Corby Borough Council
Residential Development Regeneration Group

Terms of Reference for the Group

1.CBC’s definition of Residential Development and Regeneration Group

The group is formed of relevant officers and members who can support the delivery process of CBC owned land for residential development from start to finish, incorporating the roles, process management and/or responsibilities of each officer to carry out at relevant process junctions. See Appendix 1 for the list of officers, roles and service areas to be involved.

A report went to OCPC on the13th March 2012 agreeing to progress a HCA support funding bid to contract stages and include the cost of building into the capital programme to fulfil the build programme of 58 new Council homes and facilitate partnerships with developers and Housing Association partners to build out the whole tenure mix agreed.

In addition to this on the 19th June 2012 OCPC agreed that CBC was to sign up to a Government scheme whereby RTB receipts are recycled and used towards the cost of replacing homes with new homes for affordable rent. The receipts are to be used to fund no more than 30% of the cost to build replacement homes within 3 years. Any costs not used will be returned to the CLG and re-distributed to assist with new Affordable housing through the Homes and Communities Agency.

Full details of these reports (including minutes) can be found in Appendices 2 & 3.

The following is the basic phases in a residential development process and the implementation of this process will formulate the project parametersof any development:

Residential Development & Regeneration Process Overview

Every development project proceeds through a series of phases, from the initial concept to final closeout. Although the terminology may vary from region to region, in general the development process can be organised into the following five phases:

  • Concept
  • Predevelopment
  • Development
  • Construction
  • Operation

A number of separate, but interrelated, activities occur within each phase. For the purposes of showing how specific phases of the design process relate to specific phases of the development process, the Design Advisor assumes the activities listed below occur over the course of an affordable housing development.

Please note that this in only a generalised list. The type, mix and sequence of activities may vary over the course of an actual development.

Concept Phase

  • Establish organisational goals for the project.
  • Determine type of project, potential location and target occupants.
  • Consider sources of financing and how the project might be managed.
  • Develop an understanding of community and local government support/opposition, concerns/needs.
  • Evaluate site: cost and availability, technical and environmental issues.
  • Visit and evaluate similar projects.
  • Develop project vision and concept.
  • Decide whether to explore the concept further.
  • Outcome: specific use of a designated site for an identified market by a specific development team with a defined financial program.

Predevelopment Phase

  • Apply for predevelopment funds.
  • Conduct market study.
  • Identify governmental/regulatory requirements.
  • Select project team and define scope of work for each member.
  • Draw up tender specification
  • Put tender specification through required procurement processes
  • Review development concept with potential occupants, community groups, maintenance personnel, and other stakeholders and modify as appropriate.
  • Identify sources of financing.
  • Negotiate tentative or conditional financing commitments.
  • Test cost assumptions.
  • Obtain site control.
  • Develop feasibility study.
  • Outcome: analysis of all assumptions regarding market, site, operational requirements, development requirements, financial requirements, financing, team and roles, including suggested modifications for the concept to be feasible.

Development Phase

  • Ongoing consultation between project team and the community.
  • Prepare and submit financing/loan application.
  • Secure permanent financing.
  • Acquire property.
  • Secure construction financing.
  • Solicit and review construction bids.
  • Obtain planning approvals, environmental approvals, if required.
  • Obtain building and other permits as required.
  • Outcome: all elements of project made definite. Letters of commitment, contracts and loan documents binding all participants to the specific elements of the deal are put in place.

Construction Phase

  • Award construction contract(s).
  • Draw up build specifications
  • Initiate construction.
  • Manage change orders.
  • Negotiate certificate of substantial completion.
  • Initiate marketing and lease-up (the time period for a newly available property to attract tenants and reach stabilised occupancy), including outreach within the community.
  • Manage construction close out.
  • Conduct open house for community participants, press, etc.
  • Outcome: completely built, leased/sold building, passing all inspections.

Operation Phase

  • Staff up.
  • Occupy.
  • Provide services (long term management and operations of residential units).

-If targeted to special needs population, the co-ordination or provision of supportive services also begins.

  • Operate (tenancy management & support / sales).
  • Continue communication with community.
  • Outcome: A place where people want to stay.

2.CBC’s vision

To double the population of Corby by 2030, with a complimentary increase in jobs, prosperity and public services that rank with the very best by working together for the future to improve the quality of life for the people in the Borough. The Council aims to ensure that all residents have access to safe, decent and affordable homes.Theme 1 of the Corporate Plan 2012 – 13 say we will do this by (1.1) regularly exceeding the Government’s housing growth targets in terms of both quality and quantity of new housing; (1.2) revitalising areas of poorer housing; and (1.3) promoting the provision and use of public transport, walking and cycling as healthy, climate friendly means of travel. In addition to this the main theme, Theme 2; Climate change and environment calls on us to (2.1) encourage environmentally sustainable regeneration and growth; (2.2) reduce the impact our actions have on climate change.

3.Objectives of the group

The overall aim of the groupis to oversee the development and regeneration of new house building in Corby with the specific aim of delivering aspirations on the Councils long term plans for growth up to 2030

This will be achieved by:

  • Delivering Regeneration master plans by;

Working together on individual projects linking into the greater plans

Seeking and securing government finance to support through financial difficulties

Seeking appropriate partnerships through procurement processes

  • Focussed activity. The Group is directing its focus up to 20thMarch 2015 on the following sites:

Finland Way – NC201

Canada Square – NC202

Various small sites (including redundant garage areas) – NC203

  • Reporting to the Council’s One Corby Policy Committee on progress as appropriate.
  • Engaging with the appointed HCA representatives to agree conformance with guidance and direction, in order to achieve sign-off by 20th March 2015 and at annual increments throughout.

Specific Group objectives are:

  • to manage, scrutinise and monitor the delivery process.
  • to manage, scrutinise and make comments on the individual elements of the delivery process as detailed at section 1
  • for members to abide by their respective code of conduct when undertaking Group activity.

4. Lead Delivery and Budget Holder

The group has not got a specific budget; however, different projects will have their own identified budgets and budget lead. Below are examples of this:

Project Budgets: These budgets have a main feature in residential development and regeneration.

Building Programmes that include Council Housing:

The main funding for these projects is through the HRA’s Neighbourhood Pride Services Capital Budget with support funding from the HCAs Affordable Homes Programme. Budget Monitoring for both is required through out. The budgets for the developments named in the focused activity have been established and are coded next to each development. The lead officer for these budgets is the Housing Strategy Manager, NPS.

RTB Receipts:

This is an income to the authority and a certain proportion has to be repaid to DCLG via the pooling mechanism. However, there have been changes to RTB where councils can spend RTB receipts on new house building up to 30% of the project cost. This is therefore an opportunity to utilise what would have been money paid to DCLG towards the funding of new build.

Bi-Product Budgets: These are potential bi-products of residential developments and may be income or expenditure.

Land Sales

This is an income to the authority and current council policy requires CBC to utilise receipts to pay council debt.

S106

Section 106 (S106) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows a local planning authority (LPA) to enter into a legally-binding agreement or planning obligation with a landowner in association with the granting ofplanning permission.The obligation is termed a Section 106 Agreement.

These agreements are a way of delivering or addressing matters that are necessary to make a development acceptable in planning terms. They are increasingly used to support the provision of services and infrastructure, such as highways, recreational facilities, education, health and affordable housing.

The scope of such agreements is laid out in the government’s Circular 05/2005. Matters agreed as part of a S106 must be:

  • relevant to planning
  • necessary to make the proposed development acceptable in planning terms
  • directly related to the proposed development
  • fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the proposed development
  • reasonable in all other respects.

A council’s approach to securing benefits through the S106 process should be grounded in evidence-based policy.

The Group will refer any identification of additional funding requirements to the appropriate committee of the council for consideration.

5.Purpose of the Group

a)The groupwill receive reports on the whole life delivery process in order to monitor performance.

b)The groupshall consist of appropriate members, who will be representatives from a variety of backgrounds including; elected Councillors and officers of the council with direct responsibilities for delivery. Substitute members will be acceptable.

c)The groupwill invite specialist and expert attendance as appropriate in addition to the core membership. Such invitees will attend in an advisory capacity only.

d)Any groupmember having a pecuniary or other personal interest, by which they may gain from the operation of the Group, must declare that interest.

e)All reports to the groupwill be treated as confidential documents and will not be further circulated by groupmembers beyond their representative group or organisation, unless expressly agreed by the group.

f)The groupwill seek to make consensual recommendations, within council policy and based on the majority view.

g)All groupmeetings will be minuted and those minutes, when adopted and signed by the chair, will represent the true view of the group. The minutes will be circulated to all WP members for their information and thereafter published.

h)The groupwill elect a Chair and Vice Chair, who will be responsible guiding the meetings.

i)The group, when appropriate, may be asked to advise the council on action to be taken to ensure the delivery process remains on target.

6.Frequency of Meetings

RDR Group meetings shall be held monthly (or quarterly where development work dictates) with additional meetings called if required.

7.Supporting Documents & Information

CLG Reinvigorating Right to Buy and One for One Replacement – Information for local Authorities:

Affordable Homes Programme:

Appendix 1: Officer Roles & Services involved.

Residential Development and Regeneration Group:

Officers’/Members’ Roles:

Officer / Role within the group
Housing Strategy Manager / Chair / Affordable Housing and Regeneration
Encor Financial Services Manager / Vice Chair / Financial Advice
Lead member for housing / Community Representation / Monitoring
Members – Cross Party / Community Representation / Monitoring
Assistant Chief Executive / Housing Lead
Director of Corporate Services / Strategic Financial Lead
Head of CB Property / Land Sales and Commercial Property
Senior Planning Officer / General Planning Advice
CBC New Build Project Management and Technical Advisor / Reporting on progress and issues of residential Developments
Legal Services Manager / Legal Advice
Housing Regeneration Officer / Regeneration issues
Housing Options and Strategy Administration Assistant / Meeting Administrator

Service areas involved):

Service Area / Area of project involved in
NPS – Housing Strategy / Affordable Housing, HCA liaison and monitoring through Integrated Management System.
NPS – Housing Strategy – Regeneration / Pre-development issues with existing tenants, owners, leaseholders, development issues, defects and general trouble shooting and monitoring of certificate inventory
NPS – HouseBuilding Technical Advisor / Development and Building Advice – CBC Housing and associated issues
NPS – Direct Labour Organisation / CBC Specification Requirements, clerk of works responsibilities
NPS – HousingOptions Team / Housing Need and Housing Register Nominations
NPS – Land Lord Services / Decanting Tenants pre-development and Housing Management Post Development, Garages
NPS – Housing Finance / Rent and service charge setting advice, software set-up of new tenancies
CB Property / Land Sales and Commercial Property issues
Encor Financial Services / Financial Advice, budget monitoring
Legal Services / Contracts
Legal Services / S106
Legal Services / Land Registry, Stopping Up, Party Wall, Right to Buy, CPO, S104 and S38
CBC Membership / Monitoring, setting policy and priorities
Service Areas needed as and when required / Area of project involved in
Development Control / Inspection and monitoring of build standards throughout programme
Planning / Agreeing and monitoring Planning Conditions and Policy
Planning Policy / Monitoring of policy and of National Indicators 154 & 155 – new housing units and of those which are affordable
Local Plans / Street name and numbering in line with postal services
Environmental Quality / Refuse Services and maintenance post development
Council Tax / Setting up new homes on system for services and payments
Leisure Services / Public Open Spaces, Play Areas

Reports to:

Who / When / how
CMT/Leadership / Monthly via minutes
OCPC / Annually and as and when required vial report
Overview and Scrutiny / As and when if required
Development Partners / Monthly through site meetings
Community / At pre-development and design stages then Quarterly updates through residents meetings during development phases with a final feedback session

Feed in to / consultation with the group:

Who / When / how
Development / Construction Meetings / At each meeting there should be an update through the project manager
Individual departments involved / To be invited to meetings as and when required
Community feedback / Minutes of community meetings or from officers as and when received
From any group in “reports to” section / As and when through reports, minutes, verbal

1

Version 2:1 26/7/12

H: Housing Options Team/Affordable Housing/Developments/Meetings/RDR Group/TOR(2-1)