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28 Jan 2009 : Column 639W—continued
Land Use: Castle Point
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will request that Castle Point borough council sends local residents full documentation relevant to the Core Strategy consultation before the consultation process commences; and if she will make a statement. [250952]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is the Government’s general approach not to interfere with the jurisdiction of local planning authorities unless it is necessary to do so. Parliament has entrusted authorities with responsibility for day-to-day planning control in their areas as they are normally best placed to make decisions relating to their areas and it is right that, in general, they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.
The Castle Point Core Strategy will be subject to independent examination by an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State, and a key test of the plan’s ‘soundness’ at the examination will be whether the council has taken sufficient steps to engage the local community and other stakeholders.
The Secretary of State has received formal notification from Castle Point borough council that consultation on the latest version of the Castle Point Core Strategy, the “Core Strategy Proposed Publication Statement”, “Key diagram” and “Indicative Site Plans for Castle View, Manor Trading Estate, Stadium Way Employment and West Canvey” commenced on 9 January 2009 and will conclude 20 March 2009.
The documentation is published on the website and available in hard copy form at the borough council's offices.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will request that Castle Point Borough Council publishes details of brownfield sites in Castle Point. [251054]
Mr. Iain Wright:
It is the Government’s general approach not to interfere with the jurisdiction of local planning authorities unless it is necessary to do so. Parliament has entrusted authorities with responsibility for day-to-day
planning control in their areas as they are normally best placed to make decisions relating to their areas and it is right that, in general, they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.
The Core Strategy Consultation documents include details set out in broad locational terms and shown diagrammatically on the key diagram for development on brownfield sites. The “Canvey Area Action Plan” and the “Benfleet, Hadleigh and Thundersley Plan” will when published make detailed brownfield site allocations of land for various forms of development.
The “Core Strategy Proposed Publication Document” includes a housing trajectory which identifies a five year supply of deliverable housing sites and an 18 year supply of developable sites. The Spatial Strategy seeks to ensure 70 per cent. of new homes are on previously developed land estimated to be provided as in the following table;
| Source of capacity | Previously developed land |
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will hold discussions with Castle Point borough council on procedures for development of green belt land in Castle Point when brownfield land remains to be developed; and if she will make a statement. [251055]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is the Government’s general approach not to interfere with the jurisdiction of local planning authorities unless it is necessary to do so. Parliament has entrusted authorities with responsibility for day-to-day planning control in their areas as they are normally best placed to make decisions relating to their areas and it is right that, in general, they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.
The “Core Strategy Proposed Publication Document” provides a clear indication of how regeneration and growth will be distributed within the borough. The existing settlement structure will be maintained by concentrating development within existing settlements with limited peripheral development.
Sustainable growth is proposed that achieves at least 70 per cent. of new homes on previously developed land and safeguards the stated purpose of the metropolitan green belt until 2031. The residual need (approximately 300-500 dwellings to 2026) will be provided for in urban peripheral locations that have limited impact on the openness and function of the greenbelt as set out in Planning Policy Guidance 2. These locations will be identified as site allocations in the “Canvey Area Action Plan” and the “Benfleet, Hadleigh and Thundersley Plan”.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will request that the Chief Executive of Castle Point Borough Council publishes the authority's plans to develop land given to the people of Canvey Island around the Cornelius Vermuyden School and Canvey Village. [251060]
Mr. Iain Wright: It is the Government's general approach not to interfere with the jurisdiction of local planning authorities unless it is necessary to do so. Parliament has entrusted authorities with responsibility for day-to-day planning control in their areas as they are normally best placed to make decisions relating to their areas and it is right that, in general, they should be free to carry out their duties responsibly, with the minimum of interference.
I understand from Castle Point borough council that no planning application has yet been made to them in respect of this proposal. When an application has been made, the council will be required to publicise it in order that the public and other interested parties may make known their views. Before reaching their decision, the council must take into account: the provisions of the development plan for the area; any relevant views expressed by neighbouring occupiers, local residents and other third parties; and any other relevant material considerations which fairly and reasonably relate to the application concerned. They should also be guided by the policies and advice set out in the Department's Planning Policy Guidance Notes, Statements (PPGs and PPSs) and planning circulars.
Legal Opinion
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of external legal services engaged by her Department was in 2007-08. [251362]
Mr. Khan: External legal costs paid by CLG in the financial year 2007-08 were £1.33 million.
Local Government Finance
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under what circumstances a local council may transfer assets to community organisations. [250753]
John Healey: Local authorities’ power to dispose of surplus assets at less than best consideration is governed by the General Disposal Consent 2003 under the Local Government Act 1972. This provides that an authority will not be required to seek specific consent from the Secretary of State for the disposal of land or buildings which the authority considers will help it to secure the promotion or improvement of the economic, social or environmental well-being of its area as defined in the Local Government Act 2000, and where the ‘undervalue’ (the difference between the unrestricted value of the interest and the consideration accepted) is less than £2 million.
A local authority will need to demonstrate that the tangible and intangible community benefits accruing from the disposal at less than best consideration outweigh the opportunity costs of not pursuing other options, including the capital receipt that could be obtained from open market sale. The authority will also need to ensure it holds the land under correct powers, that the disposal does not contravene state aid regulations, and that it has obtained a realistic valuation.
Local Government: Elections
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects elections for directly-elected mayors to take place in each of the next 10 years. [250783]
John Healey: The following table details the expected election years for directly-elected mayors over the next 10 years, including the Mayor of London:
| Local authority | Mayoral election year s | ||
| (1) Outside of the 10-year time frame. | |||
Local Government: Shrewsbury
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) planning and (b) other powers the interim authority established for Shrewsbury in the period between the abolition of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council in March 2009 and the elections for new town councillors in June 2009 will have; and if she will make a statement. [250882]
John Healey: The parish council of Shrewsbury, as established on 1 April 2009 will have the normal range of powers available to parish councils from that date. Prior to the parish councillors taking office after the elections in June 2009, the parish council will consist of the councillors elected for the electoral divisions of Shropshire which cover the new parish area.
Mortgages: First-Time Buyers
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 January 2008, Official Report, column 446W, on mortgages: first-time buyers, what estimate she has made of the number of first-time buyers, excluding sitting tenants, in England who took out mortgages of 100 per cent. or more of the purchase price of the property in (a) each year from 1979 to 2005 and (b) 2007. [251865]
Mr. Iain Wright:
Data on first time buyers (FTBs) using a mortgage are available from the Regulated Mortgage Survey which is supplied to Communities and Local Government by the Council of Mortgage Lenders from 2005. Before this we collected the data ourselves via the Survey of Mortgage Lenders. However,
as the survey is a sample, data on the number of FTBs for England are unavailable. However we can derive proportions and these are presented in the following table back to 1980.
Estimated proportion of first time buyers, excluding sitting tenants, that took out 100 per cent. mortgages, in England
| Percentage | |
| Notes: 1. Cases where the mortgage taken out is more than the purchase price have been filtered out due to concerns over data quality. 2. Data from 1982 to 1993 are included although there are concerns over the quality of the data. Source: Regulated Mortgage Survey | |
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