To receive Report No.191/2019 from the Chief Executive.

Report No.191/2019 was received from the Chief Executive. The Leader, Councillor Hemsley, introduced the report which updated the Committee on progress in relation to the Housing infrastructure Funding (HIF) Forward Funding for the St George’s project.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         It would be very clear in the contractual negotiations that the financial risk for any contractual overruns would lie with the MOD.

·         If full Council did not approve the report then the Council would not have a sound Local Plan and that would put it at risk.

·         If a Local Plan was not agreed and delivered then eventually the MHCLG (Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government) could take over all the planning decisions for the Council.

·         Councillor Brown confirmed, for absolute clarity, that the St George’s Barracks development was only viable if the full amount of the HIF bid was accepted.

·         If the HIF monies fell away then the whole masterplan would have to be revisited as building any less than 2200 houses was not viable.

·         Because of the delays to the Local Plan, a strategic advisor, Montague Evans, had been appointed to work with the developer to bring forward the planning process.

·         Homes England wanted to be satisfied that the model to procure a developer for the site was robust.

·         It was important to remind Members that much of the site would be untouched but if costs to clear up the site were more than expected then the costs would fall to the developer.

·         The cost of the majority of officer time spent on the project and a newly appointed project manager would paid from the £150k grant received from the Gardens Communities Fund. This was in addition to the £130k funding received to help put together the business case for the HIF monies.

·         A £100k of Council money had been allocated to delivering the St George’s Barracks Project and it was not anticipated that this budget would increase.

·         There would be an impact on costs for the planning team when it came to processing the planning application but the MOD would pay the monies up front to allow them to deliver this.

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At 9.45pm a further 15 minute extension to the meeting was unanimously agreed upon.

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·         Councillor Baines asked whether, if the Council were in a position to reject the HIF bid, it would be possible to present a viable local plan. Officers confirmed that this would entail revisiting sites that were previously unacceptable and indeed some of the sites had fallen away completely.

·         The HIF bid was carried by only one vote went it went to Council last time. Councillor Cross felt that a plan was deliverable if Members were minded to do so and that if HIF was agreed then it effectively meant that St George’s Barracks was approved.

·         Allowing the HIF bid to go through would allow the Council to be in the driving seat and build something that Rutland would be proud of.

·         The Council expected that they could meet all the conditions of the HIF bid and there was nothing that put the Council at risk.

·         Councillor Waller, the Chair of the Committee, felt that there were still a number of unanswered questions and had grave concerns about what the Council was signing up to. Councillor Waller would want to see a firm legal agreement between Homes England, the MOD and the Council.

RESOLVED

That the Committee give their support in principle to recommend to Council acceptance of the £29.4m Housing Infrastructure Bid. Councillor Waller abstained from the vote.