DECISION

1.            To agree that consultancy services may be engaged to take the following projects (details of which are set out in the report) to the planning stage –

(a)  Locksley Estate and Hereford Street;

(b)  Jubilee Street and Baroness Road;

(c)  Brick Lane, Christian St, Spelman Street and Mile End Road

2.            To note the proposed approach to procurement of the consultancy services in paragraph 3.16 of the report and the estimated value of the services in paragraph 3.17 of the report.

3.            To note the risks set out in the report in relation to proceeding with the projects as outlined in 1 and 2 in circumstances where the projects are not currently included in the Council’s capital programme and do not have budgets allocated.

4.            To authorise the Corporate Director Development & Renewal, after consultation with the Service Head – Legal Services, to agree the terms of the necessary contracts.

5.            To adopt capital estimates, including contingencies, of £15.071 million for Locksley Estate and £11.797 million for Hereford Street (a total capital estimate of £26.868 million), subject to the scheme being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme, and subsequent Council approval as part of the  2015-16 budget process.

6.            To adopt capital estimates, including contingencies, of £6.583 million for Jubilee Street and £4.707 million for Baroness Road (a total capital estimate of £11.290 million), subject to the scheme being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme, and subsequent Council approval as part of the  2015-16 budget process.

7.            To adopt capital estimates, including contingencies, of £538,000 for Brick Lane, £280,000 for Christian Street, £817,000 for Spelman Street and £525,000 for Mile End Road (a total capital estimate of £2.160 million), subject to the scheme being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme, and subsequent Council approval as part of the 2015-16 budget process.

8.            To agree that £1.91 million of the adopted capital estimates may be expended prior to the schemes being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme and subsequent Council approval as part of the 2015-16 budget process, in order that the services outlined in paragraph 1 can be commissioned and note that this funding is available from uncommitted resources of £2million that were set aside as a provision to fund new housing supply as part of the 2014-15 budget process.

9.            To agree entry into the grant agreements with the GLA and HCA.

10.         To authorise the procurement of the required professional and technical services and works contracts and utilising suitable procurement frameworks available to the public sector.

11.         To authorise the Corporate Director, Development and Renewal to agree the terms and conditions of the agreements referred to in 1 and 9, after consultation with the Service Head – Legal Services.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL (A. DALVI)

(Strategic Housing Manager (J. Coker)

(Strategic Projects Manager (G. Le Tissier)

Councillor Rabina Khan, Cabinet Member for Housing and Development, introduced the report. She highlighted that this project would result in 500 new homes by 2015 and that they were working with the Education, Social Care and Wellbeing Directorate to ensure appropriate infrastructure plans were considered.

Responding to the Pre-Scrutiny Question from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee she explained that the Council had examined options for a local lettings plan but that there were restrictions on what you could do. The Council allocation policy did seek to prioritise those with the highest need but that where funding was provided by the GLA there may also be additional restrictions in those cases. She also confirmed that the Council’s policy was to bring vacated homes up to a Decent Homes Standard.

During discussion, officers reported that they were looking to find new ways of bidding for funding for new homes but that the process could sometimes be too onerous to make it value for money. 

The Mayor welcomed the report and agreed the recommendations as set out.

RESOLVED

1.            To agree that consultancy services may be engaged to take the following projects (details of which are set out in the report) to the planning stage –

(a)  Locksley Estate and Hereford Street;

(b)  Jubilee Street and Baroness Road;

(c)  Brick Lane, Christian St, Spelman Street and Mile End Road

2.            To note the proposed approach to procurement of the consultancy services in paragraph 3.16 of the report and the estimated value of the services in paragraph 3.17 of the report.

3.            To note the risks set out in the report in relation to proceeding with the projects as outlined in 1 and 2 in circumstances where the projects are not currently included in the Council’s capital programme and do not have budgets allocated.

4.            To authorise the Corporate Director Development & Renewal, after consultation with the Service Head – Legal Services, to agree the terms of the necessary contracts.

5.            To adopt capital estimates, including contingencies, of £15.071 million for Locksley Estate and £11.797 million for Hereford Street (a total capital estimate of £26.868 million), subject to the scheme being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme, and subsequent Council approval as part of the  2015-16 budget process.

6.            To adopt capital estimates, including contingencies, of £6.583 million for Jubilee Street and £4.707 million for Baroness Road (a total capital estimate of £11.290 million), subject to the scheme being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme, and subsequent Council approval as part of the  2015-16 budget process.

7.            To adopt capital estimates, including contingencies, of £538,000 for Brick Lane, £280,000 for Christian Street, £817,000 for Spelman Street and £525,000 for Mile End Road (a total capital estimate of £2.160 million), subject to the scheme being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme, and subsequent Council approval as part of the 2015-16 budget process.

8.            To agree that £1.91 million of the adopted capital estimates may be expended prior to the schemes being included in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 capital programme and subsequent Council approval as part of the 2015-16 budget process, in order that the services outlined in paragraph 1 can be commissioned and note that this funding is available from uncommitted resources of £2million that were set aside as a provision to fund new housing supply as part of the 2014-15 budget process.

9.            To agree entry into the grant agreements with the GLA and HCA.

10.         To authorise the procurement of the required professional and technical services and works contracts and utilising suitable procurement frameworks available to the public sector.

11.         To authorise the Corporate Director, Development and Renewal to agree the terms and conditions of the agreements referred to in 1 and 9, after consultation with the Service Head – Legal Services.