Glassworks and Cheapside Strategic Business Cases

The commission began with an inception meeting to discuss the focus of the two town centre regeneration schemes. The Council shared a series of background documents which we reviewed extracting information about each scheme.

We developed SMART short and long-term objectives for each scheme and outlined how they contribute to Sheffield City Region’s Core Strategic Outcomes of Stronger, Greener and Fairer. We articulated how both schemes contribute to the Council’s four ambitions for the town centre:

• More than just retailing;
• Investing for the long-term;
• Intelligent Barnsley; and,
• Local and distinctive.

We identified alternative delivery options including the do minimum, business as usual scenario and outlined how the preferred options secure a higher number of outputs and wider outcomes. Detailed risk registers were developed based on a detailed understanding of the strategic, operational, financial and reputational areas of risk. Each risk was mitigated and the static estimate of mean risk was calculated.

We completed the three tests in the UK’s new Subsidy Control Regime, and completed the rationale for each of the seven subsidy principles including that the ‘subsidy is designed to bring about a change of economic behaviour of the beneficiary that is conducive to achieving the objective and that would not be achieved in the absence of the subsidy being provided.’

We completed a draft of each Strategic Business Case, and met the Council’s team to review and discuss. We then updated each bid and provided them to the Council within 9 days of being appointed as required.