Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

1.    That Cabinet approve the Council-owned sites listed in Appendix 2 being brought forward to deliver new homes, with developments which will deliver more than ten homes being subject to further Cabinet approvals.

2.    That Cabinet approve the purchase of homes from any of the schemes identified in Exempt Appendix 3.

Consideration was given to the report which set out the progress made against the Council’s Housing Development Programme and proposed new projects for 2022/23. Appendix 2 provided a list of sites proposed for development and exempt Appendix 3 provided a list of potential strategic acquisition opportunities. Work was underway to develop a full programme through to 2025/26 to increase the number of new Council homes, and this would be presented to Cabinet in December 2022 alongside the latest Housing Revenue Account Business Plan. Six monthly progress reports would be presented to Cabinet thereafter.

An overall summary of housing growth progress over the past 12 months was set out in paragraph 1.2 and the photographic summary included as Appendix 1 showed some of those schemes. From January 2018 to the end of March 2022, the Council had completed 390 homes (221 for Council rent, 86 for shared ownership and 83 for sale.) A number of other schemes were in progress or pending contract exchange. This totalled 608 homes.

The housing development activity proposed in the report would commence during 2022/23 and a further report would be presented to Cabinet in December 2022, to update on progress and set out the programme through to March 2026.

This report had been considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Management Board as part of the pre-decision scrutiny process. The Board fully supported the recommendations but requested that further work be undertaken to characterise the environmental impacts of construction projects including waste management within the Carbon Impact Assessments. This recommendation was accepted by Cabinet.

Resolved:-

1.    That Cabinet approve the Council-owned sites listed in Appendix 2 being brought forward to deliver new homes, with developments which will deliver more than 10 homes being subject to further Cabinet approvals.

2.    That Cabinet approve the purchase of homes from any of the schemes identified in Exempt Appendix 3.

3.    That further work be undertaken to characterise the environmental impacts of construction projects including waste management within the Carbon Impact Assessments.