Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bromley Civic Centre

Contact: Lisa Thornley  020 8461 7566

Items
No. Item

57.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND NOTIFICATION OF SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Angela Page.

 

The Chairman led Members in thanking Councillor Michael Tickner for his excellent work as Chairman of the Beckenham Town Centre Working Group which had played a key role in supporting the design and delivery of improvement works in Beckenham town centre.  The final meeting of Beckenham Town Centre Working Group would be held on 18th April 2019.

58.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

59.

QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILLORS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ATTENDING THE MEETING

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5 pm on Wednesday 16 January 2019.

 

Minutes:

No questions had been received.

60.

MINUTES OF THE RENEWAL, RECREATION AND HOUSING PDS COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 13 NOVEMBER 2018 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee meeting held on 13th November 2018 be agreed.

61.

MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES AND UPDATES pdf icon PDF 59 KB

Minutes:

Report CSD19019

 

The Committee considered matters arising from previous meetings.

 

In respect of Minute 44a: Budget Monitoring 2018/19, Councillor Yvonne Bear reported that she had met with the Head of Finance to review the format of the budget monitoring report and that it was anticipated that the new format would be in place by the next meeting of Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee.

 

RESOLVED that progress on matters arising from previous meetings be noted.

62.

PRE-DECISION SCRUTINY OF RENEWAL, RECREATION AND HOUSING PORTFOLIO REPORTS

Portfolio Holder decisions for pre-decision scrutiny.

63.

CAPITAL PROGRAMME MONITORING - 2ND QUARTER 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 76 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report FSD19013

 

On 28th November 2018, the Council’s Executive received the 2rd quarterly capital monitoring report for 2018/19 and agreed a revised Capital Programme for the four year period 2018/19 to 2021/22. 

 

The Committee considered the changes to the Capital Programme for the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio which included the rephrasing a total of £2,876k from 2018/19 into 2019/20 to reflect revised estimates of when expenditure was likely to be incurred.  This was primarily due to a number of schemes going through design and development that were expected to be delivered in 2019/20.

 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to confirm the revised Capital Programme agreed by the Council’s Executive on 28th November 2018.

64.

PRESENTATION BY COUNTRYSIDE PROPERTIES (UK) LIMITED - SITE G: BROMLEY TOWN CENTRE

Minutes:

The Committee considered a presentation by Mahbub Khandoker, Associate Director: Development, Countryside Properties (UK) Limited, Will Edmonds, Partner: Planner and Development, Montagu Evans and Sally Lewis, Director, Stitch Architects giving an update on the development of the West of Bromley High Street, identified as Opportunity Site G in the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan (AAP).  The Committee was advised that the purpose of the presentation was to assist in its consideration of Item 12: Opportunity Site G - Approval for in Principle Use of Compulsory Purchase Powers later in the meeting.  Any planning aspects relating to this item would be considered at future meetings of Development Control Committee.

 

Countryside Properties (UK) Limited had been undertaking a wide-ranging process of consultation with the Local Authority, key partners and local residents and community groups as part of the pre-application process for this development.  This had led to a significant redesign of the mixed-use scheme which had reduced the scheme’s footprint and placed increased emphasis on public space, as well as introducing ground-floor office space.  The scheme, which ranged from 4 to 14 storeys in height, was expected to offer 407 new homes, including 142 (35%) affordable homes as well as a new Community Church.  Total planning contributions of over £3.64M had been identified for the development and it was expected that construction works would begin in September 2020 and be completed in January 2025.

 

In response to a question from a Member, the Partner: Planner and Development, Montagu Evans advised that it was planned to deliver a mix of shared ownership and socially rented properties, of which 10%-15% would be family-sized units with three or more bedrooms.  Private and shared ownership units would be co-located across the development; however it was planned to group the socially rented units together within a single building to enable effective property management.  The new building for the Community Church would be designed as a flexible space to support community use. 

 

The Chairman led the Committee in thanking Mahbub Khandoker, Will Edmonds and Sally Lewis for their excellent presentation.

 

RESOLVED that the presentation be noted.

65.

PRESENTATION BY CRYSTAL PALACE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST: ANERLEY TOWN HALL

Minutes:

The Committee considered a presentation by Elaine Harrison, Development Manager: Crystal Palace Community Trust that provided an update on the work of the Crystal Palace Community Trust.

 

The Crystal Palace Community Trust had been awarded the management of Anerley Town Hall with a 40 year lease in April 2017.  Since this time, the Trust had worked to deliver a thriving community space with more than 11,000 individuals making over 42,000 visits to Anerley Town Hall in 2018.  The building hosted a business centre which had a 100% occupancy rate, and offered hall hire for events which was very popular and had generated sufficient income to enable the Trust to invest £258K into improvements.  A range of community activities were delivered including a youth offer and two elders clubs, and the Trust also worked to coordinate community groups within the Anerley area and help to build community capacity by supporting smaller groups to access resources and work together.  The Trust’s vision was to deliver a thriving community where every individual had the opportunity to achieve their potential, and forthcoming projects to support this vision included the launch of the Old Library as a safe neutral space and the development of the Trust’s Strategic Plan for 2019-24.

 

In considering the presentation, the Chairman asked whether there were any plans to deliver additional services in the Old Library.  The Development Manager: Crystal Palace Community Trust confirmed that the Trust would be offering hall hire of the Old Library to accommodate local events, and was also working with an autism charity to develop a community café provision on site.

 

The Chairman led the Committee in thanking Elaine Harrison for her excellent presentation and underlined the potential to duplicate this successful community model in other parts of the Borough.

 

RESOLVED that the presentation be noted.

66.

PRESENTATION - PENGE AND BECKENHAM BID

Minutes:

This item was withdrawn from the agenda and would be rescheduled for consideration at a future meeting.

67.

BECKENHAM AND PENGE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) UPDATE pdf icon PDF 81 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report DRR19/002

 

The Committee considered a report outlining the progress in establishing a Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Beckenham and Penge town centres following the successful outcome of the BID Ballot in March 2018.

 

Business Improvement Districts provided a model through which sustainable investment could be delivered in defined areas via a levy of rateable business properties which was typically based on 1-2% of rateable values.  Within Bromley the Orpington 1st BID had been established in 2013 followed by the Your Bromley BID which served Bromley town centre in 2016.  Following initial feasibility work in Beckenham and Penge town centres in June 2016, Central Management Solutions were appointed to undertake the work involved in developing and establishing BIDs in these town centres.  This work was supported by the Beckenham and Penge BID Steering Groups which developed a Business Plan voted on by businesses in February 2018, with both BIDs being announced as successful on 1st March 2018.  Over the five year term of the BIDs, Beckenham was expected to benefit from the investment of over £904k and Penge by over £600k.  Since March 2018, a Board of Directors had been formed for each BID which represented businesses from various sectors and geographic areas.  Each BID had set up a company limited by guarantee and agreed a Year 1 Delivery Plan and Budget.  A BID Manager for Beckenham and Penge had been appointed in September 2018 and was working to deliver a range of projects. 

 

The Director: Regeneration advised Members that a BID Levy for Year 1 had been charged to the Local Authority in respect of Yeoman House office in Croydon Road.  The Local Authority had now withdrawn services from Yeoman House and would not be liable to pay a BID levy on this property in future years.

 

RESOLVED that the progress to date of the BIDs in Beckenham and Penge Town Centres be noted.

68.

OPPORTUNITY SITE G - APPROVAL FOR IN PRINCIPLE USE OF COMPULSORY PURCHASE POWERS pdf icon PDF 117 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report DRR19/006

 

The Committee considered a report requesting the approval in principle of the Council’s Executive for the use of compulsory purchase powers in order to assemble all land interests and rights required to facilitate delivery of the redevelopment scheme at Opportunity Site G in a timely manner. 

 

On 17th July 2017, the Council’s Executive approved the detailed terms of the development agreement and lease for the redevelopment scheme at Opportunity Site G.  Full Council subsequently approved an allocation of £24.3m to the capital programme at its meeting on 11th December 2017 for the purpose of acquiring properties within the red line area of Phase 1 of Opportunity Site G, following which the Council’s development team had been liaising with property owners within the development site to exercise the Council’s Duty of Care to residents directly impacted by the proposed redevelopment. Progress continued to be made on site acquisitions and relocations with a total of six residential properties in Ethelbert Close purchased to date.  In accordance with the terms of the development agreement, Countryside Properties submitted the planning application for the scheme, which was currently under consideration by the Council’s Development Management team and it was envisaged that use of the Council's powers to acquire land by a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) might be required in order to assemble all of the land interests and rights needed to develop the Scheme in a timely manner.  An ‘In Principle’ decision was therefore sought from the Council’s Executive to begin preparatory and planning work to use the Council’s compulsory purchase powers for all the land interests not yet in the ownership or control of the Council needed to facilitate the Scheme.

 

In considering the report, the Chairman asked how residents affected by the Compulsory Purchase Order had been kept informed, and the Head of Renewal confirmed that all landowners had been provided with a guide to the process and were receiving regular progress reports.  In response to a question from a Member, the Head of Renewal confirmed that work was underway to negotiate with property owners within the development site, where it had been estimated that there were approximately 77 property interests (both freehold and leasehold).  As the area had been identified by the Local Authority as a development site since 2010, it was not anticipated that there would be any major issues in acquiring the necessary land interests and rights.  A full risk assessment process had been undertaken as part of the project planning process, and an Equality Impact Assessment was underway to ensure that this process did not discriminate or disadvantage property owners within the development site.  A Member queried whether challenges to the Local Plan could impact the Local Authority’s progress in assembling the necessary land interests and rights.  The Chief Planner advised that the Local Plan had been adopted following a stringent examination process; it was not uncommon for judicial reviews to be brought by developers in respect of a Local Plan and if this was the case,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 68.

69.

TOWN CENTRES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME UPDATE pdf icon PDF 80 KB

Minutes:

Report DRR19/005

 

The Committee considered an update on progress achieved in delivering the Town Centres Development and Growth Programme.

 

With regard to Bromley town centre, work on Site G: West of the High Street continued to progress.  Countryside Properties had submitted the planning application in respect of their scheme and this was currently under consideration by the Council’s Development Management Team with the expectation that the application would be ready for consideration by the Development Control Committee in early February 2019.  Phase 2 of the Public Realm Improvements in the High Street had now commenced with new lighting columns, granite paving and two raised planters being installed, and the market had relocated to the northern end of the High Street.  Following approval by the Council’s Executive on 17th October 2018, Officers were progressing the procurement of two commercial units/shops and two pairs of market kiosks on Market Square with planning applications submitted in January 2019. 

 

The Town Centres Development Programme continued to be progressed in other town centres across the Borough.  The improvement works in Beckenham High Street had been substantially completed.  A series of additional works involving the installation of granite planters at Kelsey Square and Village Way and a feature Odeon bench would be undertaken in early 2019.  On 1st December 2018, a formal celebration of the improvement works had been held on Beckenham Green.  Improvement works to Penge High Street were now completed and a Shopfront improvement project was underway and would be completed in March 2019.  A bid to the GLA Good Growth Fund submitted in September 2018 to deliver a programme of events and further shopfront improvements in Penge town centre had been unsuccessful and Officers were seeking feedback from the Greater London Authority regarding this outcome.

 

In considering the report, a Member noted that carriageway works at High Street/Elmfield Road would require a full road closure for 6-8 weeks and queried how this would affect local bus routes.  The Head of Renewal reported that the Local Authority continued to negotiate with Transport for London around how bus services would be maintained during this period.  The Director: Regeneration confirmed that the Design Team continued to examine the design and delivery options for the mirrored canopies in Bromley town centre and details of any revisions would be brought to the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee. 

 

Councillor Julian Benington expressed his personal thanks to the Head of Renewal who would shortly be leaving the Local Authority.  The Chairman also led the Committee in offering their thanks to the Head of Renewal for his excellent work for the Local Authority over a number of years.

 

RESOLVED that the progress achieved in delivering the Town Centres Development and Growth Programme be noted.

70.

DRAFT BUDGET 2019/20 pdf icon PDF 136 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report FSD19005

 

The Committee considered a report setting out the draft Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Budget for 2019/20, which incorporated future cost pressures and initial draft saving options reported to the Council’s Executive on 16th January 2019.  Members were requested to provide their comments on the proposed savings and identify any further action to be taken to reduce cost pressures facing the Local Authority over the next four years.

 

The Director: Regeneration advised Members that a number of pressures would continue to impact the Renewal and Recreation Portfolio budget for 2019/20, including the challenges of variations in the income received from the Planning Service.  There were significant pressures associated with the increasing demands and costs of temporary accommodation which were projected to rise to in excess of £9M by 2023, and could not be met through contingency funds set aside for homelessness and welfare reform pressures, although actions were in place to slow the rate of increase and mitigate overall cost pressures.  A transformation programme would be undertaken across the Local Authority during the first half of 2019, which would include a root-and-branch analysis of every service.  The transformation programme was expected to be completed by the end of August 2019, following which a range of service proposals would be presented to Members.

 

In considering the draft Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Budget for 2019/20, the Chairman underlined the financial challenges facing the Local Authority with a projected budget gap of £32.2M per annum by 2022/23, and requested that further information be provided to explain how this figure had been estimated.  The Chairman also requested clarification regarding a variation of Cr £3,111k in the Other Changes column for Non-Controllable budgets for the draft Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Budget for 2019/20, as well as the reasons for a proposed increase in the Renewal budget within the Planning Service for 2019/20.

 

In response to a question from a Member, the Chief Planner confirmed that Section 106 contributions from developers were used to mitigate the impact of developments on public services.  There were a number of restrictions on how and when Section 106 contributions could be used, and there was a general move to replace Section 106 agreements with the Community Infrastructure Levy scheme which was currently being developed by the Local Authority.  The Community Infrastructure Levy offered a more flexible way to invest contributions from developers, but would need to be planned in advance with intended spend published on an annual basis.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1)  The financial forecast for 2019/20 to 2022/23 be noted;

 

2)  Members’ comments on the initial draft Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio budget 2019/20 as a basis for setting the 2019/20 budget be noted; and,

 

3)  Members’ comments on the initial draft Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio budget 2019/20 be provided to the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 13th February 2019.

71.

RENEWAL, RECREATION AND HOUSING PORTFOLIO PLAN - QUARTER TWO UPDATE pdf icon PDF 83 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report DRR19/01

 

The Committee considered a Quarter 2 update on the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Plan 2018/19 and the Housing Risk Register.

 

The Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Plan 2018/19 supported delivery of high quality housing, leisure, culture and recreation services across the Borough, and was based around four outcomes which comprised:

 

·  Economic development;

·  Protection, conservation and enhancement of the natural and built environment;

·  Enhanced opportunities for leisure, cultural activities and community-led services; and,

·  Affordable, decent and secure homes.

 

Progress had been made across the four outcomes within the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Portfolio Plan 2018/19, and work would continue to ensure that actions were successfully delivered.

 

The Director: Renewal confirmed that the Local Authority’s Legal Service was working to finalise the development agreement for Chislehurst Library and it was anticipated that a development agreement would be in place shortly.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted and Members’ comments be provided to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing.

72.

RENEWAL, RECREATION AND HOUSING PDS COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME (MARCH 2019) pdf icon PDF 63 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Report CSD19018

 

The Committee considered the forward work programme for the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee.

 

Following discussion, the following reports were added to the work programme for future meetings:

 

·  Presentation: Penge and Beckenham Bid (March 2019)

·  Presentation: Biggin Hill Memorial Museum Trust (March 2019)

·  Private Sector Tall Buildings Cladding and Safety Update (March 2019)

·  Scrutiny of Housing Providers (including Orchard and Shipman) (March 2019 and subsequent meetings)

·  Section 106 Contributions (to be reported quarterly)

 

The Executive Support Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for Renewal and Recreation gave an update to the Committee on work to improved broadband provision across the Borough.  An initial report had been provided to the Local Authority on broadband provision in the Borough and more in-depth information had been requested. 

 

RESOLVED that the forward work programme be noted.

73.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 AS AMENDED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT (ACCESS TO INFORMATION) (VARIATION) ORDER 2006, AND THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000

The Chairman to move that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business listed below as it was likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if Members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

74.

EXEMPT MINUTES OF THE RENEWAL, RECREATION AND HOUSING PDS COMMITTEE HELD ON 13 NOVEMBER 2018

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the exempt minutes of the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee meeting held on 21st November 2018 be agreed.

75.

PRIVATE SECTOR TALL BUILDINGS UPDATE

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report and supported the recommendations.