Agenda item

Woodlands was a major mixed-use development site on the east side of Aylesbury, including the Eastern Link Road (South) (ELRS) connecting with the Eastern Link Road (North) and the A41 Aston Clinton Road. The ELRS was a fundamental part of a long-term strategy to deliver an orbital traffic route around Aylesbury. The Council had secured funding towards the delivery of the ELRS through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) and Local Growth Funds (LGF), to support early delivery of the ELRS.

Due to inflation/cost rises, HIF funding was now insufficient for the Council to deliver the ELRS as a single or dual carriageway within existing budgets. It was therefore concluded that the best way to bring forward the delivery of the ELRS and the Woodlands development was through the marketing of the site and a possible Joint Venture/Special Purchase Vehicle Partnership, including the Council, or a site sale facilitated by the Council. This would enable the provision of critical highway infrastructure, as well as supporting the planned growth in Aylesbury.

The report paper provided a high-level overview of such an approach and sought support for further work to be undertaken ahead of a formal decision on the full business case for investment being presented and taken by the Council.

RESOLVED

1. That the preferred delivery option for the Eastern Link Road South be APPROVED.  

2. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources: 

1. To market through a Council procurement process the Woodlands development site to include the Eastern Link Road South as a single carriageway road with passive provision for dualling. 

2. To negotiate revised Heads of Terms with Landowners and Buckinghamshire Advantage to enable the marketing of the site to developers. 

3. To explore opportunities for a Joint Venture / Special Purchase Vehicle Partnership and/or sale to bring forward the Woodlands development to include the Eastern Link Road South as a single carriageway road with passive provision for dualling (developer-led approach). 

3. That £800,000 be released from the existing Eastern Link Road South Budget, funded from Housing Infrastructure Fund, agreed by Homes England to cover establishing and negotiating the Heads of Terms, the marketing of the Woodlands site, creating the supporting documentation for the revised Woodlands approach to Homes England, and project management costs. 

4. That it be NOTED that a subsequent report for Cabinet will be prepared once marketing has been concluded for the Council to complete negotiations with a selected Developer, Landowners and Buckinghamshire Advantage and enter a Joint Venture/Special Purchase Vehicle Partnership and/or Sale with a development partner once marketing has been concluded and terms from the Selected Developer have been clarified through the marketing and procurement process. 

Woodlands was a major mixed-use development site on the east side of Aylesbury, including the Eastern Link Road (South) (ELRS) connecting with the Eastern Link Road (North) and the A41 Aston Clinton Road. The ELRS was a fundamental part of a long-term strategy to deliver an orbital traffic route around Aylesbury. The Council had secured funding towards the delivery of the ELRS through the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) and Local Growth Funds (LGF), to support early delivery of the ELRS.

Due to inflation/cost rises, HIF funding was now insufficient for the Council to deliver the ELRS as a dual carriageway within existing budgets. It was therefore concluded that the best way to bring forward the delivery of the ELRS and the Woodlands development was through the marketing of the site and a possible Joint Venture/Special Purchase Vehicle Partnership, including the Council, or a site sale facilitated by the Council. This would enable the provision of critical highway infrastructure, as well as supporting the planned growth in Aylesbury.

The report paper provided a high-level overview of such an approach and sought support for further work to be undertaken ahead of a formal decision on the full business case for investment being presented and taken by the Council.

The Leader reported that he was disappointed that this was now a single carriageway as the aspiration had been for it to be a dual carriageway, but land had been reserved for a future date if funding became available. The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing reported that there was some HIF funding, but due to cost price inflation the Council could not deliver a dual carriageway with the current pricing. It was hoped that a private developer could deliver this at a lower cost. A report would be submitted to a future Cabinet meeting once the market exercise had been completed with recommendations on the next steps.

RESOLVED

1. That the preferred delivery option for the Eastern Link Road South be APPROVED.  

2. That authority be delegated to the Service Director for Property and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources: 

i)                    To market through a Council procurement process the Woodlands development site to include the Eastern Link Road South as a single carriageway road with passive provision for dualling. 

ii)                  To negotiate revised Heads of Terms with Landowners and Buckinghamshire Advantage to enable the marketing of the site to developers. 

iii)                To explore opportunities for a Joint Venture / Special Purchase Vehicle Partnership and/or sale to bring forward the Woodlands development to include the Eastern Link Road South as a single carriageway road with passive provision for dualling (developer-led approach). 

3. That £800,000 be released from the existing Eastern Link Road South Budget, funded from Housing Infrastructure Fund, agreed by Homes England to cover establishing and negotiating the Heads of Terms, the marketing of the Woodlands site, creating the supporting documentation for the revised Woodlands approach to Homes England, and project management costs. 

4. That it be NOTED that a subsequent report for Cabinet will be prepared once marketing has been concluded for the Council to complete negotiations with a selected Developer, Landowners and Buckinghamshire Advantage and enter a Joint Venture/Special Purchase Vehicle Partnership and/or Sale with a development partner once marketing has been concluded and terms from the Selected Developer have been clarified through the marketing and procurement process.