Decision details

The Adult Social Care’s Accommodation with Care and Support Strategy (AwCS) was approved by Cabinet in July 2019, the strategy sets out the Council’s ambition to develop 725 affordable units of Extra Care Housing in Surrey by 2030. 

Approval to procure the Pond Meadow Extra Care Housing Provision via the Design Build Finance Operate (DBFO) supply model on the site of the former Pond Meadow school was granted by Cabinet in October 2019. 

Subsequently, upon the conclusion of the tender process a 125 year contract will be awarded to Funding Affordable Homes Housing Association Limited (FAH).

RESOLVED:

1.    That further due diligence be conducted with the Council’s joint venture partner Places for People (“Joint Venture Partner”) with a view to leasing the Brockhurst and Pinehurst sites set out in the submitted report to Living+, which is the housing with care development and operator arm of Places for People to develop extra care housing on these sites. 

2.    That authority be delegated to the Director for Land and Property and the Executive Director for Adult Social Care in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health to make decisions on the final terms of any agreement or lease through the Joint Venture Partner for the Brockhurst and Pinehurst sites.

3.    That approval to procure so that a full tender process to identify a development partner for the former Pond Meadow School site set out in the paper can be conducted was agreed.

4.    That work continues to review the suitability of all of the sites owned by the Council for development of extra care housing as part of the Council’s Asset and Place Strategy was approved.

Reason for Decision:

The development of extra care housing on the three sites set out in the submitted report would represent a substantial contribution to the Council’s strategic objective to expand affordable extra care provision by 2030. 

The financial modelling set out in Part 2 of the report demonstrated that the development of extra care on the sites generated much greater financial benefits over a 40 year period than the opportunity cost of not selling the land, subject to a S123 Best Value report. Any lease that was agreed for a site would be negotiated with conditions that safeguard the Council’s position after the affordable extra care units become obsolete.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Resources & Performance Select Committee]