Agenda item

(Report of the Director for Regeneration, Development and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration). The report seeks approval to sell the freehold for part of the Ashley Road depot site. 

Exempt information pertaining to the report is set out under Item 25.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, which sought approval to sell the freehold for part of the Ashley Road depot site, in order to support the Harris Federation’s plans for an all through free school on the Technopark site.

The Cabinet Member for Environment noted that moving of the depot would not affect any Council services and that its functions would be transferred to the Marsh Lane site.

Councillor Bull noted that he had previously had concerns with regard to proposals for the Technopark and Ashley Road Depot site. However, having met with officers to discuss the proposals in detail he was happy that the proposals put forward represented a good use of the site and he thanked officers for the detailed briefing they had provided him with.

Exempt information was considered under Item 25.

RESOLVED:

1. That approval be given to declare the land (shown edged in red on the plan in Appendix A of the report), being part of the Ashley Road depot, surplus to requirement and for the sale of the Council’s freehold interest in that land (subject to the final boundary being agreed), to the Harris Federation for the offer price set out in the exempt part of the report to support their plans for an all through school at Technopark, subject to the Council’s relocation costs being fully met;
2. That delegated authority be given to the Director of Regeneration, Planning and Development to agree the final boundary of the land to be disposed of (including any variation in the offer price provided it represents best consideration) and the final terms of the sale, following consultation with the Section 151 Officer and Cabinet Member for Finance and Culture;

3. That determination of the final relocation costs, in order to support the sale of the site, be delegated to the Director of Regeneration, Planning and Development, following consultation with the Section 151 Officer and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration. The authority given to determine these costs is limited to the capped sum that will be reimbursed to the Council, this will ensure that there is no net additional cost to the Council as a result of this transaction;

4. That approval be given for officers to take forward plans for the relocation of some of the affected accommodation on the Ashley Road depot site to Marsh Lane, with the remainder of the affected accommodation relocated within the existing site, via reconfiguration or moved to an alternative off site location. These plans will take consideration of any potential longer term plans for the future location of the depot and waste management operation. All services and affected accommodation will be relocated to achieve vacant possession prior to completion of sale of the freehold; and
5. That approval be given for officers to initiate a feasibility study, as a separate exercise, to explore options for the long term future location of the waste management operation and the potential redevelopment opportunities for the remaining Ashley Road depot site in the context of wider regeneration plans for the Tottenham Hale area.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing - in a ‘do nothing’ scenario, if the Council decided not to sell part of the depot site, the Harris Federation would not be able to provide the recommended areas for play for pupils attending the all through school at Technopark.  The guidance under current regulations (DfE Building Bulletin 103) sets out a requirement for hard and soft outdoor PE and social space.  This requirement cannot be met on the Technopark site, due to the constraints of the existing Technopark building and site and the funding the EFA has available.

In the scenario where they do not have the additional depot land, the Harris Federation would have to consider options for play for their pupils off site.  This scenario has occurred for other free schools on restricted sites, however the Harris Federation have clearly stated this is far from ideal and would likely impact their decision to proceed with the school as this would detrimentally affect the quality of the Harris education offer for pupils in the borough.  

Reasons for decision

Ashley Road depot and Technopark are in the heart of the Tottenham Hale Regeneration area, within the Tottenham Housing Zone and identified as growth areas in the Local Plan.  Sale of part of the depot site will act as a catalyst for the review of longer term plans for the waste management depot in the context of the site presenting opportunity to provide a range of high density uses, including residential, and an aspiration for future redevelopment of the depot site, subject to re-housing the depot elsewhere.

Sale of part of the Depot site will facilitate the Harris Federation’s plans for an all through school at Technopark and enable them to provide sufficient play space to meet DfE guidance and support their aspirations for delivering a high quality education offer for their pupils. They propose to build a new Sports Hall and four MUGAs on the depot site and have agreed in principle that the sports, and other facilities provided will be made available for community use after the school day and during all holidays and weekends, which will be part of the terms of the sale to the Harris Federation.

The introduction of new sports facilities that can be accessed by local residents at discounted prices under the Leisure contract is a positive addition to the local area and will benefit the local community.  The possibility of a new access route through the depot site will also improve connectivity for residents to Down Lane Park and Ashley Road, exploit the planned green link through Tottenham Hale to Lea Valley Park and offer a more desirable and safer link than existing routes which are currently unsupervised.

It has been identified that the waste management service on the depot site can be rationalised with some accommodation relocated off site to release part of the site for sale, redevelopment or alternative use.

Cabinet members have previously approved the sale of Technopark to the Harris Federation for the provision of an all through school on the site.

An offer for sale of the freehold of part of the Ashley Road depot site has been made by the EFA on behalf of the Harris Federation which is in line with existing use market value for the site.