Place Pilots evaluation – executive summary

In April 2024, Steer Economic Development was commissioned by the Office of Government Property (OGP), through the One Public Estate (OPE) programme to evaluate the Place Pilots initiative. The evaluation assesses how effectively the Place Pilot model facilitates change within government’s estate systems, with a focus on strategic outcomes, scalability and identifying barriers that may impede broader adoption.

The evaluation was delivered in two phases. Phase 1, a process evaluation conducted from April 2024 to March 2025, assessed governance, collaboration and early implementation. Phase 2, an impact evaluation conducted from June 2025 and August 2025, focused on five in-depth case studies, selected as examples of best practice, to explore the initiative’s strategic impacts, delivery models and key enablers and barriers.

This executive summary brings together the findings from both phases, offering a consolidated view of the Place Pilot initiative, its successes and areas for improvement, strategic impacts and lessons learned to inform future place-based programmes.

The Place Pilots initiative was conceived as a proof-of-concept programme to test innovative models of estate management by convening local authorities, NHS bodies, central government departments and other estate owners under shared leadership.

Five pilots were launched between November 2022 and April 2023 in Derby, Hull, the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Hackney and Newham, Sheffield, and the West Midlands Combined Authority. Each received £500,000 in revenue funding, with most extended to complete between September 2024 and March 2025. Collectively they acted as catalysts for strategic asset review, data sharing, regeneration planning and partnership development.

The pilots aimed to:

• foster collaborative planning by bringing different organisations together to jointly develop estate strategies aligned with local priorities
• optimise investments by leveraging efficiencies through co-location, land assembly, retrofit, disposals, and re-use strategies to better meet service needs
• embed a place-based approach by incorporating local growth and development strategies into estate planning and mapping estate assets against opportunity areas
• be scalable and replicable by testing new approaches to inform future policies and enable wider adoption across government.
   

Place Pilots was designed as a flexible, locally driven programme to test new models of estate management. Their design intentionally allowed for variation in delivery, enabling areas to tailor activities to local priorities and strategic ambitions. This flexibility enabled innovation and responsiveness but also introduced challenges around mobilisation.

Strategic capacity and acceleration

The provision of dedicated revenue funding enabled areas to step back from operational pressures and engage in strategic planning, commissioning feasibility studies, masterplans and data tools that would otherwise progress more slowly.

Flexible, locally tailored delivery

The programme’s broad objectives and decentralised structure allowed pilots to align with existing strategies and priorities. This flexibility increased stakeholder buy-in and relevance.

Cross-sector collaboration

Structured engagement built trust and shared ownership across local authorities, NHS bodies, central government departments and other estate owners.

New and revived governance frameworks

New or revitalised governance structures, such as strategic working groups, land boards, and revived OPE boards, provided oversight and enabled joint decision-making. Some of these frameworks are being sustained post-pilot to embed collaboration into business-as-usual.

Mobilisation and early guidance

While the flexibility of the Place Pilot model was widely valued, time and resource pressures made it difficult for local areas to quickly agree objectives, track progress and communicate effectively with central government. Allowing more time for the co-design of objectives, introducing clearer guidance and milestone targets from the outset could have helped maintain focus and momentum, particularly during the early stages.

Selection and resourcing

A consultative Expression of Interest (EOI) process would help ensure readiness and commitment. Funding should be scaled to reflect local complexity, with resources allocated for mobilisation and action planning.

Data fragmentation and technical support

Many pilots faced challenges due to fragmented and incomplete public estate data. Developing shared tools required extensive data collection and cleansing. Sustaining these tools will require ongoing dedicated resource, governance and technical support.

Variable engagement across government

While OPE and the wider Cabinet Office were supportive, engagement from central government departments was inconsistent. Programme awareness across departments remained limited, often requiring OPE and local teams to utilise their networks to secure engagement. Stronger cross-departmental coordination and promotion to champion the programme are needed.

Short delivery window

The initial 18-month timeframe, even with extensions, limited the ability to embed new tools and ways of working.

Across pilots, the initiative:

• strengthened cross-sector collaboration, fostering new partnerships and a clearer understanding of partners’ priorities and operational contexts
• established or reinforced governance mechanisms such as land boards, OPE boards and strategic working groups, giving legitimacy to joint decision-making
• accelerated regeneration by overcoming local capacity gaps and providing new technical evidence to support business cases
• aligned estate planning with long-term place strategies, embedding outputs within broader economic and social agendas
• demonstrated that targeted funding can catalyse substantial strategic and operational changes in estate planning and delivery, when combined with high levels of support, leadership, governance and strategic focus.

Data tools and mapping

Sheffield’s dashboard and Wolverhampton’s Comprehensive Asset Register exemplify how data tools can support strategic planning, co-location and service integration. Without Place Pilots these tools may have been developed more slowly, or not at all.

Feasibility and masterplanning

Hull’s Colonial Street masterplan and Derby’s Rail Campus concept illustrate how pilots accelerated feasibility studies, master-planning and business case development.

Social infrastructure planning

Barking Riverside’s pilot embedded social infrastructure into housing-led regeneration, improving viability and community outcomes.

The pilots strengthened relationships, governance frameworks and decision-making tools with potential to sustain momentum beyond the funding window. Key lessons for sustaining success include the following.

Governance foundations

New boards and working groups are embedding collaboration into business-as-usual processes but need formalisation within local/regional institutions to ensure resilience and continuity.

Strengthened relationships

Strong cross-sector partnerships are valued as long-term assets for place-based working.

Tools and data

Shared tools offer strong evidence bases but require dedicated governance, technical support, and resourcing to remain useful.

Viability barriers

Some projects still face market and land value challenges beyond the pilot’s influence. Continued resource and open communication with stakeholders and central government are needed to translate feasibility work into long-term regeneration plans.

Embedding into business-as-usual

Embedding pilot outputs into estate management systems and planning processes, requires ongoing strategic buy-in and financial support. Pilot areas should work to identify potential funding sources for this work, which could include future OPE programmes, local resource (e.g. combined authorities) or funding contributions from project partners.

Dedicated resource is essential to drive delivery

Projects progressed mainly after commissioning consultants; sustainable delivery requires increased in-house capacity with local knowledge and continuity.

Balance between flexible programme and clear guidance

The flexibility of the Place Pilot model was widely valued, as it allowed local areas to tailor projects to their specific needs and build buy-in. However, this flexibility, combined with time and resource pressures, made it difficult for local areas to quickly agree objectives, track progress, and communicate effectively with central government.

Unclear or ambiguous project scopes can hinder partner buy-in

Projects should clearly define their purpose, demonstrate value through practical examples and reframe partner engagement, even for well-scoped activities like feasibility studies or master planning.

Data tools are resource-intensive but potentially very valuable if embedded and sustained

Dashboards and asset registers require cleaning, standardisation and ongoing maintenance but deliver strategic decision-making and transparency if embedded into business-as-usual processes.

Strategic relationship building is resource intensive

Early, sustained engagement across public sector partners fostered shared vision and long-term collaboration.

Opportunities for peer learning and local adaptation

Many of the pilots showed a strong interest to learn from one another, highlighting the potential value of sharing successful approaches for scaling and replication.

Long term funding and support is crucial

Sustaining momentum and embedding change requires multi-year funding and partner commitment.

Place Pilots has shown how targeted investment in strategic asset planning can unlock stalled projects, enhance decision-making, raise ambition and accelerate regeneration. To build on this success, future place-based initiatives should do the following.

Provide structured support during mobilisation

While flexible delivery models are valuable, clear guidance on governance, resourcing expectations and reporting during programme setup is essential. Allowing more time for co-designing objectives, alongside clear milestone targets, can help maintain focus and momentum.

Invest in relationship-building from the outset

Continue to ensure that there is a mobilisation phase which provides dedicated time and funding for early engagement. This should support the development of a shared vision, stakeholder mapping and co-design of project scopes to ensure early alignment and commitment.

Support in-house capacity

To maximise benefits, projects should focus on upskilling staff and building internal knowledge to ensure continuity, strengthen partner engagement, and embed outcomes sustainably over the long term.

Strengthen central government coordination

Enhance cross-departmental ownership by clearly defining roles for relevant Whitehall departments, appointing dedicated programme champions at local and national levels and improving alignment between pilot activities and broader government strategies like Net Zero and economic growth to boost relevance and impact.

Sustain and embed successful data tools

Where data tools or dashboards are developed, plans should consider up front how to maintain and embed these tools into business-as-usual operations. Implementation of national shared data platform (InSite) will support partners to recognise opportunities to maximise assets and deliver improved services across areas.

Build in peer learning and knowledge exchange

Include mechanisms for places to share tools, templates, and experiences.

Future programmes should give careful consideration to the most appropriate geographic boundaries

While many pilot outputs proved scalable and replicable beyond their local context, aligning delivery with geographies that key partners already recognise (for example, administrative boundaries) can help build on existing relationships, leverage trust and streamline coordination.

Commit to longer-term funding horizons

To sustain partner momentum and embed change, future programmes should provide multi-year funding, allowing places to integrate initiatives into long-term planning and investment strategies beyond the pilot phase.