Agenda item

Councillor Roger Ramsey, Cabinet Member for Value, introduced the report

At various occasions over the last few years Cabinet approval had been given to the disposal of a number of Council-owned sites that had been identified as surplus - either as a result of specific projects or more general property reviews carried out by Strategic Property Services.  More specifically, on various occasions, approval had been given to the disposal of a number of small, under-utilised sites held within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and these disposals had resulted in an increased flow of affordable houses and capital receipts.  A further review of potentially under-utilised sites within the HRA had been carried out and more potential disposal/development opportunities had been identified.

As the Council had pursued a policy of selling surplus sites for many years it became more difficult to identify new sites for disposal that did not pose challenges, either technically or in terms of planning, and especially in respect of objections to disposal that arose in many cases.  Nonetheless, constant and ongoing appraisal of property assets to identify disposal opportunities was a requirement for all local authorities and for Havering it was essential to provide capital receipts to fund spending which would in turn support and enhance Council services.

The report identified further sites that did not appear to meet the Council’s approved criteria for property ownership and therefore needed to be considered for disposal.

Reasons for the decision:

In order to improve the efficiency of the Council’s portfolio of land and property assets and to generate further capital receipts it was important to ensure that surplus assets continued to be identified for disposal.

Other options considered:

If these sites were not sold, the most likely alternative was that they remained in their current use or would remain vacant.  Any other alternatives were identified in the individual appendices for each site.

If the sites were not sold, it was likely that the capital programme would have to be reduced or funded from borrowing which would incur additional revenue costs.

In answer to a question a Member asked about whether the movement of a scout hall was necessary, officers replied that the position of the hall within the site prohibited development.  The proposed move would not be far and would be beneficial to the scouts as well.

In response to a query about the Tempest Way garage site, officers confirmed that consultation had revealed considerable under-use, but that the site would be re-evaluated in the light of the Member’s concerns.

Cabinet AGREED that the properties identified in the report (details in Appendix A) be declared surplus and authorisation be given for their disposal (subject to obtaining any necessary planning permissions and other consents as appropriate) and that the Property Strategy Manager in consultation with the Assistant Chief Executive (Legal and Democratic Services) be authorised to deal with all matters arising and thereafter to complete the disposal of the properties identified.