How to Plan & Develop a New Facility (e.g. Sports Pitch, PUBLIC SPACE or Community Building)
Projects McGarry Consulting have helped secure funding for (Clockwise from top left) - Seacourt Print Workshop (Bangor), Carndonagh Regeneration (Donegal), and Ulidia 3G Pitch & Grounds (Belfast)
So you want to develop a new pitch or community building; or maybe just restore an old one…
At McGarry Consulting, we are frequently asked to help clubs and community groups to develop new or expanded facilities. Often organisations are not sure where to start or what to do next.
Do they need a feasibility study or business case? And what is a feasibility study? What do they get first - a plan, costs, or design? How do they get the land or identify funders? To help answer these questions, we have mapped out the main steps and considerations for organisations seeking new or upgraded facilities. There are three main phases:
Phase 1 Setting out the Vision & Taking Key First Steps
Phase 2 Developing Project Detail & Evidence Base
Phase 3 Becoming ‘Shovel Ready’
Many clubs and community groups may already be somewhere along this pathway, often it can take 5-10 years (or longer) from initial vision to opening of new facilities. We have set this out for higher budget projects, so some of it may not be applicable for smaller projects. However, they still represent best-practice and highlight areas worth considering and/or aspiring to.
Whilst extensive, this is not an exhaustive list and will indeed always be a live list. The list below was designed for capital (building) projects but much of it can also relate to multi-year programme (revenue) projects. When going through below, the guiding principles should be proportionality (i.e. work proportional to the scale of project) and common sense.
Phase 1
Setting out the Vision & Taking Key First Steps
There are three phases to developing facilities. The first stage involves articulating the vision, telling your story, preparing your base documents and putting plans in place:
One-Pager
The first step is creating a one-pager. A one-pager should concisely explain to people who you are, what your ambitions are and why, what the ask is, and your contact details. When talking to people it is important to have something easy to follow up with and/or send on so they can know the key details of your project
Initial Articulation & Vision - Creating a Plan
The next step is to set out in more detail who the club, group or organisation is. Assume the person doesn’t know the organisation at all, set out the information (which will need updated or at least reviewed annually) in plain english. Use visuals and tables to make it more audience-friendly. A lot of this information will be needed for any future application (in the main document or as an appendix) and/or presentations.
Set out the organisation’s background & history
Set out the organisation’s location/hinterland and the area/community it serves
Set out the size of the organisation, how its grown and where it would like to go
Set out the contribution it makes to the community (health, volunteering, pride, connections, pathway etc)
Set out the number of teams, coaches, staff, volunteers, turnover and any non-sporting roles/activities
Set out how it works with the local community (including schools, different genders and age-groups) and how it works with marginalised groups
Set out the existing facilities (scale, age, functionality, condition etc), highlight issues (visual work best)
Set out the organisation’s key vision and goals, aspirations
See out the organisation’s key achievements to date
Show the impact: include some testimonials from club/organisations users past and present, and non-club members to illustrate the impact & meaning your club has. Also consider 1-3 case studies if you have them
Where looking to develop facilities:
Show a visual (even if basic to start with) to indicate the aspiration and note any progress to date, and indicative timeline
Outline land ownership and governance situations. Both in terms of what is in place and what is proposed
Indicate any key additional documents (strategy, accounts, feasibility study, business case, technical information)
Indicate any additional research (e.g. case studies from other clubs/communities) or consultations
Confirm minimum standards required from governing bodies (e.g. sports/league may have minimum pitch dimensions, run-offs, changing room criteria, umpire space etc), and potential funding bodies (e.g. accessibility, energy efficiency etc)
Valuable Additional information
A dedicated outreach/community plan is worthwhile, with evidence of work to date (e.g. photos/testimonials)
Results of community consultation exercise - as a minimum a community survey
Added Benefit if have evidence of engagement with non-club members and other community/sporting organisations
Further Benefit - where you have proactively targeted and engaged with young (e.g. schools), women, minorities, disabled, elderly; and/or run workshops/discussions beyond a survey
Install a Dedicated Project Team & Identify Key Skills/Capacity Needs
There needs to be a dedicated team on this project. A team who can advance the project, bring on the expertise as required, source funding/support, and who will report regularly back to the board/management committee. The key steps are as follows:
Create a small board/committee (with outline terms of reference) solely dedicated to the plan/vision
Identify key skills needed (e.g. marketing, property, construction, facilities management, architecture, QS, engineers, procurement, civil service, consultants, legal, accounting, IT etc)
Clarify what you have in-house and what external expertise you will need
Outline, what external expertise may cost and scope out potential providers
Start Thinking About Fundraising - Where Will the Money Come From
Any development will take time and money. This requires identifying potential sources of funding and finance, and building relationships with funders, fundraisers and politicians (most funding is political to various degrees). Key considerations are below:
Organisation may need to start fundraising to help with plans/reports/consultations etc
Organisation may need to consider undertaking some work ‘at risk’ (e.g. planning permission, drawings, costings, business case) to allow them to be ‘shovel ready’ sooner
Organisation may need to contribute a cash or non-cash contribution towards match funding to meet the terms and conditions of some funds and/or to strengthen their case
Organisation will need working capital to facilitate any grant. Typically only a portion of the grant is paid upfront, so there will be a need to spend money and then reclaim it. This can lead to a lag of a few months between paying out and receiving funds. Therefore, the cashflow/finance implications need to be managed. This needs to be planned for from the outset; and maybe a reason to bring on a partner (e.g. Council) who can take on this and/or other project management roles. They may charge for this service.
Phase 2
Developing Project Detail & Evidence Base
This is where the vision blossoms into a viable feasible and tangible option. The project starts to come together, in terms of design, costing, deliverability and sustainability. Questions such as how much will it cost, who might fund this, who would use it (and when), what benefits would it bring and how much will it cost to run begin to be answered.
This stage also begins to test community support, consider alternative options (e.g. sites, location, layout, scale, finish, phasing, etc), identify potential risks, funding streams, and challenge underlying assumptions. More formal reports are created and expertise brought in. Key steps are as follows:
First Formal Report - Feasibility Study
Develop feasibility study, to demonstrate the feasibility of your idea in detail. This is a formal document that will be understood - and usually sought - by funders and key stakeholders
Create a summary of the key findings that can be easily shared or presented
Detailed Consideration of New/Updated Facility or Site
Outline how the proposed new facility would be used during the average week (include peak and off-peak periods where appropriate)
Have outline technical drawing to show - how the completed site might look like
Show how the various components (e.g. grass pitch, 3/4G pitch, training area, play area, changing, club/function/meeting rooms, stand/spectators, toilets, walkways/loops, parking , floodlights, covered areas etc) would work together and how they would be phased.
Consider flexible, extendible, and multi-purpose space and the associated storage & technical considerations required to facilitate a variety of uses within such space.
Consider co-design processes, i.e. involve the end user in designing the space to ensure the space is appropriate, key issues are flagged/addressed as early as possible and that end users have more of a sense of ownership of the project
Have some outline costing in place (based on authoritative metrics, research, recent comparable examples, or QS input etc)
Develop outline usage map - show how new facility elements (e.g. pitch, hall) would be used hour by hour during the year (peak and off-peak, summer and winter)
Have case studies to show how it could work, the steps needed, and any lessons learned
Have age friendly, youth and disability group review ideas to highlight any issues that need to be factored in at this stage
Have preferred land arrangements agreed in principle (e.g. lease, ownership)
Have proposed governance arrangements agreed in principle (may need to have started this process)
Have short/summary and fuller/longer presentations
Start Putting Together the Financial Viability & Funding Needs
Have political support - speak regularly to all politicians and key funders
Start building a capital budget, and identify key probable funders, funds and associated timelines, terms, and conditions
Know how funding and finance will be managed - who will seek it, apply for it, manage the project, procurement, compliance, monitoring, etc and how VAT will be managed and by whom
Have key partners in place - with written agreements/understanding in place for clarity
Present to local councils, the community, end-users, and local partners
Outline specific funding streams and note timelines, terms (e.g. especially with eligibility criteria, funding caps and contributions etc), and conditions (e.g. governance, land ownership, construction requirements, end-uses, public access, community engagement, clawbacks etc). Start talking to potential funders and submitting applications
THE POWER OF VISUALS - MAKING IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND END GOAL
Big reports are rarely read. To capture the interest of a wide audience, visuals and key messages are vital. Dry blueprints often don’t mean much to people, so having a coloured 3D image or visual really brings things to life. It helps everyone to see the final goal and how it would impact them.
They also clearly differentiate this project from others and reduce confusion. Advances in technology make these visuals increasingly more achievable, but even the most rudimentary version in WORD or POWERPOINT to begin with makes a massive difference. Key considerations are below:
Ideally, have a good quality render or 3D image, showing what the final/completed site will look like. Really helps to help people to visualise the end goal.
Try to get images from different perspectives (e.g. pitch, hall, play area etc) or viewpoints to make it really easy to understand.
3D visuals or flyovers are helpful but costly. However AI is increasingly making visuals, videos, and storytelling simpler so try and use these to help explain your story and to stand out from the crowd.
Visuals and short videos are much more likely to be viewed and shared than a report.
Phase 3
Being ‘Shovel Ready’ - Really shovel ready
Contrary to perception, funders actually want to get their money out. Many are increasingly capable of funding at 90% or above of total costs to make it easier for projects to have all the necessary funds in place. To assist this, many now have land ownership, planning permission and business cases in place as pre-requisites before they will review an application. In short they want ‘shovel ready’ (or ‘oven ready’) projects, projects that are ready to go.
However, evaluations often show that projects who claimed to be ‘shovel ready’ weren’t in practice. Therefore, there is increasing scrutiny on projects to prove they have all their ducks in a row, and have all the key elements covered (land ownership/access, planning permission, procurement, risk management, business case, project management, inflation factored in, monitoring and contingency management etc) in place.
Note they also have to be up-to-date which requires regularly reviewing your key documents and assumptions. Consequently, some key considerations are as follows:
Secure partnerships, have agreements in writing - especially with regard to land, finance, and governance
Develop detailed user map, along with number of users (and user profile), with letters of support to substantiate predicted usage and expected rates
Develop a business case (an Outline Business Case, OBC)
Confirm the value for money rationale e.g. Net Present Value (NPV); Net Present Social Value (NPSV); and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR)
Develop a business plan/sustainability plan (to show how the facility would be sustained)
Develop a logic model
Have detailed technical drawings in place, along with all key surveys required
Ensure key user-groups and project partners have signed off on understanding (plus any express agreements required)
Have detailed capital costings in plan, with allowances for contingency/optimism bias, inflation, professional and statutory fees, plus any design development (set out the date for the which the costing relates, and any and all exclusions). Check the costings have been approved by the relevant Council/Public Body capital and procurement teams
Have detailed revenue (costs & income) projections in place for first 5 years, clearly stating assumptions
Consult with key suppliers to understand timeframes and any issues with supply chains that may impact works duration, cost or finish
Apply and secure planning permission
Detail environmental, bio-diversity and ‘net-zero’ elements
Detail the procurement process (and that it has been signed off by key partners)
Detail the accessibility elements
Detail risk register
Detail the social value elements (consider also the SROI/Social Value Engine etc)
Have detailed project plan in place (outlining RIBA Stages)
Have up-to-date community consultation, and outline history of community engagement (and support to date)
Have all letters of support, up to date, and in place
Undertake scenario analysis with respect to income and expenditure projections (plan for the what if scenarios, e.g. best case, worst case, in-between)
Provide benefits realisation plan
Clarify and confirm arrangements for VAT, what is the applicable rate, who will pay it and when - and ensure this has all been agreed in writing. Remind key parties. If not VAT registered then make sure to seek costs inclusive of VAT
Complete funding applications - note any and all documentation required, review questions, speak to funders and previously successful applicants. If previously unsuccessful, seek learn from mistake and clearly address weaknesses.
Begin marketing/awareness push, use social media, meetings with politicians, partners, and public relations campaign
Ensure everything is reviewed every six months as a minimum, especially costs and permissions, to ensure accurate and uptodate.
Have monitoring and evaluation plans in place, and ensure the resource implications have been factored in (e.g. who will do it, what will it need (e.g. counters, booking systems), when will it need implemented and how much will it cost, etc)
How can we help?
McGarry Consulting have over 20 years’ experience preparing these documents for projects from under £10,000 to over £10m. McGarry Consulting have a number of technical partners (e.g. design teams, QS) we can bring in as and when required. With hundreds of projects and hundreds of millions of funding secured, we can help deliver projects.
McGarry Consulting can provide feasibility studies, business cases and business plans, as well as assist with applications were required. Our applications have frequently been ranked first; and our reports are renowned for their quality. McGarry Consulting rank first on the Belfast City Council framework for business cases and feasibility studies. We have outlined case studies and testimonials on this website to help illustrate how we work, and are happy to discuss any aspect with you.