Issue - meetings

5.1     Having declared a prejudicial interest, Councillor Angela Harvey left the room during the consideration of the item.

5.2     Barbara Brownlee, Executive Director, Growth, Planning and Housing       introduced the report. She summarised the outcome of a high level appraisal of the four delivery options for the Ebury Bridge estate renewal reported to Cabinet in July.

5.3     Councillor Rachel Robathan reported that an enormous amount of work had been undertaken over the summer by the finance and housing teams. She explained that Cabinet’s support was being sought to undertake further engagement with the market and the Community Futures Group. The results of this which would be reported back to Cabinet at a future time. She stated that the Council had made a commitment to residents and tenants that the estate would be regenerated and she reiterated this commitment. 

RESOLVED: That Cabinet:

1.     Agreed to support the initial selection of Council led delivery though the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and Westminster Wholly Owned Company (WOC) as the preferred delivery option for Ebury Bridge estate renewal.

2.     Noted that the HRA/WOC option provides flexibility to amend the tenure mix of the market sale housing, as set out in Scenario 7 approved in July 2018, and to create hybrid delivery options.  Engagement with the market will commence as soon as possible to test the feasibility and support for this delivery option and also for potential tenure changes and hybrid delivery options.  The Cabinet Member for Finance, Property and Regeneration will then be in a position to confirm the selection of the preferred delivery route.

Reasons for Decision

1.     The Ebury Bridge Estate is one of the five priority estates identified in the Council’s Housing Renewal Strategy (2010) as needing significant improvement and investment.  In line with the Council’s City for All objectives, the overarching objective of regenerating Ebury Bridge Estate is to create a comprehensive renewal that brings about physical, economic and sustainable change that creates additional homes and improves the lives of residents, businesses and visitors alike.

2.     In July 2018 Cabinet approved a regeneration scenario (Scenario 7) following detailed evaluation and consultation with residents.  This report provides the first stage assessment of potential delivery options for that scenario.

3.     Council led delivery through the HRA and WOC is viewed as the preferred approach following the high level appraisal described in this report.  With Cabinet agreement, this now will be subject to more comprehensive assessment including:

·       consultation with residents and businesses,

·       soft market testing with the development/construction market,

·       further detailed feasibility work by the Council team.