Decision details

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for the Economy, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 11. 

The report updated members on the progress with the development of new homes on the Fulbeck Avenue site with Boklok Uk Ltd and sought the Committee’s approval for the sale of land to Boklok UK under revised terms to those set out at the June meeting of the Joint Strategic Committee. 

A Member sought clarification that the 30% affordable housing provision would be legally binding. Officers advised that contracts would be exchanged, a planning application would be submitted and determined, the land would be valued to ensure the best consideration was achieved and then we would complete on the contract. Therefore the contract would only be completed once planning permission had been granted and a section 106 agreement had been signed, which would ensure that 30% affordable housing was achieved.      

Another Member highlighted the increased risk profile attached to the proposals and sought assurances negating any future sale of the land with planning permission. Offices advised that once the Council sold the land, long term control would be limited. However, the Council would be working in partnership with Boklok whose business model was to work in the UK for the long term, in partnership with local authorities. Therefore, Officers acknowledged that there was an increased risk but did not feel that it was in Boklok’s long term interests to pull out.     

Decision:  

The Joint Strategic Committee 

1.    noted the progress made since June in relation to the sale of the land to Boklok for the redevelopment of the Fulbeck Avenue Site;

2.    agreed the proposed route set out in the report for the sale of the land at Fulbeck Avenue; 

3.    delegated authority to the Head of Major Projects & Investment, in consultation with Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Resources, to agree the heads of terms for the sale of the land at Fulbeck Avenue to Boklok UK, and thereafter, to enter into the conditional sale contract for the sale of the land subject to those heads of terms; and

4.    that as a condition of exercising his delegated authority (as set out above) the Head of Major Projects and Investment obtains a suitable valuation report to confirm what the best consideration, that may be reasonably obtained by the Council, for the sale of Fulbeck Avenue will be.

Call In:

The call-in deadline for this decision will be 5.00pm on 19 November 2019.