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22 July 2008 : Column 1159W—continued
Eco-towns: Curborough
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received regarding her Department's advertisement regarding the proposed eco-town at Curborough, near Lichfield; what response she has made to such representations; and if she will place in the Library a copy of each representation received and response made. [216422]
Caroline Flint: We used advertorials to encourage people to respond and take part in the consultation process for eco-towns, and they provided details of where to obtain more information. The first stage of the eco-towns consultation closed on 30 June and in due course we will provide a statement on the responses received, including those for Curborough.
Eco-towns: Religion
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration was given to the inclusion of references to faith centres during the drafting process for the recent consultation paper on eco-towns. [216614]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 7 July 2008]: As we set out in the consultation document each eco-town location will need its own approach and the consultation document only provides an indication of some of the benefits that eco-towns will provide. Also, as referred to in the consultation document, the Town and Country Planning Association have produced a best practice worksheet on community development, which is available to all those taking eco-towns forward, and provides advice about working with communities, including faith communities. We will be encouraging schemes to put this guidance into practice as individual projects are taken forward, including for example the funding and endowment of community assets which may be available to faith groups, as part of the development gain.
As part of the second stage of consultation we will be consulting on community issues among other criteria in the draft planning policy statement on eco-towns, and we will also be engaging more closely with faith communities to ensure that their views are taken into account in how the programmes goes forward.
In planning for eco-towns local authorities will also need to take account of ‘PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development’ which requires that they take into account the needs of all the community, including particular requirements relating to age, sex, ethnic background, religion, disability or income.
Empty Property
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to increase the use of empty dwelling management orders. [221217]
Mr. Iain Wright:
The Housing Act 2004 introduced voluntary powers for councils to apply to make an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO). The decision to pursue an Empty Dwelling Management
Order (EDMO) is therefore at the discretion of the individual council where the property is based and we have no plans to amend this aspect of the legislation.
We are confident that the legislation giving local authorities the power to pursue an EDMO is beginning to work well. We always intended that it should be used only as a last resort where other measures have proved unsuccessful. Our policy is to encourage voluntary re-occupation of empty homes but this can only work well where there is realistic compulsion to back them up. EDMOs provide this compulsion and should therefore be a key component of a council’s comprehensive empty property strategy.
Since the legislation was introduced, the number of properties empty for longer than six months has fallen by 4 per cent. from 282,461 to 271,252.
Fire Services: Emergency Calls
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the (a) number of calls to primary fires, (b) response times to primary fires, (c) number of calls to road traffic accidents, (d) response times to road traffic accidents and (e) percentage of targets met with respect to primary fires and road traffic accidents for each fire service in England in the latest period for which figures are available. [220305]
Mr. Dhanda: The most recent estimates for number of calls to primary fires, response times to primary fires, number of calls to road traffic collisions are as follows:
Response times to reach road traffic collisions are not held centrally.
Targets with respect to primary fires and road traffic collisions are a matter for each Fire and Rescue Authority and are not held centrally.
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