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28 Oct 2008 : Column 964W—continued
Place Shaping
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's definition of place shaping is. [230187]
John Healey:
The term place-shaping was defined by Sir Michael Lyons as ‘the creative use of powers and influence to promote the general well-being of a community
and its citizens', and became a key theme in the 2006 Local Government White Paper. The Department's interpretation of this concept is set out in the Statutory Guidance - Creating strong, safe and prosperous communities which can be found at:
Places Community
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the annual cost of her Department's Places Community. [230324]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Places Community was established in September 2008 at a cost of £14,000. Annual costs in future years are estimated at £10,000.
The Community's main aim is to raise awareness and increase usage of various established departmental projects which, collectively, provide a wide range of statistical and geographic evidence around the concept of ‘place'.
Planning Permission
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under what circumstances a certificate of lawfulness is required in relation to a proposed development; and whether a developer or householder is required to obtain such a certificate if the proposed development does not require planning permission. [230325]
Mr. Iain Wright: Sections 191 and 192 of the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act provide for anyone to apply to the local planning authority for a lawful development certificate. A certificate confirms the lawfulness—in planning terms only—of a past, present or future use of land, or of existing or proposed building or engineering works, for example. It is not a grant of planning permission and the main purpose of lawful development certificates is to give the applicant certainty and peace of mind on a particular issue. There is, therefore, no requirement to obtain a certificate. It will be for the developer or householder to consider whether to make an application for a lawful development certificate.
Planning Permission: Approved Premises
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether planning authorities may take into account the potential effect on (a) crime and disorder and (b) fear of crime and disorder when considering a change of use planning application to create a bail hostel. [229635]
Mr. Iain Wright: The courts have held that public fear about the impact of a development is capable of being a material consideration in the determination of planning applications.
It is for the local authority to decide, depending on the individual circumstances of a case, how much weight is given to crime and disorder and the fear of such in the determination of a planning application.
Planning: Building Regulations
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has given local planning authorities on determining applications to extend (a) domestic and (b) commercial properties with regard to compliance with part M of the building regulations; and if she will make a statement. [230995]
Mr. Iain Wright: Planning Circular 01/06 contains guidance on the requirement for most types of application for planning permission to be accompanied by a design and access statement. These statements seek to ensure that development proposals, amongst other things, demonstrate a sustainable approach to access. Although most types of commercial development require a statement, only a minority of householder applications, for example, those in conservation areas, do so.
Planning: Hammersmith
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what grounds her Department issued the Article 14 notice to stop Hammersmith and Fulham Council granting planning approval for the White City Collaborative Care Centre. [230551]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Article 14 was issued to enable the Secretary of State to consider whether or not she should direct, under Section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, that the application should be called in for her determination.
PPS6
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to (a) publish a draft version of PPS6 and (b) consult on its content. [229716]
Mr. Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 6 October 2008, Official Report, column 356W.
Property Searches: Income
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of changes in the level of local authority revenue from land searches in each of the last 12 months. [230407]
Regeneration: Canvey Island
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2008, Official Report, column 1411W, on regeneration: Canvey Island, what assessment she has made of the effect of absence of an additional access road for Canvey Island on the area’s regeneration. [230822]
Mr. Iain Wright: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made no assessment of the absence of an additional access road for Canvey Island on the area’s regeneration. Regeneration priorities on Canvey Island are for Castle Point borough council to propose in the first instance, as are any assessments of infrastructure requirements.
Regional Development Agencies: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department’s contribution to regional development agencies single budget in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 will be. [230346]
John Healey: My Department’s indicative contribution to the regional development agencies single programme budget is £1485.097 million for 2009-10 and £1198.326 million for 2010-11.
On 2 September 2008, the Government announced that £300 million would be redirected from my Department’s contribution to the RDA single programme budget to fund the Homebuy Direct scheme to help first-time buyers to purchase new build homes. The aforementioned totals given reflect this £300 million redirection, currently profiled as £25 million in 2009-10 and £275 million in 2010-11.
Regional Planning and Development
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average number of planning enforcement officers in local authorities was in the latest period for which figures are available. [229242]
Mr. Iain Wright: This information is not collected by the Department.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what obligations local planning authorities have to place maximum parking standards for (a) residential and (b) non-residential development in their local development frameworks. [229605]
Mr. Iain Wright: In exercising their planning functions local planning authorities are required to have regard to the Government's overarching planning policy on parking which is set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 13: “Transport” (PPG13).
PPG13 is clear that local authority policies in preparing their development plans should set maximum levels of parking for broad classes of development, including residential and non-residential development, and that there should be no minimum standards for development, other than parking for disabled people.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which regional spatial strategies or regional planning guidance documents currently in effect have maximum parking standards in place for (a) residential and (b) non-residential development. [229607]
Mr. Iain Wright: All Regional Spatial Strategies currently, in effect, contain policies relating to parking standards for (a) residential and (b) non-residential development. Whether these standards are treated as maximums or not depends on the region. These parking standard policies are informed by PPG 13 Transport and PPS3 Housing.
The RSS does not define the maximum parking standards for residential and non-residential development, it is the LDF which sets these standards so as to reflect local circumstances.
The maximum parking standards cover non-residential developments only.
Yorkshire and Humber—Policy T2
The maximum parking standards cover non-residential developments only.
The maximum parking standards cover non-residential developments only.
The RSS does not define the maximum parking standards for residential and non-residential development; it is the LDF which sets these standards so as to reflect local circumstances.
The RSS defines the maximum parking standards for residential and non-residential development as set out in PPG 13 Transport; but it is the LDF which interprets these standards so as to reflect local circumstances.
The RSS states that local parking standards set out in LDFs for residential and non-residential development have to be line with PPG 13 Transport.
The maximum parking standards cover non-residential developments only.
London—Policies 3C.23 and C3.24
The London Plan does define the maximum parking standards for residential, and non-residential development; the boroughs should interpret these standards so as to reflect local circumstances.
Regional Planning and Development: Castle Point
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will instigate an inquiry into Castle Point Borough Council’s (a) policies and procedures regarding planning enforcement action with respect of building on Green Belt land and (b) overall planning enforcement record. [229241]
Mr. Iain Wright: We have no plans for such an inquiry.
Regional Planning and Development: Finance
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2008, Official Report, column 1638W, on regional planning and development: finance, which Government office or agency funds the (a) e-governmental regional partnerships and (b) regional equality and diversity partnerships. [229625]
John Healey: These are membership bodies and questions concerning their funding should be addressed to them.
Regional Spatial Strategy: South West
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assumptions of average economic growth per annum to 2026 were made in the preparation of the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West. [231259]
Mr. Khan: The Draft Regional Spatial Strategy submitted in April 2006 was based on the assumption that there is a need to plan for economic growth in Gross Value Added of 2.8 per cent.
Proposed changes to the Regional Spatial Strategy published in July 2008 delete this reference and refer to
the need to plan for anticipated economic change, supporting growth in line with the Regional Economic Strategy (RES). The RES states the region should be prepared for economic growth at a rate of 3.2 per cent.
Right to Buy Scheme
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total value of right to buy receipts has been in each month of the most recent two years for which figures are available; and what amount has been (a) retained by local authorities and (b) taken by Government in each such month. [230050]
Mr. Iain Wright: Data on local authority right to buy receipts are only collected quarterly. Data on receipts paid back to the Department do not distinguish between right to buy receipts and receipts of sales of dwellings not under the right to buy scheme. The following table sets out the receipts arising from the sales of local authority properties under the right to buy scheme between April 2006 and March 2008.
The table also sets out the amount from the receipts arising from all sales of local authority dwellings that are paid to the Secretary of State.
Figures are based on returns made to CLG by local authorities.
| £ million | ||
| Quarter | Total receipts arising from LA RTB sales | Total receipts arising from the sales of LA dwellings that are paid to the Secretary of State (provisional) |
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