1 What is One Public Estate?
One Public Estate (OPE) is a national programme delivered in partnership by the Local Government Association (LGA), the Office of Government Property (OGP) within the Cabinet Office, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). It provides practical and technical support, funding and guidance to councils and locally-led partnerships of public sector bodies.
The OPE programme aims to maximise the value of public sector land and property by promoting more efficient and collaborative use. It supports initiatives such as integrating health and social care services, releasing surplus land for housing and commercial development and identifying opportunities to reduce operational costs and generate income.
By encouraging better coordination between public sector organisations, OPE helps deliver improved local services and achieve savings for taxpayers through smarter use of public assets.
This is encompassed in 3 core objectives by:
- creating economic growth - new homes and jobs
- delivering more integrated, customer-focused services
- generating efficiencies, through capital receipts and reduced running costs
Locally led partnerships of public sector bodies can bid for funding from the national programme to repurpose underutilised or surplus public estate for housing, regeneration and other locally determined uses.
There are 2 funding sources:
- OPE revenue funding unlocking significant benefits through colocation opportunities, providing land for homes and jobs, improving public service delivery, reducing running costs for improved public sector efficiency and delivering capital receipts for reinvestment
- Brownfield Land Release Funding (BLRF) to unlock council-owned sites for housing, by addressing site viability issues
The West Sussex OPE programme
The OPE programme in West Sussex was established in January 2017 in response to the national requirement for locally led partnerships. It brings together representatives from local authorities, NHS trusts, emergency services and education providers to collaborate on property-focused initiatives to support strategic asset management across the public sector.
Recognising public sector organisations as major landowners and anchor institutions, the programme aims to make best use of the region’s limited land supply. This collaborative approach helps strengthen the city region’s economic, social and environmental resilience.
The total funding awarded to the local programme now stands at £10.245 million, supporting a portfolio of 14 projects, 8 funded through the OPE revenue strand and 6 through the BLRF.
2 OPE projects
The West Sussex Partnership has been awarded £945,000 in OPE revenue support grant funding to support key early-stage activities such as:
- feasibility studies
- viability assessments
- master planning
- business case development
- project management support
These efforts are helping unlock the potential of public sector land and property, enabling more joined-up service delivery. It is also supporting regeneration and contributing to long-term economic, social, and environmental benefits across several projects in the following areas:
Chichester
This project is led by Chichester District Council and aims to redevelop a significant number of sites in the city’s Southern Gateway area to improve transport links, access to the historic town centre and deliver new housing, leisure and commercial space. OPE funds are being utilised to test possible solutions for part of the surplus land in the Southern Gateway. The future of the site is subject to a Cabinet Member decision.
Crawley
The redevelopment of the County Buildings site is being progressed through a Joint Venture (JV) with Kinsted Developments LLP, supported initially by OPE funding. A key decision in August 2025 approved a time and performance limited option agreement to enable the development of a business case for the site’s future use.
This initiative aims to deliver the economic growth objectives set out in the Crawley Growth Deal. The JV is leading the redevelopment, which also presents a significant opportunity to advance place-making ambitions outlined in the Crawley Local Plan and associated supplementary planning documents. Any plans are subject to a future governance process and formal decision by the council.
Horsham
The new combined blue light centre, which provides operational and training facilities for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and Sussex Police, became operational in July 2023. This project has released the former blue light sites in Hurst Road to enable the county council to dispose of the old fire station site.
Shoreham
A partnership study has helped shape future opportunities for the site, identifying potential for improved service delivery. The NHS is actively exploring enhancements to its existing health centre to better meet community needs. Meanwhile, the county council is progressing plans to upgrade the library building and is considering options for the future use of its vacant site to ensure it delivers maximum value.
Worthing
Redevelopment of Centenary House, Durrington Lane. The site has been identified as a priority regeneration opportunity through the Worthing Growth Deal and the Local Plan, with potential for a mix of employment and residential uses. The land is held in trust with Sussex Police and both organisations are working collaboratively to explore development opportunities and alternative future uses for the land in accordance with the Local Plan.
A new access has been designed which enables the ability to separate uses and ownership of the site. We are looking at master-planning to explore opportunities for surplus land and alternative future uses, aligned with the Local Plan.
3 Brownfield Land Release Projects (BLRF)
The BLRF funding is aimed at releasing land owned by local authorities for development, removing barriers such as small-scale remediation and infrastructure works which would otherwise make the land unusable.
The county council partnership has so far been awarded a total of £9.3m of BLRF, which will support the delivery of new homes at the following sites:
The Tannery, Chichester
This county council owned land comprises a redundant office accommodation on the site of a former tanning factory. The BLRF will support decontamination and demolition work to make way for a new residential development. Plans submitted (June 2025) by Kinsted Developments LLP, a joint venture between the council and Lovell Partnerships, propose building up to 28 new homes.
Former Barton’s Infant School, Bersted
The site has been vacant since the school closed in 2014 and later, the county council declared the site surplus to requirements. The BLRF funds has been used to demolish the vacant school building to release a clear site for the construction of 21 homes. Construction works are currently underway and planned to complete in Spring 2026.
The Arcade, Bognor Regis
In January 2025, Arun District Council completed the enabling works to prepare The Arcade in Bognor Regis, a historic 1902 building, for a major regeneration project. The BLRF funded improvements are aimed at protecting the building’s structure and to pave the way for its sympathetic regeneration. Subject to planning approval, the intention is to create up to 35-character town centre apartments and additional ground floor retail space. To find out more visit the Arun District Council news page.
Crawley Former Town Hall
The old Town Hall in Crawley, vacant since 2023, is currently being demolished to make way for new residential and commercial developments, including much-needed affordable housing in the town centre. The project, supported by £2,386,624 from BLRF, includes enabling works such as relocating the existing sub-station. Demolition is expected to continue into October 2025, following outline planning approval for up to 182 apartments.
Longley House, Crawley
Planning permission was granted in 2022 to demolish an existing building in Crawley town centre and replace it with a nine-storey development comprising up to 121 residential units, along with a sub-station relocation, car parking, tree works and landscaping.
Crawley Borough Council acquired the site in early 2024 with the intention to build new council-owned affordable homes. The BLRF will support demolition, deconstruction, and enabling works to prepare the site for redevelopment, with the final scheme subject to completion of the Section 106 agreement.
Deerswood Court Garages
BLRF funding is supporting the demolition of 52 old garages (units 24 to 75) at Deerswood Court to make way for approximately 50 new parking spaces for community use, located beneath a proposed modular housing development. The plan includes building up to 18 one- and two-bedroom modular homes to help address Crawley’s urgent social housing needs, with the new homes intended for local residents.
4 Partners
One Public Estate (OPE) is about working with partners to improve how we all deliver services to the public. A total of 18 organisations originally committed to joining the OPE West Sussex Partnership. Since then the partnership has grown, with a total of 22 organisations now involved.
West Sussex County Council is the lead authority for the partnership, and our partners are:
- Adur District Council
- Arun District Council
- Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Chichester College Group
- Chichester District Council
- Coastal West Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group
- Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership
- Community Health Partnerships
- Crawley Borough Council
- Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group
- Homes England
- Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group
- Horsham District Council
- Mid Sussex District Council
- NHS Property Services
- Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Sussex Police
- Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service
- Worthing Borough Council