Decision
Analysis
outcome: Cabinet approved the acquisition of all 11 homes on the Fairlawn, Northwood Road site using additional capital budget, with the letting of these homes to be in accordance with the council's Allocations Policy.
summary: The decision involves the acquisition of 11 homes on a specific site through a section106 agreement.
topline: The Cabinet has decided to acquire 11 homes on a specific site through a section106 agreement, using additional capital budget approved by the council.
reason_contentious: This issue may be contentious as it involves the use of public funds for acquiring homes from a developer, potentially raising questions about the decision-making process and allocation of resources.
affected_stakeholders: ["Council", "Local residents", "Housing register applicants", "Temporary accommodation households"]
contentiousness_score: 6
political_party_relevance: There are no explicit mentions or implications of political parties or political influence on the decision.
URL: https://democracy.thanet.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=5400
Decision Maker: Cabinet
Outcome:
Is Key Decision?: Yes
Is Callable In?: Yes
Purpose: The report sought approval to purchase 11 homes through a section106 agreement from Knights Lodge Properties on the above site. The acquisition of 7 of these homes had previously been to Cabinet but a fresh agreement had been reached to acquire a further 4 homes (previously stated to be ‘first homes’). For reasons identified in the report, these homes could not be sold and so the Council negotiated a deal to buy all 11 homes in the section 106b agreement.
Content: The report sought approval to purchase 11 homes through a section106 agreement from Knights Lodge Properties on the above site. The acquisition of 7 of these homes had previously been to Cabinet but a fresh agreement had been reached to acquire a further 4 homes (previously stated to be ‘first homes’). For reasons identified in the report, these homes could not be sold and so the Council negotiated a deal to buy all 11 homes in the section 106b agreement. Cabinet agreed: That the Council proceeds with the acquisition of the 11 homes on the Fairlawn, Northwood Road site, using the additional capital budget, approved by council at its meeting on 12 October 2023; That the letting of these homes be in accordance with the council’s Allocations Policy, at an affordable rent as set out in the council’s Tenancy Strategy with a local lettings plan in place. The homes enable the Council to add good quality homes, being delivered by a local SME developer, to its housing stock. It enables households to be housed from both the housing register and temporary accommodation, where households in the latter tenure are in a position to secure a long-term tenancy. The Council could have chosen not to renegotiate with the developer on the original agreement. However, the Council is trying to be commercially minded in an agile marketplace and, through its prominent roles as a contributor to Kentwide forums and roundtables, understands the pressures on developers of market forces. Therefore, it was happy to look at the acquisition in its totality having acquired an additional four homes.
Date of Decision: August 29, 2025