At their meeting in May 2021, Cabinet approved the development of a Covered Market and Managed Workspace facility at Jaywick Sands. Cabinet subsequently determined in October 2021 to outsource management of the building, with a direct award to the Colchester Business Enterprise Agency (Colbea) by means of a service contract and licence.
After a change of management at Colbea, the organisation had subsequently informed the Council they were no longer in a position to take on the licence agreement, which may have been driven by the financial risk associated with the building. Colbea did however remain content to enter into a service contract for a period of 7 months for an activation service to assist TDC in securing tenants for the building and assist in developing a plan for the running of the building. In order to increase their capacity to deliver at pace however, Colbea will partner with HAT projects for additional support.
Colbea also offered a further service once the 7 months activation period has ended, which will consist of drawing on their specialist expertise in this area to manage staff within the building, until such a time as Council staff are fully trained and self-sufficient.