Hillingdon Council Cabinet Member and Officer Decisions
Hillingdon Water Sports and Activities Centre (HWSAC) – Acquisition of Land (SU)
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Special Urgency Decision Notice – 30 July 2026 This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE DECISION NOTICE PUBLISHED BY DEMOCRATIC SERVICES Notice is hereby given that the following decision(s) have been made today by Cabinet Members at the London Borough of Hillingdon: Title of decision Hillingdon Water Sports and Activities Centre (HWSAC) – Acquisition of Land Reference No. 2026/1761 Date of decision 30 July 2026 Call-in expiry date SPECIAL URGENCY N/A – This decision comes into immediate effect Relevant Select Committees Corporate Resources & Infrastructure Select Committee Relevant Ward The lake and site spans across both Harefield Village Ward and Ickenham & South Harefield Ward Decision made Cabinet Members making the decision The Leader of the Council , in conjunction with the Cabinet Members for Finance and Cabine t Member for Planning, Housing & Property. APPROVED That the Leader of the Council, in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Finance and Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Property, agree that the purchase of the land at Broadwater Lake can take place prior to the issue of the planning decision notice. Reason for decision The Leader of the Council, in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Finance and the Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Property, agreed to vary the condition attached to Cabinet’s June 2022 approval of the Broadwater Lake acquisition, which had been made subject to planning consent. This enabled the purchase to proceed before the formal planning decision notice had been issued to ensure completion by the contractual deadline of 31 July 2026. The decision was necessary because, although the Council ’s Planning Committee had resolved to approve the application earlier in the year, the formal planning decision notice could not be issued before the deadline due to the complexity of the Section 106 agreement and subsequent Mayor of London referral process. Special Urgency Decision Notice – 30 July 2026 This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk The acquisition is integral for the project to deliver a replacement water sports and outdoor activity centre at Broadwater Lake, funded through HS2 as mitigation for the loss of the existing HOAC facility. In reaching the decision, Members balanced the planning risk of proceeding ahead of the formal decision notice against the significant financial, contractual and project risks of failing to complete the acquisition within the required timeframe as set out in the officer report , noting that due diligence had been completed, funding was available and there were no legal reasons preventing the decision from being taken. Alternative options considered and rejected Members could have waited for the formal planning decision notice or not have proceeded with the acquisition. These options were rejected because the contractual deadline for completing the purchase would have been missed, no suitable alternative site was available, and failure to proceed could have resulted in the loss of the site, financial liabilities, and jeopardised delivery of the replacement water sports and outdoor activity centre. Classification Part II – Members’ Only and Not for Publication Link to associated report That this report be declared as exempt from publication as it involves the disclosure of information in accordance with Section 100(A) and paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12 (A) to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended), in that the report contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and that the public interest in withholding the information outweighs the public interest in disclosing it. Relevant Officer contact & Directorate Michael Naughton – Residents Services Dan Kennedy, Corporate Director of Residents Services Any interest declared by the Cabinet Member(s)/ dispensation granted N/A Implementation of decision & scrutiny call-in [Internal Use only] When can this decision be implemented by officers? This decision was taken under special urgency procedures in the Council Constitution and deemed urgent by the Leader of the Council. The reason for urgency, was to enable the purchase to complete by 31 July 2026 and thereby safeguard the future delivery of services at the proposed Water Sports and Special Urgency Decision Notice – 30 July 2026 This notice is a public document also available to view on the Council's website www.hillingdon.gov.uk Outdoor Activities Centre , pending the issue of the formal planning decision notice. Agreement that the matter was urgent and could not have been reasonably deferred, along with the waiver of the scrutiny call -in period, was also granted by the Chair of the Corporate Resources & Infrastructure Select Committee. THIS DECISION THEREFORE COMES INTO IMMEDIATE EFFECT. Further information These decisions, where applicable, have been taken under The Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012. This is the formal notice by the Council of the above executive decision, including links to the reports where applicable. If you would like more information on this decision, please contact Democratic Services on 01895 250636 or email: democratic@hillingdon.gov.uk. Circulation of this decision notice is to a variety of people including Members of the Council, Corporate Directors, Officers and the Public. Copies are also placed on the Council’s website. Democratic Services London Borough of Hillingdon Civic Centre High Street Uxbridge UB8 1UW