Bridgwater is the first town in Somerset (and the whole South West) in which a BSF programme is to be developed and Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) has already played a key planning role, working with the County Council and Sedgemoor District Council to develop a strategic vision for Somerset's Wave 4 BSF submission.

Somerset County Council was successful in the first stage of its bid to develop four secondary and two co-located special schools in Bridgwater and to enhance community and leisure provision. The strategy identified outputs and outcomes of a process whereby schools would work closely and innovatively together on delivery of a range of pupil and community provision to ensure sustainability and optimise the value of investment.

It also helped to specify the sports facilities to be developed on school sites to underpin the proposed wider recreational and active lifestyles offer - encouraging, for example, walking and cycling to school.

KKP has now been commissioned to be part of the team that will evaluate the bids to design and operate a new community sports centre as part of the implementation process.

A partnership has been established between Sedgemoor District Council (which may make both a capital and a revenue investment) and the County Council. The re-development of Chilton Trinity School is the first stage of the scheme in the town and will set up a contract between Somerset County Council (SCC) and a Local Education Partnership (LEP); a joint venture company to re-develop all six schools. The two Councils will be taking a ground breaking step in the first joint project of this type.

This innovative scheme will evaluate the option of replacing Sedgemoor DC's Sedgemoor Splash with a new swimming pool incorporated on this school site. This is thought to be one of the first replacement community sports facility through BSF as most other schemes have focussed on the school's priorities, with community use considered for only out of school hours.

This new facility will truly be community focussed and will address the challenge of fully accommodating both the needs of the school and community; an ambition that KKP is well placed to support.

Specifically, KKP will undertake:

• Technical analysis - of the design solutions for each facility
• Financial analysis - evaluating and comparing the operational cost and value of the private sector management and Leisure Trust management options.
• Analysis of management proposals - to include assessing how the bidder intends to extend community take up of sport, proposed investment levels and associated risk.

The Company brings extensive background in all the key disciplines required to provide the informed, intelligent, challenging and technically excellent support needed for this process:

• Direct practical experience of operating combined wet and dry and joint-use facilities.
• A successful track record in sports facility design and commissioning. 
• Thorough appreciation of budgetary and financial planning for facilities.
• Thorough appreciation of the risks associated with contracting out facilities of this type.
• Extensive experience of work with management contractors and leisure trusts.
• Industry leading knowledge of, and experience in, sports development.

KKP is acknowledged for its other recent BSF related assignments that include:

• A project on behalf of a forum of national governing bodies of sport in the South West in partnership with Sport England and the CSPs to identify NGB facility needs and produce a strategic plan to develop sports facilities on school sites. 
• A detailed review of built leisure facilities for North East Lincolnshire Council, managed in partnership with the Authority's ‘Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme team. This resulted in an action plan for replacement, refurbishment and rationalisation of facilities and provided a strategic and practical framework Council and school-site based provision. 
•  A facilities strategy and playing pitch assessment for Southampton City Council to provide supply and demand evidence for its BSF plans.
• Work with the FA at national level to seek to ensure that provision for football (and all the other sports played in schools that rely upon quality grass surfaces) is properly considered in the BSF process.

John Eady (Chief Executive) leads KKP's highly regarded BSF "sports" expert team in what is a rapidly growing aspect of the KKP portfolio. John said,

"It is vital to ensure that planning for practical design and economic community use is built in from the outset. Our pre-emptive facilities planning work has provided a platform for this and I would urge more to follow Somerset's lead. My aspiration is that in ten years time true properly defined and sports development focussed community use will be the rule rather than the exception!"

For further details, please contact John Eady, Chief Executive (john.eady@kkp.co.uk)