The Officer Key Decision meeting on the 18th of March 2025 considered a report on the proposed refurbishment of Lady Helen Seymour House in Plaistow. The meeting agreed to increase the budget for the project to £10.802m and to begin the process of procuring a contractor to carry out the work.

Lady Helen Seymour House Rough Sleeping Assessment Centre – Pre Procurement Approval (Agenda item 1, page 3)

The meeting considered a report on the proposed refurbishment of Lady Helen Seymour House in Plaistow. The building, which is a five-storey Victorian building located adjacent to Lister Gardens, was purchased in 2024 with the intention of turning it into a 42-bed Rough Sleeping Assessment Centre.

The Centre will deliver key strategic priorities of Newham’s Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy by offering: Accommodation for rough sleepers directly from the street. A high quality psychologically informed environment in which rough sleepers can feel safe and work towards gaining independent living skills by focusing on their recovery and developing purpose and belonging in the community. Conduct comprehensive holistic assessments with rough sleepers to understand their needs, strengths, assets and aspirations. Wrap-around health and care support, with external agencies such as GPs, substance misuse and mental health services and other early intervention offers utilising the site. Internal ‘step down’ facility for rough sleepers who are able to live more independently prior to their next move into longer term accommodation.

The report sought approval to increase the budget for the project from £9.199m to £10.802m. This increase was needed because a detailed survey of the property, completed in May 2024, identified a number of defects that need to be remedied. This remediation work, which includes the complete replacement of the roof, is necessary to improve the structural integrity and energy performance of the building.

A detailed survey completed in May 2024 proposed a complete replacement of the roof and other enhancing works to improve the structural integrity and energy performance of the building.

The report also sought approval to begin the process of procuring a contractor to carry out the refurbishment work. The report recommended that the contract be awarded through a two-stage process, using the JCT Design and Build Contract 2016.¹ The first stage would involve awarding a Pre-Construction Service Agreement to the successful contractor for design services. The second stage would involve receiving the Contractor’s Proposal for the design and cost of the work.

The meeting agreed to the recommendations in the report.