Agenda item

(Director of Communities) To consider the attached report (CHB-016-2015/16).

(1)          That subject to Ward Members being consulted on the outcome of the transport assessments. prior to submission of the planning applications, each of the 12 (Twelve) individual feasibility studies taken from the Cabinet approved list of Primary Sites as listed below, be included in a future phase of the Council House-building Programme and progressed to the detailed planning stage;

 

(a)          Mallion Court, Waltham Abbey;

            (b)        Mason Way, Waltham Abbey;

            (c)        Stonyshotts, Waltham Abbey;

            (d)        Gant Court, Waltham Abbey;

(e)        Woollard Street, Waltham Abbey;

(f)        Denny Avenue, Waltham Abbey; and

(g)        Beechfield Walk, Waltham Abbey (Option A);

(h)        St Thomas’s Court. Waltham Abbey;

(i)         Pick Hill, Waltham Abbey;

(j)         Bromfield Court, Waltham Abbey;

(k)       Wrangley Court, Waltham Abbey; and

(l)         Shingle Court, Waltham Abbey.

 

(2)          That, subject to Secretary of State consent, the former garage sites and any associated amenity land edged red on the site plans associated with each of the sites agreed as viable in (1) above and identified for the development of Council House-building, be appropriated for planning purposes under provisions laid out in the Local Government Act 1972 and Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on the grounds that the land is no longer required for the purposes for which it is currently held in the Housing Revenue Account;

 

(3)        That the Housing Portfolio Holder be authorised to submit detailed planning applications for each of the sites in (1) above; and

 

(4)        That Phase 6 of the Council’s House-building Programme be made up of the sites included in (1) above.

The Director of Communities presented a report to the Cabinet Committee. He advised that, in July 2012, the Cabinet agreed a list of 65 primary sites for the Council House-building Programme; the sites detailed in the report before the Cabinet Committee were the last 12 sites to be considered whether or not they were viable and, if agreed will form Phase 6 of the Council’s House-building Programme.

 

The Director introduced Neal Penfold from Pellings LLP, who went through each of the 12 sites. Cabinet Committee members were asked to consider the number and mix of units capable of being delivered on each site as listed below:

 

(a)       Mallion Court, Waltham Abbey

 

4 x 2 bedroom, 2 storey detached houses with 19 parking spaces.

 

(b)       Mason Way, Waltham Abbey

 

1 x 1 bedroom bungalow with no off street parking spaces.

 

(c)       Stonyshotts, Waltham Abbey

 

1 x 2 bedroom, 2 storey detached house with 1 parking space.

 

(d)       Gant Court, Waltham Abbey

 

3 x 2 bedroom, 2 storey detached houses with 14 parking spaces.

 

(e)       Woollard Street, Waltham Abbey

 

5 x 2 bedroom, 2 storey teraced houses with 11 parking spaces.

 

(f)        Denny Avenue, Waltham Abbey

 

3 x 3 bedroom, 2 storey detached houses with 10 parking spaces.

 

(g)       Beechfield Walk, Waltham Abbey (Option A or B)

 

Option A

4 x 3 bedroom, 2 storey terraced houses with 10 parking spaces.

 

Option B

4 x 3 bedroom, 2 storey terraced houses; and

1 x 2 bedroom, 2 storey terraced house with 12 parking spaces.

 

(h)       St Thomas’s Court, Waltham Abbey

 

4 x 3 bedroom, 2 storey semi-detached houses with 7 parking spaces.

 

(i)         Pick Hill, Waltham Abbey

 

2 x 3 bedroom, 2 storey semi-detached houses with 6 parking spaces.

 

(j)         Bromefield Court, Waltham Abbey

 

1 x 2 bedroom bungalow with 4 parking spaces.

 

(k)       Wrangley Court, Waltham Abbey

 

1 x 1 bedroom bungalow with 1 parking space.

 

(l)         Shingle Court, Waltham Abbey

 

1 x 2 bedroom bungalow with 4 parking spaces.

 

N Penfold concluded that the above 12 sites had economic development potential and should be considered to be  taken forward to the planning application stage.

 

Members considered the two options at Beechfield Walk, Waltham Abbey and identified that although Option B would provide another property with two parking spaces, an existing electricity cable would have to be diverted and this would be a very costly exercise. Members were therefore in favour of Option A.

 

Ward Members were concerned with the parking problems in the area and asked to be consulted on the outcome of the transport assessments prior to planning applications being submitted.

 

Decision:

 

(1)          That subject to Ward Members being consulted on the outcome of the transport assessments. prior to submission of the planning applications, each of the 12 (Twelve) individual feasibility studies taken from the Cabinet approved list of Primary Sites as listed below, be included in a future phase of the Council House-building Programme and progressed to the detailed planning stage;

 

(a)          Mallion Court, Waltham Abbey;

            (b)        Mason Way, Waltham Abbey;

            (c)        Stonyshotts, Waltham Abbey;

            (d)        Gant Court, Waltham Abbey;

(e)        Woollard Street, Waltham Abbey;

(f)        Denny Avenue, Waltham Abbey; and

(g)        Beechfield Walk, Waltham Abbey (Option A);

(h)        St Thomas’s Court. Waltham Abbey;

(i)         Pick Hill, Waltham Abbey;

(j)         Bromefield Court, Waltham Abbey;

(k)       Wrangley Court, Waltham Abbey; and

(l)         Shingle Court, Waltham Abbey.

 

(2)          That, subject to Secretary of State consent, the former garage sites and any associated amenity land edged red on the site plans associated with each of the sites in (1) above and identified for the development of Council House-building, be appropriated for planning purposes under provisions laid out in the Local Government Act 1972 and Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on the grounds that the land is no longer required for the purposes for which it is currently held in the Housing Revenue Account;

 

(3)        That the Housing Portfolio Holder be authorised to submit detailed planning applications for each of the sites in (1) above; and

 

(4)        That Phase 6 of the Council’s House-building Programme be made up of the sites included in (1) above.

 

Reasons for Decision:

 

At its meeting in August 2014, the Cabinet Committee asked that each of the sites on the Primary List of approved sites be progressed to the feasibility stage to create a bank of sites for future phases of the House-building Programme. The 13 sites included in this report are from the original list of 65 sites approved by the Cabinet in 2012, and will form Phase 6 of the Council house-building programme as defined by the Policy on the prioritisation of development sites by area.

 

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

 

(1)          Not to progress with any of the schemes presented in this report.

 

(2)          To develop the sites with a different number of homes, or with an alternative mix of property types or parking allocation.