Abstract (English)
The downward spiral of former economic and industrial powerhouses of European inner cities due to decades of collapse of local industries, e.g. shipping, textiles and engineering, has led to ripple effects in the social, environmental and economic realms of local communities, which has proved a challenge for the Europe Union and national governments to reverse through regeneration, including the construction of community facilities. This research examined the role of Facilities Management (FM) in such a facility in the United Kingdom; and investigated the opportunity for FM to play a critical role in the local community; the extent to which FM was aligned to its community setting; and the potential benefits to be offered by taking a FM approach to managing community facilities. An Empirical study was undertaken involving a review of relevant literature on FM in the corporate, public and community settings, primary data collected through face-to-face semi-structured interviews with a sample of key stakeholders, and observations in the case study organisation. Findings were analysed against a conceptual framework for FM in the community (CbFM), and identified that community user participation was severely limited by local government structures, and services did not meet the core needs of the local community.