Agenda item

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and its two appendices and to make the following resolutions:

(1)  That the land to the rear of 50-56 Mill Road and the land at Covington Road Westbourne be declared surplus to requirements.

(2)  That it be noted that following the declaration in (1), the actions set out in section 5 of the agenda report are to be pursued by the officers under delegated authority.

RESOLVED

(1)  That the land to the rear of 50-56 Mill Road and the land at Covington Road Westbourne be declared surplus to requirements.

(2)  That it be agreed that following the declaration in (1), the actions set out in section 5 of the agenda report are to be pursued by the officers under delegated authority.

The Cabinet received and considered the agenda report.

This item was presented by Mrs J Kilby (Cabinet Member for Housing Services).

Mr P Legood (Valuation and Estates Manager) and Miss H Nicol (Housing Delivery Manager) were in attendance for this matter.

Mrs Kilby explained that CDC’s Housing Delivery team was currently supporting Westbourne Community Land Trust (CLT) through CDC’s community-led housing early stage support programme. A housing needs survey had recently been undertaken by the team on behalf of Westbourne Parish Council (WPC), which revealed a far greater local affordable housing need than the 19 households currently on the housing register. No new affordable units would be delivered on the allocated sites within Westbourne neighbourhood development plan (NDP). The CLT was incorporated as a Community Benefit Society in November 2017. The steering group members had assumed trustee roles for the interim period. The CLT was hosting two public drop-in events on 8 and 9 February 2018, which would provide an opportunity for the community to find out more about the CLT’s aims and objectives. An invitation would be delivered to every residential address in the parish shortly. There would also be an opportunity for the community to provide comments on the Mill Road Site and become a member of the CLT. Once more members had been enlisted the CLT would host its first public meeting to confirm and vote on the CLT’s objectives, the composition of the board make-up, and the policies it would adopt.

The CLT was examining a range of possible sites which could deliver affordable housing to meet the local need, one of which was the land to the rear of 30 to 56, Mill Road. Usually, at this point in the CLT process the groups would be having closed discussions with private landowners prior to public consultation. However, as CDC was the land owner, it had to publish its intentions. This site had been retained by CDC following the large scale voluntary transfer in 2001, as it was thought to have long term potential for market development. In 2015 WPC was keen to work with CDC to promote part of the land for housing development in its emerging NDP, on the basis that the remainder of the site would have been protected in the longer term for recreational use.  Unfortunately, this was not carried forward to the adopted version of the NDP because an alternative site (not favoured by WPC) was granted planning permission on appeal and fulfilled the housing allocation required for the village. As such, the site was outside the settlement boundary and so there was no current potential for a private sector housing development.

The CLT had requested CDC to dispose of the land to it, subject to the CLT securing planning permission for an affordable housing exceptions site. Any such scheme would be subject to all the relevant policies in the adopted Chichester Local Plan, including those relating to exception sites and open spaces. The CLT had written to the residents of Mill Road and the adjoining properties seeking their views of the proposal and to attend the public events next month. There were a number of constraints attached to the land which would need to be investigated further before any scheme could be bought forward. WPC had a lease on the land until 2033, which meant that its support to proceed with any development would be required.  CDC was able to make grants available for CLTs to cover professional costs for the preparation of any planning application. The project was at a very early stage and many processes would need to be undertaken before a scheme could come to fruition. Mrs Kilby would be responding to all the points which had been made by residents.

The site was considered to be surplus to CDC requirements as the Parish Council managed the current use and the site would be sold to facilitate proposals such as the CLT scheme for affordable housing.

Mr Legood and Miss Nicol did not add to Mrs Kilby’s introduction.

The Cabinet proceeded immediately to make the following decision.

Decision

The Cabinet voted unanimously to make the resolution set out below.

RESOLVED

(1)  That the land to the rear of 50-56 Mill Road and the land at Covington Road Westbourne be declared surplus to requirements.

(2)  That it be agreed that following the declaration in (1), the actions set out in section 5 of the agenda report are to be pursued by the officers under delegated authority.