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ACES Terrier

Terrier Autumn 2025
Autumn edition of Aces Terrier


NEW RICS APC GUIDANCE New Candidate and Counsellor Guides
Jen Lemen of Property Elite summarises the crucial and immediate changes to the new RICS APC Candidate and Counsellor Guides. Key updates cover backdating structured training (now up to 6 months), clarifying the difference between the diary and log book, setting a 2-year validity period for case studies, and establishing strict rules against using AI writing tools for submissions.

Jen Lemen
7 min read


MY LEGACY What has happened to my legacy – Addendum Community Asset Transfer: Is it a policy inherently destined to fail?
Richard Allen, a former ACES President, questions whether Community Asset Transfer (CAT) is a policy "inherently destined to fail," given the struggles of high-profile cases like the Lenton Centre and St Ann’s Allotments in Nottingham. He argues that while CAT is vital for community empowerment, success hinges on robust local authority support, long-term leases, and addressing the growing challenge of volunteer shortages in community groups.

Richard Allen
11 min read


RICS MATRICS What it means to its members
Danni Foster, RICS Next Generation Manager, interviews Francesca Fowler-Walsh, Associate at Savills and UK Board member of RICS Matrics—the early career community for surveyors up to 10 years post-qualification. Francesca shares how the network, which offers peer support, CPD, and mentoring, provided a vital training ground for both technical and soft skills, opening doors by providing the confidence and network to choose which doors to open.

Danni Foster
8 min read


PLACE PILOTS Place Pilots – the West Midlands Combined Authority experience
Brian Thompson and Peter Beer detail the experience of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) as one of five locations awarded funding for the innovative Place Pilot Programme in 2022. Designed as a test bed for scalable collaborative asset management beyond routine One Public Estate (OPE) projects, the programme successfully fostered regional collaboration, updated key documents like the Public Land Charter, and unlocked novel projects, proving the power of a regional,
Brian Thompson and Peter Beer
6 min read


UNLOCKING THE PUBLIC ESTATE Unlocking the Public Estate: what’s really stopping progress—and what councils can change this year
Guy Brett of Watling Consulting compares a 1999 government study with a 2025 pulse survey, finding that despite a decisive shift toward corporate control of assets, the lack of decision-grade data and constrained capacity are severely hindering progress in unlocking the public estate. He provides six effective changes councils can make this year, emphasizing a shift from site-by-site to programmed phasing and service-led pipelines to manage mounting pressures like LGR and dec

Guy Brett
7 min read


ESTATE STRATEGIES Why estate strategies are critical to the public sector’s future
Maddie Chelsom, an Associate at Knight Frank, argues that estate strategies are now "strategic imperatives" for the public sector. She outlines four key drivers for renewal—financial efficiency, service transformation, climate commitments, and place leadership—and details the critical success factors of a good strategy, including strategic alignment, data-driven insight, and robust financial modelling to ensure deliverability and secure senior buy-in.

Maddie Chelsom
8 min read


UNLOCKING PROPERTY POTENTIAL Challenging the status quo - Giving purpose to the public estate: understanding need, harnessing data, unlocking potential
Chartered Surveyor Laura Boutle argues that the public estate is a powerful lever for resilience and growth, challenging the status quo by insisting on aligning property with purpose. Following on from Richard Gawthorpe’s article, she identifies two "golden threads" for unlocking potential: regular, structured stakeholder engagement to define community need and investing in a comprehensive asset register—the "engine room of effective estate strategy."

Laura Boutle
5 min read


REIMAGINING PUBLIC ESTATES Turning estates into engines of fiscal resilience and growth
Richard Gawthorpe of the Norse Group argues that facing a new reality of financial pressure and reorganisation, local authorities must shift their mindset from viewing public estates as liabilities to seeing them as engines of fiscal resilience and growth. He advocates for bold leadership, strategic repurposing (like converting offices to housing), and using innovative financing tools like joint ventures to generate revenue while retaining strategic control.

Richard Gawthorpe
4 min read
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