Otium Planning highlight consultant’s skills in securing project funding

Leading industry consultants the Otium Planning Group has advised of its view that partnerships will be key to aquatic, recreation and sport facilities emerging from COVID-19.

Noting that “there will be increased pressure on our financial capacity to deliver on these aspirations”, Otium see that partnerships and value capture will guide successful capital expenditure  funding.

A statement from Otium advises “we all want to dream large about what we can deliver for our communities. Partnerships and value capture can help leverage additional contributions into assets and services to deliver for the community.

“Identifying suitable partnership opportunities and securing mutual benefits requires a planned approach and, perhaps most importantly, a commercial mindset. We can feel confident exploring these opportunities and negotiating beneficial outcomes, and purposefully set up for success by creating a plan and deploying a skill set to manage risk.

“Passive and underperforming assets, such as surplus Council and Crown land, can be leveraged to capture investment into community facilities and services.”

Senior Consultant Peter Fitchett (pictured), who joined Otium Planning Group last year, has in excess of 20 years’ experience in leading the planning and development of large Victorian councils. This experience includes 13 years at the City of Casey, one of Australia’s largest and fastest growing councils, where he led the successful implementation of Australia’s most aspirational Leisure Plan - the 20-year, $500 million Leisure Facilities Development Plan.

Central to the successful outcomes that Fitchett oversaw was the identification and creation of value capture and successful partnerships, including:

• Value capture from surplus Council land.
• The Melbourne Football Club and Melbourne Stars community partnerships, the most successful in the AFL and BBL.
• Not for Profits which have seen investment into assets and services provided at Council facilities.
• Health care providers to invest into major new facilities.
• Property developers to fund over $2 billion of facilities and services to communities via development levies.
• Philanthropists and commercial benefactors to create added value to services provided to the community.
• Hospitality service providers to build bricks and mortar and create vibrant leisure precincts.
• The Tertiary Education sector to provide significant joint use facilities and services for community benefit.
• Attracted new streams of funding from Federal and State Governments through innovative partnerships.

Fitchett has recently undertaken consultancies working with the Yarra Ranges, Latrobe City and Mornington Peninsula Shire Councils to examine particular assets and explore ways to secure funding to supplement Council rate contributions.

Highlighting Fitchett’s strengths, Otium point to his ability to simplify this complex process, emphasising his skills in assisting clients position themselves to be able to identify opportunities and to successfully deliver partnerships outcomes to:

• Set up a process to target partnership opportunities
• Set up for success by understanding how to best secure mutual benefit.
• Know how to appropriately value opportunities to secure a strong financial outcome
• Manage risk to ensure the value capture or partnership delivers long term sustainable benefits.

Peter Fitchett can be contacted on 0429 487 762/03 9698 7300 or via email to peter@otiumplanning.com.au.