Agenda and draft minutes

If any received

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Reg Whitney who was substituted by Councillor Ray Morgon.

Members are invited to disclose any interest in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting.

Members may still disclose any interest in an item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter.

There were no declarations of interest.

Presentation on the Joint Venture Working Party

The Working Party received a presentation that set out its terms of reference.

It was noted that the Working Party was responsible for advising on the Council’s strategic vision for housing-based regeneration of the borough and for liaising with key stakeholders to ensure the vision was understood by public and private sector partners.

 The presentation outlined the following objectives of the Working Party:

·         To ensure that the Council’s strategies and strategic frameworks supported the vision wherever possible.

·         To lobby and ensure all necessary infrastructures were in place to support housing-based regeneration across the borough.

·         To work and ensure that Havering residents benefited as much as possible from new opportunities as a consequence of regeneration.

·         To work and ensure that any new housing development was appropriate to the needs of people in Havering, designed to meet local needs and developed in the best possible way to allow local people access to new homes.

·         To ensure sufficiently strong partnership arrangements were in place with joint venture partners, the GLA and other key bodies to ensure sufficient influence to deliver the regeneration programme.

It was noted that the Working Party was a body for the purposes of the Local Government Act 1972 and therefore subject to the proportionality rules under the Local Government Act 1989.

The Working Party was also to be recognised as an Advisory Committee that would make recommendations to the Executive, but any decisions in relation to matters within the remit of the Working Party would be taken through the normal executive decision making processes of the council.

Meetings of the Working Party would be held at approximately two month intervals, and meetings would be recorded and agreed.

The Working Party noted the following joint ventures that would regularly report to the group:

• The Havering and Wates Regeneration LLP; a 50/50 partnership, contracted to last a minimum of 15 years and set to deliver estate regeneration across 12 housing sites owned by the Council.

• The Bridge Close Regeneration LLP; a 50/50 partnership contracted to deliver a vision for Bridge Close to create a new residential-led quarter for Romford.

• The Rainham and Beam Park Regeneration LLP;  50/50 partnership, contracted to deliver, over 10 years a vision to transform the A1306 corridor into a vibrant new urban extension providing new housing, social, physical and green infrastructure with good access to public transport and employment opportunities.

The Working Party noted the terms of reference.