Issue - meetings

To consider the report on the delivery of affordable homes.

The Committee considered the update report on Affordable Housing.

The Committee had previously at its meeting in November 2022 agreed a set of priorities for the allocation of financial contributions from developers in lieu of provision of affordable housing on development sites.  In order to help with the provision of affordable housing in Cheshire East, it was proposed that a Housing Fund be established under priority 4. This would pool a number of contributions to create a fund in the region of £1.5m, subject to the terms of the S106 agreements allowing this and available contributions.  The fund would be used to enable Registered Housing Providers to purchase properties on the open market and let them at social rent levels.

The Committee in July 2021 had agreed to include the former Vernon Infant School site in Poynton into the Housing Development Framework to bring forward affordable homes. The Section 77 process to seek approval to dispose of the land had commenced, but not yet been concluded. Since this decision, a review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision has been undertaken and the former school had now been identified as a suitable site for a SEN school. The report therefore sought approval to remove the site from the Housing Development Framework and, subject to an approved business case, approve the allocation of the site for SEN provision.

RESOLVED (unanimously):  That the Committee

1               note the contents of the report.

2               approve the establishment of a Housing Fund to enable open market properties to be purchased and converted to socially rented accommodation by Registered Housing Providers and delegate authority to the Director of Enterprise and Growth to approve the final scheme and the process for the allocation of funds.

3        approve the removal of the former Vernon Infant School site in Poynton from the Housing Development Framework and delegate authority to the Director of Growth and Enterprise to reassign the site for the provision of a SEN school, subject to an approved business case.