Agenda item

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

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development introduced the report which sought approvalfor the acquisition at pre-construction phase of seven S106 homes in a 29-unit residential scheme at 39 Crawley Road, Wood Green. This would be a freehold acquisition comprising a self-contained block in the scheme which was being delivered by Frankum Developments Ltd.

The Cabinet Member and Assistant Director for Housing responded to questions from Councillor Cawley-Harrison:

-           The development was close to net zero carbon, but not completely, although it exceeded London Plan targets.

-           There were 11700 people on the waiting list for a Council home.  Further information would be provided in writing in regard to how this number has changed over the last four years.

-           Generally, around 50 homes were purchased each year under the Right to Buy scheme, but further information on the number of homes sold since 2018 would be provided in writing.

Further to considering exempt information, it was

RESOLVED to

1.      Approve the acquisition at pre-construction phase of seven S106 units in a 29 home residential scheme at 39 Crawley Road from Frankum Developments Ltd for use as Council rent accommodation. The block containing these units will be acquired on a freehold basis for the Package Price and based on the Heads of Terms and Business Case as set out in Exempt Appendix 2.

2.      Give delegated authority to Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning and after consultation with the Head of Legal and Governance (Monitoring Officer) and Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development to finalise and complete the transaction.   

Reasons for decision

There is an overwhelming need for social rented homes in Haringey. The acquisition of these homes will help the Council to meet that need by converting them to Social Rent for rent to those on the Council’s Housing Register who most need them.

The acquisition of these homes will also deliver an improved mix of genuinely affordable homes within the scheme as a whole and in Wood Green more widely, better meeting the needs of local people.

The homes to be delivered are very well located and will be of an extremely high quality. Delivering them as Council homes would help to create an inclusive environment in a development that has adopted the Healthy Streets Approach to embed public health in public realm.

Council Officers had an input in the design and accommodation provided within the S106 units at the pre-application of the planning process at which stage the Council expressed an interest in acquiring the homes.

The accommodation mix will give the Council larger and well-designed homes.

The homes are ineligible for GLA grant funding as the overall scheme fails to achieve the 40% threshold of affordable housing. The funding for the acquisition of these units is set out in Appendix 2 Exempt Report.

The acquisition is supported by the HRA Business Plan.

Alternative options considered

Not to acquire the private sale homes. This option was rejected because it would represent a missed opportunity for the Council to:

          i.Secure an additional seven homes for use as Council rent tenancies as part of the Council’s commitment to starting on site or completing 1,000 Council homes at Council rents by March 2022.

         ii.Further assist in maintaining momentum and progress in the overall Wood Green area.