Agenda item

Options Appraisal: Future Use of Gurney House Site

Decision:

(a) That approval be given to retain the site of the former Gurney House in order to construct high quality family homes;

(b) That approval be given for the Strategic Director of Regeneration, Housing & Resources to complete the detailed feasibility study to develop proposals for a residential scheme determining

i. The size, number and layout of the new homes.

ii. The final tenure or mix of tenures on site and

iii. The delivery mechanism to be used in order to limit risk to an acceptable level while maximising the speed and rate of capital or revenue return to the council.

(c) That the Strategic Director of Regeneration, Housing & Resources report back to Cabinet in March 2014 on the proposed tenure mix, marketing and financial modelling for the proposed scheme.

Minutes:

The Assistant Director Housing & Environment introduced a report which updated Members of the progress made on the feasibility study and site evaluation for the land formerly occupied by Gurney House following the report considered by the Cabinet in September 2013.

Members were informed that the evaluation of all of the options had not been fully concluded, but that the work to date gave officers sufficient assurance that it would be in the Council’s financial interests to retain the site and commission the development of family homes. An assessment of the options for the site had confirmed that a density of ten, 4 bedroom semi-detached homes would provide the most favourable scheme and an indicative plan was included in the report. The Cabinet recognised that the option of disposing of the site, as would generally have happened in the past, had been considered but that the Council’s financial interests would be best served by retaining the site and developing much needed family homes in the borough. Members discussed the options and welcomed the progress to date, including the financial model and proposed configuration of the site, and believed that it would provide a desirable development whilst retaining the attractive streetscape in the locality.

Further work on developing the best tenure mix and delivery mechanism, which could include the Slough Regeneration Partnership, Capital Programme or a new subsidiary housing company, would continue and it was agreed that a further report be considered by the Cabinet in March 2014 to address these matters. Members discussed the progress of the demolition of the existing building and it was noted that this was due to take place imminently. The Cabinet also requested that consideration be given to the use of spoil from the demolition, potentially to fill rather than gate subways/underpasses where appropriate.

Resolved –