Consideration was given to the report of the Director – Place and Climate Change regarding progression of the King Offa Residential Development (KORD) in Bexhill. 

In 2019, the Council was awarded £500,000 from the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) Round 1 (a cross-government initiative) alongside Strategic Property Asset Collaboration in East Sussex (SPACES) to fund demolition/highway works on the KORD which formed part of the Old Bexhill High School Site.  The BLRF was established to support council-led developments with remediation works on previously attributed Brownfield land e.g. industrial plots, garages, yards and carparks etc.

The Council was in the process of completing the land swap with East Sussex County Council (ESCC) which had been significantly delayed.  It was noted that ESCC were required to provide the land with vacant possession, although Rother District Council was assisting with finding alternative premises for the current tenant. 

It was crucial that the Council procured and spent the BLRF Round 1 funding before the deadline of March 2024.  In 2019, outline planning permission for a mixed use development was approved on the KORD which was subject to a Section 106 agreement.  Since that time, the construction industry had significantly changed therefore officers had reviewed the viability of the scheme and re-evaluated the established delivery route for the project.  Results showed that there was an appetite to deliver housing and once remediation works were completed, officers would approach housing developers to deliver the site.  

The development of this site had always been a two phased project with housing delivery followed by leisure facilities; whether leisure facilities would form part of the second phase would be dependent on the outcome of the current consultation into the Council’s leisure strategy and would be a decision for the ruling administration at the time. 

The £500,000 funding would be used as follows: £400,000 for an additional lane and junction work on the A259 and Combe Valley Way; and £100,000 for demolition and contamination remediation works.  A further £305,000 would be required from the Capital Programme to progress the site to the next stage.

Following discussion, Cabinet was supportive of the scheme being progressed to ensure deployment of the allocated funds and recommended that £805,000 be included within the Capital Programme.  Cabinet agreed that, subject to formal approval of the scheme, delegated authority be granted to the Director – Place and Climate Change to accept the £500,000 BFRF Round 1 grant to procure the contractors to deliver the site.  It was also agreed that an additional £305,000 be taken from the Capital Programme to progress the project.  Capital receipts received from the transfer of land would be reimbursed into the Capital Programme.

RECOMMENDED: That the King Offa Residential Development site be included in the Council’s Capital Programme with a budget of £805,000 provided partially from Brownfield Land Release Fund Round 1 grant funding;

AND

*RESOLVED: That:

1)   subject to full Council approval of the scheme, delegated authority be granted to the Director – Place and Climate Change to accept the £500,000 grant from the Brown Field Land Release Fund Round 1, for the purposes of delivering this project;

2)   an additional amount of £305,000 from the Capital Programme be authorised to facilitate the delivery of the site to be reimbursed by a capital receipt upon transfer; and

3)   delegated authority be granted to Director – Place and Climate Change to procure the contractor(s) required for the funded works. This will include procuring contractors and entering into other contracts as necessary for the completion of the project works.

*The RESOLVED parts of this Minute are subject to the call-in procedure under Rule 16 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules.