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21 Jun 2004 : Column 1232W—continued
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Brownfield Sites
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what split he recommends for industry and housing on brownfield sites. [179511]
Keith Hill: The Government does not set the proportion of brownfield sites which should be developed for industry and housing, nor would it wish to. Local planning authorities, through the development plan process, should decide for themselves what sites to allocate for housing and industrial land.
In preparing development plans, local authorities must have regard to national planning policies. Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing sets a national target for 60 per cent. of additional housing, including conversions, to be built on previously-developed land. The latest figure achieved is 66 per cent. in 2002, a figure which has increased every year since 1997. There is no target for industrial uses.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently producing good practice guidance for the review of local authority employment land allocations, which will be published later this year. The guidance will provide a methodology that can be applied to the circumstances of each local authority area, rather than recommending a proportional split between the development of housing and industrial uses at a national level.
Greenbelt Land
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department's guidelines for the use of green
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belt land allows its use for low cost or rent housing in order for local people in villages to remain in the area under section 106 agreements. [179776]
Keith Hill: Current policy on providing for rural exception housing is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing, Annex B. The policy allows local planning authorities to consider including a 'rural exception policy' in their plans where there remains a lack of affordable housing to meet local needs. An exception policy enables a local planning authority to grant planning permission for small sites for affordable housing to meet local needs in perpetuity, within or adjoining existing villages, which may be subject to policies of restraint such as Green Belt.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's consultation document "Influencing the size, type and affordability of housing" proposes that the 'rural exception policy' is replaced by a 100 per cent. affordable housing allocation policy, which would deliver exactly the same objective except through the plan making process.
Housing (Manchester)
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effects of the (a) Starter Home Initiative and (b) Market Renewal Pathfinders programme on the residents of Manchester Central. [179214]
Keith Hill: Between September 2001 and 31 March 2004, the Starter Home Initiative (SHI) helped key workers into home ownership in areas where the high cost of housing serves undermined recruitment and retention of skilled staff in key public services. The SHI was available in London and the South East region and in some housing hotspots in the East, South West and West Midlands regions. It was not available to key workers in Manchester.
The Manchester Salford market renewal pathfinder programme is intended to benefit the residents of the whole of Manchester and Salford, including central Manchester, by creating sustainable communities through housing market renewal.
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Manchester Central. [179215]
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 200102 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Manchester's allocation for 2003–04 was £69.671 million and has been supplemented by the announcement of £125 million to be made available to the Manchester/Salford Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder between 2003–04 and 2005–06.
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Industrial Land
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much land is designated for industry in the county plans. [179510]
Keith Hill: There are no statistics held centrally for how much land has been allocated for certain land uses, such as industry, in development plans, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently producing good practice guidance for the review of local authority employment land allocations, which will be published later this year. The guidance will provide a methodology through which local planning authorities will be able to review their allocations of employment land, retaining sites which are needed, viable and sustainable, and making others available for re-allocation to other land uses. In the process, individual local authorities will have a much better data source on land allocated for industrial use.
Lone Parents (Accommodation)
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new places in semi-independent housing have been provided for lone parents under the age of 18 years in each year since May 1997. [177543]
Yvette Cooper: Set out as follows is the number of Housing Corporation sponsored completions for supported housing for lone teenage parents in each year since 1997:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 113 |
| 1998–99 | 136 |
| 1999–2000 | 81 |
| 2000–01 | 53 |
| 2001–02 | 132 |
| 2002–03 | 321 |
| 2003–04 | 355 |
A further 309 have already been approved under the Approved Development Programme.
New Homes (London)
Martin Linton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new homes in London were (a) built by or for registered social landlords and (b) granted planning consent by London planning authorities between April 2000 and April 2004. [179201]
Keith Hill: The number of new homes built by or for registered social landlords in London between April 2000 and March 2004 is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 4,162 |
| 2001–02 | 3,512 |
| 2002–03 | 4,258 |
| 2003–04 | 4,100 |
Source:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. These are new build only.
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Information on the number of new homes granted planning consent by London planning authorities between April 2000 and March 2004 is not readily available. The following information is available (calendar years):
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 30,576 |
| 2001 | 24,908 |
Source:
Housing Provision Survey 2001, Greater London Authority. These are net approvals.
Ordnance Survey
Mr. Sayeed: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the Pan Government Agreement for Central Government to use Ordnance Survey data was open to fair and transparent competition. [153758]
Yvette Cooper: The Pan Government Agreement (PGA) is a non-binding internal arrangement between two Crown bodies, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Ordnance Survey (OS). Accordingly, the PGA is not a contract necessitating competition through prior advertisement in accordance with the EC public procurement directives.
The success of an initial one-year pilot of the PGA led the Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee in their tenth report to state:
"The Committee recommends that the Government provides funding for a long-term Pan Government Service Level Agreement to ensure widespread use of Ordnance Survey data across Government, so as to ensure the Government gets the best value for money. This should be done by the start of the 2003–04 financial year."
In comparison to the cost of previous agreements and the much more limited use of geographic information they provided, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes that the PGA offers very good value for money for government.
Scout Moor
Janet Anderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the application by United Utilities and Peel Holdings to erect a windfarm on Scout Moor, between Edenfield and Rochdale, Lancashire; and when he expects to reach a decision on the application. [179528]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
No representations have been made. The current position is that the application has to go to a public inquiry and arrangements are currently being made and will be formally announced as soon as it is practicable to do so. It will be for the inspector to report his/her findings and it will be on that report which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will base her decision.
Janet Anderson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received on the application by Marshalls plc to extend the workings at Scout Moor Quarry, between Edenfield and Rochdale, Lancashire; and when he expects to reach a decision on the application. [179529]
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Keith Hill: The application to extend the workings at Scout Moor Quarry is now being dealt with by the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on appeal. This is one of five linked appeals. Two of the other four appeals relate to separate applications, made respectively by Marshalls plc and the other joint operator of the existing Scout Moor Quarry, for a review of the conditions applying to existing operations on that quarry. The remaining two appeals, also made separately by each of the joint operators, are against the terms of the Working Rights Notices issued by Lancashire County Council, declaring that restrictions imposed by the conditions determined would not prejudice adversely the working rights of the operators.
My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has received 94 pre-inquiry and three post-inquiry representations on these applications from local residents. Since receipt of the Inspector's report to the public inquiry, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has also received a number of representations from Marshalls plc, the most recent being a letter dated 7 April 2004.
As will be evident, this multiple application is a complex one and has raised a number of issues that have needed investigation. While no guarantee can be given, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister hopes that these can be resolved and that a decision can be issued within two months.
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