Agenda item

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were given an opportunity to consider the recommendations set in the Cabinet Report “Cabinet be recommended to consider the full range of options available to the Council in addition to selling its assets for development agreed” prior to its submission to Cabinet on 7 March 2022.

The Committee examined, via a question and answer session with Councillor Pike, the Cabinet Lead, and the relevant officer, the following aspects of the programme:

•           The impact on parking provision in Havant Town Centre if the Bulbeck Road Plaza car parks were developed for housing

•           The provision of social housing in the Civic Plaza and Bulbeck Road Car Park development sites

•           Whether the Council would sale or retain a share of the ownership of the Civic Plaza and Bulbeck Road Car Park development sites

(Details of the questions and answers are set out as an appendix to these minutes)

During the question and answer session, the members expressed a wish to discuss the details set out in the exempt appendices. It was therefore

RESOLVED that the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the remainder of this item because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of Part 3 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The Committee considered that the full range of options available to the Council, in addition to selling its assets for development, needed to be considered to realise the full potential of Council sites in terms of long term revenue to the Council and opportunities to provide social housing.

RESOLVED that Cabinet be recommended to consider the full range of options available to the Council in addition to selling its assets for development.