Issue - decisions

Acquisition of land in Adur

11/09/2020 - Purchase of New Salts Farm, Lancing

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 9. 

 

The Joint Strategic Committee was asked to  recommend the purchase of 70 acres of farmland known as New Salts Farm, Lancing.

 

The Committee was asked to agree

 

  • that the land would be held for the purposes of conserving and enhancing the natural environment; enhancing biodiversity; and contributing to the Council’s ambition of being Carbon Neutral by 2030;

 

  • to promote the land through the next Adur Local Plan preparation process to secure it for these purposes for the long term;

 

  • to ring fence part of the capital receipt from the sale of Adur Civic Centre to fund the purchase of the New Salts Farm.

 

Members welcomed the proposals, however, clarification was sought regarding the valuation of the land, the number of bidders and how the Council would ensure that the land was used as a nature reserve. Officers advised that the land use would be established within the Adur Local Plan. It was noted that the land value was based on the agricultural value of the land and was calculated by rental yield being paid over a number of years, arriving at a capital value. A small premium was also included, as the Council was a special purchaser as it had a special interest in buying the land as a wider landowner with a specific purpose for buying the land. It was also noted that there had been 4 other bidders for the land.         

 

Members confirmed that the land would not be made into a formal park, but rather ecological space and there would be no building on the land either. 

 

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Neil Parkin, seconded by Councillor Emma Evans and unanimously approved, as amended.

 

Decision:  

 

That the Joint Strategic Committee 

 

       i.       recommended to Adur District Council the purchase of land at New Salts Farm, Lancing; 

 

  1. recommended to Adur District Council the approval of a total budget envelope of £925,000 comprising a purchase price of £875,000 and up to £50,000 in fees to cover the cost of acquisition including surveys, fees and stamp duty, to be funded from borrowing; 

 

  1. noted the revenue budget consequences of the borrowing will need to be accommodated within the 2021/22 budget as part of budget setting pending the capital receipt being received from the sale of Adur Civic Centre;

 

  1. delegated authority to the Head of Major Projects and Investment to agree detailed terms of the transaction and enter the contract for the purchase subject to a satisfactory survey of the road, and legal and technical due diligence;

 

  1. authorised £40,000, funded from the capacity issues reserve, to be used to prepare an action plan for the improvement of the site for the purposes set out in paragraph 1.2 of this report. 

 

Call In: 

 

There is no call-in for recommendations to meetings of Adur and Worthing Councils, decisions (i) and (ii).

 

The call-in deadline for decisions (iii), (iv) and (v) will be 5.00pm on 18 September 2020.