Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Regeneration presented a report on a proposal by the Diocese of Chelmsford, in partnership with a private developer, to demolish the existing St Mark’s Church and Vicarage in Mark’s Gate and to redevelop the site to provide a major, multi-functional community facility with a dedicated space for worship, together with 56 housing units for sale.
The Cabinet Member outlined the other main aspects of the project, referred to as the “Mark’s Gate Open Gateway Regeneration Initiative”, which included the transfer of three vacant / underused Council-owned pieces of land for the sum of £400,000 in kind which would be ring-fenced, along with £1.45m from the Council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA), to support the Council acquiring 1 bed flats and 3 bed houses. An additional £1.1m of the 2011/12 HRA budget surplus would be used to augment the acquisition of new Council homes on the development. Furthermore, the scheme would deliver a wide range of significant benefits for the whole Mark’s Gate community, such as pre-school and out-of school activities for children, a comprehensive community exercise programme including a micro-gym, and new training and business opportunities.
The Cabinet Member commented that although the Council would not receive market value for the land to be transferred, he believed that the overall project represented, on balance, the best way forward. Councillor Tarry of Chadwell Heath ward also spoke in favour of the project, referring to the expected reduction in anti-social behaviour in the area when the vacant / underused sites were regenerated and new community facilities available for use, as well as the opportunities to access new external funding to support further enhancements for the whole community. Following on from that point, the Leader asked officers to take forward Padnall Hall as part of any future proposals. The Cabinet Member for Environment also stressed the importance of properly assessing the impact of new regeneration initiatives to ensure that value for money had been achieved and opportunities for improvement had been maximised and the Leader put forward the project at Althorne Way / Becontree Heath as a positive example in that respect.
Cabinet agreed:
(i) The disposal and transfer of the three sites, as specified in paragraph 2.6 of the report and shown as plots 1, 2 and 3 in the map at Appendix 1 to the report, to the Diocese of Chelmsford at £400,000 in kind to facilitate the delivery of the St Mark’s Open Gateway proposal, subject to (a) the Diocese obtaining planning consent and any third party consents required of the Council for disposal of the sites, and (b) terms and conditions that protect the Council’s investment and ensure the delivery of the proposal;
(ii) The use of up to £2,550,000 of HRA funding to acquire 3 bed houses and 1 bed flats at the site;
(iii) To delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Finance and Resources, in consultation with the Divisional Director of Legal and Democratic Services, to negotiate and conclude the terms of the land transfer to the Diocese of Chelmsford subject to the pre-conditions specified in (i) above being met, and to negotiate the acquisition of a number of housing units; and
(iv) To require the scheme’s promoters to actively engage with the Management Committee of the Mark’s Gate Community Association to explore opportunities for representation on the Governing Body, which the Council would insist on prior to the start of development, and to explore opportunities for the co-ordination of lettings and facilities management functions to deliver efficiency savings for both the new facility on the church site and the existing Mark’s Gate Community Complex.