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1. Brief Description of the Project:

In early 2005, Hammersmith and Fulham Council began designing a programme to enhance its office accommodation and regenerate the Town Hall end of King Street. The programme, christened the ‘King Street Regeneration Scheme’, was driven by the following factors:

  • Stagnant economic activity around the Town Hall area
  • High facilities management costs
  • Desire to provide co-location for key council staff
  • Undesirable ‘legacy’ Town Hall building with an inefficient internal layout


In 2007, the Council became increasingly aware of the need to address its smart working policies. A review was subsequently carried out, including the use of electronic data management and the support needed for hot-desking.

Resulting from the review was a Smart Working Programme and Project Board, set up to develop a workspace strategy and test the feasibility of a number of policies, including:

  • Flexible working
  • Home working
  • Desk Sharing
  • Smart Technology


Both programmes are currently in their preliminary stages and are due for implementation shortly.

2. Key Aims

King Street Regeneration Scheme

  • Improve the Council’s office provision
  • Combine the above with the regeneration for the east end of King Street to bring a balance to the prime retail locations around Hammersmith Broadway


Smart Working Programme

  • Improve the working environment for all staff
  • Combine the above with driving through cost saving targets outlined in the council’s efficiency agenda


3. Key Challenges/Major Issues

  • Implementing an Office Journal of the European Union compliant procurement model
  • Detailed modelling of future space requirements
  • Disparate human resource functions preventing a clear strategy to emerge


4. Key Benefits/Successes

In order for the Council to achieve its goals, a tender for a development partner was issued. Of the three main investors bidding, Grainger and Helical Bar were chosen to lead the King Street Regeneration development.

Council officers rated the schemes on three areas – quality, value for money and deliverability. The Grainger and Helical Bar proposals came first in all three areas, as well as coming top in a public vote held in November 2007.

With regard to Smart Working, the programme is intended to increase revenue savings in order to meet the Council’s efficiency targets. Projections have successfully indicated annual savings of £2.2 million.

5. Lessons Learnt

  • The need for accurate collection and management of data
  • The need to incorporate smart working across all departments
  • The need to operate from a corporate perspective for optimal efficiency
  • Synergies from centralisation of ICT and human resources
  • Co-location can spur interaction between departments
  • The need to assess projects on a life cost basis



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