Decision details

Disposal of Land at Vikinglea Drive, Lower Manor

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: Yes

Purpose:

Disposal of the Land at Vikinglea Drive to Places for People to enable the delivery of 101 Older Persons Independent Living apartments and 24 Bungalows.

Decision:

i)             That subject to there being no objections to an Open Space notice the land now shown at Appendix A (Vikinglea Drive, Lower Manor) be disposed to Places for People at market value for use as social housing as described in the report; and

 

ii)            that the Chief Property Officer be authorised to negotiate and agree terms for the disposal of the site for the purposes set out in the report including the variation of any boundaries as required and to instruct the Director of Legal Services to complete the necessary legal documentation.

Reasons for the decision:

The proposed scheme for Vikinglea Drive will help to meet the acute need for purpose built accommodation for older people, create savings to the adult social care budget through the provision of shared models of care and help to maximise investment in the city’s housing growth through attracting significant funding from Places for People, complementing the Council’s own Stock Increase Programme.

Alternative options considered:

The site could be sold on the open market to a housing developer to develop family housing for sale.  This would produce a capital receipt for the Council.  However, 293 family homes are currently under construction in Manor by Sheffield Housing Company, Gleeson Home and Acis Group, and a further 419 family homes are proposed for land at Harborough Avenue and Queen Mary Road.  There is no shortage of new family housing being built in the area, but there is no housing being built for older or vulnerable people and no private market for these client groups in the locality.

 

The addition of the site to the Council’s own Stock Increase Programme was considered, given the Council is already developing similar schemes as part of that programme.  However, following Stock Transfer in 2007, the Council no longer manages stock in Lower Manor, whereas People for Places own and manage property in the adjacent estate.  Encouraging People for Places to invest £20.4m of their resources into this scheme means that the Council retains more resources to develop further housing elsewhere in the city.

 

Doing nothing was considered but this would result in the site remaining underdeveloped and as a potential liability.  Continuing to leave inactive use mean that it is not contributing towards the ambitions of the city.

Publication date: 01/08/2018

Date of decision: 10/08/2018

Effective from: 17/08/2018

Accompanying Documents: