Agenda item

The Corporate Director of Place to present a report which provides  an update on the Housing Delivery Programme, and seeks approval to use grant funding for enabling works at Ordnance Lane, apply for further funding for increased affordable housing at Ordnance Lane, allocate a budget to progress the design of the Willow House site and the wider South Walmgate masterplan, and develop two vacant plots of land at Lowfield Green.

Resolved:  (i)      That the use of the One Public Estate (OPE) grant funding of £2.43m to carry out enabling works at the Ordnance Lane site be approved.

                   (ii)      That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure an enabling works contractor for the Ordnance Lane scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods,the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract.

                   (iii)     That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure a main works contractor for the Ordnance Lane site, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure the contractor, noting that a future report will be brought to Executive to present the full business case and to seek approval to award the contract to the winning bidder.

                   (iv)    That approval be given to submit an application to Homes England for grant funding to support the delivery of 60% affordable housing on Ordnance Lane.

                   (v)     That £1m be allocated from the existing Housing Delivery capital budget for the design development of Willow House and the wider South Walmgate area to allow the submission of a planning application, noting that a future report will be brought to Executive to present a full Business Case prior to carrying out a procurement process for a contractor.

                   (vi)    That approval be given to explore the inclusion of the adjacent garage sites in the South Walmgate area for redevelopment following engagement with the local community.

                   (vii)    That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure multi-disciplinary design and project teams to deliver the Willow House scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods, the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract(s).

                   (viii)   That the progress made on finding a long-term use for 17-21 Piccadilly be noted, and that it be agreed that non-residential uses should be considered for the ground floor as part of the disposal scheme.

                   (ix)    That approval be given to develop Plot A at Lowfield Green as part of the Housing Delivery Programme, utilising existing house types and design work to deliver approximately 10 additional new mixed tenure homes.

                   (x)     That £400k be allocated from the existing Housing Delivery capital budget for the design development of Plot A at Lowfield Green to allow the submission of a planning application, noting that a future report will be brought to the Executive to present a full Business Case prior to appointing a building contractor.

                   (xi)    That approval be given to dispose of the Lowfield Plot B site, by freehold transfer or grant of a lease, to a Registered Provider or Community Housing Group for the delivery of age-appropriate housing primarily for residents aged over 55.

                   (xii)    That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods and the Executive Member for Finance and Performance) to finalise the selection criteria for the disposal of the Lowfield Plot B site.

                   (xiii)   That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure a Registered Provider or Community Housing Group to deliver the Lowfield Plot B scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods, the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract(s).

Reason:     To ensure the continuation of a manageable pipeline of sites to deliver the Housing Delivery programme whilst making best use of CYC assets to deliver capital receipts and social benefits.

                   (xiv)  That officers be instructed to investigate additional measures to address highway-related concerns from the impact of construction taking place on the Lowfield sites, with a report to be brought back to a Decision Session of the Executive Member for Transport to consider how the impacts can be resolved.

Reason:     To enable these concerns to be addressed where the council is able to do so by virtue of its ownership of the land.

The Director of Housing, Economy & Regeneration and the Housing Delivery Programme Manager presented a report which gave an update on the Housing Delivery Programme (HDP) and sought approval for proposals in respect of sites at Ordnance Lane, Willow House and the wider South Walmgate area, 17-21 Piccadilly, and Lowfield Green.

Significant progress had been made towards achieving the ambitious plans in the HDP, with over 100 homes built on the flagship development at Lowfield Green and high levels of grant funding secured for Passivhaus projects at Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme.  Over £2.4m grant funding had been secured for enabling works at Ordnance Lane, which had received planning permission in July 2022.  Overall, the HDP was set to exceed its target of delivering 600 homes with 60% affordable housing.  Details of further work proposed were set out in paragraphs11-48 of the report, with site plans at Annex 1. 

In response to comments made under Public Participation, officers confirmed the council’s commitment to inclusive housing, noting that the Housing Design Manual stated that all properties would meet M4 standards and at least 10% would meet M3 standards.  The issue of access for local residents during construction at the Lowfield sites was discussed and a further resolution suggested to address this.  The Executive Member for Housing & Community Safety welcomed the report, commending the Housing team for their positive approach to the challenge of providing energy-efficient, adaptable and accessible housing that would also tackle social isolation and support green jobs. 

Resolved:  (i)      That the use of the One Public Estate (OPE) grant funding of £2.43m to carry out enabling works at the Ordnance Lane site be approved.

                   (ii)      That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure an enabling works contractor for the Ordnance Lane scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods,the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract.

                   (iii)     That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure a main works contractor for the Ordnance Lane site, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure the contractor, noting that a future report will be brought to Executive to present the full business case and to seek approval to award the contract to the winning bidder.

                   (iv)    That approval be given to submit an application to Homes England for grant funding to support the delivery of 60% affordable housing on Ordnance Lane.

                   (v)     That £1m be allocated from the existing Housing Delivery capital budget for the design development of Willow House and the wider South Walmgate area to allow the submission of a planning application, noting that a future report will be brought to Executive to present a full Business Case prior to carrying out a procurement process for a contractor.

                   (vi)    That approval be given to explore the inclusion of the adjacent garage sites in the South Walmgate area for redevelopment following engagement with the local community.

                   (vii)    That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure multi-disciplinary design and project teams to deliver the Willow House scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods, the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract(s).

                   (viii)   That the progress made on finding a long-term use for 17-21 Piccadilly be noted, and that it be agreed that non-residential uses should be considered for the ground floor as part of the disposal scheme.

                   (ix)    That approval be given to develop Plot A at Lowfield Green as part of the Housing Delivery Programme, utilising existing house types and design work to deliver approximately 10 additional new mixed tenure homes.

                   (x)     That £400k be allocated from the existing Housing Delivery capital budget for the design development of Plot A at Lowfield Green to allow the submission of a planning application, noting that a future report will be brought to the Executive to present a full Business Case prior to appointing a building contractor.

                   (xi)    That approval be given to dispose of the Lowfield Plot B site, by freehold transfer or grant of a lease, to a Registered Provider or Community Housing Group for the delivery of age-appropriate housing primarily for residents aged over 55.

                   (xii)    That authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods and the Executive Member for Finance and Performance) to finalise the selection criteria for the disposal of the Lowfield Plot B site.

                   (xiii)   That approval be given to carry out a procurement process to procure a Registered Provider or Community Housing Group to deliver the Lowfield Plot B scheme, and that authority be delegated to the Corporate Director of Place (in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing and Safer Neighbourhoods, the Chief Finance Officer and the Director of Governance or their delegated officers) to take such steps as are necessary to procure, award and enter into the resulting contract(s).

Reason:     To ensure the continuation of a manageable pipeline of sites to deliver the Housing Delivery programme whilst making best use of CYC assets to deliver capital receipts and social benefits.

                   (xiv)  That officers be instructed to investigate additional measures to address highway-related concerns from the impact of construction taking place on the Lowfield sites, with a report to be brought back to a Decision Session of the Executive Member for Transport to consider how the impacts can be resolved.

Reason:     To enable these concerns to be addressed where the council is able to do so by virtue of its ownership of the land.