Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Placemaking, and Development considered the report which sought approval to enter into an agreement with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to receive grant funding of £3,866,214.00 from the Brownfield Land Release Fund to support the delivery of Council development schemes at Ashley Road Depot and Gourley Triangle.

It was noted that Ashley Road Depot was a Council-owned site expected to deliver 275 new homes, which was expected to be 60% affordable by habitable room – with all of those homes at council rents. It was also a designated site under the Tottenham Area Action Plan (2017), and formed part of the transformation of the Tottenham Hale Urban Centre.

It was also noted that Gourley Triangle was an important Site Allocation (SS4) within the Council’s Tottenham Area Action Plan (2017), which presented an opportunity for mixed use development which will aim to secure the replacement of the existing employment floorspace, alongside new council rented homes.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    To approve the acceptance by the Director of Finance of the receipt from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) of £3,866,214.00 in capital funding through the Brownfield Land Release Fund to pay for infrastructure works, including decontamination, utilities works and associated infrastructure provision, at the Ashley Road Depot site and at Gourley Triangle.

2.    To approve that the grant sum is added to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget.

Reasons for decision

The decision to accept the grant would support the delivery of these two significant housing development schemes. Ashley Road Depot is currently expected to deliver 275 new homes in the Tottenham Hale Ward, completing in 2024. Gourley Triangle will deliver 201 homes and 73,873sqft of commercial space in the St Ann’s Ward.

Alternative options considered

The Council could decline the grant allocation. This option was rejected because the Council would have to fund the gap of £3,886,214 to be able to deliver these schemes.

The Council could decide not to build homes on these sites. This option was rejected because the Council is committed to delivering a new era of Council house building.

Please be advised that the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has agreed that the call-in procedure shall not apply to this urgent decision. This is because the decision is urgent and any delay in implementation caused by the call-in procedure would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interests due to the fact that the Council would lose £3.9m of grant funding of infrastructure works to support the delivery of new homes and commercial space at Ashley Road Depot and Gourley Triangle due for payment on or before 31st October. The alternative is that the grant payment be delayed until November, with a risk that the Government might change its funding priorities in the meantime. The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all circumstances, and that it should be treated as a matter of urgency. This is in accordance with Part 4, Section H, and Paragraph 18 (a) and (b) of the Council Constitution.