Agenda item

(To receive a report by Emma Rowitt, Project Manager - Corporate Property, which invites the Committee to consider a report on the Extra Care Housing Development at The Linelands, Nettleham, with LACE Housing Limited which is due to be considered by the Executive on 02 September 2020)

The Chairman advised that this item was for pre-decision scrutiny, prior to a decision being taken by the Executive on 2 September 2020.

The Chairman invited Kevin Kendall, Assistant Director – Corporate Property and Emma Rowitt, Project Manager to present the report, which was detailed on pages 45 to 136 of the agenda pack.

Detailed at Appendix 1 to the report was a copy of the Executive report.

The Committee was advised that the Executive report recommended a further £1.99m of the designated capital programme budget to be released to enable The Linelands Extra Care Housing (ECH) Scheme, to commence development in the spring of 2021.   The Committee noted that the project proposed a partnership between Lincolnshire County Council and LACE Housing Limited to provide 43 units of ECH accommodation for the anticipated demand in the West Lindsey District.  It was noted further that following the commencement of the De Wint Court Scheme, in partnership with the City of Lincoln Council, the remaining capital programme budget was £9.086m. 

The Committee was advised that the council owned the freehold of the Linelands site which had been vacant since 2011/12, and had been earmarked for ECH, to aid the strategic need to support the development of ECH in the county to assist in offsetting medium and long term revenue cost increases, and facilitate Lincolnshire residents to live independently for as long as possible within their communities.  It was reported that the Linelands scheme would deliver the initial need identified in the Housing LIN report 2018.

The Committee were requested to agree any comments to be passed to the Executive in relation to this item.

During discussion, the Committee raised the following points:

·               The scheme was entirely appropriate for modern day needs and would be a huge benefit to Lincolnshire residents to enable them to live independently; and

·               Support was extended for the scheme; and for the partnership with LACE Housing Ltd; and some enthusiasm was expressed for more such schemes and it was agreed that a request for the programme of other extra care housing schemes to be accelerated be passed to the Executive.

RESOLVED

1.        That the Adults and Community Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee unanimously agreed to support the recommendations to the Executive as detailed in Appendix 1, on pages 47 and 48 of the report pack.

2.        That given the benefits of this proposal, the Committee's request that the programme of other extra care housing schemes be accelerated throughout the county be forwarded to the Executive.