Agenda item

16 studio flats at Flaxmean House do not have their own bathing facilities and have use of four shared bathrooms: two on the ground floor and two on the first floor. This report examines options for the future of Flaxmean. 

[Cllr Worne left the meeting during this item and returned from the beginning of Minute 167.]

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Neighbourhood Services Manager presented her report explaining that it sought guidance from Members on which options regarding the site’s future it wanted to be researched in greater detail by Officers and brought back to Committee at a later date for a final decision to be made.

Members (and a non-Committee Ward Member given permission to speak by the Committee) then took part in a full debate on the item where a number of points were raised including:

·       the impact on the residents of both Flaxmean House and the bungalows in the different options

·       the time scales involved

·       the overprovision of sheltered and older peoples’ housing in the district

·       Flaxmean House being the only example of sheltered housing with shared bathing facilities

·       whether current residents would be given first choice to return after decanting for refurbishment

·       what sheltered housing accommodation is needed (studios, one or two-bed flats etc.)

·       the option of a hybrid approach of semi-permanent renovation before future disposal of the site

·       the significant sums of money involved and the possibility of delivering less for less expenditure

·       the sums of money mentioned in the report being guestimates due to variables yet to be determined

·       concerns for the future of the residents in the bungalows on the site

·       doing nothing not being an option

·       whether vacant units were being re-tenanted

·       fears residents in other sheltered housing accommodation may now have of being moved should they raise concerns in the future

·       the Council’s duty to provide decent accommodation

·       the need that whatever must be done must be done sensitively – these are residents’ home

·       the Council needing to retrofit all accommodation (insultation etc.) in future so if the site was retained there would be a need to retrofit anyway

·       the Council’s duty to maximise its assets

·       a lack of communication with residents of the site, residents of the area more widely and Ward Members

The Neighbourhood Services Manager and Director of Services provided Members with answers to all points raised during the debate. It was confirmed that 12 residents with shared bathing facilities had been consulted and the majority wanted to move out. Only 3 residents wanted to stay with shared facilities in a slightly remodelled way. The need was for one-bed flats, and without full refurbishment the studios would still be sub-standard and below the quality of Arun’s other sheltered housing stock. This report only included indicative costs for illustrative purposes. A consultant would need a specific remit in order to properly estimate the costs involved which could be considerably more as the Council would want to bring up the standard of the accommodation in all aspects, and any spend would need to be approved by Full Council. If the site was sold, the profits would be ring-fenced in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). The Neighbourhood Services Manager and Director of Services stressed that they were keen on an inclusive approach and as such a wide range of stakeholders would be consulted.

Following a vote on each option, options 4 and 5 were determined to be the preferred options of the Committee. Councillor Pendleton proposed an amendment to the first recommendation in the report changing the options from ‘3 and 4’ to ‘4 and 5’. This was seconded, and following a vote was declared CARRIED.

The substantive recommendations were then proposed and seconded.

The Committee

                     RESOLVED that

1.    Detailed proposals for Options 4 and 5 be developed by Officers;

2.    An options appraisal for the remaining sheltered housing stock be commissioned.