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Planning Permission (Windows)

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to require planning permission for reinstatement of windows which overlook other premises. [153741]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to require planning permission for the reinstatement of windows. There is a right to install or replace windows in dwellinghouses without needing to apply for planning permission; this has relieved local councils of a potentially large administrative burden. However, where development requires specific planning permission, Planning Policy Guidance Note 1 says that it might be material to consider the question of 'overlooking' or loss of privacy experienced by a particular resident.

Public Sector Leasehold

Mr. Lepper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the development of a code of good practice for public sector residential leasehold management. [152294]

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no current plans to develop a code of good practice for public sector residential leasehold management.

Mr. Lepper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will consult on the accounting requirement provisions contained in the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002. [152295]

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Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to consult on regulations relating to the accounting provisions set out in sections 152 and 156 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 in April 2004.

Mr. Lepper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how often the Public Sector Leasehold Working Party has met; when it last met; and when he expects it to meet again. [152296]

Keith Hill: The Public Sector Leasehold Working Party first met in February 2002. Since then six meetings have been held, the last of which was on 16 May 2003. Dates for future meetings have not been decided.

Mr. Lepper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the terms of reference of the Public Sector Leasehold Working Party are; to whom it reports; and if he will make a statement. [152297]

Keith Hill: The terms of reference for the public sector leasehold working party are:

1. To identify and review problems faced by social sector leaseholders in relation to the repair or renovation of Local Authority and RSL stock; in particular, any arising from:

(a) the practical application of forthcoming amendments to Section 20 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (to be made by the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill, when enacted) in relation to costs incurred under long term agreements;

(b) the framing of regulations under the proposed subsections 7, 8, 9 and 10 and the financial limits to be applied;

(c) the extent to which leaseholders are required to meet the cost of such works; with particular reference to long standing dilapidation, improvements, grounds and roads and utility services;

(d) the effect of existing measures to minimise the cost to leaseholders, including the capping of service charges;

(e) any differences in treatment between different schemes and the rationale for such differences;

(f) social landlord accounting practices, service charge statements and the maintenance and auditing of Housing Revenue Accounts and analogous funds;

(g) differences in services supplied by private sector and social landlords, and the services for which public sector leaseholders should reasonably be expected to pay;

(h) the particular problems of managing social housing stock with minority leaseholder tenure and consider possible solutions.

2. To consider possible changes to address issues identified under 1. above.

The Working Party reports ultimately to me through the Head of Housing Private Sector Division.

Retail Premises (Mezzanine Floors)

Mr. Willis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to require a full planning application for the approval of mezzanine retail floor space within existing retail premises; and if he will make a statement. [153837]

Keith Hill: Section 55(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 excludes from the definition of development works which do not affect the external appearance of a building. As a result, unless the planning permission has a condition specifying the maximum floor space permitted or expressly excludes the provision of a mezzanine floor, or the development

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is an intensification in the use amounting to a material change in the use, the planning system has no control over such proposals.

As part of the debates in Committee on the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, an amendment has been proposed to change section 55(2) to bring such developments within planning control. Ministers have indicated that they take this issue seriously and will consider it further before the next stage of the Bill.

Thames Gateway (Housing)

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the transport infrastructure projects which are required in order to facilitate the provision of 120,000 additional homes in the Thames Gateway in such a way as is consistent with the concept of sustainable communities; and which of those projects has received the Government's commitment that the necessary public funding will be made available. [153492]

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced on 30 July 2003 that the Government would commit support that would enable the development of at least 120,000 homes in the Thames Gateway by 2016. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be supporting development across the Gateway, with particular focus on five strategic locations; East London Gateway, Greenwich Peninsula to Woolwich, Barking Reach, Thurrock and Ebbsfleet/North Kent Thameside.

In his statement, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister identified the transport infrastructure projects that are critical to supporting growth. These include domestic services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, extensions to the Docklands Light Rail (DLR) network and bus transit systems for East and South East London and Kent Thameside.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has approved a consultation exercise by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) on a proposed Integrated Kent Franchise that incorporates CTRL Domestic Services. The Government have asked Kent County Council to develop their proposals for Kent Fastrack Phase 2 and made a provisional offer of up to £200 million PFI credits to support the Thames Gateway Bridge . The Mayor has announced that he is committed to taking forward the highlighted London schemes, however this remains subject to planning and funding.

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the 120,000 new homes envisaged for the Thames Gateway he estimates will not be deliverable without a major enhancement of flood defences; to what extent further development in the Thames Gateway may be prevented without major enhancement of flood defences; and when the Government expects to (a) agree and (b) begin to implement a programme of major enhancement of flood defences in the Thames Gateway. [153511]

Keith Hill: Growth in the Thames Gateway will be largely concentrated on previously developed land in existing urban areas. Concentration of the development on priority areas substantially reduces the requirement for extra flood defences since most of the Thames

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Estuary is already protected to a greater than 1:1000 year level (possibility of 0.1 per cent. of flooding in any one year) until 2030. This includes a generous allowance for future sea level rise until 2030 and is a far higher standard of protection than in most other parts of the UK.

There are some parts of the Gateway that do not benefit from defences to this standard, notably the Medway Estuary. However, where development is proposed in such areas, we will ensure that appropriate defence measures are put in place to provide flood risk protection standards as required by Planning Policy Guidance Note 25 on 'Development and Flood Risk'. We shall also seek to ensure that the appropriate design and siting of development is considered through an assessment of flood risk that is required for all Office of the Deputy Prime Minister funded development in the Gateway.

The Environment Agency is currently conducting a major study, entitled 'Thames Estuary 2100', of flood risk management for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It is expected that this will take approximately six years to report, and that proposals for the renewal and possible enhancement of flood defences in the Thames Gateway will be implemented between 2015 and 2035. Much of this improvement would have been required even if no extra housing had been envisaged.

Wind Farms

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes he is making to planning guidance with regard to applications to build wind farms; and if he will make a statement. [153368]

Keith Hill: The Government's proposals for the handling of all types of renewable energy projects through the planning system were set out in draft Planning Policy Statement 22 (PPS22) published for public consultation on 5 November 2003. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House. The consultation period ended on 30 January. The final version of PPS22 will not be published until careful consideration has been given to all the consultation responses received.

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