Agenda item

(Director of Communities) To consider the attached report AMED-005-2016/17.

The Committee was reminded that it had previously considered and adopted a Broadway Regeneration Action Plan, setting out the Council’s planned approach to the development of various sites in the Broadway area of Loughton.

The Director of Communities presented a report relating to five separate areas of Council-owned land at Vere Road, Loughton, to the north of The Broadway, which were currently used to provide either Council garages or public car parking spaces. Members were advised that, in accordance with the development agreement for the site of the former Sir Winston Churchill Public House, the Council was required to provide sufficient land for 58 car parking spaces to be constructed by the developer of that site (Higgins Homes) on one or two of the specific sites at Vere Road, at the developer’s expense. The report provided various options for future car parking arrangements and the development of affordable housing schemes on the sites at Vere Road, which were considered by the Committee.

The approach recommended by the report of the Director of Communities offered a balanced approach to car parking and the provision of new affordable homes in the area, providing around 96 public parking spaces (compared to the current 63 spaces) and 10 new affordable rented properties. Members were advised that Higgins Homes had offered to meet the cost of the re-construction of some of the public car parking spaces, and that it was proposed that the costs of re-constructing the remaining public car parking spaces be assessed, with a view to appropriate budget provision being made to undertake the works within the Capital Programme for 2017/18. The Director of Communities advised the Committee that the Council would receive an annual income from each of the 58 car parking spaces to be constructed by Higgins Homes at Vere Road, even in the event that any of the spaces were not actually utilised by residents of the new residential development on the former Sir Winston Churchill Public House site.

The Committee noted that the ward members in attendance at the meeting were generally in favour of the option proposed in the report, subject to the completion of scheme designs to ensure the continued provision of access to the rear of the shops along The Broadway by local traders and the grant of planning permission where necessary. One of the ward members in attendance raised concern with regard to parking on the footpath at front of the shops along The Broadway by traders and those making deliveries to the shops. The Director of Neighbourhoods advised the Committee that the ongoing Debden Parking Review would address a range of parking-related issues for the area and that he would draw the issues of pavement parking at The Broadway to the attention of relevant officers for investigation.

Recommended:

That Option 3 set out within the report be pursued, in order to provide a cohesive Car Parking and Affordable Housing Plan for Vere Road, Loughton and that:

(a)         the previous decision of the Cabinet that Moat Housing be provided with a 999-year lease to develop Site 1 for affordable housing be rescinded and that around 50 car parking spaces for the use of residents of the private development by Higgins Homes on the site of the former Winston Churchill Public House be constructed on Site 1, with the construction costs met by Higgins Homes in accordance with the Development Agreement between the two parties;

(b)         site 2 be re-constructed by Higgins Homes to provide around 8 car parking spaces for the Higgins Homes development and around 55 public car parking spaces, with the construction costs met by Higgins Homes;

(c)         site 3 be marked-out, equipped and included within the Council’s pay and display regime to provide around 7 public pay and display car parking spaces;

(d)         the 20 Council-owned garages on Site 4 be demolished and reconstructed and equipped to provide around 34 public car parking spaces;

(e)         planning permission be sought for the development of 10 affordable rented flats, with associated car parking, on Site 5 in accordance with the Development Appraisal previously approved by the Council Housebuilding Cabinet Committee; and

(f)          the Director of Neighbourhoods obtain a budget estimate for the cost of reconstructing and equipping Sites 3 and 4 for the provision of this work and seeks the inclusion of appropriate budget provision for the work within the Capital Programme for 2017/18, when this is next reviewed by the Cabinet.

Reasons for Decision:

In accordance with the Development Agreement between the Council and Higgins Homes, the authority had an obligation to provide sufficient land for the provision of car parking spaces for the occupants of the residential development to be constructed on the site of the former Sir Winston Churchill Public House. Accordingly, and in view of proposals previously agreed for the provision of affordable housing on two of the Council’s sites at Vere Road, there was a need to formulate a cohesive plan for future car parking arrangements and affordable housing developments along Vere Road.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

The Committee considered other options for the provision of a Car Parking and Affordable Housing Plan for Vere Road, including the maximisation of affordable housing on Site 1 and Site 5 with reduced public car parking provision, and the maximisation of the provision of public car parking with no affordable housing provision.