Site Disposals under the Asset Disposal Programme 2022-2028

Cabinet agreed the recommendations below:

·        Confirmed authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets to dispose the following assets having considered the outcome of a statutory consultation relating to the removal of the car parks from the Council’s off street parking, modification of Traffic Management Orders and pursuant to the Cabinet decision of 8 February 2023:

o   Como Street Car Park, RM7 7DN

o   Keswick Avenue Car Park, RM11 1XR

o   Dorrington Gardens Car Park, RM12 4HX

o   Angel Way Multi-storey Car Park, RM1 1HR

·        Noted that the potential disposal of Slaney Road car park will be the subject of further appraisal to consider the potential retention of part of the existing site   

·        Noted that in the exercise of delegated authority, any disposal to Mercury Land Holdings would be subject to the terms for any interim lease-back of operational assets and/or subsequent buy-back of assets not subsequently progressed by Mercury Land Holdings, as set out in the previous report to Cabinet on 8th February 2023.

·        Declared the following assets as surplus to the Council’s operational requirements:

o   Mercury House, 11 Western Rd, Romford, RM1 3RL

o   Gays Field, Jubilee Close, Romford, RM7 9LU

o   Land at Bedale Road/Tiverton Road, Harold Hill, RM3 9TU

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services to appropriate the Group Homes at 79/ 81 Maybank Avenue, Hornchurch, RM12 5SH from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Act. Such appropriation to be exercised in the event that there is a requirement for the properties by the Council’s housing acquisition program. Otherwise, the properties are to be declared surplus to the Council’s operational requirements.

·        Agreed to the disposal of the assets identified within Appendix A at values representing the best consideration reasonably obtainable to the Council, subject to any required consultation relating to public open space

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets to decide upon the most appropriate disposal method for each asset and should that be considered to be auction, such authority to be exercised in consultation with the Lead Member for Development & Regeneration to agree appropriate reserve values for the properties.

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services to conduct all appropriate steps to progress and conclude the asset disposals in a manner that satisfies all legal/regulatory requirements.

·        Agreed, in principle, that the following sites should be appropriated (where necessary) for planning purposes with a view to their subsequent disposal:

o   Land at Bedale Road/Tiverton Road, Harold Hill, RM3 9TU

o   Gays Field, Jubilee Close, Romford, RM7 9LU

o   Como Street Car Park, RM7 7DN

o   Keswick Avenue Car Park, RM11 1XR

o   Dorrington Gardens Car Park, RM12 4HX

o   Angel Way Multi-storey Car Park, RM1 1HR

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services, for the purposes set out above and in accordance with section 122(2A) Local Government Act 1972 and section 233(4) Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that notices are placed in a local newspaper circulating in the area for two consecutive weeks expressing:

(i)               an intention to appropriate (where necessary) the above sites to planning purposes; and

(ii)              an intention to dispose of the above sites (where necessary) following its appropriation.

·     Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services consider any objections to the intended appropriation and/or disposal before a decision to appropriate or dispose is made.

This report follows on from the Cabinet decision of 8^th February 2023, which adopted a medium-term asset disposal programme to provide a sustainable asset pipeline to deliver capital receipts as an integral part of the Council’s wider Capital Strategy.

The February decision noted that the disposal of the car park sites reported was provisional and subject to public consultation relating to modification of Traffic Management Orders relating to the sites. The Cabinet agreed to make a final decision on the disposal of the car park sites after considering the outcome of the consultation. In addition, the report noted that further reports would follow seeking approval for disposal of specific assets within the disposal programme.

This report seeks to report the outcome of the consultation to inform the Cabinet decision to authorise disposal of the car park sites. It also seeks to declare additional assets surplus to operational requirement and obtain authority for their disposal.

Site Disposals under the Asset Disposal Programme 2022-2028

Cabinet agreed the recommendations below:

·        Confirmed authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets to dispose the following assets having considered the outcome of a statutory consultation relating to the removal of the car parks from the Council’s off street parking, modification of Traffic Management Orders and pursuant to the Cabinet decision of 8 February 2023:

o   Como Street Car Park, RM7 7DN

o   Keswick Avenue Car Park, RM11 1XR

o   Dorrington Gardens Car Park, RM12 4HX

o   Angel Way Multi-storey Car Park, RM1 1HR

·        Noted that the potential disposal of Slaney Road car park will be the subject of further appraisal to consider the potential retention of part of the existing site   

·        Noted that in the exercise of delegated authority, any disposal to Mercury Land Holdings would be subject to the terms for any interim lease-back of operational assets and/or subsequent buy-back of assets not subsequently progressed by Mercury Land Holdings, as set out in the previous report to Cabinet on 8th February 2023.

·        Declared the following assets as surplus to the Council’s operational requirements:

o   Mercury House, 11 Western Rd, Romford, RM1 3RL

o   Gays Field, Jubilee Close, Romford, RM7 9LU

o   Land at Bedale Road/Tiverton Road, Harold Hill, RM3 9TU

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services to appropriate the Group Homes at 79/ 81 Maybank Avenue, Hornchurch, RM12 5SH from the General Fund to the Housing Revenue Act. Such appropriation to be exercised in the event that there is a requirement for the properties by the Council’s housing acquisition program. Otherwise, the properties are to be declared surplus to the Council’s operational requirements.

·        Agreed to the disposal of the assets identified within Appendix A at values representing the best consideration reasonably obtainable to the Council, subject to any required consultation relating to public open space

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets to decide upon the most appropriate disposal method for each asset and should that be considered to be auction, such authority to be exercised in consultation with the Lead Member for Development & Regeneration to agree appropriate reserve values for the properties.

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services to conduct all appropriate steps to progress and conclude the asset disposals in a manner that satisfies all legal/regulatory requirements.

·        Agreed, in principle, that the following sites should be appropriated (where necessary) for planning purposes with a view to their subsequent disposal:

o   Land at Bedale Road/Tiverton Road, Harold Hill, RM3 9TU

o   Gays Field, Jubilee Close, Romford, RM7 9LU

o   Como Street Car Park, RM7 7DN

o   Keswick Avenue Car Park, RM11 1XR

o   Dorrington Gardens Car Park, RM12 4HX

o   Angel Way Multi-storey Car Park, RM1 1HR

·        Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services, for the purposes set out above and in accordance with section 122(2A) Local Government Act 1972 and section 233(4) Town and Country Planning Act 1990 that notices are placed in a local newspaper circulating in the area for two consecutive weeks expressing:

(i)               an intention to appropriate (where necessary) the above sites to planning purposes; and

(ii)              an intention to dispose of the above sites (where necessary) following its appropriation.

·     Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Housing, Property and Assets in consultation with the Deputy Director of Legal and Democratic Services consider any objections to the intended appropriation and/or disposal before a decision to appropriate or dispose is made.