Agenda item

(Asset Management & Economic Development Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-023-2016/17).

(1)        That Option 3 within the report, a balanced approach to Affordable Housing and Public Car Parking, be pursued to provide a cohesive Car Parking and Affordable Housing Plan for Vere Road, Loughton;

(2)        That the previous Cabinet decision to provide Moat Housing with a 999-year lease to develop Site 1 (see Appendix 1 of the report) for affordable housing be rescinded and that approximately 50 car parking spaces for the use of residents of the private development by Higgins Homes on the site of the former Winston Churchill Public House be constructed on Site 1, with the construction costs met by Higgins Homes in accordance with the Development Agreement between the two parties;

(3)        That Site 2 (see Appendix 1) be re-constructed by Higgins Homes to provide approximately 8 car parking spaces for the Higgins Homes development and approximately 55 public car parking spaces, with the construction costs met by Higgins Homes;

(4)        That Site 3 (see Appendix 1) be marked-out, equipped and included within the Council’s pay and display regime to provide approximately 7 public pay and display car parking spaces;

(5)        That the 20 Council-owned garages on Site 4 (see Appendix 1) be demolished and that Site 4 be re-constructed and equipped to provide approximately 34 public car parking spaces;

(6)        That planning permission be sought for the development of 10 affordable rented flats, with associated car parking, on Site 5 (see Appendix 1) in accordance with the Development Appraisal already approved by the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee; and

(7)        That the Director of Neighbourhoods be authorised to:

            (a)        obtain a budget estimate for the cost of reconstructing and equipping Sites 3           and 4 (see Appendix 1) for the provision of this work; and

            (b)        seek the inclusion of appropriate budget provision for the work within the Capital     Programme for 2017/18, when the Capital Programme was next reviewed.

The Portfolio Holder for Asset Management & Economic Development presented a report for a car parking and affordable housing plan at Vere Road in Loughton.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the Asset Management & Economic Development Cabinet Committee had previously considered and adopted the Broadway Regeneration Action Plan, which set out a “road map” for the planned approach to the development of the various sites in The Broadway area of Loughton. There were five different areas of Council-owned land in Vere Road, Loughton, to the north of The Broadway, which currently provided either Council-owned garages or public car parking spaces, and that there was also a requirement for the Council to provide sufficient land for 58 car parking spaces to be constructed by the developer of the site of the former Sir Winston Churchill Public House, Higgins Homes, on one or two of the sites, at the developer’s expense.

The Cabinet Committee had considered three options for a cohesive plan for future car parking arrangements and affordable housing developments along Vere Road, and the recommended approach (option 3) was one that offered a balanced approach, providing around 96 public car parking spaces (compared to the current 63 spaces) and 10 new affordable rented properties. Higgins Homes had offered to meet the cost of re-constructing some of the public car parking spaces, and it was proposed that the costs of re-constructing the remaining public car parking spaces be assessed, with a view to appropriate budget provision being made to undertake the works within the Capital Programme for 2017/18.

The Finance Portfolio Holder added that there had been a robust discussion at the Cabinet Committee on this item.

Decision:

(1)        That Option 3 within the report, a balanced approach to Affordable Housing and Public Car Parking, be pursued to provide a cohesive Car Parking and Affordable Housing Plan for Vere Road, Loughton;

(2)        That the previous Cabinet decision to provide Moat Housing with a 999-year lease to develop Site 1 (see Appendix 1 of the report) for affordable housing be rescinded and that approximately 50 car parking spaces for the use of residents of the private development by Higgins Homes on the site of the former Winston Churchill Public House be constructed on Site 1, with the construction costs met by Higgins Homes in accordance with the Development Agreement between the two parties;

(3)        That Site 2 (see Appendix 1) be re-constructed by Higgins Homes to provide approximately 8 car parking spaces for the Higgins Homes development and approximately 55 public car parking spaces, with the construction costs met by Higgins Homes;

(4)        That Site 3 (see Appendix 1) be marked-out, equipped and included within the Council’s pay and display regime to provide approximately 7 public pay and display car parking spaces;

(5)        That the 20 Council-owned garages on Site 4 (see Appendix 1) be demolished and that Site 4 be re-constructed and equipped to provide approximately 34 public car parking spaces;

(6)        That planning permission be sought for the development of 10 affordable rented flats, with associated car parking, on Site 5 (see Appendix 1) in accordance with the Development Appraisal already approved by the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee; and

(7)        That the Director of Neighbourhoods be authorised to:

            (a)        obtain a budget estimate for the cost of reconstructing and equipping Sites 3           and 4 (see Appendix 1) for the provision of this work; and

            (b)        seek the inclusion of appropriate budget provision for the work within the Capital     Programme for 2017/18, when the Capital Programme was next reviewed.

Reasons for Decision:

Under the Development Agreement between the Council and Higgins Homes, the Council had an obligation to provide sufficient land for the provision of 58 car parking spaces on its land for the occupants of the new development being constructed on the site of the former Sir Winston Churchill Public House. Accordingly, and in view of proposals previously agreed by Members to provide affordable housing on two of the sites at Vere Road, there was a need to formulate a cohesive plan for future car parking arrangements and affordable housing developments along Vere Road.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To maximise the provision of affordable housing on Site 1 and Site 5, with reduced public car parking provision in Vere Road (option 1).

To Maximise the provision of public car parking with no affordable housing provision (option 2).