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RESOLVED:
 
1. That the scheme for Adult, Health and
Integration as set out in section 11 be given approval as
follows:
 
Hackney Mortuary (St John’s
Churchyard): Resource and spend approval of
£814k in 2023/24 is requested to increase the
existing budget for the
refurbishment and remodelling works to modernise and
upgrade the existing
facilities to current standards and provide additional
capacity to reduce the
reliability of ‘off-site’
facilities.
 
2. That the scheme for Climate, Homes and
Economy as set out in section
11 be given approval as
follows:
 
Fairchilds Garden, Dalston Public Realm and Hoxton Public
Realm:
Resource and spend approval is requested to fund the
improvements in these three sites: £290k in 2023/24 for
Fairchilds Garden, £429k in
2024/25 for Dalston Public Realm and
£200k for 2024/25 for Hoxton Public Realm.
 
Haggerston Park Changing Places
Toilet:
Resource and spend approval of £47k in 2023/24 is required to
reflect the grant award to meet part of the cost of the Changing
Places Toilet Facility that has been installed in Haggerston Park.
 
Clissold House Park Toilets:
Resource and spend
approval of £250k in
2023/24 is requested towards the cost of refurbishing the
Clissold House park toilets.
 
Clissold Park Old Paddling Pool:
Resource and spend
approval of £150k in 2023/24 is requested to deliver an
alternative use for the old paddling pool site at Clissold Park.
 
Former Side-By-Side Site:
Resource and spend
approval of £300k (£150k in 2023/24 and £150k in
2024/25) is requested to fund the return of the former side by side
nursery site into park use within Springfield Park.
 
Haggerston Park ATP Surface Replacement:
Resource and spend
approval of £600k (£30k in 2023/24 and £570k in
2024/25) is requested to replace the existing 3G pitch surface in
Haggerston Park which is in a poor
condition.
 
Parks and Green Spaces Green Building
Fund:
Resource and spend
approval of £500k (£50k in 2023/24, £150k
in 2024/25 and £300k in 2025/26) is requested to fund the
work to replace carbon intensive boilers in the Council’s
Parks and Green Spaces Service’s buildings (primarily its
depots, toilets and other ancillary buildings) with sources of heat
that produce less carbon.
Parks and Green Spaces Pathway Repair
Programme: Resource and spend approval of £1,000k (£250k
in 2023/24, £350k in 2024/25 and £400k in 2025/26) is
requested to repair and resurface a significant number of the
pathways that traverse the 58 parks and green spaces in the
borough.
 
Parks and Green Spaces Depot Refurbishment -
Phase 2: Resource and spend approval of £2,500k (£150k
in 2023/24, £1,050k in 2024/25 and £1,300k in 2025/26)
is requested to fund the Council’s Park Depot Refurbishments
Phase 2.
 
Play Area Phase 2 and Phase 3
Refurbishment: Resource and spend
approval of £2,500k (£580k in 2023/24,
£920k in 2024/25 and £1,000k in
2025/26) is requested to fund the Phase 2 of the Park Play
refurbishments in Hackney Downs, Clapton Common, Stonebridge
Gardens and Well Street Common and Phase 3 refurbishment of park
play areas in the borough’s parks.
 
3. To authorise the freehold acquisition
of the residential garage at 26 Blackwell Close E5 shown for
identification purposes edged red on the plan at Appendix 1 and
2.
 
4. To delegate authority to the Group
Director Finance and Corporate Resources to agree all commercial
terms relating to this acquisition.
 
5. To delegate authority to the Director
of Legal, Democratic and Electoral Services to agree, settle and
sign legal documentation to effect proposals
contained in this report and to enter
into any other ancillary legal documentation as
required.
 
REASONS FOR DECISION
1. The decisions required are necessary in order that the
schemes within the Council’s approved Capital programme can
be delivered and to approve the property proposals as set out in
this report.
2. In most cases, resources have already been allocated to
the schemes as part of the budget setting exercise but spending
approval is required in order for the scheme to proceed. Where,
however, resources have not previously been allocated, resource
approval is requested in this report.
3. To facilitate financial management and control of the
Council's finances.
4. Proposed Acquisition of 26 Blackwell Close Garage:
Approval is requested
to acquire the freehold ownership of a single residential
garage at 26 Blackwell
Close, Clapton Park. Acquisition of the garage will
consolidate the Council’s ownership of a new housing
regeneration site and secure the associated benefits.
5. This capital acquisition shall be funded from the
£10m pre-development budget approved by Cabinet in December
2022 (of which £2.49m is allocated to Financial Years
2023-24) for the new Council house building programme.
6. To form the new programme, a comprehensive ‘Asset
Review’ of all the Council’s housing land was
undertaken, identifying fifteen ‘anchor’ locations with
the potential for new Council homes. The parameters of the review
– to focus on Council owned land not requiring the demolition
of existing dwellings, and with no net loss of green space -
generally means that land acquisition is not expected to be
required.
7. That said, of the fifteen locations identified, a modest
piece of land assembly is proposed at the Blackwell Close garages
location in Clapton Park Estate, Kings Park. The site comprises a
plot of thirty three residential garages, all but one of which is
owned by the Council. The remaining garage is owned by London &
Quadrant Housing Trust (L&Q), forming part of their freehold
title of the adjacent residential property at 26 Blackwell
Close.
8. The garage extends out from the northern boundary of the
site into the proposed development location. Whereas the remainder
of the garages plot may hypothetically be able to be developed
without the L&Q garage, it is highly
desirable to acquire the garage. Acquisition will enable
the site extents to be rationalised and the development capacity to
be optimised in an economical new building form, along with
surrounding public realm improvements creating
an improved setting for existing and new
residents.
9. This approach responds to the need to optimise Council
housing development proposals, in the context of increasingly
scarce developable Council-owned land and the increasing cost and
complexity of residential construction.
10. It will also have the benefit of clarifying the public
realm extent to enable high
quality, accessible and safe improvements to the areas
around the anticipated
development. Particularly, proposals with a clear and
rationalised site boundary
will avoid the risk of space around the remaining garage
becoming magnets for
anti-social behaviour such as fly tipping, and prevent
ongoing access to the garage compromising the proposed development
layout.
11. This proposal supports the Council’s priorities
for social housing delivery, the creation of liveable and safe
neighbourhoods, and making best use of Council
resources.
12 L&Q have been engaged and a price has been
negotiated subject to governance by both parties. The price is
£30,000 plus costs estimated in the region of £5,000.
This is in the context of a housing development with clear
and
tested potential to provide around 20 new homes and
surrounding improvements, at an estimated total development cost in
the region of £9.8m.