Property database

Issue date November 2007 - under review

 Introduction

The property information and asset management database holds records for all county council property and land including schools, nursery schools, elderly persons homes, fire stations, fire service houses and other staff houses, museums, family centres, offices, agricultural smallholdings etc.

The data held for each property includes:

  • The establishment name, its postal address, telephone and fax numbers, email address.
  • Details of a contact for each property such as a caretaker, headteacher, fire station officer etc.
  • Which district, parish and electoral ward the property is in and what its current operational status and property type are.
  • Valuation data for buildings and their sites which is reconciled with the SAP Asset Register.
  • Details of the tenure ie. whether owned by Oxfordshire County Council, leased in by Oxfordshire County Council, leased out etc.
  • Map and grid references which have been linked with GIS map systems.
  • Records of acquisitions and disposals including the cost of any purchase or capital receipt received from sales.
  • Lease and licence information including the value of rental income or rent payments to be made and when,
  • Lease details such as start and end dates, rent review dates and whether or not there is an option to break.
  • It integrates with CAD floor plan drawings from which GIA and GEA data is generated.
  • CAD plans which underpin the asbestos and repair and maintenance data managed by Property and Facilities.
  • Suitability and sufficiency data for schools which is used and maintained by the Property and Assets team in CEF.

Floor areas

Measured drawings which are held on the council's property database are used to generate a record of the Gross Internal Area (GIA) and Gross External Area (GEA) floor areas of all county council buildings.

Property and Facilities Information and Support Team maintain the database and measured drawings are added or amended as needed.

This information is electronically passed on a daily basis to the council's core consultant so that the councils database and the Consultants Atrium system provide a common record base.

A report has been created on the council's database to provide details of GIA and GEA as required. For details of how these figures can be obtained contact the Database Administrator on 01865 815804.

In the contract between the county council and the core consultant there are a number of elements where the consultant's fees are directly related to the GEA's. In March of each year, details of the current GEA figures are used by Peter Daw in conjunction with the average year on year movement of the LNMP index of earnings, to establish the value of these elements for inclusion in the Provisional Indicative Income report for the coming financial year. The GEA figure used includes an estimate of areas for properties that have not yet been surveyed and included on the database and excludes all properties for which the core consultant has no responsibility. Initially the report is assessed within Property and Facilities prior to being sent to the core consultant for comment.

When agreed fees are paid in monthly instalments.

Notification of changes to property records

To be able to keep the property database up to date it is essential that consultants, who are aware of or are responsible for any changes to the property information held on the database, notify the Property Records Officer (01865 816048). This will include:

  • Details of any new build (including extensions). This should include the name of the property, contact details and the name of the Service Directorate occupying the property. Drawing records to be provided in accordance with Measured survey drawing records (A1/038).
  • Any major refurbishment or alteration work that changes the physical layout of the building or increases or decreases the usable floor area. This should include details of any changes to the name of the property, contact details, the name of the service directorate occupying the property and changes in use. Drawing records to be provided in accordance with Measured survey drawing records (A1/038).
  • Acquisition of a property, building or land. This should include whether the acquisition is freehold or leasehold, reason for the acquisition, the name of the property, contact details and the name of the service directorate occupying the property. Drawing records if available are to be provided in accordance with Measured survey drawing records (A1/038).
  • Disposal of a property, building or land as specified in the procedures for the acquisition and disposal of property manual. This should include whether what is being disposed of was freehold or leasehold, reason for the disposal, a plan showing the area to be disposed of, the name of the property and the name of the service directorate previously occupying the building.
  • Demolition of a building. This should include the reason for demolition, the name of the property where the building was located and the name of the service directorate previously occupying the building.
  • Change of use or user of a building, or rooms within a building, (particularly in multi-occupancy buildings). This should include details of the previous use or user and service directorate occupying together with the new use or user and the service directorate occupying. Where applicable details of any changes to lease agreements to be included.
  • Change of circumstances relating to third party agreements (eg. community groups, charities and NHS Trusts who occupy property, whether or not to deliver a statutory service on behalf of the council and irrespective of any service level or other agreement which may be in place).
  • Change of contact details. This should include details of a change of property name, address and postcode and contact person at the property.
  • Any work affecting asbestos materials. For details of the actions to be taken regarding the discovery of asbestos materials not included in the database or for the removal or other work affecting asbestos materials see Asbestos management (C1/001).

Relevant guidance notes

Listed below are further guidance notes that are linked with information regarding the property database: