Practice Notes

Approved for Publication 03.08.2004

MISCELLANEOUS PROPERTIES COMMITTEE

Practice Note 12

REVALUATION 2005

VALUATION OF BUS SHELTERS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Bus Shelters will continue to be entered in the Valuation Roll as composite entries in the ownership of the relevant local authority.

2.0 BASIS OF VALUATION

It is recommended that the subjects should be valued on the Contractors Method using the appropriate decapitalisation rate. It is also recommended that a ` broad brush' approach is adopted, using a single, inclusive rate per shelter.

3.0 COSTS

Costs have been obtained from a number of local authorities, and suppliers of bus shelters.

Shelters on specific sites range in size and style from 2 bay cantilever to 6 bay enclosed. The latter are normally found in city centres. For the purposes of this report, the predominant type of unit found is the 3 bay size, each bay or section in modern shelters measuring either 1.0 or 1.2 metres. The standard depth of a shelter is normally 1.3 metres.

The average cost to be adopted for a three bay shelter derived from analysis of the costs made available is £2,350. Where it is not considered appropriate to adopt the single rate at Paragraph 2.0 above the cost to be applied to shelters with a different numbers of bays' may be adjusted on a pro-rata basis.

4.0 AGE AND CONDITION

It appears that on average bus shelters have a life expectancy of up to 20 years. However due to the effects of hard use and vandalism, it is recommended that an allowance of 35% be applied.

5.0 SITE VALUE

Having regard to the “broad brush” approach being adopted, site value is reflected in the rate at 3.0 above and no further adjustment is required for location.

6.0 EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

There will be instances where bus shelters have been provided on private property, rural estates, factories, serving the needs of visitors etc. In all such cases the shelters should be included (or deemed included, in the case of larger subjects) as a pertinent of the subject to which they belong and which they serve.

With the curtailing of rural bus services in some areas, bus shelters may no longer be used. If still used to some degree for occasional purposes, e.g. school buses they should remain in valuation. If no longer used they should be regarded as wholly redundant and ignored. The same result should apply if the realignment of a road has produced a similar effect.