Issue - meetings

[Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development]

The report will ask Cabinet to approve the letting of a build contract to build eight new Council homes for Council rent. It will also request the appropriation of the land, first for planning purposes and then on completion for housing purposes.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development introduced the report which sought approval, following consultation with local residents, to build eight new Council homes for Council rent on Council land that is currently used primarily as a car park for the Redlands Estate residents and includes six garages.  This location had experienced anti-social behaviour issues in the past and it was anticipated that the development of the scheme would resolve these issues.

The Cabinet Member and Officers responded to questions from the Cabinet:

-           Disabled parking spaces would be planned out and positioned in an area where the disabled units were located.

-           The scheme would provide a range of green space – private garden space for the houses and communal green space. 

-           Secure cycle parking would be provided, and exact figures would be provided in writing to Councillor Hakata.

In response to Councillor Ogiehor, the Assistant Director for Housing advised that the scheme would be completed in late 2023 / early 2024.

Further to considering exempt information it was,

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

1.         Approves the appointment of Contractor A, identified in the exempt part of the report, to undertake the new build works to provide a total of eight new Council rented homes at Redlands, Summerhill Road for a total contract sum set out in the exempt part of the report; and approves the client contingency sum set out in the exempt part of the report.

2.         Approves the appropriation of the land known as Redlands, Summerhill Road (edged red in the site plan attached at Appendix 1) from housing purposes to planning purposes as it is no longer required for the purpose which it is currently held, and for the purpose of carrying out development as set out in part 6 of this report.

3.         Approves the use of the Council’s powers under Section 203 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 to override easements and other rights of neighbouring properties infringed upon by the Redlands, Summerhill Road development, under planning permission Ref: HGY/2020/1779.

4.         Delegates to the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning, after consultation with the Director of Finance and the Cabinet Member for House building, Placemaking and Development, authority to make payments of compensation as a result of any infringement arising from the development and the recommendation 3.1.3, within the existing scheme of delegation.

5.         Approves the appropriation of Redlands, Summerhill Road (edged red in the plans attached at Appendix 1) from planning purposes back to housing purposes under Section 19 of the Housing Act 1985, after practical completion of the development.

Reasons for decisions

The site known as Redlands, Summerhill Road was approved by Cabinet in July 2019 to be included in the Council’s housing delivery programme. The scheme has subsequently been granted planning consent and is ready to progress to construction. This report therefore marks the third, and final, Members’ decision to develop on this site.

Contractor A has been identified by a formal tender process to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 633