Decision details

                  Approval was sought to the development of three sites across Sandwell with new affordable rent council housing, subject to planning permission being obtained.

                  Reasons for recommendations

                  This project would design/deliver circa 30 new Council-owned affordable rented properties on a maximum of three council-owned sites which subject to design and planning requirements could include houses, bungalows and apartments.

                  Alternative options considered

                  Option A – deliver the schemes through the in-house design team and procure a development contractor through the traditional route

                  Option B – Develop the sites utilising other funding sources

                  Both Option A and Option B had the potential of having a long term detrimental effect on the Council being able to access Homes England Grant funding as a Developer Partner should the contracted timescales not be met.

Agreed:-

(1)     that approval be given to design and develop three sites across Sandwell with new affordable rent council housing, subject to planning permission being obtained, at Harvest Road, Rowley Regis, Coppice Street, West Bromwich and Railway Street, Tipton;

(2)     that the Director of Finance be authorised to allocate adequate resources from the Council’s Housing Revenue Account, subject to being satisfied that the proposal provides value for money, to deliver the scheme designs and enable the agreed Homes England delivery programme to be met utilising grant funding offered under the extended Homes England Strategic Partnership 1 Programme 2016 to 2021;

(3)     that approval be given to authorise the steps necessary for the delivery of the proposed projects, including:

(a)     subject to (2) above, the Director of Regeneration and Growth in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Director of Housing be authorised to prepare tendering documentation and subsequently procure, in accordance with any statutory regulations and the Council’s Procurement and Financial Regulations to use the LHC Framework Alliance procurement route to undertake the Design and development documents to RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) stage 4 level;

(b)     subject to a) above, the Director – Monitoring Officer be authorised to enter into or execute under seal any documentation in relation to award of the contract for the Design RIBA stage 4 of three sites and/or development/partnership agreement, any consents or applications required for Planning or Highways appertaining to the delivery of the schemes and any other agreements with the procured contractor(s),as may be deemed necessary to facilitate development of the sites with housing schemes to RIBA stage 4;

(c)     that subject to receiving the necessary Strategic Investment Unit appraisal approval mark of 65 or above for each individual site, the Director of Regeneration and Growth in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Director of Housing be authorised to accept the Financial closure offer for the construction of Council new build properties, in accordance with any statutory regulations and the Council’s the Director – Monitoring Officer be authorised to enter into or execute under seal any documentation in relation to award of the contract for the development of each of the individual sites and/or development/partnership agreement, any consents or applications required for Planning or Highways appertaining to the delivery of the schemes and any other agreements with the procured contractor(s),as may be deemed necessary to facilitate development of the sites with housing schemes on terms and conditions to be agreed and implemented by the Director of Regeneration and Growth.