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23 July 2007 : Column 738W—continued
Floods: Rescue Services
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to review the Fire and Rescue Service's capability to respond to incidents of flooding. [151589]
Mr. Dhanda: Communities and Local Government is conducting a lessons learned exercise into the Fire and Rescue Service’s response to the recent flooding, as a contribution to the wider Cabinet Office-led review of the wider flood management and response. Any identified issues relating to flood response capability will be addressed appropriately. A flooding workstream, led by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of the cross-government Capabilities Programme, assesses whether local responders have what they need to address the flooding risks we face. This complements capability assessments made by responders at the local level.
Hazardous Substances: Castle Point
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) objections and (b) letters of support were received within the specified time limit in respect of the Calor Gas LNG applications (a) CPT/3/06/HAZ, (b) CPT/4/06/FUL and (c) CPT413/06/FUL. [150807]
Mr. Iain Wright: Officials will collate this information as soon as possible. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.
Hazardous Substances: Planning Permission
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what advice her Department gives on the siting of control of major accident hazards sites to planning authorities and inspectors; [149733]
(2) how many control of major accident hazards site applications were (a) made and (b) appealed against in each of the last 10 years; [149734]
(3) what estimate she has made of the safe distance for separation for control of major accident hazards sites from (a) residential houses, (b) schools and (c) businesses; and if she will make a statement. [149735]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 16 May 2007]: Decisions on proposals for development are taken by a local planning authority, or a Planning Inspector, in accordance with its development plan. Decisions are based upon the plans and policies contained within the regional spatial strategy prepared by the regional planning body and local development documents prepared by the local planning authority.
The Town and Country Planning (Regional Planning) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI No. 2203) and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI No. 2204) specify the form and content of regional spatial strategies and development plan documents. In preparing their plans, planning bodies are required to have regard to the objectives of preventing major accidents and of limiting the consequences of such accidents; and to the need, in the long term, to maintain appropriate distances between major accident hazards sites and residential areas and other locations frequented by the public.
Guidance issued in Planning Policy Statement 12 on Local Development Frameworks makes clear that, in preparing or reviewing local development documents, local planning authorities need to ensure that they include a policy or policies on the location of establishments where hazardous substances are used or stored, and on the development of land within the vicinity of such establishments. Article 10 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure Order) 1995 requires a local planning authority to consult the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency before determining planning applications for new major accident hazard sites, or for modifications to existing sites. They must also consult with these bodies when residential and other specified types of development is proposed within an area that the Health and Safety Executive has notified to the local planning authority because of the presence of hazardous substances within the vicinity.
Applications for development of sites that fall within the scope of control of major accident hazards regulations are made to local planning authorities. Records of such applications are not held centrally and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
With regard to appropriate separation distances, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 July 2007, Official Report, UIN 150808.
Homelessness
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough (a) three months ago, (b) six months ago, (c) 12 months ago and (d) at the most recent date for which figures are available. [150894]
Mr. Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government publishes an annual national rough sleeping estimate. The most recent estimate, published in September 2006, showed 502 people were sleeping rough in England on any single night.
Homelessness: Finance
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding (a) Leeds city council and (b) voluntary sector organisations in Leeds have received from the Homelessness Directorate under the Hostels Improvement Programme. [151447]
Mr. Iain Wright: Leeds city council has received £430,000 funding under the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP) for Faith Lodge hostel run by St. George's Crypt . The HCIP will provide over £90 million in the period 2004-05 to 2007-08, to around 175 projects in 62 local authority areas in England to make hostels and other facilities for homeless people places of change. 14 projects have been allocated HCIP funding totalling over £8 million in Yorkshire and Humberside region.
Homelessness: Government Assistance
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government spent on organisations to help the homeless in (a) Southampton, (b) Hampshire and (c) England in each year since 1997. [151046]
Mr. Iain Wright: There are two grant programmes that specifically support organisations to help the homeless. The Supporting People programme, implemented in 2003 and the Homelessness Grant programme.
The following tables indicate the amount of funding.
| Supporting People Programme | |||
| £ | |||
| Total | Southampton | Hampshire | England |
| Homelessness Programme | |||
| £ | |||
| Southampton | Hampshire | England | |
Housing: Bournemouth
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes there were in Bournemouth in (a) 2001, (b) 2003 and (c) 2007. [149233]
Mr. Iain Wright [holding answer 12 July 2007]: The dwelling stock in Bournemouth local authority area in 2001, 2003 and 2006 was 76,485; 76,798 and 86,138 respectively. Figures are as reported by the local authority and represent the stock as at 31 March in each year. The Department does not yet have the equivalent figures for 2007.
Source:
Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix from local authorities
Housing: Combined Heat And Power
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the opportunities for the installation of community and large-scale combined heat and power and their associated heat grids in the new housing development and eco-towns announced by the Prime Minister to the House on 11 July. [150398]
Yvette Cooper: I am today launching the Eco-towns Prospectus, which sets out the Government's vision for new towns of five to 20,000 homes which will be exemplar “green” developments, with the aim of achieving zero carbon across the whole development. Community and large scale combined heat and power could play an important role in meeting this objective and we are looking to each project to act as an exemplar for particular aspects of low and zero carbon technology. Alongside this and other sustainability objectives, we intend that eco-towns should play a key role in easing the affordability crisis by ensuring that between 30 and 50 per cent. of their new housing is affordable as well as meeting our other essential criteria on high quality design, good provision for jobs, sustainable travel, services and community development. The launch of the prospectus today will be accompanied by an invitation for local authorities and other stakeholders to respond with their views on potential sites.
Housing: Construction
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses were built by (a) the private sector, (b) housing associations and (c) local authorities in each year since 1990. [150883]
Mr. Iain Wright: New build completions by tenure in each year since 1991-92 are tabulated as follows.
| New build completions by tenure, England | ||||
| Total( 1) | Private( 2) | Local authority( 1) | Registered social landlords( 3) | |
| Sources: (1) Total and local authority new build completions from P2 returns submitted local authorities and National House Building Council (NHBC) (2) Private tenure is derived from the total “P2 completions” minus local authority and Housing Corporation registered social landlord figures. These figures will not match published live tables which are sourced from P2 only. (3) Figures are total affordable new build as reported by the Housing Corporation and include social for rent and intermediate housing eg low cost home ownership. | ||||
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