Management Services for The Centre Cumbernauld

Tender description

In March 2020, North Lanarkshire Council approved the publication of its draft Town Visions recognising Cumbernauld, the largest town within the local authority area, as one of the major towns that should form part of its core investment programme for ‘The Place – The Vision’ for North Lanarkshire. Considering the town’s strategic location and its town status, Cumbernauld has become a recognised commercial location with a mix offering business parks, industrial accommodation and retail shops. However, the town centre is largely retail dominated by the ‘the Centre Cumbernauld, Cumbernauld Shopping Centre’ (known jointly as ‘The Centre Cumbernauld’ (TCC)) together with the more modern Antonine Centre, along with two large office blocks and a further education college. This mix is no longer fit for purpose and does not meet the needs and aspirations of residents, many of whom now travel to nearby Glasgow or Stirling to shop, bypassing the TCC which many considered a blot on the urban landscape. TCC was built in the 1960 / 70s and occupies an extensive site in the middle of Cumbernuald town centre. Formed on either side of a major public road (Central Way/A8011) and connected by overhead pedestrian foot bridge / walkway, it extends to over 5 hectares in size including car parks. However, a lack of investment over several years has meant that the centre itself is in relatively poor condition (requiring extensive repairs and improvement if it was to be retained as an operational asset in the longer-term). The Council acquired the TCC in June 2023 in order to unlock transformational regeneration of Cumbernauld town centre and kick start the redevelopment of a mixed-use town centre space that will incorporate a Town Hub. This redevelopment will also stimulate private sector housing delivery, assembling land for residential use, enable development of much needed new homes and will contribute towards the regeneration of Cumbernauld into one of the eight towns recognised in North Lanarkshire Town Visions. Lot 1: In order for the redevelopment to proceed the Centre Cumbernauld will have to be rundown gradually and ultimately demolished. Demolition is likely to be completed over two stages with Stage 1 scheduled for 2027 and Stage 2 commencing between 2031 and 2033. This means that the centre will continue to operate over the next 7 to 8 years albeit that it will be on a reducing floor area. TCC continues to operate whilst the Council develops its plans and has continued to be managed on the Council’s behalf by companies put in place by the previous owner. To enable the Council to meet its legal obligations and in order to demonstrate Best Value for TCC whilst it is still operational, the Council are developing an approach to appoint a long-term management solution which shall be competitively procured. It is envisaged that the long-term management agent appointed will be in place by Autumn 2025 and the resulting contract will run until the centre is fully vacant around 2031 – 2033 depending on demolition programming. The appointed management agent will be required to undertake the following duties, including but not limited to: - managing new and existing leases including rent reviews, rent collection and arrears and debt recovery - day-to-day management of the centre including security and cleaning - marketing available units - assisting with relocation of existing tenants within the centre - maintenance of the centre including undertaking capital expenditure if required - preparing financial statements - preparing monthly management reports - attending relevant meetings