UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

Hyndburn Borough Council is seeking input from the market for the provision of a partner/developer in respect of the management of new modern and attractive co-workspace/office accommodation which is available to rent flexibly on a short term (day) to medium term (week/month) basis following the redeveloped architecturally interesting building in Accrington Town Centre. This market assessment is not part of the procurement process, but is purely investigative in nature, to potentially assist the Council in defining a specification for and later contract for the services. In preparation for this, it is our intention to undertake a Soft Market Testing (SMT) questionnaire to review the current supply market. This can be downloaded and returned by 25th September 2022 at https://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/download-package/soft-market-testing/

The installation of land drains as per the design and specification prepared by the Sports Turf Research Group (STRI) to an existing outfall. The existing land is flat but poorly drained and currently accommodates approximately 4 senior sized football pitches. Work to commence August/September 2025 to provide payable pitches for August 2026 season.

Works and Services This is an opportunity to work with the Council to deliver a major redevelopment project in Accrington town centre. The aim of the development is to provide modern and attractive co-workspace/office accommodation which is available to rent flexibly on a short term (day) to medium term (week/month) basis. This will be a high quality scheme redeveloping a prominent, run-down, architecturally interesting building in a way which supports the objectives of the Council's Town Centre Investment Plan. The development will deliver an exciting workspace in the heart of Accrington Town Centre, bringing new employment opportunities to and generating additional footfall to support town centre food and retail outlets.

Works and Services This is an opportunity to work with the Council to deliver a major town centre redevelopment within part of the historic Market Hall, Accrington. The aim of the development is to deliver a vibrant food and drink destination, sitting alongside traditional traders. This will be a high quality scheme that sits within a prominent listed building and is consistent with the Council's Town Centre Investment Plan. The new development will appeal to residents and new visitors through an exciting, diverse and high quality food and drink offering, both during the day and into the evenings, with the potential to hold ad hoc events supporting other events on the town square.

The Council are seeking to appoint a specialist operator of flexible, co-working space with the necessary expertise to establish and operate flexible office space for Burtons Chambers, Accrington, including; - Inputting in to the design and construction of the planned refurbishment of Burtons Chambers. - Design and launch the pricing model, including memberships - Manage delivery of the recruitment, marketing and outreach to attract and retain users/members and partners. In January 2023, Hyndburn Borough Council secured £20million Levelling Up Funding from the Government, which with the wider match funding, will support three significant and exciting projects in Accrington Town Square. The three projects are: • The Market Hall, Accrington will be refurbished and transformed into a new retail, leisure and food and drink destination for local people, and to entice visitors from across the country. • Market Chambers will be acquired, refurbished, and repaired with a view to transform it into a cultural, arts and heritage venue. • Burton's Chambers will be acquired and restored to become a flexible co-working space for businesses and events. The transformation of these valued buildings will act as a catalyst for regeneration and investment in these currently underutilised buildings within Accrington town centre; increasing footfall, supporting existing businesses, and attracting a range of new businesses and activities into the Town Centre. The Accrington Town Centre Investment Plan identifies the opportunity for cafes, restaurants and the introduction of co-working space or commercial premises within the Town Centre, with an overall aim to reduce the amount of empty shops and dependency on the retail sector. The Accrington Area Action Plan (2012) also identifies the need to diversify the offer in the town centre in order to create a destination and address deficiencies in uses including offices. The principle of repurposing and bringing these buildings back into viable use is therefore strongly supported, and addressing the current issue of overprovision of retail floor space and high levels of vacancy in the town centre is a priority for the Council. This is also reflected at a national scale, with Government policies encouraging and supporting proposals that will support economic growth and productivity, as well as the investment in and reuse of existing buildings within town centre to diversify the commercial offer for existing communities and that will also attract new footfall people into the centre. A Contract Notice will be published in October which will signpost operators interested to the information pack.