19 Jan 2024
Can there have been a more contentious development than Jubilee Square, the district council’s flagship project in the heart of St Albans city centre?
The development once known as CCOS (City Centre Opportunity Site) South should have been completed in October 2022, with later deadlines set and missed for March 2023, July, September and December.
It was back at the start of 2019 that demolition work began on the former police station and NHS site in Victoria Street, only for the original plans to be withdrawn in November 2019 following concerns with the design from the Civic Society.
A revised scheme was then granted planning permission in January 2021 following a public competition to pick one of three different architects’ designs.
The council has sold all 93 residential properties to Watford Community Housing, which plans to make 33 available for social rent and sell 60 apartments on a shared-ownership basis with support from Homes England.
At the end of 2023, SADC leader Cllr Chris White told the St Albans Times that the hold-up on completion was a technical issue relating to the penthouses at the project.
“There is more nervousness now post-Grenfell about certain things and there’s been a query about whether a certain sort of bracket is appropriate.”
Then this week came the news which has literally been years in the waiting…
An SADC spokesperson said: “We have reached an agreement with the principal contractor Morgan Sindall Construction that practical completion has been achieved and the [Jubilee Square] development can now be handed over to us.
“As is usual in these circumstances, there is still work to be done before the buildings can become operational.
“Some of this work will be finished by Morgan Sindall Construction as additional work to their original contract and some other works will need to be completed as well.
“Our focus is now on the residential properties and completing the legal work involved in the sale to Watford Community Housing (WCH).
“This work has been taking place during construction and it will be some weeks before a sale can be concluded and tenants can move in.
“We are in negotiations with several interested parties over the renting out of the business space. The fit-outs will be largely decided by the commercial tenants so it was always the plan for this to take place some time after practical completion.”
Cllr Jacqui Taylor, lead councillor for housing, added: “In 2020, we made the decision to ensure the development’s 33 affordable properties would all be made available at social rent to people on our histrict’s Housing Register. This remains the case and the landlord will be a housing association, namely WCH.
“Telford Court residents who wish to relocate to Jubilee Square due to its planned closure are some of those on the Housing Register and, whilst I know it has been a frustrating wait, the current expectation is that they will be able to occupy their new homes at Jubilee Square this spring.”
With the delays to the Jubilee Square development having cost the council more than £640,000 in rental income for the commercial space, questions must now be asked about who is picking up this bill – SADC or their contractors?
