Decision details

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council approve a $1,000,000 (excluding GST) cash grant to Wesley Community Services Limited for the redevelopment of the Wesley Edward Eagar Centre referred to in Attachment A to the subject report, subject to the following conditions:

(i)          if all necessary funding has not been secured by Wesley Community Services Limited for the agreed value of the project within 18 months of Council approval of the grant, Council reserves the right to withdraw the grant offer;

(ii)         the grant funds are to be paid when a Construction Certificate has been awarded;

(iii)        if Wesley Community Services Limited does not complete the redevelopment referred to in Attachment A to the subject report by 30 June 2025, the City reserves the right to require the $1,000,000 (excluding GST) grant to be repaid;

(iv)       the property supported though this grant will be used as crisis housing, transitional housing, social housing and/or affordable housing in perpetuity, unless Council exercises a right under paragraph (iii) above, or paragraph (vi);

(v)         the City will require a caveat or similar instrument over the land title to protect the land use referred to in paragraph (iv) unless the grant funds are repaid in accordance with paragraphs (iii) or (vi); and

(vi)       if the use of the land referred to in paragraph (iv) above changes from the provision of crisis accommodation, transitional housing, social housing and/or affordable housing in the future, the grant will be repaid by Wesley Community Services, less building depreciation;

(B)        Council note a development application was approved with conditions in October 2019 for the Wesley Edward Eagar Centre redevelopment referred to in Attachment A to the subject report;

(C)       Council approve a $150,000 (excluding GST) cash grant to St George Community Housing Limited, subject to the applicant working with the City on the proposed position description, evaluation criteria, including an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person on the recruitment panel and identifying key stakeholders;

(D)       Council note that all funding approved in this report is to be drawn from the City’s Affordable and Diverse Housing Fund (when it occurs this expenditure will further reduce the monies that have been set aside in the City’s Affordable and Diverse Housing Fund, established as per Council’s resolution of 29 June 2015 following the sale of the Harold Park affordable housing site); and

(E)        authority be delegated to the Chief Executive Officer to negotiate, execute and administer grant agreements with Wesley Community Services Limited related to the project described in clause (A) and St George Community Housing Limited related to the project described in clause (C).

Carried unanimously.

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