Agenda and minutes

Venue: Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BG

Contact: Abigail Lewis Email: abigail.lewis@barnet.gov.uk 020 8359 4369 

Items
No. Item

1.

MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING pdf icon PDF 90 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on June 13th 2019 be approved as a correct record.

 

2.

ABSENCE OF MEMBERS

Minutes:

Councillor Daniel Thomas sent apologies and was substituted by Councillor Thomas Smith.

 

3.

DECLARATIONS OF MEMBERS DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS AND NON-PECUNIARY INTERESTS

Minutes:

None.

4.

REPORT OF THE MONITORING OFFICER (IF ANY)

Minutes:

None.

5.

PUBLIC QUESTION pdf icon PDF 53 KB

Minutes:

Details of the public question and response were circulated in advance of the meeting. A supplementary question was provided by the resident, which officers agreed to respond to in writing.

 

6.

MEMBERS' ITEMS (IF ANY)

Minutes:

None.

7.

Q1 Performance Report 2019-20 pdf icon PDF 414 KB

Minutes:

The Director of Growth introduced the Quarter 1 (Q1) Performance report which provided an overview of the performance for Q1, focusing on the budget forecasts and activities to deliver both corporate and committee priorities in the ARG Committee annual delivery plan.

 

Members requested that further information was provided within the next report surrounding the type of help provided to residents to enable them to attend the apprenticeships and training opportunities, available to them through development partners.

 

Members noted that the KPI for unemployment rates was down, with figures showing a slightly higher unemployment rate when compared with figures from last year.

 

Following discussion of the item, the Chairman moved to vote on the recommendations as set out in the report. The Committee unanimously agreed the following recommendation:

 

RESOLVED that:
The Committee reviewed the budget, performance and risk information for Q1 2019/20 and make any referrals to Policy and Resources Committee of Financial Performance and Contracts Committee in accordance with the terms of reference of these Committees.

 

8.

Brent Cross Cricklewood Update pdf icon PDF 274 KB

Minutes:

The Director of Growth introduced the report on Brent Cross Cricklewood, which provided an update on the comprehensive regeneration of the Brent Cross Cricklewood (BXC) programme since the last Committee meeting on the 13th June 2019.

 

Members discussed the requirement for more joined up communication between The Council, partners and residents. Councillor Conway raised concerns on behalf of the Residents Association at Brent Terrace regarding the negative impact the development is having on the local area and environment, she requested Members attend the area to see for themselves. Officers informed the Committee that they were aware of the concerns of the residents, which were inevitable during a scheme of this nature, but every attempt would be made to improve the situation where possible and enhance communication surrounding the development.

 

Councillor McGuirk suggested better engagement with residents could be achieved using the Area Committees and that these meeting should be held in community venues, rather than within the Town Hall.

 

Members commented that the updates regarding Brent Cross North were very brief and were concerned that plans had not moved on since the last update. The Chairman reiterated that the current retail market was challenging, but officers were working with Argent Related to deliver the programme. Officers notified the Committee that the planning application had now been activated and a revised plan had been proposed, which would be available to members in November. Members commented that they hoped the transport side of the plan would be revisited and considerably improved, as competitors currently had much better transport connections.

 

Members requested a report be brought back to the ARG Committee on the southern junctions works, as there was a risk around failure to deliver this. They also requested more detail regarding the reported anti-social behaviour and the steps being taken by the Council to address these issues. Officers agreed to Councillor Conway’s request for officers to meet with residents to address the issues they had raised.

 

Following consideration of the item, the Chairman moved to vote on the recommendations as set out in the report. The votes were recorded as follows:

 

For

6

Against

0

Abstain

4

 

RESOLVED that the Committee:

 

1)    notes the progress update across the scheme since the last report to the committee on 13 June 2019.

 

2)    Notes that Argent Related have agreed terms to acquire the vacant Toys R Us site and delegates to the Assistant Director – Estates to provide the necessary approvals on behalf of the council as freeholder to assign the lease and complete this transaction (paragraph 1.35). 

 

3)    Confirms the appointment of DP9 as planning advisors (paragraph 1.17); New Steer as CPO advisors (paragraph 1.36); the extension of Conway Aecom scope of works to include the temporary access road (paragraph 1.13) and to procure the A-Site document management system for use across the programme (paragraph 5.1.15) and delegates to the Deputy Chief Executive to agree the terms of those appointments and any other appointments as necessary within the agreed budget forecast  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Daws Lane Community Hub Update pdf icon PDF 180 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Growth introduced the report on Daws Lane Community Hub Update, which updated the Committee on the proposal to extend the original agreed timescales and milestones for the combined community hub and partnership library, to ensure that the development maintains good momentum.

 

Members enquired as to how progress on the fundraising for the proposal would be reviewed by the Committee. Officers highlighted that section 4.1 of the report outlined the timeframe of the progress updates that would be required from NW7 Hub every 6 months, starting from March 2020.

 

Following discussion of the report the Chairman moved to vote on the recommendations as set out in the report. The Committee unanimously agreed the following recommendations:

 

RESOLVED that:
1) The Committee approves the revised programme and milestones, as outlined in Appendix 1, to ensure that the development is completed by 1 March 2025.

 

2) The Committee shall require that any agreements and consents which the Council enters into for NW7 to develop the 80 Daws Lane site should include appropriate provisions to terminate the same in the event that NW7 Hub should be unable to meet any of the milestones detailed in Appendix 1.

 

10.

Housing Acquisitions Programme (Phase 4) pdf icon PDF 292 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of Growth introduced the Housing Acquisitions report, which set out the business case for purchasing a further 500 residential properties in Greater London and other areas within a 50-mile radius for use as affordable accommodation, to be let on non-secure or assured shorthold tenancy agreements and managed by Barnet Homes.

 

Members supported the acquisition of further residential properties for use as affordable housing, but emphasised the preference for more in-borough and within London acquisitions where possible. Members were concerned about the negative effects on employment and family life for those re-located out of London and how the Council was supporting these residents with the transition. Officers agreed to request a written response from Barnet Homes outlining the support provided.

 

The Governance Officer notified Members that there was an error on page 63 of the report in that 5.4.3 should refer to ‘section 25 of the Local Government Act 1988’.

 

Following discussion of the item, the Chairman moved to amend the first recommendation in the report to the following;

That the Committee approve the business case for the acquisition of up to 500 properties purchased from Q3 2019/20 onwards funded through the General Fund borrowing as outlined in Appendix A and that it should be reported back to the Committee following the acquisition of each tranche of 100 properties to confirm the continuation of the acquisition programme.

The amendment was unanimously agreed by the Committee.

 

The Chairman then moved to vote on all of the recommendations outlined in the report, including the amendment to recommendation 1 as approved above.

 

The votes were recorded as follows:

 

For

6

Against

0

Abstain

4

 

RESOLVED that:

1)    The Committee approved the business case for the acquisition of up to 500 properties purchased from Q3 2019/20 onwards funded through the General Fund borrowing as outlined in Appendix A and that it should be reported back to the Committee following the acquisition of each tranche of 100 properties to confirm the continuation of the acquisition programme.

 

2)     That the authorisation of purchases of individual properties for the HousingAcquisitions programme (Phase 4) be delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive.

 

3)    Subject to receiving further tax advice, that acquisitions be carried out by the Council’s subsidiary, TBG Open Door Ltd, funded by a loan agreement between the Council and TBG Open Door Ltd.

 

4)    That the final decision to proceed with acquisitions delivered through TBG Open Door Ltd is delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive, including the authority to approve a loan agreement.

 

 

11.

COMMITTEE FORWARD WORK PROGRAMME pdf icon PDF 210 KB

Minutes:

The Committee noted the forward work programme.

12.

ANY OTHER ITEMS THAT THE CHAIRMAN DECIDES ARE URGENT

Minutes:

None.