Decision details

Councillor Clare Cummins, the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, presented the report which sought approval to dispose of Wheatfields, a Council owned brownfield site in Whitefield, to Onward Homes, a registered provider, for the delivery of a 100% affordable housing scheme on Council owned brownfield land. This would enable the construction of 30 new affordable homes, generate a capital receipt and also take over liability for the grant repayment. Councillor Cummins advised that the Regenda / STH supported living accommodation would not be affected by the proposed land disposal and that the Council had worked with Onward to develop the plans which included bungalows to be designed to meet the needs of those with mobility issues. It was noted that full details of the commercial terms were set out in the Part B paper later in the agenda.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.   Approved the disposal of this site to Onward Homes for affordable housing development;

2.   Approved the Heads of Terms for this disposal as set out in this report and the Part B report; and

3.   Delegated the finalised terms of the agreement to the Director of Economic Regeneration and Capital Growth in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, S151 Officer and Monitoring Officer.

Reasons for the decision:

·         The development of this site contributes to the delivery of the Councils brownfield first policy.

·         There is an increasing shortage of affordable housing in the Borough, and many families are finding it difficult to access a suitable home they can afford which meets their needs.

·         The recently published Housing Strategy has been developed to deliver the Council’s housing priorities and ensure the delivery of sufficient high quality housing to meet the current and future needs of residents. The Strategy prioritises affordable housing development, including provision for older people and specialist groups such as people with disabilities.

·         The proposal will deliver 30 two and three bed affordable homes with provision for older people and those with a disability.

·         The sale of the land will also generate a capital receipt, remove any repair and maintenance liabilities and result in wider social, environmental and financial benefits including new homes bonus and council tax revenue.

·         This proposal will accelerate delivery of this site allowing resources to be spent unlocking other brownfield housing sites across the district.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         Sale on the open market to a private developer – this option has been rejected as the sale would be subject to a viability assessment which may have the potential to mitigate the requirement for the provision of affordable housing and, potentially, reduce any capital receipt.

·         Sale via traditional approach - appoint an agent, formulate development brief through planning analysis, collate marketing materials, openly market the site and attract offers from providers. This option has been rejected as it would incur sales and marketing costs and delay the construction of the new homes by circa 18 months.