Agenda item

Cabinet Portfolio:                 Housing

Strategic Directorate:           Adult Care, Housing and Public Health

Consideration was given to the report presented by Tom Bell, Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods, which detailed how the Improving Places Select Commission conducted a review of modern methods of construction (MMC), which was reported to the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board (OSMB) on 12^th December, 2018.

The report detailed the recommendations following the scrutiny review and it was, therefore, noted that the Housing Service was undertaking a pilot to deliver homes built using modern methods of construction and had fully participated in the Improving Places review.

The scrutiny review made five recommendations which were accepted by Cabinet and these were set out in detail as part of an appendix to the report.

In considering the recommendations it was pointed that in terms of Recommendation 1 the service were securing final details to enter into a contract with the supplier to deliver eight bungalows in Rawmarsh and a further four bungalows at East Herringthorpe, subject to planning permission.

It was anticipated the scheme would be delivered early in the New Year and the evaluation process started once complete to consider quality, customer experience, cost, maintenance costs etc.  This in turn would help with lessons learnt going forward in terms of delivering future schemes.

The second recommendation was for further work on how pods could support housing needs at various locations around the Borough.  This recommendation was deferred as further work was required in relation to single person's accommodation and options and how tenancies could be sustained going forward.

The third recommendation was around a pilot programme of delivering five homes for family housing.  This was again deferred.  This was due to the Council considering options around a pilot of single person’s accommodation and to build on the success of the bungalow scheme.

The fourth recommendation was to develop options around various energy packages for modern methods of construction.  Whilst this had been rejected, a piece of work was being developed to look at the introduction of solar panels and energy efficiency measures to all affordable housing stock, rather than just of focusing on modern methods of construction developments.

The evaluation process of modern  method schemes would then help to determine what the whole running costs were for the homes and whether or not it was suitable to be put in solar panels on those schemes.

The fifth recommendation was in terms of looking at the whole costs for individual properties.  This was again accepted. Costs would be broken down in relation to the individual built properties for review and analysis as part of but the evaluation work going forward.

The Board asked if the Council was considering other options including green credentials and eco-efficient initiatives and were advised that this was being looked at for properties being built in Rotherham and Sheffield City Region as a whole.

A new strategy was being developed and it was hoped there would be resources to test new approaches in respect of renewable energy sources to reduce cost and improve reliability.  Whilst new technologies were emerging this needed further investigation to look at the whole life cycle costs of those elements alongside the repairs and maintenance.  This was a complex area, but the Board were assured this was being taken forward.

It was also noted that from the five recommendations only one was rejected, but realistically it was not entirely rejected as an evaluation would be taking place of the pilot project which had some energy efficiencies embedded in the design.  It was suggested that separate experiments take place as this may be more robust and provide more accurate results.

The Improving Places Select Commission welcomed being involved in the review into this new concept and asked that as part of the evaluation process was advised that an update would be provided once the project was delivered and an invitation was extended to the Commission to visit the sites at Rawmarsh and Herringthorpe prior to occupation.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the officer response to the recommendations of the Scrutiny Review of Modern Methods of Construction as set out in Appendix A be approved.

(2)  That a ‘lessons learned’ report be submitted to the Improving Places Select Commission post completion of the current modern methods of construction pilot project.