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On 16 January 2024, Cabinet:-
(i) Declared surplus to the Council’s requirements the land as detailed in Appendix 1, to the report, with the capacity to deliver in the region of 1,176 homes;
(ii) Approved the principle for the sale of the Council’s interest in identified surplus land identified in Appendix 1, to the report, to Registered Housing Providers, Developer Partners or other public sector bodies to deliver housing, with the best route to disposal to be agreed at Cabinet Committee – Property;
(iii) Noted the proposed approach for each site will be for an options appraisal assessing the financial and non-financial implications and the final transaction details for disposal arrangement to be decided by Cabinet Committee - Property and taking into account the constraints of funding within the HRA Business Plan;
(iv) Noted the land assets have been identified for sale from both the Council’s General Fund and Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to provide primarily affordable housing across the city with the Council retaining Nomination Rights for those on its housing register;
(v) Approved a budget of £350,000 capital funds from the Housing Revenue Account for the disposal of sites to cover legal, valuation and agent fees and any site due diligence and surveys required for marketing. This will be repaid by the capital receipts obtained. General Fund receipts will be paid into the General Fund (minus disposal costs) and HRA receipts will be paid into the HRA;
(vi) Delegated authority to the Strategic Director for Place, Prosperity, and Sustainability (or their delegate), in consultation with the Assistant Director Corporate Procurement (or their delegate), the Interim Finance Director (s151 Officer), (or their delegate), and the City Solicitor & Monitoring Officer (or their delegate) to approve the procurement strategy and the award of contract(s), for professional services (including legal, market and valuation advice) to support the sale process;
(vii) Delegated authority to the Strategic Director for Place, Prosperity, and Sustainability, in consultation with the Assistant Director Corporate Procurement (or their delegate), the Interim Finance Director (s151 Officer), (or their delegate) and the City Solicitor & Monitoring Officer (or their delegate) to approve the procurement strategy and the award of contract(s) for any developments requiring compliance to the Procurement Contract Regulations 2015 (or 2024 update);
(viii) Delegated authority to the Strategic Director for Place, Prosperity, and Sustainability to submit further applications to Homes England (HE) and West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) or other government departments where opportunities arise for grant funding to support future phases of new housing development and to negotiate and accept such funding in the event of such applications being successful by entering into funding agreements;
(ix) Noted that there is an existing two-year corporate Affordable Housing Delivery Programme, (started in April 2023) to support increasing affordable housing output covering themes of partnership working, governance and direct delivery;
(x) Noted it is proposed as part of this programme to complete an independent review of the Council’s direct delivery to ensure there is a clear reflection on the approach and the options available to the City Council along with their implications. The review will cover value for money, resource capacity, risks and opportunities and set out recommendations for consideration as part of a review of delivery models. Results of this review are expected to be reported back to Cabinet;
(xi) Agreed that the Dawberry Fields scheme presented to Cabinet on 25 April 2023 and subsequently called in on 17 May 2023 will not progress as planned. The planning application has been withdrawn and alternative delivery routes for the site within the wider context of the approaches outlined within this report will be brought to Cabinet Committee - Property in due course, with a commitment to engage with the local community and Ward members;
(xii) Authorised the City Solicitor and Monitoring Officer to prepare, execute, and complete all relevant legal documentation to give effect to the above decisions;
(xiii) Noted that an update on disposals will be reported to the Cabinet Committee - Property as part of routine monitoring.
THE DEADLINE FOR CALL IN IS 1600 HOURS ON MONDAY 22 JANUARY 2024.
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