Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with Procedure Rules Nos.11 and 35 a period of 10 minutes is allocated for members of the public to address the meeting on any matter relevant to the work of the body in question.  Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes but the Chairman or person presiding will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned where there are a number of speakers. Members of the public are not required to give notice to use this facility. However, as a matter of courtesy, a period of 24 hours’ notice is encouraged.

Members of the public wishing to ask a question at the meeting should provide at least three clear working days’ notice in writing and should include the question with that notice. This will enable an informed answer to be given.

No members of the public were present.

To seek approval to re-market this property.

The Cabinet Member considered a report which sought approval to re-market Cypress House, Handforth, inviting offers on both conditional and unconditional basis.

On 14 March 2011, Cabinet agreed to dispose of a number of properties for affordable housing and Cypress House was one of the sites earmarked for disposal.  A sale had been agreed with a housing association in 2013 but following further due diligence by them, the scheme was confirmed as unviable for them and they were therefore unable to proceed with the agreed offer. 

Cypress House was included within the Council’s disposals programme and the sale of the property would make a contribution towards the current 3 year disposals target.  The property may be suitable for conversion or commercial/residential redevelopment and the site also had the benefit of planning for a development of 13 affordable housing units. 

The preferred strategy for marketing was to put the property to the market, inviting offers. Any such offers could be conditional and unconditional with the highest value resulting from an unrestricted sale for residential development.  It was proposed that all offers be assessed using a decision making matrix according to the following criteria:

·         Price offered

·         Proof of funding

·         Timescales to Complete

·         Track Record of the Offeror

RESOLVED:

That approval be given for the re-marketing of Cypress House, to invite offers for the site and accept an offer based on the preferred development of the site, to instruct legal services and for them to proceed to legal completion on terms and conditions to be agreed by the Assets Manager and the Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer.

To seek approval for the disposal of these properties.

The Cabinet Members considered a report which sought approval to declare the properties known as the Hilary Centre and the Ethel Elks Family Centre surplus to requirements of Cheshire East Council and dispose of the property on the open market by the most appropriate method of sale.

The property was included within the Council’s disposals programme with an anticipated completion of sale in the 2016/17 financial year; the sale of the property would make a contribution towards the current 3 year disposals target.

The existing services were to be relocated to the new Crewe Lifestyle Centre in early 2016 and once vacated the Council would be left with an empty asset and incur unnecessary holding costs.  The Council was looking at reducing its expenditure on its surplus assets and therefore in allowing the early marketing of this asset and accepting a preferred offer would enable the Council to eliminate/reduce the high holding costs associated with a building of this size. 

One of the key priorities identified within Cheshire East’s Housing Strategy was the delivery for both market and affordable housing.  Disposal of this property for residential development would help alleviate the supply and demand within Cheshire East.  In addition, the Council would benefit from any new homes bonus once the site was built on.

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to declare the Ethel Elks Family Centre and the Hilary Centre, Crewe surplus to requirements of Cheshire East Council and dispose of them via Private Treaty for residential development on terms and conditions to be agreed by the Assets Manager and the Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer.

That approval be given to instruct Legal Services to prepare the contract documentation and proceed to legal completion on terms and conditions to be agreed by the Assets Manager and Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer.