Purpose

Seek approval to the acceptance
of grant funding of £651,927 from the Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to fund land remediation
and small infrastructure works to facilitate housing development at
Sussex Grove, Parr.
 

Decision

     
I.       
Authorise the acceptance of grant from the Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government of £651,927 to facilitate
the delivery of housing at Sussex Grove, Parr; and
 

   
II.       
Authorise the Section 151 Officer of the Council to enter into a
Grant Funding Agreement to facilitate the acceptance of this grant
award.
 

Reasons for the decision

This proposal will secure additional funding
for the Council to address land remediation issues and to remove
barriers to delivering housing on this local authority owned
site.
 
The Council has previously made two successful
bids to the One Public Estate Brownfield Land Release programme,
with funding secured for St Helens Town Centre and Evelyn Avenue
– with both sites progressing to meet the timescales for
delivery required from MHCLG. 
 
The site at Sussex Grove has been vacant for
several years due to the existing challenges in relation to site
conditions. This funding offers the opportunity to
‘unlock’ this site to enable the development of a
residential offer to meet local housing needs.

Alternative options considered

The alternative option would be to decline the
funding offer from MHCLG. This would result in a missed opportunity
to bring forward a vacant brownfield site for housing development
and would result in the current site issues remaining
unresolved.