Issue - meetings

1.      That a conditional freehold sale contract (subject to planning) with Places for People Developments Ltd be approved on the terms set out in the exempt Heads of Terms at Appendix 6 of the report.  

2.      That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director to agree final details of the contract of sale within the parameters set out in Appendix 6.

Councillor Tod introduced the report which recommended disposal of the former depot site and advised that it had been considered at Scrutiny Committee on 26 May 2026, the draft minutes of which had been circulated to all members present. 

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Lee, Horrill and Wallace addressed Cabinet as summarised below.

Councillor Lee

Councillor Lee welcomed the reuse of the brownfield site to meet housing and community needs but queried whether the number of affordable housing units could be increased, for example by adjusting height constraints in the design framework.   He highlighted the importance of providing units at social rather than affordable rents if possible. 

Councillor Godfrey

Councillor Godfrey welcomed the proposals, particularly after the withdrawal of the previous purchaser.  He noted that while his initial preference was for the council to develop its own housing, he commended officers for attracting a preferred bidder committed to providing 82 high-density affordable homes and retail space.

Councillor Wallace (Chair of Scrutiny Committee)

Councillor Wallace reported that the Scrutiny Committee had been supportive of the project’s focus on affordable housing, acknowledging the council's decision to accept a reduced financial return to secure 82 homes and a community facility.  Members had sought reassurances regarding the preferred bidder’s track record, site contamination, and the availability of Homes England funding. He also highlighted the importance of establishing safeguards should planning approvals be delayed or not achieved. Finally, he confirmed the committee felt comfortably reassured and reiterated the necessity of maintaining delivery confidence to ensure the agreed housing outcomes were met.

Councillor Tod, the Corporate Head of Asset Management and the Director (Legal) responded to the comments made including confirming the proposal was for an open market disposal of the site which did not place restrictions on tenure mix or design of scheme.  However, these matters would be dealt with by the council’s current planning policies through the planning application process.

Cabinet and invited councillors present confirmed they did not wish to go into exempt session to discuss the contents of the exempt appendix.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out in the report and outlined above.

RESOLVED:

1.          That a conditional freehold sale contract (subject to planning) with Places for People Developments Ltd be approved on the terms set out in the exempt Heads of Terms at Appendix 6 of the report.  

2.          That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director to agree final details of the contract of sale within the parameters set out in exempt Appendix 6.