Policy paper

Department for Transport Strategic Asset Management Plan - Executive Summary

Published 30 October 2025

Our Objectives and Vision

The Department for Transport has five Transport priorities which are supported by a set of five strategic enablers. These are:

Transport priorities

1. Improving performance on the railways and driving forward rail reform.
2. Improving bus services and growing usage across the country.
3. Transforming infrastructure to work for the whole country, promoting social mobility and tackling inequality.
4. Delivering greener transport.
5. Better integrating transport network.

Strategic Enablers

1. People and place
2. Safety & Security
3. Science, Innovation, Technology and Data
4. International
5. An excellent department

The diverse nature of DfT operations require the Department, and its delivery bodies to hold a complex range of assets in order to facilitate the delivery of public services and transport infrastructure. Our mission is to deliver a safe, secure, sustainable, effective and value for money estate across the DfT family which meets DfT’s property objectives, aligned to the Government Property Strategy (GPS) and the Department’s Transport priorities. Our property objectives are as follows:

• Continue to support operational requirements
• Support growth, releasing land and transforming places
• Deliver a sustainable estate
• Ensure safety and security
• Deliver an efficient and effective asset base; maximising income and minimising cost

Our enablers to deliver DfT’s property objectives are:

• A capable expert and engaged team 
• Accurate & reliable data
• Effective governance and processes 

Our Estate and Portfolio

DfT is responsible for the delivery of a wider range of services and national infrastructure, from building a new high speed rail line at one end of the spectrum to providing driving tests at the other. Our estate, much of which is operational, reflects this. Most of the estate is held by our delivery bodies – which includes various Agencies and Public Bodies – who are responsible for managing their portfolio on a day-to-day basis. Very little is held by the central department. In line with our objective to deliver an efficient and effective asset base, we continue to keep our group level estate under review and adapt it to changing requirements as they emerge. Surplus property is disposed of to generate receipts and support government objectives - including housing and growth.

The main elements of the DfT Estate held across the Department and arms-length bodies are:

• Offices: e.g. the DfT central office estate includes facilities in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Swansea, Edinburgh, Hastings, and Newcastle.
• Operational Portfolio: all our delivery bodies such as Network Rail, National Highways, DVSA, MCA, DVLA as well as Accident Investigation facilities, Government Car Service and IMO.
• Central Transport Estate: retained transport infrastructure sites including land leased to HS1, acquisitions associated with HS2 railway, Waterloo International Terminal, North Pole Depot and Orient Way Sidings.
• Non-Core Surplus (to be disposed of): Across the group as land or buildings become surplus.
• Historical Railway Estate: redundant and closed rail infrastructure.
• Peripheral: including General Lighthouse Authority, Civil Aviation Authority and Office of Rail and Road.​

Key Figures

DfT is supported by 24 agencies and public bodies and the majority of DfT’s estate is held by the Department’s Agencies and Public Bodies. The key figures in the table include data from the office and operational estates of DfTc and the following major property holding Agencies and Public Bodies in DfT Group - Network Rail, National Highways, DVSA, MCA, LCR, BTP, DVLA, HS2 and East West Rail (EWR):

2025-26	Present
Number of Holdings *	23,052
Floorspace (sqm)*	3,297,840
Land Area (ha)*	3,194.73
Workforce	69780
Locations	DfT and its delivery bodies hold property assets throughout the United Kingdom. The major centres where staff are located include Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Swansea, Swindon and York.

*The numbers do not include land held specifically for prospective infrastructure schemes by HS2 Land and Property, EWR and National Highways. Linear infrastructure – track and roads – are not included in the figures but the figures do include over 18k line-side buildings on the railway network.

Statutory compliance across the DfT group estate is tracked by individual business units using data from Facilities Management suppliers. DfT and its delivery bodies maintain their respective Strategic Asset Management Plans (SAMPs). The central Department has a key role in the strategic management of the estate both through direct responsibility for the DfT central estate and leadership across the wider departmental estate. DfT Group Strategic Asset Management Plans are submitted to Cabinet Office annually after they are signed off at group level by DfT’s Accounting Officer.

Strategic Programmes

DfT group are fully committed to supporting the Government Property Strategy and key central programmes such as those promoting regional growth, telecoms and disposals of surplus land. 

DfT family are actively working to decentralise and relocate roles to the regions. Over the last year, the central Department has grown the number of staff based at our hub locations in Birmingham by 18% and Leeds by 26%.  Most of DfT’s Executive Agencies are located outside London. DVLA is in Swansea, DVSA in Nottingham, Swansea, Bristol, and Newcastle and MCGA in Southampton. Network Rail and National Highways have a national presence. We have located our newest agency, Active Travel England in York – boosting public sector capability, unlocking opportunities and growth for the region. The Great British Railways (GBR) HQ will be in Derby. 

DfT group are committed to disposing any surplus land to unlock housing, regeneration, growth and to support other government objectives. The department is working closely with other government departments and public bodies to maximise any opportunities to unlock housing on surplus land. Our contribution will be further supported by a newly formed property company, Platform 4, which has been recently created by merging NR Property and LCR and is forecast to unlock c.40,000 new homes, land over 9m sq. of commercial space, and 5m sq. of public space over the next 10 years.

Our Capability

The DfT Central Group property team includes a high proportion of MRICS and other property professionals providing advice and assurance to assist in the delivery of departmental policy, such as HS2, Rail and Roads. Several of our large Agencies and Public Bodies have their own property specialists. These are brought together under the DfT Strategic Property Forum, Facilities Management Board and Sustainability Board. We are fully involved in cross-government capability-building initiatives including improved estate data management and further development of the Government Property Profession.