Wednesday December 4th. Agenda Item No:10

 

 

THE LONDON BOROUGH OF CAMDEN

WARDS:

Belsize

Camden Town with Primrose Hill

Cantelowes

Fortune Green

Gospel Oak

Kentish Town

KilburnSwiss Cottage

West Hampstead

 

REPORT TITLE: DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR THE REMAINING CAMDEN OWNED SHORT LIFE PROPERTIES WITH WEST HAMPSTEAD HOUSING ASSOCIATION (HO/2002/62)

 

 

 

REPORT OF:        Director of Housing

 

 

FOR SUBMISSION TO:   Executive                        DATE:  4 Dec 2002

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF REPORT:

This report follows up on the decisions taken at Executive on 7 August 2002 to investigate the options of a transfer of the stock to PCHA  and the setting up of a Housing Co-operative.  The report is coming to the Executive as it seeks a decision on the proposed disposal of Council property.

 

Residents have now set up a body to represent them: Camden Residents in Short Life Housing(CRISH). PCHA(Paddington Churches Housing Association, part of Genesis) and CDS (the Co-operative Development Society) have each made bids to the Housing Corporation for Social Housing Grant to buy and refurbish properties for the 30 or so residents households who are eligible for permanent rehousing.

 

The report recommends that the Council support the CDS bid if it is possible to obtain Housing Corporation funding for CDS, and the PCHA bid if it is not; agree the principle of disposal of some properties to CDS or PCHA and make decisions on sales and funding based on a further report which will be issued once Housing Corporation allocations are known and any valuation issues have been resolved.

 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

 

1.                  That 

 

(a)   a decision is taken to discuss with the Housing Corporation which is the most viable of the bids from CDS and PCHA , accepting that both will need further detailed work and that the PCHA bid will need to be reduced to exclude the most expensive properties. 

(b)    If the HC agrees to fund CDS, to support  the bid from CDS for £3.97m of Social Housing Grant to redevelop and refurbish the properties  to provide 99 bedspaces in 28 homes (flats and houses) for management and possible future ownership by a co-operative whose initial members would be residents of the WHHA short life homes who are eligible for permanent rehousing. If the Housing Corporation will not fund at this level the Executive is asked to indicate if it would consider discounting the value to a level that the Housing Corporation can agree to fund (subject to consent of the Secretary of State and further report on details to the Executive).

(c)   If the Housing Corporation will not fund CDS, to work with PCHA and CRISH to develop a viable scheme based initially on rehousing existing long term residents.

(d) that officers in consultation with CRISH – representing eligible households – and CDS or PCHA, finalise the details of which properties in Annex 1 are to be transferred  for development for the rehousing of the eligible households

(e) that the Council carry out an options appraisal of alternatives for the remaining  properties after the eligible households have been rehoused within the scheme. This would include as an option that the Council considers open market sale to benefit from the proposal that 100% of receipts can be recycled in housing properties, as well as one to  support future bids by CDS, or PCHA  for Social Housing Grant to develop additional homes to meet priority housing needs. 

 

2.                  And that subject to

 

·         There being SHG available from the Housing Corporation

·         Agreeing values and a decision on whether discounts can be considered

·         A further report to Executive on these matters

 

That it is agreed in principle

 

2.1 that some of the transferred properties at Annex 1 will be sold to CDS or PCHA at prices agreed by the Head of Property Services for the development of homes for the rehousing of the eligible households, subject to detailed proposals being agreed by the Executive

 

2.2 to agree to consider disposal at a discount if this is required to secure Housing Corporation funding, and subject to further detailed analysis of the benefits to the Council to be submitted to the Executive for consideration

 

 Local Government Act 1972 – Access to Information

 

Report to the Executive  7th August 2002 on “Future options for WHHA short life properties”.

 

Contact Officer:

Janet Sutherland

Head of Housing Partnerships

Room 413, Bidborough House

20 Mabledon Place WC1

E mail: janet.Sutherland@camden.gov.uk