1 were held at the First Steps events on 28 September and 2 November. In light of these discussions, the Working Group met on 18 November to prepare material for the draft Action Plan. The Working Group includes the chair of the Trust, Carlos Burgos, who has professional expertise in engineering and management consultancy, community plan architectural designer and Steering Group member, Abigail Stevenson, and several volunteers with relevant skills and training in economics, engineering, planning and architecture. So far, the group had focused on reviewing, updating and developing the information already prepared for the planning application for the purposes of a first stage application to the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise grant programme, due 10 December. Drafting this application has been useful in identifying what further work is needed, developing the group’s knowledge of the different elements within feasibility studies, and has informed the development of this draft Action Plan. The Steering Group has decided to dedicate one day of support from our Relationship Manager to reviewing the funding application and making recommendations for this draft Action Plan.
Priority actions for 2016:
- December 2015: Prepare and submit first stage application to Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise grant programme.
- If successful, prepare and submit second stage application to Heritage Lottery Fund’s Heritage Enterprise grant programme.
- Identify funding options and opportunities for preparing the Feasibility Studies.
- Determine a schedule for preparing the Feasibility Studies i.e. in what order should the studies be done?