The three-year Housing Revenue Account Capital Programme for 2023-26 of £389.625m, of which £311.357m is allocated to the new council homes programme, was approved by Full Council on 1st March 2023. The available budget has been allocated to the named schemes, which form the Approved Housing Capital Programme and is expected to deliver 1,080 new homes. However, there is a pipeline of further schemes that is currently unfunded.

This report sets out the approach to enabling the delivery of new homes on the currently unfunded sites, through alternative delivery routes, to ensure that supply of new homes continues to be increased at pace to address overcrowding and the high levels of housing need in the borough.

DECISION:

1.    Note the alternative delivery approaches set out in the report.

2.    To rescind the Cabinet decision of December 2021 to dispose the Bromley Hall/Lochnagar Street site and to instead include that site within the scope of the proposals in the report.

3.    The Mayor will approve the Heads of Terms of the final agreements for each development package for the Joint Venture (JV) Development Agreements, following consultation with the Chief Executive and the interim Corporate Director of Resources. 

4.    Approve a revenue-funded budget allocation of £1.1m from the HRA to cover the professional fees for legal, and consultancy advice and any de-risking activity to potential sites being delivered through the JV Development Agreement approach to enable the alternative delivery route to be established and progressed to the issue of the tender prospectus

5.    Authorise  the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Mayor and the interim Corporate Director of Resources, to substitute schemes within the Approved HRA Capital Programme.

6.    After prior consultation with the Chief Executive and the interim Corporate Director of Resources, the Mayor will authorise them to take all necessary steps to deliver the approved capital programme, including but not limited to  going  out to tender, appointing  consultants and contractors in accordance with the Procurement Procedures, acquiring land interests, appropriating   land from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for the delivery of new council homes and exercising other rights of appropriation, subject to approved budget.

7.    Note the Equalities Impact Assessment and specific equalities considerations as set out in Section 4 of the report.

ACTION BY:

DIRECTOR OF HOUSING (K.SWIFT)

Head of Housing Supply (R. Brandon)