Decision details

1-3 Willingham Green, Brinkley

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Housing

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The purpose of the decision is to authorise the disposal of the property on the open market to achieve best price. The garden ground does not lend itself to a development opportunity for the HRA or the Self-build portfolio.

The property is located in Brinkley which is a village in East Cambridgeshire however these properties fall just within the South Cambridgeshire Council boundary. The property was two three bedroom semi-detached houses that were converted to one ten bedroom house with and additional annex for a large family who have since surrendered their tenancy.

The reasons for requesting disposal is that the village of Brinkley is small and isolated with few accessible facilities for any prospective tenants in housing need and the cost of reinstating the properties would cost in excess of £100k to bring them up to lettable standard.

If the properties were brought back into use they could be converted to 3 and 4 bedroom properties for which overall there is low housing need. The main housing need and demand is for 1 and 2 bedroom homes.

If the property was sold on the open market it is anticipated that it could realise £500k for the HRA  that would represent a direct unrestricted capital contribution to the new-build development budget minus associated costs and debt repayment.

 

This has not been previously submitted for a decision.

Decision:

Agreed to authorise the disposal of property on the market to achieve best price.

Reasons for the decision:

For the reasons given above and support the Councils new-build development programme.

Alternative options considered:

To convert back to two houses as outlined above.

The reasons proposed for rejection are due to the isolated location giving rise to sustainability issues through being unable to access local facilities, the need and demand for properties of that size, the cost of raising them to a lettable standard    and a missed opportunity to realise a significant unrestricted capital contribution for the HRA new-build development fund.

Publication date: 02/08/2018

Date of decision: 02/08/2018

Effective from: 10/08/2018

Accompanying Documents: