Agenda item

A report from the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services and Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care is attached. This seeks approval to the development options for this site. (Report No.116, agenda part two also refers) (Key decision – reference number 3959)

(Report No.115)

(8.35 – 8.40 pm)

Councillor Taylor invited Mr John Jewson to present his deputation to the Cabinet.

Mr John Jewson, Vice Chair of FERAA, stated that he was representing the local community with regard to the proposed redevelopment of the Bury Street West Depot site and wanted to bring a number of concerns to Members’ attention. His deputation included the following issues:

·       Whilst the need for housing in the area was recognised it needed to blend in with the surrounding area. He was opposed to the overdevelopment of the site and highlighted the need for homes of sufficient size that residents would be proud of.

·       The need for adequate parking provision for such a large development site was highlighted. It was already a busy area. 

·       The site was adjacent to Salisbury House, the Bowls Club and Bury Lodge Park. Edmonton School had also been expanded. There would be a need for effective traffic control in the area.

·       The local community would have preferred to have seen the development of private housing which would attract high prices in the area. This revenue could then be used by the Council to build low cost rental accommodation elsewhere.

·       A community hall would be welcomed.

·       The need for easy access for emergency vehicles was stated.

·       The increased pressure on local GP surgeries, schools and dentists was a matter of concern.

·       Safety concerns were highlighted with regard to the proposed additional bridge over Salmons Brook.

·       Reassurances were sought with regard to the future of the Bowls Club and the bungalow located at 294 Bury Street West.

·       It was stated that it had previously been anticipated that extra ground would be provided to the park for recreational equipment for older children.

·       Councillors were encouraged to visit the site before making any decisions.

Councillor Taylor thanked Mr Jewson for his deputation and invited Councillor Erin Celebi to present her deputation to the Cabinet.

Councillor Celebi supported the points raised by Mr Jewson and expressed her concerns over the proposed housing scheme. It was recognised that there was a housing shortage in the Borough. Councillor Celebi stated her view that 3/4/5 bedroom houses should be provided which could be used to release pressure on the provision of temporary accommodation in the Borough. It was suggested that the proposed scheme would be better suited to other sites in the Borough as it was out of character with the surrounding area. Concerns were reiterated over adequate parking facilities and the congestion in the area.

Councillor Celebi raised a number of further issues in her deputation including: Salisbury House was a listed building which needed to be protected and reassurances were sought on what measures the Council would be taking; pressures on the local infrastructure including GP surgeries and schools were highlighted; the future of the Bowls Club was questioned; the protection of wildlife around Salmons Brook was raised together with the safety concerns around the area; it was suggested that the site would be best suited to fewer properties of a larger size; Bury Lodge Park should continue to be used to provide recreational facilities for local residents.

Councillor Taylor thanked Councillor Celebi for her deputation and invited questions from Cabinet Members.

Councillor Andrew Stafford (Cabinet Member for Finance) assured those present that the Council made its decisions carefully following detailed discussions and numerous site visits by those concerned. The report being presented to Members today was the result of significant work to date. The proposed development was on contaminated land on the previous depot site. The Council would undertake the necessary decontamination work. Discussions had taken place with the Bowls Club and the Friends of Bury Street and studies had been undertaken on Salisbury House.

Councillor Alan Sitkin (Cabinet Member for Economic Development) drew Members’ attention to paragraph 3.10 of the report regarding the Mayor’s London Plan and Housing Strategy. A minimum target had been set by the Mayor for 7,976 new homes to be built between 2015 and 2025 in the London Borough of Enfield.

Councillor Achilleas Georgiou (Deputy Leader) reported that he knew the site well and had been a regular visitor to Bury Lodge Park. He sought assurances from the officers concerned that the standards to be applied to the housing development were as required by the Mayor of London’s development plan. The need for additional housing in the Borough was recognised. Whilst a significant amount of new housing was proposed for Meridian Water, the Borough still had additional housing requirements to meet. The Council would not wish to use the Bury Lodge site development for temporary accommodation housing, this would not be cost effective for the Council for reasons which he outlined at the meeting.

Councillor Ahmet Oykener (Cabinet Member for Housing and Estate Regeneration) was encouraged by the interest of residents in the proposed scheme. Details of the scheme were yet to be drawn up. A number of the issues raised were items to be addressed as part of the planning processes. The Council would be working closely with the local community and consulting with residents. Councillor Oykener drew attention to the regeneration developments taking place in the Borough and the examples of consulting with residents and building stronger communities. The Council needed innovative ways of generating revenue income in supporting the provision of Council services and also meeting the need for the provision of affordable housing in the Borough. Many of the issues which had been raised would be considered further during the consultation process and development of the scheme.

Detlev Munster (Head of Property Programmes) confirmed that proposed housing would be compliant with the London Design Guide, the Council’s policies and Lifetime Homes Standard.

Mr Jewson and Councillor Celebi were invited to make closing statements to the Cabinet Members. Mr Jewson reiterated the need to build housing that residents would want to live in and that would not cause social problems in the future. The housing should be of a high standard.

Councillor Taylor asked when it came to it whether Councillor Celebi was opposed to housing on the site and she stated she was.

Councillor Celebi stated that the housing should be in keeping with the local area, with no high rise flats and some private as well as rented housing. She reiterated her view that Bury Lodge Park should remain as a park and urged Members to consider alternative sites for housing development.

In conclusion Councillor Taylor summarised the issues which had been raised by the deputations and noted that a number of the concerns would be addressed further through the planning process. The report indicated that there was still a significant amount of work to be done on the development of the scheme. The points raised with regard to Salisbury House and the Bowls Club had been noted.

Members then considered the report of the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services and Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care (No.115) setting out development options for Bury Street West, the former parks depot site.

NOTED that Report No.116 also referred as detailed in Minute No.17 below.

Alternative Options Considered: NOTED the alternative options that had been considered as set out in full in section 5 of the report. These had included alternative uses, layouts and delivery mechanisms. The alternative delivery mechanisms would be the subject of another report to Cabinet and that report would also outline the various legal forms the delivery mechanism could take (Section 5 of the report referred).

RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL to approve a total budget of £33m as detailed within Report No.116 (as detailed in Minute No.17 below) and that this figure be included in the Capital Programme for the delivery of a proposed housing scheme at the Bury Street West Depot.

DECISION: The Cabinet agreed

1.               Subject to full Council approving the addition of the budget for the project in the Capital Programme detailed above (recommendation 2.1 of the report), to approve the budget for Stages 1 and 2 of the project and, to approve the commencement of the procurement of consultants to prepare plans for the schemes as detailed within Report No.116 (detailed in Minute No.17 below), and to delegate approval for the appointment of consultants to the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration in consultation with the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care and the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services.

2.               To approve the details of the scheme and its expenditure within the approved total budget subject to a further report being submitted to Cabinet.

3.               To delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration in consultation with the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care and the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services to approve a mix of house types and tenure arrangements in advance of a planning application submission.

4.               To delegate authority to the Director of Health, Housing and Adult Social Care in consultation with the Director of Finance, Resources and Customer Services and with the Assistant Director of Strategic Property Services to submit a planning application for the redevelopment of the site.

5.               To approve the commencement for the procurement of a developer/contractor to take forward a scheme on receipt of planning permission and award of contract would be subject to further Cabinet approval.

6.               To note that a further in depth report would be presented to Cabinet updating the progress to date with the preferred delivery option for the site that had been detailed for consideration within Report No.116 (Minute No. 17 below refers).

Reason: This was a rare opportunity for the Council to develop a large site within its own portfolio. It did come with the risks detailed within Report No.116 (Minute No.17 below); however the benefits to the Council would outweigh the associated risks and bring much needed revenue funding to the Council. The indicative scheme was considered to be viable and the best fit given the site’s current environmental and policy constraints. The development would deliver a key proportion of affordable housing that was in high demand within the Borough, in particular key worker and shared ownership properties. The site would deliver key environmental enhancements and produce a sustainable exemplar Council development.

(Key decision – reference number 3959)