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New Social Housing on Housing Revenue Account Garage and Infill Sites 2015/16 Programme

Meeting: 10/03/2015 - Housing Scrutiny Committee (Item 55)

55 New Social Housing on Housing Revenue Account Garage and Infill Sites 2015/16 Programme pdf icon PDF 86 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Matter for Decision.

 

The report gave details of the next programme of sites to be brought forward in the Council’s social housing programme, for inclusion in the capital budget for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) as Garage and In-fill sites 2015/16.

 

Decision of the Executive Councillor for Housing:

 

     i.        Approved the sites to be included in the HRA Garage and Infill Sites 2015/16 Programme.

    ii.        Noted the indicative mix, design and layout of the new sites and approve that they be progressed for planning approval

   iii.        Approved the capital budget of £3,030,000 for the HRA Garage and Infill Sites 2015/16 Programme.

  iv.        Approved that delegated authority be given to the Director of Customer and Community Services following consultation with the Director of Business Transformation and the Head of Legal Services enter into a legal agreement with building contractors for each individual site in the HRA Garage and Infill Sites 2015/16 Programme.

 

Scrutiny Considerations.

 

The Committee received a report from the Head of Strategic Housing.

 

The report provided details of the next sites to be brought forward which were a series of HRA garage and small in-fill sites. As each site could only accommodate two or three new homes, approval was requested to proceed on a programme basis rather than a scheme by scheme basis. Approval was therefore requested for an overall budget for the programme to deliver a minimum of 18 new homes.

 

The programme had been based on sites that had already been identified in the 3 Year Rolling Programme, however, it also included some plots that were adjacent or nearby the sites in the 3 Year Rolling Programme. The Tedder Way site had been identified following an enquiry to Property Services. None of the sites required the redevelopment of existing housing.

The list of sites recommended to be approved in the HRA Garage and Infill Sites 2015/16 Programme to progress to planning application were as follows;

 

1.   Cadwin Fields and Nuns Way garages

2.   Cameron Road garages

3.   Wiles Close garages

4.   Tedder Way infill

5.   Kendal Way infill

6.   Uphall Road garages

 

In response to the Committee’s comments, Officers, the Director of Customer & Community Services made the following statements:

 

     i.        All of the new housing had been assessed as being for rent  at Local Housing Allowance levels.

    ii.        All of the homes were planned to be built to lifetime home standards.

   iii.        None of the homes were planned to be wheelchair accessible. The aim for the Council’s overall programme is for a minimum of 2% wheelchair accessible.

  iv.        The rent would be based on the Local Housing Allowance which was close to target rent.

   v.        Explained that affordable rent was a social housing product in which there was three levels that could be charged. These were;

·        Target rent which was currently at 45% of the market rent.

·        Local housing allowances which was 60 to 65% of market rent.

·         Maximum affordable rent which was 80% of market rent.

  vi.        Stated an agreement had been made with the Void team that any empty properties that have the potential for development on the surrounding land would be fenced off for consideration.

 vii.        Confirmed that there would be public consultation on the development.

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved (unanimously) to approve the recommendations.

 

The Executive Councillor for Housing approved the recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted).