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AGENDA ITEM NO. 16

REPORT TO:Executive Board

REPORT NO:CTAMO/44/06

DATE:19 September 2006

LEAD MEMBER:Councillor R J Dutton O.B.E.

(Economic Prosperity, Asset Management & Culture)

LEAD OFFICER: Martin Wright, Chief Transportation and Asset

Management Officer

CONTACT OFFICER:Denise Garland (Tel: 297214)

SUBJECT: Gwersyllt Wheatsheaf Lane – Appropriation of Land

to Facilitate Disposal

WARD:Gwersyllt West

1.PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

To seek Members’ approval to the appropriation of an area of land measuring 22 m2 out of the Housing and Public Protection portfolio to the Highways portfolio ie to appropriate the land for Highways purposes. The land is needed to provide the required access arrangements from Wheatsheaf Lane onto an area of land that the council is disposing of for residential development at Ivy Mount, Gwersyllt.

  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1 The area of land shown boldly edged on Appendix 1 was declared surplus to the Council’s requirements by the Executive Board on 20 January 2004 (CTEO/06/04) with the receipts from the sale of the land to be used towards the funding of the A541/Wheatsheaf Lane improvement scheme. The land subsequently received outline planning permission for residential development on 11 August 2005.

2.2A requirement of the planning permission was that the existing access would be increased to a minimum width of 4.1m. In order to meet this requirement an additional area of land measuring 22 m2 will be required to be appropriated out of the Housing and Public Protection portfolio to the Highways portfolio. The area of land required is shown hatched on Appendix 1. The developer will construct the new access at no cost to the council, to an adoptable standard. Without the appropriation of the land, the development will not be able to comply with the planning condition.

  1. RECOMMENDATIONS

3.1 The Executive Board approve the appropriation of the area of land measuring 22 m2 for highways purposes to enable the required access arrangements to be provided.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

The appropriation is needed to enable the required access arrangements from Wheatsheaf Lane onto an area of land that the council is disposing of for residential development at Ivy Mount, Gwersyllt.

Martin Wright

Chief Transportation and Asset Management Officer

  1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

4.1The area of land shown boldly edged on Appendix 1 was declared surplus to the Council’s requirements by the Executive Board on 20 January 2004 (CTEO/06/04) with the receipts from the sale of the land to be used towards the funding of the A541/Wheatsheaf Lane improvement scheme. The land subsequently received outline planning permission for residential development on 11 August 2005.

4.2 A requirement of the planning permission was that the existing access would be increased to a minimum width of 4.1m. In order to meet this requirement an additional area of land measuring 22 m2 will be required to be appropriated out of the Housing and Public Protection portfolio to the Highways portfolio. The area of land required is shown hatched on Appendix 1. The developer will construct the new access at no cost to the council, to an adoptable standard. Without the appropriation of the land, the development will not be able to comply with the planning condition.

4.3The Chief Housing and Public Protection Officer has confirmed that he has no objection to the appropriation of the land.

4.4The Chief Transportation and Asset Management Officer recommends that the consideration for the appropriation of the land is £15,000. In accordance with recommended accounting practice, if approved, the appropriation will be reflected in the Council’s asset register with no cash transaction between the two services involved.

4.5The Joint Member/Officer Asset Management Working Group on 1 August 2006 agreed to recommend to the Executive Board the appropriation of the area of land detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, out of the Housing and Public Protection Portfolio to the Highways Portfolio, for the purpose of providing required access arrangements for residential development at IvyMount, Gwersyllt.

5.CONSULTATION

5.1Consultation has taken place with the Planning Department, the Legal and Administration Department, the Finance and Performance Department, the Operational Manager Highways Planning and Local Members. Any comments have been reported within the main body of the report

6.SCRUTINY COMMITTEE COMMENTS

This matter has not been considered by a Scrutiny Committee.

7.IMPLICATIONS

Policy Framework This proposal is supported in the Council’s Policy Framework through the Asset Management Plan, which seeks to reduce/eliminate the holding of underused and surplus property in accordance with the Audit Commission Report.

7.1The Corporate Strategy Statement

An identified Corporate Priority is to release resources to drive the delivery of Councils priorities and improve service performance.

7.2Budget/Finance

7.2.1The consideration for the appropriation of the land is £15,000. In accordance with recommended accounting practice, if approved, the appropriation will be reflected in the Council’s asset register with no cash transaction between the two services involved.

7.3Legal Any legal implications are identified in the body of the report.

7.4Staffing There are no direct staffing implications as a result of this report.

  1. EVALUATION OF OPTIONS

8.1Option 1 status quo - the retention of the housing land – this would restrict any proposal to dispose of the land on the open market.

8.2Option 2 the appropriation of the housing land – this will enable the disposal of Ivy Mount site on the open market with the benefit of outline planning consent for residential development.

BACKGROUND PAPERS / LOCATION / WEBSITE INFO.
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