Decision details

The Lead Member for Resources previously declared parcels of land to be surplus to the County Council’s operational requirements in 2018.  The Council now proposes to retain some of the surplus land but dispose of its land holdings in this locality. There will be delegations to the Chief Operating Officer to finalise the detailed terms with the preferred purchaser.

69.1     The Lead Member considered a report by the Chief Operating Officer together with exempt information in a later agenda item.

DECISIONS

69.2     The Lead Member RESOLVED to:

1) Subject to formal stopping up procedures, declare land under the adopted highway at North Street, Lewes, required for the North Street Quarter regeneration scheme, surplus to requirements of the Council;

2) Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer to:

(a) declare the exact extent of the identified land parcels, hatched blue set out in Appendix 1 of the report to be surplus to the requirements of the Council;

(b) agree the terms of the sale to achieve best consideration for the land parcels to be disposed of, in accordance with s123 of the Local Government Act 1972, including proceeding with the next best offer(s) in the event of the transaction(s) not completing within the expected timelines; and

(c) take all actions necessary to give effect to the recommendations in the report.

and

3) Approve the disposal of the land parcels in accordance with s.123 of the Local Government Act 1972.

REASONS

69.3     When development of North Street Quarter is brought forward, benefits for the wider community will be realised, including new homes, employment opportunities, flood defence works and the provision of a new bus layby and associated infrastructure.

69.4     Declaring the land parcels surplus to the operational requirements of the Council and disposing of them to the developer (subject to conditions for the highway land and the developer entering into a Section 278 Agreement so that the exact extent of the land to be disposed of to the developer can be agreed), enables the Council to facilitate the regeneration of a strategic brownfield site in Lewes.

69.5     The exact extent of East Sussex County Council land to be disposed of cannot be confirmed until the final designs for the bus layby and bus shelter have been produced and agreed. Therefore, the delegations to the Chief Operating Officer will facilitate the effective disposal.