Who knew that The Knowle had a reported developable value of £50 million pounds? - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
PegasusLife viability report - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
There are several issues at stake...
A QUESTION OF MONEY:
How much profit will the developer make?
And how much is the site worth?
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: "decision to sell HQ for £7.5m worst deal ever"
Specifically, to what extent was the District Council aware of these figures?
This is the reply to the latest, inadequate response from the council - from the WhatDoTheyKnow FOI website:
Who knew that The Knowle had a reported developable value of £50 million pounds?
Not one single person has been named as knowing about this development value figure . Are you seriously suggesting nobody at EDDC knew?
Regardless of the outcome of the review I intend to bring this response to the attention of the Information Commissioner as a classic example of East Devon District Council showing total contempt for the Freedom of Information Act.
A QUESTION OF PROCESS:
The tendering process over the Knowle site took some time - and such questions should have been asked. This is again from the WHTK website:
Decision process which led to the award of the conditional contract with Pegasus re Knowle - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
Only through the intervention of the Information Commissioner were the full contact and tendering documents made public:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: full Pegasus contract published
A QUESTION OF VIABILITY:
Developers play the game of 'Viability Assessments' to make the case that anything other than what they want is unviable:
Futures Forum: When is a development 'viable' or not?
Futures Forum: How viability assessments allow developers to break promises made to get planning permission and cut the number of affordable houses by half
Futures Forum: ‘Viability assessments’ allow developers to drop affordable housing
Some local authorities refuse to play that game:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: “We’re only going to work with developers who are interested in meeting our objectives. If you come to us with a record of using ‘viability assessments’, ‘permitted development’ rules and other mechanisms to avoid delivering affordable housing, don’t expect to partner with us on land that we own.”
The District Council refused to give developers what they wanted in Sidford:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: and "sheer hypocrisy" >>> District Council planning officers reject the Green Close development over affordable housing and overage
But they have clearly been keen to give way at Knowle:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: PegasusLife pleading poverty: "specialists in development viability have confirmed that the development cannot afford to meet the council’s policy requirements for affordable housing"
A request has been made for the developer's Viability Report:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: new FOI request for PegasusLife viability report
The District Council has refused to provide the full, unredacted report - and so the FOI request has gone to the Information Commissioner to consider - again, on the WDTK website:
PegasusLife viability report - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
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Decision process which led to the award of the conditional contract with Pegasus re Knowle - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
Only through the intervention of the Information Commissioner were the full contact and tendering documents made public:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: full Pegasus contract published
A QUESTION OF VIABILITY:
Developers play the game of 'Viability Assessments' to make the case that anything other than what they want is unviable:
Futures Forum: When is a development 'viable' or not?
Futures Forum: How viability assessments allow developers to break promises made to get planning permission and cut the number of affordable houses by half
Futures Forum: ‘Viability assessments’ allow developers to drop affordable housing
Some local authorities refuse to play that game:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: “We’re only going to work with developers who are interested in meeting our objectives. If you come to us with a record of using ‘viability assessments’, ‘permitted development’ rules and other mechanisms to avoid delivering affordable housing, don’t expect to partner with us on land that we own.”
The District Council refused to give developers what they wanted in Sidford:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: and "sheer hypocrisy" >>> District Council planning officers reject the Green Close development over affordable housing and overage
But they have clearly been keen to give way at Knowle:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: PegasusLife pleading poverty: "specialists in development viability have confirmed that the development cannot afford to meet the council’s policy requirements for affordable housing"
A request has been made for the developer's Viability Report:
Futures Forum: Knowle relocation project: new FOI request for PegasusLife viability report
The District Council has refused to provide the full, unredacted report - and so the FOI request has gone to the Information Commissioner to consider - again, on the WDTK website:
PegasusLife viability report - a Freedom of Information request to East Devon District Council - WhatDoTheyKnow
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