Issue - meetings

Further to Minute 93 (21 January 2020), the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing presented a report of proposals to redevelop the Brocklebank Lodge site to provide 53 new homes, 16 of which would be specifically for local people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as part of the Council’s Housing for Vulnerable People Programme.

In their capacities as ward councillors, the Cabinet Members for Social Care and Integration and Public Realm fully supported the proposal and urged the Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing to progress phase 2 of the development to realise a community use on the site, linked to the ongoing work on developing a model of community hubs in the Borough.  The Cabinet Member for Social Care and Integration added that the scheme would support the objective of bringing out-of-Borough placements back into the Borough, giving those local residents a better quality of life as well as reducing the high cost of out-of-Borough placements.  On that point, it was noted that further discussions would be held to explore the opportunity for similar developments on other sites in the Borough. 

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree the proposed redevelopment and use of the Brocklebank Lodge site as shown edged red in the plan at Appendix 1 to the report;

(ii)  Agree that, subject to the grant of planning permission and receipt of satisfactory construction tender prices, the project be financed and held within the residential asset class of the Investment and Acquisition Strategy;

(iii)  Agree the inclusion of the project in the Council’s Capital Programme, subject to securing planning permission and procurement of a contractor in accordance with the project outputs and budget;

(iv)  Agree that the total development cost of £14,903,642 be funded through a combination of GLA grant funding/Right to Buy receipts and borrowing, as set out in section 3.4 of the report;

(v)  Agree that, on completion, the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) housing land be appropriated from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Account with the necessary accounting reconciliation;

(vi)  Agree that the affordable rented housing be leased to the Special Purpose Vehicle owned by Barking & Dagenham Renew and Barking and Dagenham Reside Regeneration Ltd, which would manage and maintain the units in accordance with the funding terms in a loan agreement between the Council and the Special Purpose Vehicle;

(vii)  Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, on the advice of the Procurement Board, to approve the final procurement strategy for the project works;

(viii)  Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with Director of Law and Governance and the Cabinet Members for Finance, Performance and Core Services and Regeneration and Social Housing, to negotiate terms and agree the contract documents to fully implement and effect the proposals set out in the report; and

(ix)  Authorise the Director of Law and Governance, or an authorised delegate on her behalf, to execute all the legal agreements, contracts and other documents on behalf of the Council.