Issue - meetings

To inform Cabinet of the work undertaken by officers to find a future use for Spendells House and to seek agreement to bring the building back into use as a temporary accommodation unit for homeless households, and in particular family households.

RESOLVED that –

(a)    the outcome of the work undertaken in identifying an alternative use for the Spendells House site, Walton-on-the-Naze be noted;

(b)    in consideration of the increase  in temporary accommodation placements across the District and significant associated costs, Cabinet agrees that the Spendells House site should be retained and reconfigured for the provision of temporary housing accommodation;

(c)    the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery),  in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, be authorised to submit a planning application for the change of use of Spendells House in order to form hostel type accommodation;

(d)    subject to the above, the necessary works be undertaken to the property at an estimated cost of £0.600m, with this cost being met in 2020/21 from within the existing Housing Revenue Account capital programme; and

(e)    the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) be authorised to make the necessary adjustments to the base on-going revenue budget (both General Fund and Housing Revenue Account) in order to reflect the on-going cost of operating Spendells House as temporary accommodation, but with no overall net impact on existing budgets.

The Cabinet gave consideration to a report of the Housing Portfolio Holder (A.5) which informed it of the work undertaken by officers to attempt to find a future use for Spendells House and which also sought its agreement to bring the building back into use as a temporary accommodation unit for homeless households and, in particular, family households.

Cabinet recalled that, following its decision taken on 23 March 2018, Spendells House had been closed and its residents relocated to other housing within the District.  The primary reason for its closure had been due to very low demand from those eligible to live in sheltered housing.

It was reported that options for the future use of the site had been considered with the conclusion that the scheme could provide an alternative option to the Council in responding to the demand for temporary accommodation given the increase in homelessness over recent years. Due to the increasing number of homelessness applications and temporary accommodation placements over recent years, which was a trend that showed no sign of diminishing the Council currently was forced to source temporary accommodation externally via local property owners and bed and breakfast establishments.

Cabinet was advised that, with an estimated capital investment of £0.600m from the Housing Revenue Account, Spendells House could be brought into use as a council owned and managed temporary accommodation providing a better quality and more versatile provision than was currently available externally. The project would enable significant savings to be made compared with the cost of existing options used by the Council which would represent an average 19% return on the Council’s investment.

Having duly considered the contents of the report and, in particular, the proposals and advice, risks and implications detailed therein:-

It was moved by Councillor P B Honeywood, seconded by Councillor Stock OBE and:-

RESOLVED that –

(a)    the outcome of the work undertaken in identifying an alternative use for the Spendells House site, Walton-on-the-Naze be noted;

(b)    in consideration of the increase  in temporary accommodation placements across the District and significant associated costs, Cabinet agrees that the Spendells House site should be retained and reconfigured for the provision of temporary housing accommodation;

(c)    the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery),  in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Housing, be authorised to submit a planning application for the change of use of Spendells House in order to form hostel type accommodation;

(d)    subject to the above, the necessary works be undertaken to the property at an estimated cost of £0.600m, with this cost being met in 2020/21 from within the existing Housing Revenue Account capital programme; and

(e)    the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery) be authorised to make the necessary adjustments to the base on-going revenue budget (both General Fund and Housing Revenue Account) in order to reflect the on-going cost of operating Spendells House as temporary accommodation, but with no overall net impact on existing budgets.