Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy and Communities. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Placemaking & Local Economy.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Approved the commencement of a procurement exercise in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 2.01(b) for the new?build development of 61 council homes at High Road West, Phase 1A, for the anticipated total contract sum set out in the exempt report.

2.    Delegated the appropriate route to market for High Road West, Phase 1A to the Chief Procurement Officer in compliance with the Council’s Contract Standing Orders.

Reasons for decision:

These recommendations enabled the re?commencement of the Scheme and facilitated the rehousing of residents on the Love Lane Estate into new permanent homes within the Scheme, in line with the commitments set out in the Love Lane Landlord Offer, which had been the subject of a positive resident ballot. The Council utilised Affordable Housing Grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA), already drawn down for the delivery of Phase 1A, helping it meet the milestones within those agreements. These steps created momentum and resulted in meaningful progress on site while work with Lendlease to agree a route forward on subsequent phases continued, with the aim that these would follow the delivery of Phase 1A.

Phase 1A provided 61 council homes on Council?owned land, including M4(3) wheelchair homes and family homes, along with associated refuse stores, cycle stores, service space, amenity space and landscaping. The council homes had been developed with Love Lane residents through engagement dating back to 2018. The site was granted detailed planning permission in August 2022 as part of the hybrid planning application for the Scheme (planning reference HGY/2021/3175), and a subsequent Non?Material Amendment application was approved in July 2023 (planning reference HGY/2022/3937).

Financial appraisals supported by an independent cost consultant demonstrated that the Phase 1A scheme was viable for delivery by the Council and that value for money could be achieved via the procurement route described in the report.

Under the Council’s Contract Standing Orders, item 2.01(b) required Cabinet approval to commence a procurement exercise for proposed contracts valued at £500k or above. The works contract for Phase 1A included the construction of the 61 new?build council homes and the demolition of the existing 100 Whitehall Street building (also known as Whitehall Lodge and located within the Phase 1A red line boundary), which was a Council?owned emergency?accommodation hostel and was due to be decommissioned prior to redevelopment.

The Phase 1A works contract was also planned to include the demolition of the 2–32 Whitehall Street residential block, part of the Love Lane Estate. This block was nearly vacated, and the Council’s rehousing team were working with tenants to relocate households into alternative accommodation within the estate prior to the completion of the new permanent homes at Phase 1A. Demolition of the empty block would improve the environment for residents on the estate and offer opportunities for temporary uses on the site prior to development, benefiting the local community.

Alternative options considered:

Not to proceed with direct delivery  ...  view the full decision text for item 407

The Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Local Economy introduced the report.

The Cabinet member explained that the Council had long been committed to delivering significant change for residents in north Tottenham, including providing new homes for those on the Love Lane Estate. The landlord offer set out guarantees stating that secure and non?secure tenants on the Love Lane Estate would be offered a modern, council?owned home within the High Road West redevelopment area that met their needs. The recommendations in the report represented a substantial step toward meeting these commitments, while work continued to identify a viable route for the next phase of the High Road West scheme.

It was explained that the proposed Council homes at Phase 1A were to be built to the same standards used across other council housing sites in the borough and would contribute to the programme to deliver at least 3,000 new council homes at council rents by 2031. The homes were designed to be durable, with high insulation levels, established internal and external design standards and a mix of family and individual accommodation. Homes were designed to be well?insulated and energy?efficient to help ensure they were affordable to run.

It was explained that Phase 1A included four fully wheelchair?accessible two?bedroom flats, twenty one?bedroom flats, ten two?bedroom flats, twenty?three three?bedroom family homes and four four?bedroom family homes. Proposals also included a shared communal garden with children’s play space and private amenity space for each home, including balconies or private gardens for ground?floor properties. It was stressed that these council homes were designed in collaboration with Love Lane residents, who had been waiting for them to be developed. In line with the Love Lane Landlord Offer, those residents would be given first priority for the homes at Phase 1A. A dedicated rehousing team would support residents through each stage of the moving process, ensuring that each home was suitable for the household and that adaptations were made where required.

Following questions from Councillors Ali and Connor, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the Council would work with existing residents and communities continually while developing the project. It was also explained that there would be a dedicated rehousing team which would work to develop houses with the tenants in mind while developing.
  
  
• It was noted that there were contract provisions regarding land assembly costs with Lend-Lease which would be reimbursed.
  
  
• It was explained that there were ongoing discussions with Lend-Lease on the remainder of the scheme and were seeking to deliver the entire scheme that the Council proposed.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Approved the commencement of a procurement exercise in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 2.01(b) for the new?build development of 61 council homes at High Road West, Phase 1A, for the anticipated total contract sum set out in the exempt report.

2.    Delegated the appropriate route to market for High Road West, Phase 1A to the Chief Procurement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 407