Issue - meetings

The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a £5.5 billion government capital grant programme launched in summer 2017 to help to deliver up to 300,000 new homes in England in response to the national shortage of good quality accessible housing.  The county council in conjunction with Woking Borough Council submitted a bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund in the second round of bidding submissions on 3 December 2018. On behalf of Surrey County Council, Woking Borough Council led on all aspects and fully funded the bid. Following a comprehensive and detailed due diligence process by government this bid has now been approved.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment & Highways Select Committee]

RESOLVED:

1.    That Surrey County Council accepts the funding award of £95million for the A320 Woking Town Centre project from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) allocated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, subject to Woking Borough Council entering into a legal agreement with Surrey County Council to deliver the project and accept all grant conditions as set by Homes England as well as indemnifying Surrey County Council against all financial and legal risks was agreed.

2.    That Surrey County Council enter into appropriate legal agreements with Woking Borough Council to allow the Woking Borough Council to act as agent to deliver the project, accept all bid grant conditions as set by Homes England was agreed.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director Community Protection, Transport & Environment and the Deputy Leader regarding any further decisions relating to this project was agreed.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director Community Protection, Transport & Environment in consultation with the Deputy Leader for any future decisions on the three remaining HIF bids should they be successful and subject to meeting relevant and similar terms and conditions as set for the Woking Town Centre grant award was agreed.

Reason for Decision:

To accept the grant funding awarded by government to the A320 Woking Town Centre project and enter into appropriate legal agreements to pass on all financial and legal risks in delivering the project to Woking Borough Council.

The grant funding will allow Woking to continue to prosper as a town and provide much needed housing for the local community.

To fast track decisions on the remaining three HIF bids should they be successful.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities, Environment & Highways Select Committee]

A report that set out how Surrey County Council, in conjunction with Woking Borough Council, submitted a bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund in the second round of bidding submissions on 3 December 2018 was introduced by the Deputy Leader. He explained that subject to a legal agreement between Surrey County Council and Woking Borough Council this project will delivered by Woking Borough Council, working in close partnership with Surrey County Council and Network Rail. It was expected to reduce congestion in the area, as well as opening up land for housing.

Mr Will Forster addressed the Cabinet and requested that divisional Members be consulted on individual projects as part of the process.  He also noted that the Equalities Impact Assessment had highlighted that some residents would do poorly in the use of shared spaces and therefore requested that segregated rather than shared paths be used.

The Deputy Leader responded that consultation would be led by local council and he would ensure divisional Members were part of that process.  Likewise, the use of shared space was borough-led but he would look at what could be insisted on.

RESOLVED:

1.    That Surrey County Council accepts the funding award of £95million for the A320 Woking Town Centre project from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) allocated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, subject to Woking Borough Council entering into a legal agreement with Surrey County Council to deliver the project and accept all grant conditions as set by Homes England as well as indemnifying Surrey County Council against all financial and legal risks was agreed.

2.    That Surrey County Council enter into appropriate legal agreements with Woking Borough Council to allow the Woking Borough Council to act as agent to deliver the project, accept all bid grant conditions as set by Homes England was agreed.

3.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director Community Protection, Transport & Environment and the Deputy Leader regarding any further decisions relating to this project was agreed.

4.    That authority be delegated to the Executive Director Community Protection, Transport & Environment in consultation with the Deputy Leader for any future decisions on the three remaining HIF bids should they be successful and subject to meeting relevant and similar terms and conditions as set for the Woking Town Centre grant award was agreed.

Reason for Decision:

To accept the grant funding awarded by government to the A320 Woking Town Centre project and enter into appropriate legal agreements to pass on all financial and legal risks in delivering the project to Woking Borough Council.

The grant funding will allow Woking to continue to prosper as a town and provide much needed housing for the local community.

To fast track decisions on the remaining three HIF bids should they be successful.

The decision was unanimous.