About the Department

Property, Business and Regulatory Services Department

Property, Business and Regulatory Services (PB&R) embraces a wide range of services and responsibilities, operates from around 30 sites across Hampshire and employs around 2,500 staff.

The three primary functions of the Department are:
Property Services: Architecture and Design Services, Property Repair and Management Services (Property Management), Quantity Surveying, Procurement, Engineering, Estates Practice and the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens.
Business Services: Hampshire County Council Catering Services (HC3S), Hampshire Printing, County Supplies , Hampshire Transport Management
Regulatory Services: Coroners, Registration Service, Scientific Service, Community Safety, Trading Standards and Advice

Overview – Property Services:

The headquarters for the Property Services is at:
Three Minsters House, 76 High Street , Winchester S023 8UL
Tel: 01962 845859

Property Services is formed of integrated practices comprising Property Management, Architecture and Design Services, Engineering and Estates Practices involved in delivering a comprehensive property service to over 300,000 people occupying some 5,000 buildings. This includes historic buildings, modern schools, libraries, museums, social services buildings and office accommodation. Overall the delivery of the capital programme worth in the region of £100m pa, including some £30m of schools condition related work, the increasing volume of school funded capital work and developing our partnership arrangements with schools are the major features for Property Services.

The procurement team is a relatively new team within the department and leads on both the county council’s construction related procurement and for the South East Centre of Excellence.

The Architectural Practice is a thriving office of over 75 employees, encompassing interior design, space planning, landscape and land surveying. The team offers an opportunity to work in a practice with a track record of awards, design of the highest quality and where everything designed is built.
As well as Design, the department covers all procurement, and acts as a Landlord for the County Council. Major projects are developed in partnership with the contracting industry, and with Hampshire seen as a significant client it has been able to work with partners and focus on developing new procurement methods, which enhance supply chain management, health and safety, and construction quality.

The Engineering Practice Unit provides structural, mechanical and electrical resource which can be used on both new and refurbishment projects. In the case of structural engineering the process of inspecting the Built Estate, which consists of approximately 5000 buildings, is also included. The unit has approximately 20 staff and has access to the latest CAD facilities.

As well as the “in-house” staff the Engineering Practice Unit is also responsible for the appointment of consultants and the monitoring of their work. In the case of structural engineering we have formal partnership arrangements with six practices which undertake the majority of the work in this discipline.

The Estates Practice buys land and property, manages the County Council’s diverse estate and sells surplus land and property. Capital receipts obtained average over £20m per year to help fund the County Council's programme of capital expenditure such as new schools, libraries and facilities for the elderly.

The Estates Practice manages a significant property portfolio, and the purchase, sale and development of land and property for the generation of capital receipts

There is a strong focus on customer service given the significant customer base. There is a belief that excellence is achieved through effective leadership with a commitment to staff development, and growing and nurturing talent. Such an approach allows the department to respond to new opportunities by aligning project requirements alongside individual personal development objectives. Hampshire County Council is IIP accredited and within Property Services there is a good track record of being able to provide career and role development within the teams.