Issue - meetings

[Report of the Assistant Director for Housing. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal.]

The report seeks Cabinet approval for sites to be entered into the Council Housing Delivery Programme, and will include an update on the programme.

Clerks note -The Leader left the meeting following his earlier declaration of interest and Cllr Chandwani, Deputy Leader chaired the meeting for this item.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Renewal, introduced the report which provided an update on the Council’s progress towards the Borough Plan target to deliver 1,000 Council homes for Council rent by 2022 and noted progress on providing homes for homeless families through the Haringey Community Benefit Society (CBS). The report further set out an initial assessment of the likely impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the housing delivery programme, including on its viability.

Cabinet were asked to add seven new sites of Council land - including land at Kerswell Close - to the housing delivery programme, and to remove the Roundway site from the programme.

Following questions from Cllr Jogee, Cllr Connor and Cllr das Neves the following information was provided by the Cabinet Member and  the Interim Assistant Director for Housing.

• With regards to concerns raised on the inclusion of Stokley court as a potentially suitable site on which to build new Council homes, the Cabinet Member provided assurances that there were no current plans to demolish any homes and no decisions had been made for the site. This Cabinet decision was the first stage of consideration in a defined process of engagement and consultation. Stokley court was previously approved for potential development by Cabinet on 9 July 2019. However, that approval was for a small infill scheme on the adjacent car park. Investigations of the site had identified the potential for a larger scheme, and the report was seeking Cabinet approval of investigation of that wider site.

• The designation of Stokley court as a “Good Neighbour Scheme” means that the current building is not meeting tenants’ access needs. This block was  part of a review by Homes for Haringey of its Sheltered Housing and Good Neighbour Schemes and was identified as needing considerable refurbishment. The Cabinet Member expressed, that there was a need for a broader approach to understand the potential of a bigger scheme for the site and increasing the housing currently available. The Council were being open and transparent in their consideration of this site and wanting to engage with Councillors and residents. If following this engagement and consultation there were valid objections, or if investigations demonstrated that it was not appropriate to take forward this site in the housing delivery programme, then the scheme would not proceed.

• Responding to the concerns on the uncertainty and anxiety that this engagement period of 9 months may create for residents in this scheme, the Cabinet Member gave assurance that residents would not be obligated to move from this site if they did not want to. The Cabinet Member was happy to write to residents to give them this assurance as well as Chettle Ct residents who had expressed similar concerns.

• The interim Assistant Director for Housing added, that the Homes for Haringey review of sheltered housing showed that the housing in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 238