The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has recently published its responses to the independent Land and Society Commission Report, looking at ways the organisation and its members can help communities take on additional powers and responsibilities – both in response to the government’s plans for localism in England, and in helping people invest more productively in their communities.
As part of its Royal Charter, RICS is committed to supporting initiatives which enable member expertise and resources to be effectively channelled for the benefit of society, particularly the task of the surveyor to ‘secure the optimal use of land to meet social and economic need’.
It was this that led to RICS establishing and facilitating the independent Land and Society Commission in January 2011. In its response to the commission’s report, RICS provides 12 direct responses detailing how the organisation and its members can channel its expertise and support for the benefit of all.
Among them is RICS response to the commission’s recommendation that RICS should do more to support communities to help build community housing at a sufficiently large scale that would enable volume lending to the sector. RICS is also developing guidance on the valuation of self-build homes to ensure that they are correctly valued by lenders.
RICS has now started to work closely with a number of community groups to provide professional support at the initial stages of local asset transfer projects. This will bolster the capacity of community groups to take on assets in their area and connects professionals with local projects that they may not have been aware of.
If the initial pilots are successful, RICS will be working with the Asset Transfer Unit examining how to scale up this partnership. The commission’s report also recommended that RICS should support firms to give up time for community projects and consider free advice sessions for RICS members. RICS delivers free property advice for charitable organisations through Charity Property Help and free assistance for those otherwise unable to access professional advice through the Chartered Surveyors Voluntary Service.
