Original Tender Description
The Churchgate Regeneration Zone (CRZ) represents one of the most significant long-term regeneration opportunities within Hitchin town centre. The site occupies a prominent and strategically important location adjoining the historic core, the River Hiz corridor and the existing market area. Over the past year, the Council has undertaken an extensive programme of work including financial analysis, specialist technical work, Project Board workshops and Member briefings. This work has enabled the Council to move from high-level vision setting into a more informed, evidence-led and delivery-focused phase.
Alongside this, the Council has also undertaken a Pre-Market engagement exercise and early engagement with the development and investment sector to inform future procurement, delivery and partnership decisions. Feedback from this work has demonstrated strong market interest in Hitchin and increased confidence in both the credibility of the opportunity and the Council’s commitment to delivering a high-quality regeneration programme for the town centre.
The next stage of work is intended to ensure that future decisions regarding the regeneration of the site are informed, evidence-led and commercially robust.
The Council is now seeking to procure specialist regeneration and development expertise to work alongside the project team in refining a deliverable scheme, testing assumptions in greater detail, reducing uncertainty and supporting the transition from strategic visioning into delivery planning and implementation.
The procurement will be structured around two phases. The initial phase of the appointment would comprise of feasibility, viability, master-planning and delivery planning activities designed to refine the regeneration proposals, test commercial assumptions, assess development risk and inform the preferred delivery model. The scope of Stage 2 will be informed by the outputs of Stage 1, and determine whether the Council wishes to proceed onto Phase 2 or not. Phase 2 will include detailed development planning, delivery preparation, planning and consenting activities, development agreement support, implementation planning and other services required to support project delivery. Any progression beyond Phase 1 would remain subject to future Council approval, satisfactory performance of the appointed partner, confirmation of any necessary funding (i.e. setting a capital budget for the scheme) and compliance with the contractual gateway provisions established through the procurement.
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