Issue - meetings

To formally consider the acceptance of Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) funding from Homes England, alongside consideration and approval of a funding agreement and forward-funding arrangements, in order to provide the Council with sufficient financial resource and capacity to deliver, in conjunction with the County Council, Section 5 to the Spalding Western Relief Road (SWRR) within currently envisaged timescales (report of the Executive Director Commercialisation (S151)).

Please note that the appendices associated with this report are not for publication by virtue of Paragraphs  2 (Information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual), 3 (Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)) and 5 (Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings) in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and are therefore attached to this agenda as item 19.

Consideration was given to the report of the Executive Director - Commercialisation (S151) which sought acceptance of Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) funding from Homes England. It also sought approval of a funding agreement and forward-funding arrangements, in order to provide the Council with sufficient financial resource and capacity to deliver, in conjunction with the County Council, Section 5 to the Spalding Western Relief Road (SWRR) within currently envisaged timescales.

The Portfolio Holder - Growth and Commercialisation introduced the item and stated that the report related to ensuring the on ground delivery of section 5 to the Spalding Western Relief Road (SWRR). 

The Portfolio Holder provided an update to the Council following the meeting of Lincolnshire County Council’s Planning and Regulations Committee on Monday 29 July 2019 which considered the detail of the full planning applications for both sections 1 and 5 of the SWRR.  The County Council resolved to approve both Highway Schemes.  Formal planning consent could not be issued until the Secretary of State confirmed whether it had to be called in. Confirmation either way was expected shortly.

Councillor Alcock asked the Portfolio Holder to confirm that the Council would recover the forward-funding costs. The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Council would recover the costs as part of the Section 106 agreement.

DECISION:

That, subject to planning permission being granted by the County Council and to receipt of written confirmation from the Lincolnshire County Council that they would enter into a further agreement with the District Council to ensure full compliance with the terms of the proposed funding agreement, the following be approved:

a)    That the conditional offer of £12m from Homes England towards meeting the cost of the Section 5 (Vernatt’s) highways infrastructure to the SWRR be accepted;

b)    That a Funding Agreement with Homes England be entered into, this committing the Council (in conjunction with the County Council) to utilising the £12m Housing and Infrastructure (HIF) Funding towards meeting the overall cost of delivering Section 5 to the SWRR (and that authority to finalise the terms of the funding agreement and the proposed further agreement with the County Council be delegated to the Executive Director of Commercialisation (S151) Officer in consultation with the Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Growth and Commercialisation);

c)    That funding of £1M be provided to assist the County Council to forward-fund the overall £27.6M cost of Section 5 to the SWRR and the capital programme be amended as required to reflect this.  The Council will seek to recover the forward-funding costs associated with delivering Section 5 to the SWRR from the developers through S106 (or other) agreements, as appropriate, in conjunction with delivering the housing development associated with Phases 1 and 2 to the Vernatt’s Sustainable Urban Extension (Vernatt’s SUE); and

d)    That additional monies be set aside in the Growth and Investment Reserve to seek to acquire, with the agreement with the owners, property and land required to deliver Section 5 to the SWRR in accordance with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 27