Decision details

Provision of 36 Affordable Dwellings at Bennell Farm, Toft

Decision Maker: Lead Cabinet member for Housing

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

The purpose of this Decision Notice is to give approval for an amendment to be made to the ‘ Land Transfer Deed’ associated with the transfer of affordable housing land to SCDC.

 

 A previous Decision Notice dated 11th April 2019 gave approval for South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) to enter into Heads of Terms followed thereafter into a JCT Design & Build Contract (JCT 2016 – industry standard) to purchase 36 no affordable homes representing the S106 40% affordable housing contribution on a site at Bennell Farm, Toft.

 

The Land Transfer completed on 18 Dec 2019, the Transfer deed omitted provisions required to be included by the section 106 agreement.  The Transfer needs amending by way of a deed of variation otherwise the Transfer is in breach of the s106 agreement.

 

Planning Reference number :

The site has planning (ref: S/4552/17/RM) with all conditions now discharged.

 

The S106 is signed and completed.

 

Mix:

Description of

No of

Type of

Stock

No of

Units to be delivered:

Units:

Tenure:

Category:

Beds:

 

 

 

 

 

1 bed flat

8

Rent

Flat

1

2 bed flat

9

Rent

Flat

2

2 bed house

5

Rent

House

2

3 bed house

3

Rent

House

3

2 bed house

8

Shared O’p

House

2

3 bed house

2

Shared O’p

House

3

4 bed house

1

Shared O’p

House

4

                                                       

Shared Ownership units will be sold as part of this scheme                          

and their ongoing sale forms part of this decision                                          

Average equity buy-in will be 40%. It anticipated that the 4 bed unit will be 30% share or may be ‘swapped’ to a 3 bed unit

 

Contract type:

The contract will be a JCT 2016 contract. (Joint Contracts Tribunal) Design & Build Contract

 

no reasonable alternative or substitute – ie there are not other similar convenient sites which could reasonably be regarded as being available for development, eg in terms of being for sale, zoning, access to services etc.

 

Toft / Comberton are small villages which have not had any development sites commenced of this size for some considerable time. There are no other suitably sized permissioned sites in Toft/Comberton that are available for consideration at this time.

 

Financial

Use of Right to Buy Receipt:

This scheme consists of 25 rented homes which allows the use of Right to Buy receipts totalling £1,366,382

 

Use of Commuted Sum:

We are using £550,000 of commuted sum monies to assist in bringing these 11 shared ownership homes forward as council new build. This aligns with our standard £50k per unit commuted sum spend profile on new build schemes

 

The scheme is considered to be value for money for the council. The offer and price per sq. m is commensurate with sums paid for recent council new build development schemes. In addition a robust financial appraisal has been carried out and a commercially sensitive financial appendix is attached. The scheme has a Payback year within the business plan parameters.

Decision:

To approve South Cambridgeshire District Council making amendments to the Land Transfer Deed.

Reasons for the decision:

This amendment is legally required to correct the Land Transfer document.

Alternative options considered:

Not applicable.

Publication date: 17/07/2020

Date of decision: 17/07/2020

Effective from: 25/07/2020

Accompanying Documents:

  • No document