Issue - meetings

Key Decision

Councillor Tom Hollis – Deputy Leader and Executive Lead Member for Strategic Housing and Climate Change

Cabinet considered an opportunity to acquire a brownfield site located at Fairhaven, Kirkby in Ashfield and were requested to approve the purchase of land and develop it for affordable housing, subject to conditions.

Members considered the alternative option of declining to approve the purchase, but this was not recommended as the Council had given a commitment to increase the supply of affordable housing and land would therefore need to be purchased and developed accordingly.

RESOLVED

that subject to planning permission being granted to develop the site for affordable housing:

a)    approval be given to purchase the Fairhaven site from Nottinghamshire County Council (at the price negotiated between both parties following separate valuations of the site);

b)    the proposal to develop the Fairhaven site for affordable housing, be approved;

c)    delegated authority be granted to the Executive Lead Member for Strategic Housing & Climate Change, the Executive Director – Place and the Corporate Resources Director, to procure and appoint a contractor to develop the site;

d)    delegated authority be also granted to the Executive Lead Member for Strategic Housing & Climate Change, the Executive Director – Place and the Corporate Resources Director to negotiate and formalise final scheme costs, property mix, specification and delivery;

e)    delegated authority be also granted to the Executive Lead Member for Strategic Housing & Climate Change and the Executive Director - Place to contract, on behalf of the Council, with Homes England, for the purposes of receiving subsidy to ensure that developments are viable and fall within a maximum payback period of 40 years.

Reasons:

1.    A Corporate Plan objective is to ensure every Ashfield resident has access to a suitable and appropriate home. As part of this, the Council is committed to significantly increasing the supply of affordable homes.

2.    In recent years, the Council has utilised its own land holdings for the purpose of building new affordable homes. The supply of suitable land is limited and there is a need to look at other opportunities, including buying land from partners and buying off the open market.

3.    Through discussions with Nottinghamshire County Council, there is an opportunity to buy a plot of land at Fairhaven, Kirkby in Ashfield, on the site of the former Kirklands Residential Home, that is potentially suitable for development and would help the Council in meeting its aim of increasing the supply of affordable housing.