Community Asset Transfer - Bristol

@https://www.bristol.gov.uk/files/documents/3318-community-asset-transfer-policy/file

The Bristol Community Asset Transfer is a city-wide planning instrument that provides leases for 150 publicly-owned properties in Bristol, UK to various voluntary and community organizations (i.e. "third sector organizations") at a reduced or no cost. The instrument is based on the idea that local people know their area the best, and can manage leased properties at a better value for money spent compared to developers. To receive a lease, voluntary and community organisations must demonstrate that their plans for properties generate social, economic or environmental benefits. The asset transfer can take the form of a management agreement, license to occupy, short least or long lease. The price of the asset transfer depends on positive impacts generated from organisations' plans. This urban planning instrument is part of broader English efforts to empower communities through community assets, as mentioned in the 2006 white paper "Strong and Prosperous Communities" and the later "Making Assets Work" report, and municipal efforts to improve community well-being, as mandated in the Local Government Act of 2000 and the Localism Act 2011.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Legislative, regulatory and strategic instruments›Urban planning mechanisms

Challenges addressed

Social cohesion
Social equity
Reconnection to the biosphere / environmental education

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

The instrument transfers properties to community or voluntary organisations, which must submit a proposal demonstrating that their project has social, economic or environmental benefits. This instrument has no specific goals associated with nature-based solutions, but supports projects that focus on such approaches. In England as a whole, the second most likely assets to be transferred are public green spaces.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

No specific NBS types specified

Good practice characteristics:

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Inclusivity

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

Bristol City Council

Instrument design:

Details about how the instrument was designed:

The British national government commissioned several reports on local governance, community involvement and economic development. In 2007, the British government funded pilot projects in ten regions in England through the Community Assets Fund. In 2011, the British Parliament passed the Localism Act, which increased the use of community asset transfers in municipalities and townships in England. At a local level, Bristol had several pilot projects and eventually adopted a Community Asset Transfer policy in 2010.

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

Voluntary or community organisations, known as "third sector organisations," propose projects for publicly-owned assets that fulfill a community/social demand and align with the Bristol City Council's policies and corporate/strategic objectives. The third sector organisations subsequently manage the asset for the duration of the lease, which is determined by the Bristol City Council based on the specific needs of the organisation, the condition of the asset, and the requirements of funders/lenders.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Targeted actors:

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Funds provided by non-governmental organization

Budget:

Unknown

Details about instrument financing:

Third sector organisations pay a reduced or no cost for leases and help provide public services in place of the municipal government on those properties.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

No evaluation exists for the Bristol Community Asset Transfer policy. However, plausibly, the transfer policy has led to the community management of parks and other green spaces, which improves social cohesion and helps connect community members to green space, thereby providing educational and health/well-being benefits.

Success factors and lessons learned:

The instrument is locally appropriate since it gives community organisations agency over socially, economically and environmentally significant properties in their community. It also has the potential to be replicated since it is a simple system that already has had many pilots or running programs throughout England. It has been criticized for not fulfilling the interests of minority groups due to the requirement that projects benefit as much of the community as possible and due to the lack of support offered to third sector organisations following the provision of the lease. However, a community organisation recommended greater support mechanisms in 2014, which may have instigated some changes to the instrument (though this is not clear at the time of writing).

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

Power to change (2016). "The role of asset transfer in developing the community business market." Available at: https://icstudies.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/research/RI-03S-The%2520role%2520of%2520asset%2520transfer%2520in%2520developing%2520the%2520community%2520business%2520market.pdf (Accessed: 4 August 2022).

Locality (2018). "Understanding Community Asset Transfer." Available at: https://locality.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Understanding-Community-Assets-Transfer-Guide-for-Community-Organisations.pdf (Accessed: 4 August 2022).

Community Buildings Federation (2013). Community Asset Transfer in Bristol.

Bristol City Council (2010). Community Asset Transfer Policy. Available at: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/files/documents/3318-community-asset-transfer-policy/file (Accessed: 4 August 2022).

power to change. "Bristol Community Land Trust." Available at: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/media/insights/documents/Bristol-Community-Land-Trust-Case-Study-DIGITAL.pdf?mtime=20200309134449&focal=none (Accessed: 4 August 2022).

Further documents

Weblinks:

https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/people-and-communities/community-centres-an…

Photos

@https://www.bristol.gov.uk/files/documents/3318-community-asset-transfer-policy/file