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Local Authority Housing

Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Preston since 1997. [169692]

Keith Hill: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Preston's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 35 per cent. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the local authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long-term improvement.

Mr. Benton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Bootle since 1997. [170076]

Keith Hill: Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per cent. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance we introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Sefton's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 200 per cent. and have been supplemented by the announcement of £86 million to be made available to the Merseyside Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder, NewHeartlands, between 2003–04 and 2005–06. In addition to this, there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the local authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long-term improvement.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will reply to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Cotswold on 25 March, ref 163886, on Coverage Care (Gloucestershire) Ltd. [169894]

Yvette Cooper: I replied to the hon. Member on 29 April 2004.

Roadside Advertising

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what advice his Department offers local authorities regarding planning for roadside and roundabout advertising. [169247]

Keith Hill: Advice to local planning authorities is contained in Circular 5/92: The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992. The Circular advises local planning authorities that particular consideration should be given to proposals to site advertisements at points where drivers need to take particular care, such as junctions, roundabouts or other places where local conditions present special traffic hazards. Local planning authorities are advised to consult the local highways authority (or the Highways Agency in the case of a motorway or trunk roads).

Site Development

Mr. Mark Hoban To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) when the sites owned by the Department of Health
 
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will be sold to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, in accordance with the announcement made by him and the Secretary of State for Health on 7 April; [168327]

(2) what local consultation there will be on the development of NHS sites to be sold to his Department; [168328]

(3) when he will announce the programme for the development of the sites to be sold to his Department by the Department of Health; [168329]

(4) what mechanism he will put in place to prevent a conflict of interest when the Department is seeking either directly or indirectly to develop sites it owns; [168330]

(5) whether the sites to be sold to the Department by the Department of Health will be sold on to developers to enable them to be developed; [168331]

(6) whether the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health will be (a) sold on a site by site basis to developers and (b) sub-divided and sold individually to developers; [168332]

(7) what the timetable is for the development of sites in Hampshire to be acquired by his Department from the Department of Health; [168333]

(8) when an assessment will be carried out of the infrastructure needed to develop the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health; [168334]

(9) what period the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health will be developed; [168335]

(10) what basis the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health have been valued for the purpose of this acquisition; [168336]

(11) if he will list the value of each of the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health; [168337]

(12) how many houses will be built on each of the sites it will acquire from the Department of Health; and what proportion of these will be (a) affordable and (b) available for rent through registered social landlords; [168338]

(13) whether the Department intends to secure outline planning permission on each site to be acquired from the Department of Health prior to the sale of these sites to developers; [168339]

(14) what planning procedure is followed when a Government Department seeks planning permission for residential housing development; [168340]

(15) what measures will be taken to ensure the Department's target for the number of affordable housing units will be met on the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health; [168341]

(16) who will own the sites to be acquired by the Department from the Department of Health; [168342]
 
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(17) whether the number of houses to be built on the sites to be acquired from the Department of Health will (a) be counted towards regional house building targets and (b) be in addition to those targets; [168343]

(18) when the Department commenced discussion with the Department of Health on the acquisition of surplus NHS sites; [168344]

(19) what discussions he or his officials had with the Department of Health concerning the plans by HBOS/Miller to develop the surplus NHS sites; and when they commenced. [168345]

Yvette Cooper: My right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health announced on 7 April 2004 an agreement in principle to transfer over 100 surplus NHS sites to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The announcement follows an earlier decision by the Department of Health not to pursue a public/private partnership with Miller Homes/HBOS but instead to open discussions with to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about the contribution the sites might make to delivering the action set out in the Sustainable Communities Plan (February 2003). Discussions commenced between ODPM and DoH officials after a decision by DoH to reconsider pursuing the proposed Miller/HBOS deal.

Following the in-principle agreement to transfer the sites, there will now be an intensive process to establish the terms of the transfer and the implications for individual sites. It is not possible at this stage to say when individual sites, including sites in Hampshire, will be brought forward for development. Those sites which are currently vacant are likely to transfer from the Department of Health later this financial year. The terms of the transfer will be informed by the market value of the sites. An independent valuation is under way to determine an overall value for the portfolio.

While many of the sites are already vacant, others remain occupied—if only in part. The timing of individual sites becoming available for development will vary from site to site. Each site will be considered separately in its local planning context before decisions are taken on future development options. The role that English Partnerships (EP), the national regeneration agency, will play in this process has still to be determined but we would expect it to be significant. There will also be a role for other public sector bodies such as the Regional Development Agencies.

It is likely that EP will be asked to undertake a master-planning exercise of some of the key sites to maximise their potential to deliver high quality developments. These will be exemplar projects to demonstrate best practice in creating sustainable communities. We would expect EP to engage with the local authorities concerned at an early stage and to involve the wider community and other stakeholders in pre-application discussions. This will help to determine issues such as the number of houses to be developed on each site and the appropriate proportion that should be affordable, as well as the
 
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infrastructure required to ensure development is sustainable. Appropriate arrangements will be put in place to ensure that there is no conflict between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's role in bringing these sites forward for development and its role in the planning process.

The public sector will prepare sites for development and ensure their potential to contribute to the establishment of sustainable communities is realised. Development opportunities will then be marketed to the private sector. How individual sites are marketed will be determined through the master planning process and is likely to vary from site to site. The private sector will therefore have a major role in the development of these sites.

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