by Brianna Crandall — February 1, 2013—As part of the U.K. government’s push to streamline its property use and exit any unused buildings in order to reduce costs and help grow local economies, a new Web site that will let members of the British public see for the first time what government property is available to buy or rent was launched January 24 by Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith. Find Me Some Government Space operates similarly to commercial sites such as “rightmove” in that the public will be able to find available property using either a postcode or area keyword.
The Web site is expected to speed up the process for government to exit its unused property. It will open up over 300 properties available to rent and around 900 currently available to buy across Great Britain. Property available to purchase includes Bidston Observatory, Wakefield Fire Control Centre, Lerwick Observatory Site, Witham Magistrates Court, Park Lane Ambulance Station Wolverhampton, and a disused mortuary at Royal Victoria Hospital Folkestone.
Users will be able to access the site via the new government Web site GOV.UK to search for property to purchase or rent from the government. Property will be displayed with photos and building guides where available. No log-in details are required to access the site, which alongside building details will also supply the relevant contact details for the official involved in renting or selling the building.
The tool takes information from the e-PIMs data on U.K. government property that most central and local government departments already provide. As new sites become available, the Web site will automatically update.
The National Property Controls introduced by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, which stop signing of new leases and renewals of existing leases, have already reduced costs from May 2010 to September 2012 by £362 million a year, notes the Cabinet Office. Additionally, over the 20 months following May 2010, over £640 million has been raised in capital receipts by selling over 250 surplus buildings.
