Issue - meetings

Proposed Refurbishment of the Council owned Stilebridge Lane & Water Lane G&T Sites

Meeting: 05/10/2021 - Communities, Housing and Environment Committee (Item 85)

85 Proposed Refurbishment of the Council owned Stilebridge Lane & Water Lane G&T Sites pdf icon PDF 163 KB

Minutes:

The Director of Regeneration and Place introduced the report which provided revised costings for the refurbishment of the Stilebridge Lane and Water Lane mobile home sites. A report had been presented to the Policy and Resources Committee on 15 September 2021 recommending additional funding for the works, and it had been resolved to refer the matter to this committee for consideration.

 

The projected cost had increased from £1 million to £1.9 million, which was due to the increase to the scope of the project and the significant rise in material costs and pressures within the sector. Both sites required significant expenditure to bring them up to a modern standard which the Council had an obligation to provide.

 

In response to questions, the Director of Regeneration and Place explained that Kent County Council (KCC) managed most of the gypsy and traveller sites in Kent and had the expertise and staffing resources to do so. If the transfer of ownership of the sites to KCC was being considered in the future, the Committee could be involved in the decision. It was confirmed that the excess cost would be funded through the affordable housing allocation, and the contractors surveying the sites had not reported concerns about flooding.

 

RESOLVED: That the revised scope of the project be endorsed, and the Policy & Resources Committee be requested to make the requisite funds available within the Council’s capital programme.