Agenda item

This Council Notes:

1.    The former Ship Inn site is a canal-side piece of land adjacent to the A419 in Stonehouse.

2.    The former pub (The Ship Inn) was demolished in 1997. Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) had planning permission refused for a pupil referral centre (2001) and then in 2002 GCC had planningrefused for residential development by Stroud District Council (SDC) upheld after appeal.

3.    In 2005, in response to Cotswold Canals request for additional financial support with the Canal Restoration, GCC donated this piece of land along with two others, as part of the County’s agreement to contribute land which would benefit the Cotswold Canals project.

4.    In 2016 this council took the decision to sell the Ship Inn site from the General Fund to the HRA, with the resulting receipt being used on the canal project In 2018 the plan for 9 dwellings (down from initial plans of 10) were discussed at an SDC DCC meeting and after much discussion, councillors voted against the development and the application was withdrawn.

5.    Having watched the failed attempts to acquire planning permission twice on this site, Stonehouse Town Council in October 2021 conducted a survey, asking for residents’ views on the site. The response rate from residents was substantial, in total 598 people from all over the town took part in the survey (all verified by officers) which equates to 9% of Stonehouse residents over working age.  The overwhelming majority, 91%, did not want to see council-built housing on the site; with 95% wanting to see community facilities. A small minority wanted both. Stonehouse Town Council is now seeking further engagement with SDC.

Therefore, this Council resolves to:

As landowners task officers with finding a suitable use for the former Ship Inn site in Stonehouse that:

1.    Rules out Housing

2.    Considers our Canal Strategy

3.    Follows on from the good work conducted by Stonehouse Town Council noted above.

Following this work officers will then present their findings and recommendations to Council by the end of Spring 2023.

Councillor Housden introduced the Motion regarding the former Ship Inn site and explored the history of the site from 1997 to present day. He advised that:

·         The site had been purchased in 1997 to allow for the widening of the road, work which had begun in 1999.

·         Following the completion of the work, Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) applied for planning permission twice however this was rejected and upheld on appeal.

·         In 2005 GCC agreed to transfer Capel Mill, Wallbridge and the Ship Inn Site to the British Waterways.

·         In 2013 the Strategy and Resources Committee considered the disposal of the site.

·         In December 2015 the decision was made to transfer the site to the Housing Revenue Account.

·         In May 2017 a proposal for 10 dwellings was considered and a public consultation held, the scheme was revised in 2018 to 9 dwellings.

·         In 2018 a planning application was taken to Development Control Committee but was refused.

·         Over £54,000 had been spent on the site over the last 10 years.

·         The site had been inactive since 1997, the Motion was not aimed at following one direction but instead asked Officers to begin to explore the feasibility of other options.

Councillor Ross introduced her amendment to the Motion which included a paragraph regarding ensuring that value is received though housing or an appropriate valued receipt. The amendment proposed carried on from Paragraph 5 of the original Motion as below:

‘6.  That there is a requirement to ensure value is received from the Council’s property assets, and as the site sits in the Housing Revenue Account this needs to be either through housing or an appropriately valued receipt. Decisions upon the site should be taken by the Housing Committee.

Therefore, this Council resolves to:

Request the Head of Property Services to report to Housing Committee by the end of Spring 2023 on options for a suitable use for the former Ship Inn site in Stonehouse that:

1.    Considers non-housing uses

2.    Builds upon the District Council’s Canal Strategy and this Council’s previous consultations for all its canalside sites in this area and, in light of the Stonehouse Town Council survey, continues to engage with the community and other stakeholders in exploring potential future uses for the site

3.    Invests any value from the site, if the site is not used for council housing, into affordable housing in the local area.’

Councillor Ross advised that they should consider non housing uses for the site provided that any value was used for social housing. Councillor Brine seconded the amendment.

Councillor Housden advised that he was happy to accept the changes to the resolution however he would not be able to accept the inclusion of paragraph 6 as he did not believe it was relevant to the decision. Councillor Ross advised that they wanted to ensure that any assets from this site remained in the HRA and with the tenants of Stroud. Councillor Brine advised that the income from the site needed to be used to develop houses in the district.

Councillor Schoemaker stated that he was content that paragraph 3 in the resolution included enough of a guarantee that any value from the site would be used to build affordable housing and therefore paragraph 6 could be removed.

Councillor Ross confirmed that she would agree to remove paragraph 6 from the amendment. Councillor Brine was unable to second the revised amendment however Councillor Schoemaker agreed to second the revised amendment which would follow on from Paragraph 5 of the original Motion as below:

‘Therefore, this Council resolves to:

Request the Head of Property Services to report to Housing Committee by the end of Spring 2023 on options for a suitable use for the former Ship Inn site in Stonehouse that:

1.    Considers non-housing uses

2.    Builds upon the District Council’s Canal Strategy and this Council’s previous consultations for all its canalside sites in this area and, in light of the Stonehouse Town Council survey, continues to engage with the community and other stakeholders in exploring potential future uses for the site

3.    Invests any value from the site, if the site is not used for council housing, into affordable housing in the local area.’

On being put to the vote the amendment was agreed.

Councillor Davies stated that if housing was possible on the site it would have been built by now and that the Motion did not force the Council in one direction, they had worked with the Chief Executive and Strategic Director of Resources in order to ensure that the Motion was not prescriptive.

Councillor Ross advised that they had explored other options and that a lot of work had been put into the site.

On being put to the Vote, the Motion was carried.