Agenda item

To receive a presentation updating the Committee on the progress of the Ockford Ridge Regeneration Project.

The Chairman invited Andrew Smith and Louisa Blundell to update the Committee on the Ockford Ridge regeneration project. He recognised that the project was a massive investment for the Council that would provide new and refurbished homes for tenants, as well as new rental income for the Council from the net increase in houses. It was an area of the Council’s work that was ripe for scrutiny, but there were different perspectives that could be explored and he was keen to hear the views of the Committee.

Louisa Blundell gave a presentation that briefly covered the history of the estate, and the development of the regeneration project in 2012 which was made possible by the reform of council housing finance that took place with effect from 1 April 2012. The master plan for the redevelopment and remodelling of Ockford Ridge was developed in the first half of 2013, followed by a consultation with residents of Ockford Ridge. The project was split four sites (A, B, C and D) and in August 2014 the Council’s hybrid planning application – outline permission for 83 dwellings on Sites A, B and C, and detailed planning permission for 16 dwellings on Site D – was granted.

Given the length of the lead-in time for the project, from inception to work happening on Ockford Ridge, it had taken lot of work with residents to demonstrate to them that the Council was committed to the project. The show homes completed towards the end of 2016 had been a key milestone and a tangible demonstration of what was to come. These properties had already been let, and work was well underway on the construction of Site D.

The next site to be developed would be Site A, and the detailed planning application had been submitted and was due to be considered in September 2017. The number of dwellings proposed in the detailed application had been increased compared to the outline permission, which would enable all the residents from Sites B and C to be decanted, as will as residents of Site A who wished to return. Officers were now working on bringing forward Site B, with the detailed planning application coming forward in the autumn of 2017.

Alongside the redevelopment, a pilot phase of 6 refurbishments had been carried out over the winter of 2016/17. Some important lessons had been learned, including freezing the design at an early stage and having tenants formally agree to the design to be tendered. Lessons had also been learned in relation to the way that Waverley appointed experts to oversee the refurbishments, and a more simplified arrangement had been tendered for Phases 1-3 which would streamline communication and clarify responsibilities and accountability. On Waverley’s side, the Development Team had also been configured so that each officer had specific responsibility for a particular element of the overall project.

Throughout the project, the role of a dedicated Tenant Liaison Officer had been crucial to the ongoing progress and success each stage, particularly in supporting tenants through the process of decanting to another property on a long- or short-term basis, or making a permanent move off Ockford Ridge.

The procurement process for Site D had been challenging and taken longer than expected as the original tender through a Framework failed to produce any tenders. A subsequent OJEU tender resulted in the appointment of W Stirland to develop Site D. The reduction in council house rents imposed by the government impacted on the HRA business plan and there was some concern about the Council’s  ability to complete the regeneration of Ockford Ridge as planned. However, the financial position was now more positive and budget approval would be sought to bring forward Sites B and C.

Cllr Gordon-Smith congratulated officers, and the Council as a whole, for persisting with the vision for Ockford Ridge, even when matters had not gone smoothly. There had been resistance to change from some residents, but the show homes had been instrumental in overcoming remaining opposition. Good communication was key to keeping residents on-side, and being responsive to their complaints and concerns.

Damian Roberts emphasised the huge impact the development was having on the community, not just individuals. The estate was not ‘deprived’ in absolute terms, and residents did not perceive the estate in that way; but, statistically the residents did have more challenges than those across most of Waverley, and the improvement of their housing and local environment could have a transformative impact. It had been an important realisation that whilst not all residents were vulnerable, the impact of the change happening to them and around them effectively created a degree of vulnerability that had to be handled sensitively.

The Committee welcomed the presentation and the good work being undertaken on Ockford Ridge. Cllr Seaborne asked if the Committee could receive a summary of the progress against the timetable, and also see how the budgets had been rescheduled to reflect delays in progress. He accepted that delays happened, but they were also learning opportunities.

The Chairman felt that the Ockford Ridge regeneration was a suitable subject for an in-depth scrutiny review, but there were many perspectives that could be explored. He suggested that it might be helpful to have a site visit to Ockford Ridge, followed by an informal discussion to consider ideas about scrutiny topics and how to proceed.

The Committee agreed that a site visit would be useful, especially for those Members not familiar with the area. There was a reluctance to avoid undertaking a review that might delay any aspect of the project, and Members  were pleased and reassured that officers had reflected on the how each step in the project had gone and taken action to address weaknesses in processes that had been identified. A scrutiny review would need to be carefully scoped so that it added value, and did not impact negatively on the work underway.

The Committee therefore asked officers to arrange a site visit to Ockford Ridge, with a report back to the meeting in September to discuss possible scrutiny topics.