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1 May 2008 : Column 663W—continued
As a result of these discrepancies, EH is investigating the feasibility of creating a national dataset of conservation areas and from 2006 has been conducting a pilot in the south east region. If this is deemed to be feasible and resources are available it may be possible to provide detailed statistics on conservation areas in a future edition of Heritage Counts”.
Eco-Towns
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department owns land in any of the 15 locations short-listed as possible eco-towns. [201839]
Caroline Flint: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not own land in any of the shortlisted eco-town locations. One of the Department's Agencies, English Partnerships, owns land in one of the shortlisted locations, Pennbury near Leicester. This is the Stretton Hall farmland site included in the portfolio of 96 sites which was acquired by English Partnerships from the Department of Health in April 2005 and forms part of the agency's Hospital Sites programme.
Eco-Towns: Public Participation
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many representations (a) for and (b) against each of the 15 locations shortlisted as potential eco-towns have been received by her Department. [201846]
Caroline Flint: We are currently undertaking a three month consultation on the preliminary views on eco-town benefits and the shortlisted locations. The consultation closes on 30 June and in due course we will provide a further statement on the responses received, together with an indication of how the process influenced the policy. Our aim will be to publish this within three months of the consultation closing on 30 June.
Gardens
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government are considering to end the practice of automatically classifying gardens as brownfield sites; and if she will make a statement. [201575]
Mr. Iain Wright: Annex B of Planning Policy Statement 3 “Housing” (PPS3) defines brownfield land as that
“which is or was occupied by a permanent structure, including the curtilage of the developed land and any associated fixed surface infrastructure”.
There are no plans to change this definition, the substance of which was first introduced in Planning Policy Guidance note 3 in 2000, and is based on land use change statistics categories of brownfield land which have been the same since 1985.
Local authorities have always had the ability to turn down applications for inappropriate housing development in back gardens. PPS3, which came into force in April 2007, has strengthened that ability further. In particular, local authorities have now been given the ability to put in place local policies that specifically protect gardens and to separate gardens out from their wider brownfield development targets. The policy also makes clear that there is no presumption that land is suitable for housing simply because it is brownfield, stressing the need for sites to be suitable for housing development, and in suitable locations that will contribute to the creation of sustainable, mixed communities.
Home Information Packs
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date a home information pack will be required for a home placed on the market before a home information pack became compulsory to market it and which is not yet sold. [202566]
Caroline Flint: We continue to keep the operation of home information packs (HIPs) under review including the date when all properties marketed for sale would require a HIP regardless of when the property was first placed on the market.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the impact stand-alone home condition report without home information packs had on transactions in the home information pack area trials. [202639]
Caroline Flint: There were no stand-alone home condition reports as part of the area trials.
Homes and Communities Agency: Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria the Homes and Communities Agency will use in deciding whether to invoke its powers to rule on development applications as a local planning authority. [202652]
Caroline Flint: The Homes and Communities Agency will not decide whether to invoke its powers to rule on development applications as a local planning authority.
In designated areas, local planning powers may be conferred on the Homes and Communities Agency by the Secretary of State. This will be done after consultation with relevant local authorities and local planning authorities. A designation order will specify the particular powers to be conferred on the Agency in any given case.
Housing Associations: Disabled
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what statutory obligations housing associations have to accommodate the needs of disabled tenants; [202599]
(2) what statutory obligations housing associations have to improve their housing stock for disabled tenants; [202504]
(3) what statutory obligations housing associations have to (a) rehouse disabled tenants and (b) prioritise their needs on local housing waiting lists. [202503]
Mr. Iain Wright: Housing associations (RSLs) are independent not-for-profit organisations responsible for their own lettings policy, governance and management of stock. However, under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, it is unlawful for service providers (including housing associations) to treat someone less favourably because of their disability, and they must make ‘reasonable adjustments' for them, such as giving that person extra help or changing the way they provide their services.
Further, the Housing Corporation, which invests in and regulates RSLs, also has statutory duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Through its regulatory code, it requires that RSLs operate according to the law, their constitutions and regulatory requirements. The code requires that they demonstrate when carrying out all their functions commitment to equal opportunities, work towards the elimination of discrimination, demonstrate an equitable approach to rights of all individuals, and be responsive to the individual circumstances of residents. RSLs should have an equalities and diversity policy.
The regulatory code requires that RSLs have lettings and sales policies which are flexible, non-discriminatory, responsive to demand, and which contribute to the need to be inclusive and ensure sustainable communities. Section 170 of the 1996 Housing Act requires that RSLs co-operate with local housing authorities to enable the latter to fulfil their duties to the homeless, the vulnerable, people in priority housing need and those covered by the Government's Supporting People policy. Where a local authority so requests, and to such an extent as is reasonable in the circumstances, RSLs must co-operate in offering accommodation to people with priority on the authority's housing register. In addition, section 106(2) of the Housing Act 1985 requires that RSLs maintain a set of rules determining priority between applicants in allocating housing accommodation and the rules governing the procedure.
Housing: Floods
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses were built in high flood risk areas between 1997 and 2005; and how many houses indicated in plans scheduled for completion by 2020 as part of the Government's programme to build three million new homes are to be built in areas determined by the Environment Agency as high flood risk areas. [202564]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Lord Ryder of Wensum on 1 April 2008, Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA153-54.
Housing: Affordable Homes
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the impact of equity leaseback schemes. [198161]
Mr. Iain Wright: In June 2005 DTZ Pieda were commissioned by the Government to review existing equity release schemes. The report and summary were published in April 2007 and can be viewed on the following link:
Local authorities are expected to offer packages of assistance to help ensure that resources can be used more efficiently and effectively to help more people with reduced reliance on public funding. This could include equity release schemes although this is at the discretion of the local authority.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average public subsidy per dwelling for a property was under the (a) Social Market Homebuy, (b) New Build Homebuy and (c) Open Market Homebuy schemes in 2007-08. [203061]
Mr. Iain Wright: The following table shows the average grant provided through the Housing Corporation’s National Affordable Housing Programme for each of the homebuy products in the financial year 2007-08.
| Product | Average grant (£) |
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been built in Romsey constituency in each year since 1997. [203075]
Mr. Iain Wright: Information on affordable homes by constituency is not available. Information for Test Valley local authority, which covers Romsey and Andover, is in the following table. The figures include social rent and intermediate affordable housing new build; they exclude affordable housing acquisitions.
| New build affordable homes in Test Valley local authority | |
| New affordable homes—new builds | |
| Source: Registered social landlord new build figures from the Housing Corporation, local authority new build completions from P2 returns. | |
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure that new residential developments in housing hotspots reflect local housing need, with particular reference to the need for affordable family homes. [203176]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planning Policy Statement 3 Housing (PPS3) expects local planning authorities and regions to take a positive, plan-led approach to providing the right quantity of housing, both market and affordable, to address need and demand in their areas, and the right quality and mix of housing for their communities, based on a robust evidence-based approach. This is why PPS3 asks local planning authorities to carry out strategic housing market assessments, which should then inform the planning process.
In particular, PPS3 requires authorities to assess local need for affordable housing so that they can set appropriate targets for the amount of housing to be provided in their plans, including specifying the size and type of housing such as those for families that, in their judgment, is likely to be required.
Helen Southworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure that local authorities use appropriate mechanisms to require that homes for sale which were granted planning consent as affordable are sold to
people who are on a low income and not purchased by investors to be let at an unaffordable rent. [203177]
Mr. Iain Wright: Local planning authorities can enter into planning obligations with persons with an interest in land (“developers”); to provide affordable housing in line with the needs identified in their local development plans; to restrict the occupancy of a new residential development in accordance with their local development plan policies; and restrict the sale of affordable housing units to specific organisations (for example a registered social landlord), and define affordable housing in ways to ensure that the units are sold or rented at prices that are affordable to the local community.
Housing: West Yorkshire
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new homes were built in each West Yorkshire constituency in each year since 1992. [203335]
Mr. Iain Wright: Information on new build completions by constituency is not held centrally. Information for the districts within West Yorkshire is in the following table:
| New build completions for the districts within West Yorkshire | |||||
| Bradford | Calderdale | Kirklees | Leeds | Wakefield | |
| Source: New build completions from P2 returns submitted by local authorities and National House Building Council (NHBC). | |||||
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