Agenda item

1.       That a conditional freehold sale contract (subject to planning) be approved with McCarthy & Stone Retirement Lifestyles Limited on the terms set out in the exempt heads of terms at Appendix 5.  

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 5. 

Councillor Tod drew members’ attention to four display boards summarising the Bar End community engagement feedback from September 2023 which were available at the meeting to view.   Cabinet took a short adjournment to enable all those present to consider the contents of the boards.  The information was subsequently published on the Cabinet meeting page here.

Councillor Tod introduced the report and highlighted that it had been considered at Scrutiny Committee the previous evening and a copy of the draft resolution from that meeting had been circulated to all present (and detailed in the minute below).  In addition, the use of the Bar End depot had been the subject of a petition submitted by the Highcliffe Forum to Council on 18 September.  Further details were provided in paragraph 6.3 of the report.

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

Councillor Lee

He believed that the consideration of the nature and environment matters required improvement and requested that the proposal be delayed to allow changes to the design framework.  He also queried the reference to various outdated plans throughout and lack of reference to the council’s declaration of a climate emergency and nature emergency.  In general, he believed the proposed development was too people centric and improvements should be made in terms of nature permeability.

Councillor Horrill

She welcomed the opportunity to build new homes on a brownfield site but queried why there was not an assurance that the affordable housing allocation be retained by the council.  She asked why freehold sale of the site was proposed. She queried how the proposal was complimentary to the Sports and Leisure Park and believed that the health benefits were unclear.  She also asked how the residents’ concerns relating to the traffic and parking would be addressed, why the proposal had taken so long up to this point and queried the usefulness of consideration by Scrutiny Committee given its timing the evening before.

The Strategic Directors and the Corporate Head of Asset Management responded to the comments made including advising the lengthy process that would be required to update the design framework, providing further detail on the bidder assessment process and the reasons why a freehold sale was recommended.  It was also confirmed that the council had requested first refusal if any of the affordable housing was subsequently sold.

The Chief Executive provided an update on the discussions held at Scrutiny Committee the previous evening and in particular the draft resolutions for Cabinet which had been agreed with the Scrutiny Committee chairperson.  The four recommendations were:

a)    That the results of the 2022 consultation be made available.

b)    That further consideration be given to the parking access and provision related to the convenience store and potential of impact on nearby residents.

c)    To review the climate section to ensure statements made related to what the council is able to influence.

d)    To review the wording of item 6 within the purpose statement, particularly the statement that the proposal will include essential healthcare provision for residents.

Cabinet considered each of these recommendations and further information was provided by the Chief Executive, Strategic Directors, Director (Legal) and the Corporate Head as appropriate. 

Councillor Tod also made reference to the petition from the Highcliffe Forum. He highlighted the new community provision made in the new KGV pavilion – in line with the Bar End Framework – following consultation with local residents – and that a district-wide review of community facilities across the district could be a more appropriate response, potentially in the next Local Plan review. He also highlighted the repeated feedback from Highcliffe residents at every stage that the biggest local priority is to get a convenience store – and proposed that the disposal proceed without reopening the procurement process. He confirmed that the council would keep Highcliffe Forum informed on the development of the site.

Cabinet moved into exempt session to consider the contents of the exempt appendix before returning to open session to consider the report’s recommendations as set out below.

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) be approved with McCarthy & Stone Retirement Lifestyles Limited on the terms set out in the exempt heads of terms at Appendix 5.  

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 5.