Agenda item - Housing Delivery Programme

The Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care and the Corporate Director of Economy & Place to present a report which sets out proposals for the council to take a strategic lead in the delivery of mixed tenure housing, in order to accelerate housing delivery and provide much needed affordable homes.

Resolved: (i) That the direct delivery of mixed tenure housing on the sites listed in paragraph 7 of the report (excluding Tang Hall Library) be approved in principle.

(ii) That the appropriation of the Lowfield site from the General Fund into the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) be approved in principle, subject to final valuation, which is to be confirmed through the Capital Monitoring report.

(iii) That a revised HRA business plan be brought to Executive, setting out the funding mechanism to deliver all the other sites within the programme.

(iv) That detailed design work be undertaken to develop and submit planning applications for the Askham Bar and Burnholme sites, to be funded from the HRA investment reserve at a cost of £700k.

(v) That approval be given to procure construction partners for the Housing Delivery Fund and that authority for their appointment be delegated to the Corporate Director of Health, Housing & Adult Social Care, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing & Safer Neighbourhoods.

(vi) That it be noted that a detailed business case for each of the following sites will be brought back to the Executive:

a) Burnholme

b) Askham Bar former Park & Ride

c) Former Clifton Without School

d) Former Manor School

e) Former Woolnough House Older Persons’ Home

f) Hospital Fields Road and Ordnance Lane

(vii) That a programme of support and marketing be developed to promote and ensure the successful delivery and uptake of market sale, self-build, rent to buy, shared ownership and downsizing schemes, funded from the HRA investment reserves.

(viii) That opportunities for investment in additional affordable homes on private sector developments across the city be investigated, and proposals brought back to the Executive.

(ix) That approval be given to dispose of the Tang Hall Library site on the open market.

Reason: To progress with the building of much-needed new homes in York, increase the number of affordable homes in the city and meet the housing needs of a broader range of York residents.

[See also under Part B]

The Assistant Director for Regeneration and Asset Management and the Assistant Director for Housing & Community Safety presented a report which set out proposals for the council to take a strategic lead in the delivery of mixed tenure housing, to provide much- needed affordable homes.

It was proposed that council-owned land and investment from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) be used to directly deliver approximately 550 houses, of which 40% would be affordable housing, on 6 sites. Following the report to Executive on 7 December 2017 (Minute 100 of that meeting refers), due diligence had been undertaken on the legal and financial implications of different models of delivery and a high level business case developed for 7 potential sites. Of these, the Tang Hall Library site was too small to develop significant housing and was therefore recommended for sale to help fund replacement library facilities. It was proposed to split the sites into two phases, with development to begin at the first site, Lowfield, in early 2019.

Options for delivery were detailed in paragraphs 35 – 44 of the report. Due diligence and analysis had shown that delivery through the HRA (option b) would best meet the key housing objectives. This was therefore the recommended option, rather than delivery through a council owned Development Company (option a), as suggested in the December report, or through the disposal of sites to private sector builders (option c).

In respect of comments made under Public Participation and questions from Members, officers confirmed that:

· the proposal for 550 houses was based on figures in the Local Plan and

· the shift in emphasis towards meeting housing need (paragraph 36 of the report) meant that delivery through the HRA was a better and quicker option at this point.