Governance and Delivery Consultants
Governance and delivery
Choosing the right governance model is one of the most consequential decisions a project will face. If the wrong decision is made, even a well-funded, well-designed visitor attraction, heritage site or tourism project can struggle to deliver or to operate sustainably once it opens.
We help boards, trustees, local authorities and landowners identify, evaluate and select the most appropriate structure for both the delivery phase (getting a project built) and the operational phase (running it over the long-term). We also recognise the growing role that volunteers and local communities play in sustaining projects over time, and we take this into our assessment.
Governance models we assess
- In-house management
- Trust or similar independent organisation
- Private management company
How we evaluate governance options
Our assessment process typically involves:
- Stakeholder consultation: Understanding what matters to the board, funders, staff and community
- Review of team skills and experience: What capacity already exists, and what would need to be brought in
- Development of a shared vision: So the governance model serves the project’s aims, not the other way round
- Risk identification: The specific risks associated with each option
- A structured scoring matrix: Applied consistently across a broad range of criteria, so the recommendation is evidence-based, not just intuitive
This isn’t a standalone exercise. Governance and delivery assessment is included in the majority of the business plans we prepare for visitor attractions, heritage sites and tourism destinations, because funders, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and local authorities, expect a clear, tested answer on how a project will be managed over the long-term, not just how it will be built.
Governance work
- Pembrokeshire County Council: Advised on governance options as part of the feasibility and development plan for the transformation of Haverfordwest Castle and Governor’s House into a flagship heritage attraction
- Newham Council: Prepare a business plan and organisational and governance strategy to support a successful funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The project is focused on the transformation of Canning Town Old Library, Grade II listed, into a vibrant Heritage Centre which will incorporate an archive store, reading room, education and interpretation spaces and a catering offer
- Natural Resources Wales: Prepared a visitor experience masterplan for Afan Forest Park, a mountain biking destination, including advising on delivery and future governance options
- Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council: Updated the business plan and options review for the operational management and governance of Kirkleatham Walled Garden, which includes a café, events space and walled garden along with horticultural and catering training academies
- Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council: Prepared a delivery framework to support the long-term sustainability of the Vale of Neath Heritage Corridor
- Tenby Museum and Gallery: Lead Consultant on the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery project, where we worked with the Trusts to carry out three options appraisals to identify and evaluate (a) revenue-generating opportunities, (b) future governance and delivery, and (c) space use within the museum and site location
How can we help?
If you need help reviewing or assessing governance options for a visitor attraction, heritage site or tourism project, whether you’re starting from scratch or reconsidering an existing governance structure we’d be happy to talk it through.
Call or email Richard Linington on 07866 742628 or richard@pslplan.co.uk