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The low completion rates have largely resulted from the need to redesign and re-plan many of the strategic sites owned by English Partnerships. Many of those sites did not benefit from the latest thinking on urban design, and they have been reviewed to create more sustainable and accessible forms of development at higher densities. The redesign process is contributing to significant additional capacity in Telford, thus enabling maximum use to be made of the excellent infrastructure that is largely in place. I entirely agree with my hon.
Friend that it is important that we learn from what makes sustainable communities as we develop those additional homes.
It is intended that the additional growth of about 5,900 homes will be achieved by focusing on sites in Telford’s central east-west corridor, which is well served by road, rail and public transport. The corridor runs through Telford town centre and includes several sites that are owned by English Partnerships.
The corridor will bind together the new communities at Lawley, Ketley and Lightmoor with the older communities of Dawley and Oakengates, which will also benefit from the new facilities and opportunities that the remediation and regeneration will provide. The council considers that the corridor offers the most substantial opportunity to create sustainable communities and is potentially capable of delivering significantly greater levels of development over the longer term. My hon. Friend described how, in Lawley and Lightmoor, sustainability will be achieved.
I shall deal in a little more detail, as my hon. Friend requested, with the new growth point status. We invited local partners to put together new growth point proposals based on their understanding and assessment of local housing need and opportunities that they face, including national and international migration, as well as population growth, household formation rates and changing economic roles in relation to the rest of their region. New growth point status means that Government and local partners agree the potential for growth and are committed to working together to ensure that the growth will be sustainable and can be supported with affordable, realistic and sustainable infrastructure.
Additional infrastructure will be needed to provide for growth. The Government have recognised that in their response to the Barker review and have established the Treasury policy review supporting housing growth to ensure that departmental resources across Government are targeted appropriately. That will feed into the comprehensive spending review, due to report this summer. New growth point status means more than access to funding streams, however. It means more direct access to dialogue with Government about all aspects affecting the delivery of locally driven sustainable growth ambitions. New growth points have already begun to develop constructive relationships with the Environment Agency, the Highways Agency and Natural England in particular. We expect these to go from strength to strength. We are also encouraging direct dialogue with the utility companies to ensure that their own planning is aligned with the anticipated phasing of growth.
In conclusion, I am pleased to say that the town’s leaders are committed to further sustainable growth. A number of exciting projects are being implemented. I am sure that my hon. Friend will want us to continue the constructive relationships that have been established. The Government are committed to supporting the council in delivering its aspirations. We all want to see sustainable communities, and we want Telford to continue to be a growing and thriving place to live.
Adjourned accordingly at twenty-eight minutes to Eleven o’clock.
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