Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member for New Homes, Jobs and Community Investment.

The New Homes for Small Sites Programme sets out an approach for delivering new homes on under-utilised estate and infill sites across the borough. This report outlines the delivery strategy for a linked package of sites to be progressed as Phase 1 of the programme. 

This report builds on the Cabinet decision made in September 2021,

(SC/2021/23), and seeks budget approval to secure planning consent on sites identified for direct delivery of new affordable homes by the Council and enable the further development and preparation of sites for sale.

Following the previous Cabinet decision, engagement work began with residents and communities on the New Homes for Small Sites Programme. This report updates Cabinet on the findings of the engagement programme and recommends 5 sites are progressed towards the delivery of up to 73 additional genuinely affordable homes on existing estates. 

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet Member for New Homes, Jobs and Community Investment, which was presented Councillor Danny Beales, Cabinet Member for New Homes, Jobs and Community Investment, and by Neil Vokes, Director of Development, who both along with Huw Jones, Team Leader Regeneration, gave the following key responses to questions:

·       The new homes for small sites programme offered the opportunity to deliver additional affordable homes on existing estates, without the need to rehouse residents or demolish existing homes. 

·       Officers had been speaking with residents on estates through door knocking and pop-up events. Officers had knocked on doors on estates, multiple times where possible, to increase the reach across estates and contact as many residents as possible.

·       Residents had been offered different ways to contribute to the engagement process which included feedback forms; through the post with a pre-paid return envelope; by completing an online survey; and also by completing surveys with officers at the door or at drop-in events on each estate. Residents were also given a map of their estate with the potential development site highlighted. At drop-in events, residents also gave wider feedback on their estate - what they liked or disliked and other areas they thought could be improved or developed. This information would be pulled together to form the estate improvement programme that would go hand-in-hand with the Small Sites Programme.

·       The Council recognised that there were always a range of views about new development and was mindful of local concerns about disruption and loss of amenities. The approach for the next stage of delivery would include further engagement with residents on a whole range of design issues, as well as discussions on providing meaningful benefits back to affected estate residents.

·       There remain a risk of uncertainty and concern due to lack of communication on estates. Stakeholder engagement had been a key element of the initial phase of this programme and engagement would be maintained through regular feedback with local people, updating them on programme and future works. Ongoing working groups would progress through the construction phases. There was a risk of continued local opposition to new homes being built on estates. To address this would require clear and regular messaging with residents and tailored strategies for individual sites to address specific concerns raised and to work to collaboratively with tenants and residents to alleviate them where possible.

·       Increasing the supply of genuinely affordable homes remained a key Council priority, and the small sites programme provided a community led way to bring back vacant spaces into use through the provision of new homes and community facilities.

·       The small sites programme would not be seeking to use green spaces as part of the vacant spaces being used to deliver the programme. Green spaces were something that local communities wanted to see preserved and enhanced, and the programme would see how this could be achieved through the estates improvement programme part of the scheme.

·       Each specific scheme would have its own estates improvement budget and officers would consider developing a set of guiding principles regarding how the money should be spent.

ACTION BY: Director of Development     

·       The CIP sought to address the lack of Government funding for local authorities to delivery new community facilities as well as much needed housing. The small sites programme sought to deliver 73 affordable housing units as part of phase 1 of the programme. In total the five sites could deliver up to 44 new social rent homes, for families on the housing waiting list, as well as 23 living rent homes for key workers and those struggling to afford to live in Camden. The Council would also deliver 6 council supported living homes, which would offer accommodation-based care to support adults with learning and physical disabilities and mental health conditions to live independently.

·       The Council would retain ownership of 100% of the homes built and all homes would be built to the highest standards of design and sustainability.

·       The small sites programme had to be self-financing as the Government was not providing resources to fully fund these schemes, and the Council’s Housing Revenue Account no longer had the capacity to fund projects such as this through borrowing.

·       It was proposed that the Council would transfer the social rent homes to the proposed Camden Living Registered Provider (which the Council would have nomination rights to, so Council tenants on the waiting list, could benefit from these new homes), and the transfer of intermediate homes to existing Camden Living Company (which could benefit key workers or children of existing tenants, who were unable to afford private rented accommodation). 

·       A Construction Management Plan would also be produced and would stipulate how noise, dust and deliveries, and works would be managed to minimise disruption to residents.

·       The New Homes for Small Sites Programme would provide opportunities for Small and Medium-size Enterprises and community or self-build developers.

·       Each scheme would need to be fully worked up after extensive consultation, along with having to go through the formal planning application process. As part of this process consideration would have to be given regarding planning polices relating to height, density, types of homes, deliverability, as well as community and environmental concerns. All these issues would need to be considered and balanced before a final decision was made to progress a scheme.

·       Following all CIP schemes a review was undertaken to see what lessons could be learned and these would then be applied to future schemes.

·       Officers agreed to provide an update on the progress of the small sites programme to the scrutiny committee in six months’ time.

ACTION BY: Director of Development     

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted