Decision details

To remove existing Local Lettings Plans at the following schemes:
22 properties at Radford Court, GL51 7BT; 8 properties at Ingleborough Mews GL52 5HB; 5 properties at Apple Blossom Drive GL51 9FQ; 25 properties at Evenlode Avenue GL52 5NR (flats only); 4 properties at 5-11 Windermere Road GL51 3PW; and 16 properties at 10-40 Monkscroft, GL51 7TP (even numbers).

Cheltenham Borough Council (CBC) has set up a number of Local Lettings Plans (LLPs) covering Council-owned housing stock across the Borough as part of our focusing on investing in our communities to make them stronger and healthier in line with our 2023-2028 Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy and Key Priority 3 within the 2023-2027 Cheltenham Corporate Plan.
Following discussions with colleagues from CBC and Cheltenham Borough Homes (CBH), officers have agreed that a number of LLPs are no longer required to maintain community cohesion, as the LLPs in
question have fulfilled their required purpose(s).
Accordingly, it is proposed to remove the LLP's above to make best use of CBC's existing stock by removing the LLPs specified above, in line with the key objectives outlined within the Council's 2023-2028 Housing, Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy. Removing these LLP's will enable CBC's Housing Options Team to make unrestricted placements to
households in significant housing need, provided that they meet the eligibility requirements as set out in CBC's Homeseeker Allocations Policy, thus supporting the Council to meet priority need, reduce households on our housing register, and discharge statutory homelessness duties under the 1996 Housing Act. Where demonstrable evidence indicates a need to reinstate any of the Local Lettings Plans referenced above, CBC will seek officer sign-off to re-introduce any previously removed local lettings plans on a case-by-case basis.

An alternative option considered was retaining some, or all of the Local Lettings Plans referenced within this Officer Decision. However, this option has been rejected as, following discussions between CBCCBH colleagues, the available evidence indicates that the communities in these locations have been functioning effectively for a significant period of time following the application of Local Lettings Plan without significant anti-social behaviour or community disruption being reported. This option has also been rejected on the grounds of seeking to maximise the housing options available to CBC's Housing Options Team when seeking to place applicants in significant housing need which the continuation of
Local Lettings Plans in the previously specified locations would effectively restrict.

The proposed approach outlined within this Officer Decision Notice has been agreed in consultation with key officers from CBC and CBH, after which feedback was sought from Councillor Flo Clucas- Cabinet
Member for Housing.
To briefly summarize the consultation feedback received, officers were satisfied with lifting the LLPs on the schemes mentioned above. CBH officers reported that anti-social behavior and criminal activity had
not been reported for a considerable length of time on existing schemes, indicating that the LLP's had contributed towards stabilizing local neighborhoods and communities. Additionally, feedback from CBH
officers has reflected that new communities have been given sufficient time to settle and establish themselves, meaning that the respective LLPs covered by this Officer Decision Notice are no longer required. The new Cabinet Member for Housing was also provided with a copy of this Officer Decision. The Cabinet Member for Housing has approved the decision with no proposed amendments.