Agenda item

LOCAL AUTHORITY NEW BUILD - WENSLEY ROAD ESTATE IMPROVEMENTS

This report requests spend approval to deliver the proposed development of 46 homes, 25 new garages and wider estate improvements at Wensley Road, and also seeks authority to award contracts for the proposed development and the appropriation of a number of garages to the Council’s Housing Revenue Account.

Minutes:

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report requesting spend approval to deliver the Wensley Road Estate Improvement Project - a proposed development of 46 homes, 25 new garages and wider estate improvements at Wensley Road.  The report also sought authority to award contracts for the proposed development and the appropriation of a number of garages to the Council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA). Financial information had been considered in closed session (Minute 75 above refers).

 

The report noted that in Autumn 2018, a bid had been submitted to Homes England to support the delivery of affordable housing under the Shared Ownership and Affordable Housing Programme, and the Council had been allocated £3,960,250 in grant funding to support a potential development at Wensley Road.  Between August and October 2019 the Council had consulted residents about the development of the Wensley Road area and following on from the consultation a planning application had been submitted in early 2020, which had been granted planning permission subject the completion of a legal agreement at the Planning Applications Committee meeting on 12 August 2020 (Minute 35 refers).

 

The report explained that, in addition to the building of new homes the approved designs included proposals to enhance and improve the general area for existing residents.  Plans included improved play areas and equipment, improved parking, increased cycle storage, replacement of refuse facilities and improvements to the public realm.  There were also planned improvement works for a new water distribution system and the installation of a fire sprinkler system due to be completed on the three high rise towers in January 2021, and improvements to the windows and exterior of the towers would follow.  Included in the S106 legal agreement for the planning application was a commitment for the HRA to fund £116k of improvement works to nearby Courage Park, and contributions would also be made to fund an employment and skills plan.  The development had been designed to achieve zero carbon, incorporating design features such as air source heat pumps, arrays of photovoltaic panels on the roofslopes of the buildings (predominantly those south facing), highly efficient insulation and triple glazed windows. In overall terms the proposed scheme was considered to incorporate a variety of passive and active measures to be a highly sustainable development for the Borough.

 

The report explained that an outline budget allocation for the Project had been included as part of the HRA capital programme budget build, with the budget for the scheme expected to be made up of a Homes England Grant, S106 funding and HRA borrowing. The updated capital programme would be formally submitted for approval to the full Council meeting February 2021, and it was recommended that the Committee approve spend for the project as set out in the confidential report considered in closed session (Minute 75 above refers).  Like most regeneration projects, the development had a number of risks and uncertainties and it was considered prudent to seek a 20% contingency.

 

The report also proposed that the existing garage sites within the development area (known as G1-G13 Wensley Court and Garage G104-G119 Wensley Road) be transferred from the Council’s General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account, for the purposes of developing housing.  The Council had committed to offer a replacement garage within the area to tenants of these 29 garages that were due to be demolished (only 24 garages out of a total of 29 were currently let to tenants), and in order to meet this commitment, 25 new garages were due to be built as part of the project.

 

The Council had commenced a procurement exercise to appoint a contractor to deliver the 46 new homes and associated landscaping works and would also tender and enter into a contract for the delivery of the two additional garage schemes.  The report sought authority for the Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Housing, to agree the award of the contracts to the successful contractors.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)      That the Housing Revenue Account spend, as set out in the report considered in closed session (Minute 75 above refers), be approved to deliver 46 new Council homes, up to 25 new garages and wider estate improvements within the Wensley Road area;

 

(2)      That the Executive Director of Economic Growth & Neighbourhood Services, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Housing, be authorised to tender and enter into contracts for the construction and all necessary external works relating to the delivery of 46 new Council homes, up to 25 new garages and wider estate improvements within the Wensley Road area;

 

(3)      That the Committee note and approve the appropriation of the garage sites known as G1-G13 Wensley Court and G104-G119 Wensley Road from the Council’s General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account to support the delivery of the Wensley Road Development Project with effect from 31 March 2021.

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