Agenda item

Cabinet:

1.            Agreed to the Council entering into direct negotiations with land-owners to purchase sites by private treaty as the opportunities arose.

2.            Agreed to the Council implementing the Housing Zone Land Acquisition Strategy including the principle of using the Council’s CPO powers to acquire land interests the extent of which were shown in the annexed plan to the report edged red (Appendix One)and thereby embarking on the formalities necessary for the making of the CPO.

3.            Agreed to the Council in principle using the Council’s Capital Contingency to fund land acquisitions to the value of £1.2m.

4.            Agreed to the Council working with its wholly-owned company Mercury Land Holdings to bring forward quality housing either on its own or in partnership with other developers on land acquired. 

5.            Delegated to the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for the Housing Company Development & One Source Management and the Group Director Community and Resources, the authority to approve the making of a CPO for confirmation by the Secretary of State.

6.            Delegated to the Leader of the Council, the Head of Property and the Group Director Community and Resources, the authority to approve land negotiations and the acquisition of sites by private treaty by various means and to approve the relocation of businesses within the A1306 corridor where appropriate.

Councillor Ron Ower, Cabinet member for the Housing Company Development and oneSource Management, introduced the report

Cabinet was informed that the report before it sought its approval to implement the Housing Zone Land Acquisition Strategy which included approval in principle to the making of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to enable the acquisition of the land interests that could not be acquired by private treaty as well as the use of officer time and resources to facilitate the relocation of businesses within the area affected.

Cabinet was reminded that following its approval on the 24 September 2014, the Rainham and Beam Park Housing Zone bid was submitted to the GLA.  The submission had been successful and Havering’s status as a “Housing Zone Borough” was announced on the 25 June 2015.  Cabinet had approved the Overarching Borough Agreement authorising the Council’s entry into the funding contract with the GLA on the 4 November 2015.

The vision for the Housing Zone was the transformation of a declining industrial area into a vibrant new residential community providing much needed new housing including family homes, plus social, physical and green infrastructure with access to public transport and employment opportunities.

The acquisition of the Gateway sites and other sites along the A1306 would act as a catalyst to kick-start development activity and unlock development opportunities along the New Road in Rainham.  This would create a major opportunity to build a new, strong, sustainable community with its own identity based around the new railway station and local centre at Beam Park; integrating and improving connectivity between existing and proposed new residential neighbourhoods.

The key elements of the Land Acquisition Strategy were stakeholder engagement and consultation, land assembly and business relocations.

The strategy would implement the most economically beneficial approach to delivering the land assembly programme in order to kick-start and catalyse comprehensive residential development across the Housing Zone.

The Council would engage with landowners to purchase their sites through private treaty negotiations.  If necessary, a CPO will be used to ensure that sites not acquired by private treaty can be acquired to enable the Housing Zone objectives to be achieved.

Reasons for the decision:

Supporting the Housing Zone

The Housing Zone Land Acquisition Strategy supports the delivery of the Housing Zone objectives enabling the assembly of sites to catalyse and kick start comprehensive residential development.  This will in turn encourage the market to come forward and participate in the delivery of high quality viable development schemes in the area. 

Other options considered:

Not implementing the Housing Zone Land Acquisition Strategy– REJECTED. Without Housing Zone Land Acquisition Strategy the Council will be unable to acquire the land necessary to promote comprehensive residential development in the A1306 gateway. Without this intervention the existing low value commercial land uses would remain in place and infrastructure would not be improved. It will also not be possible to facilitate comprehensive residential development and any residential development that is brought forward is likely to be poor quality and piecemeal.  It will fail to deliver the required mix, tenures or typology necessary to meet the objectives of the Housing Zone. 

Cabinet:

1.            Agreed to the Council entering into direct negotiations with land-owners to purchase sites by private treaty as the opportunities arose.

2.            Agreed to the Council implementing the Housing Zone Land Acquisition Strategy including the principle of using the Council’s CPO powers to acquire land interests the extent of which were shown in the annexed plan to the report edged red (Appendix One)and thereby embarking on the formalities necessary for the making of the CPO.

3.            Agreed to the Council in principle using the Council’s Capital Contingency to fund land acquisitions to the value of £1.2m.

4.            Agreed to the Council working with its wholly-owned company Mercury Land Holdings to bring forward quality housing either on its own or in partnership with other developers on land acquired. 

5.            Delegated to the Leader of the Council, the Cabinet Member for the Housing Company Development & One Source Management and the Group Director Community and Resources, the authority to approve the making of a CPO for confirmation by the Secretary of State.

6.            Delegated to the Leader of the Council, the Head of Property and the Group Director Community and Resources, the authority to approve land negotiations and the acquisition of sites by private treaty by various means and to approve the relocation of businesses within the A1306 corridor where appropriate.