Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Scrutiny Co-ordinator (copy attached) which seeks the Committee, based on written and verbal information provided, to review the Cabinet’s decision of 22 September 2020.

Vote taken: 7 in favour, 0 against, 0 abstentions

The Committee:

Resolved:  to uphold the decision and to recommend to Cabinet that it -

(i)           revisit the decision in light of the vision for future social and affordable housing as set out in the draft new national development framework ‘Future Wales – the National Plan 2040’;

(ii)          therefore delay the decision in relation to this particular site for 12 months until the new national development framework is agreed;

(iii)        consider options to make the land more attractive to social landlords and smaller developers by breaking it up into smaller parcels/plots; and

(iv)        does not create an oversupply of large unaffordable homes in Denbigh which do not meet the local need

[This item was considered as a matter of urgency, notice having been given by the Chair at the commencement of the meeting].

The Chair introduced a report (previously circulated) on the call-in request submitted in respect of a decision taken by the Cabinet on 22 September 2020 relating to the ‘Disposal of land adjacent to Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh’.  The Cabinet had resolved to –

·         approve the disposal of land adjacent to Ysgol Pendref, Denbigh outlined in red on the plan (Appendix A to the report) which is surplus to Council requirements on the open market for residential development and delegates authority to the Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets to approve the final sale, and

·         confirms it has read, understood and taken account of the Well-being Impact Assessment (Appendix B to the report) as part of its consideration.

A ‘call-in’ notice had been submitted by Councillor Glenn Swingler, supported by four other councillors.  At the Chair’s invitation Councillor Swingler set out the grounds for calling the review of the decision as follows –

1.    This is more land owned by Council being sold for a quick fix to fill budget holes.

2.    Upper Denbigh has up to 300 houses being built on the NWH (North Wales Hospital) site and more (mostly) unaffordable housing is not required.

3.    The land is presently farm land.  We should be encouraging more people into farming.  We don’t yet know the effects of Brexit on food security and now would be a foolish time to dump this land.

4.    Although it mentions the land not being suitable for a new build for Ysgol Pendref it was only a very, very short time ago Cabinet agreed to the new 21st century schools programme and to commence a scoping exercise.  Has that been completed already?

5.    Once land belonging to the people has been sold to private enterprises there is no going back.  How are cabinet certain the land will not be needed in the future.

6.    We must surely be building more social housing.

The Lead Member Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Programme Manager – Housing Development and Principal Valuation and Estates Surveyor were in attendance.  The Lead Member clarified the location of the site in Denbigh which related to 6.97 acres.  He also responded to the grounds put forward for the call-in request as follows –

·         the land was held within the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) and therefore any capital receipt from the sale would be ring-fenced for the HRA and could not be used elsewhere.  The HRA had three sources of income to deliver its programme of works for which capital receipts was a key element.  An assumption about the sale of the land had been built into the rolling 30 year housing stock business plan so if a capital receipt could not be achieved there would be less funding available to deliver new social rented homes or maintenance on existing housing stock

·         in terms of housing numbers in the current Local Development Plan (LDP) there was no inclusion for any of the enabling developments at the North Wales Hospital Site currently and the council’s allocations and affordable housing policies made no assumptions of any affordable units on that particular site.  This site, amongst others, had been allocated to partially address housing needs for all kinds of tenure within Denbigh and would deliver twice the number of affordable units that would be required under the terms of the LDP

·         the land was not farmland having been allocated for residential purposes in the LDP in 2013 following all the appropriate processes and consultation stages.  The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5