Monday's Brent Cabinet will consider a request LINK to allocate just over £10m of Strategic Infrastructure funds to eight projects. The amounts vary from £102k to £2.6m. Most were considered by the Infrastructure Officer Working Group. (IOWG). Some money is allocated to community centres, a need for which has been a recent demand post-Covid. Other sums are due to budget shortfalls.
The officers' report provides more detail and a justification for using SCIL for these purposes as below.
However, apart from this direct approval of these sums there is also a request that the:
Cabinet delegates authority to the Corporate Director of Finance & Resources in consultation with the Lead Member for Finance, Resources & Reform to agree any additional SCIL allocations to the Morland Gardens project and any SCIL allocation to the Church End redevelopment project.
'Any' is a very open-ended commitment to make without further Cabinet approval of the actual amounts involved.
· £0.9 million for use towards Wembley Transport Improvements
The North End Road Connector project provides a new access to North End Road from Bridge Road. This benefits residents and businesses by providing an alternative route across Wembley Park to access the North Circular Road, improving the traffic flow in the area. This route will provide an available vehicular route at all times - particularly useful for residents of North End Road who are impacted by the road closures on event days. This project complies with the CIL Regulations because it will help to support the growth in the area and improve traffic flow and connectivity through the area.
· £413,000 for use towards Wembley Hostile Vehicle Measures
The HVM measures will support the proposed growth and development identified in the Wembley Growth Area. In addition they will provide a safe and secure environment, and enhance the attraction of the Stadium as a safe and secure environment to visit, in line with the Local Plan aspirations. The safe andsecure environment will help to encourage and maintain growth and development within the Wembley area.
· £559,100 for use towards Harlesden Library
The project will future proof the facilities for an estimated further ten years and enable more flexible use, building in capacity for the service to adapt to changing community needs. These will be primarily community assets, developed to address social and cultural infrastructure challenges, build capacity in the local community and creative sector and develop new partnerships to enhance the service offer to residents.
In October 2021, the total cost of the project was £605,600 with a funding application to the ACE Libraries Improvement Fund for £285k already successful. A capital contribution ask of £320,600 from SCIL funds was required to make up this shortfall.
· £1,951,162 for use towards the creation of Carlton Vale Boulevard
This significant request is the result of a short-fall in funding despite revisions to the scheme:
The total cost of the project is £6,669,900 following £1,166,000 of savings made to the original scheme, which has been reduced in scale and value engineered down. Funding of £305,273 from S106 obligations towards tree planting and £4,413,465 of Housing Infrastructure Funds (HIF) (agreed verbally, confirmation in writing still awaited) have been secured. HIF is to facilitate improvements and unlock housing growth.
If the scheme is solely reliant on the HIF funding a place-making scheme would not be deliverable and it is likely that the HIF offer would be withdrawn.
The total cost of the project includes contingency costs that have been included within the RIBA Stage 4 Cost Plan by the appointed cost consultant. The contingency costs, including inflation and risks, are considered standard considering the nature of the project.
The funding gap at £1,951,162 is being sought from SCIL. This would be split between £1,722,162 to enable the project to go forward and £229,000 to the lifetime maintenance. It is expected that over a 25 year period, 40% of the maintenance spend would occur in the first 12.5 years and 60% of the maintenance spend in the remainder.
Supporting Development & Growth
The population of South Kilburn is set to double through the wider regeneration proposals. The CVB project provides a transformational piece of infrastructure connecting current and proposed developments with improved active travel through the improved cycle lanes and wider and more attractive pavements.
The project will help to increase footfall, providing support to current and future local businesses, public spaces and community facilities.
· £102,427.26 for use towards the creation of a new community cafĂ© and external amenity space as part of the Stonebridge redevelopment
Due to high levels of population growth owing to new development there will be a need for new community and cultural facilities to ensure the provision of social infrastructure to meet the needs of our diverse community. The neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation are largely located in the south around the Harlesden, Neasden, Stonebridge and South Kilburn areas. This commercial space is a key piece of social infrastructure that will help both existing communities and new communities together in the Stonebridge area and will help complement future mixed developments such as the Bridge Park Masterplan.
· £1,015,684.77 for use towards the creation of a new community facilityas part of the Preston Community Library redevelopment
This community hub will help to support growth and development that is outlined in the Brent Local Plan particularly in the North West part of the borough. It is in proximity to Northwick Park Growth Area. This SCIL funding investment will help deliver a modern, replacement community hub that will strengthen the existing sense of community by celebrating Brent’s diversity, heritage and culture, and creating places where Brent’s communities can meet.
· £2,643,445.04 for use towards the creation of a new community centre as part of Learie Constantine Centre redevelopment
Due to high levels of population growth owing to new development in both Neasden Stations and Church End Growth Areas there will be a need for new community and cultural facilities to ensure the provision of social infrastructure to meet the needs of our diverse community. The Brent Local Plan emphasises the need to ensure that community facilities are not lost where they meet or could meet a potential need and ideally enhanced to address these needs. This SCIL funding investment will help deliver a modern, replacement community centre that will strengthen the existing sense of community by celebrating Brent’s diversity, heritage and culture, and creating places where Brent’s communities can meet.
· £2,479,770.31
for use towards the creation of a new community centre as part of the Brent
Indian Community Centre redevelopment
Due to high levels of population growth owing to new development in both Neasden Stations and Church End Growth Areas there is a need for community facilities that will support development. This SCIL funding investment will help deliver a modern, replacement community centre that will strengthen the existing sense of community by celebrating Brent’s diversity, heritage and culture, and creating places where Brent’s communities can meet.
Morland Gardens Unspecified amount
Readers will be familiar with the controversy surrounding the Morland Gardens development which involves the demolition of the Altamira Victorian Villa. The delegation to Lead Member and officers appears to anticipate a rise in costs of the education and community facility. Note that this section of the report does not mention the Lead member for Finance and Resources as part of the decison making, leaving it as a decion for the Coprorate Director of Finance and Resources. There does not seem to be an intention for a reference to the Infrastructure Officer Working Group.
In January 2020, Cabinet agreed an investment package of £43m to deliver the Morland Gardens development. The Morland Gardens development secured planning permission in October 2020 to deliver a state of the art adult education centre, 65 new affordable homes, 675 sqm of affordable workspace for start-up businesses from the local community, and a public facing café. A SCIL allocation of £15.2 million towards the education facility was agreed by Cabinet on 14 January 2020.
In August 2022, the Council appointed Hill Partnerships Ltd as the main contractor to deliver this scheme. Hill Partnerships Ltd is currently progressing delivery of RIBA Stage 4 – Technical Design in order to finalise the contractor’s proposals and final build cost.
Officers are therefore recommending delegated authority for the Corporate Director of Finance & Resources to agree any additional SCIL allocation to deliver the non-residential elements of the Morland Gardens scheme.
Support Growth & Development
As outlined above, the neighbourhoods experiencing the highest levels of deprivation are largely located in the south around the Harlesden, Neasden, Stonebridge and South Kilburn areas. A new state of the art centre is required to create an aspirational learning environment for the community, partners, learners and staff. Morland Gardens will be an asset to be utilised with and by the local communities of Stonebridge, which have some of the lowest average income, skills, and highest economic inactivity in Brent
This SCIL funding investment will help deliver a range of modern, replacement community facilities that will strengthen the existing sense of community by celebrating Brent’s diversity, heritage and culture, and creating places where Brent’s communities can meet and will help complement future mixed developments in the Stonebridge area such as the Bridge Park Masterplan.
Church End Unspecified amount
The Church End development comprises 99 affordable homes, a new market square to replace the existing market and commercial use space. In February 2022, the Council appointed Wates as the main contractor to deliver this scheme.
Wates is currently progressing delivery of RIBA Stage 4 – Technical Design in order to finalise the contractor’s proposals and final build cost.
Officers are therefore recommending delegated authority for the Corporate Director of Finance & Resources to agree the appropriate SCIL allocation to deliver the non-residential elements of the Church End scheme such as the new market square for local traders, improvements to the town centre and new community/cultural infrastructure to help small and medium enterprises.
