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6 Jan 2010 : Column 383W—continued
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 November 2009, Official Report, column 38WS, on departmental expenditure limit (2009-10), what unfunded legal challenges on planning in relation to which legal proceedings have concluded required funding from the £400,000 for West Northamptonshire Development Corporation. [307949]
Mr. Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 December 2009, Official Report, column 1302W.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill)of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 347W, on planning permission, if he will make it his policy to require local planning authorities who have a hub connector to make it open to the private sector and other third parties who wish to connect for commerce or not-for-profit services. [308389]
Mr. Ian Austin: This would be a matter for decision by individual local authorities.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has plans to adopt the recommendations of the Killian Pretty Review on statutory notices required for planning applications in relation to other types of notice for which his Department is responsible. [309000]
Mr. Ian Austin: In response to the recommendations of the Killian Pretty review, which focused on the planning context, we announced on 21 December that the rules for local authorities advertising planning applications in local newspapers will not change. Any proposals to change the arrangements for other types of statutory notices, for which this Department is responsible, would need to be considered case by case, each on its own merits.
Planning Portal
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to privatise the Planning Portal. [307843]
Mr. Ian Austin: We have no plans to privatise the planning portal.
Regional Development Agencies
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory functions of the regional development agencies are funded by his Department. [309046]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide funding for specific statutory or non statutory functions undertaken
by the regional development agencies (RDAs). The Department makes an annual contribution to the RDAs' single programme, which is administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, as sponsor Department for the RDAs.
Regional Planning and Development
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many core strategies have not been found by the Planning Inspectorate to meet the soundness tests in Planning Policy Statement 12. [308255]
Mr. Ian Austin: Eight authorities have had their core strategy development plan documents found unsound on the basis that they failed to meet the soundness tests in Planning Policy Statement 12.
Regional Planning and Development: South West
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 2 November 2009, Official Report, column 774W, on regional planning and development: South West, what the estimated cost is of the additional work on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy; and what his Department's policy is on the publication of draft and final Regional Spatial Strategy in the period leading up to a general election. [308391]
Mr. Ian Austin: It is not appropriate to release the actual costs for the additional work on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy at this time, as to do so would prejudice commercial interests. I can however indicate that the estimated cost of the additional work is no greater than £50,000. It is the Government's policy not to publish any significant policy documents during an election campaign period, which would begin six weeks prior to the date of a general election.
Regional Planning and Development: Transport
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the effect of predicted future changes in the level of car ownership on future planning policy for (a) transport and (b) parking. [308625]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Department for Transport produces forecasts of travel demand (trips to and from each local authority) within the TEMPRO dataset, which can be obtained free of charge from
These forecasts are based on demographic data and a car ownership forecasting model (which takes into account GDP). The growth factors from TEMPRO represent the national benchmark for growth in travel demand; as such, TEMPRO is widely used by scheme promoters.
Regional planning bodies and local authorities may take account of TEMPRO and other relevant information when formulating their transport policies. The current set of regional spatial strategies (RSS) combines planning with transport planning to deliver strategic policies to shape the region and guide future transport developments. In future, regional planning bodies will also have regard
to national policy statements when preparing the new single regional strategies. The RSS sets parking policies at the region level to ensure a consistent approach is used between local authorities in the area, in order to avoid wasteful competition.
Local authorities are required to have regard to relevant regional and national planning policies when preparing their Local Development Documents (LDDs), including the Core Strategy. The local area will also have a Local Transport Plan (LTP), which sets out the authority's local transport strategies and policies, and an implementation programme. LDDs should have regard to the LTP when identifying and allocating sites for development and formulating objectives for the improvement of the local area. Similarly the recently published statutory LTP guidance emphasises that LTPs should be prepared in the context of the broader policies and objectives contained in relevant regional strategies and should reflect and support local development frameworks.
Local authorities are best placed to determine the parking policies that are appropriate for the local area. Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG 13) states that these policies "should set maximum levels of parking for broad classes of development", allowing authorities to take account of local factors. Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS 3) notes that specifically in residential areas, parking policy should "take account of expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently".
Retail Trade: Planning Permission
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to include a competition test in planning requirements for new retail development. [308433]
Mr. Ian Austin: The Government are currently considering the recommendation from the Competition Commission for a competition test in planning and will be publishing their response shortly.
Starbucks: Planning Permission
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 20 October 2009, Official Report, columns 1401-02W, on Starbucks: planning permission, if he will place a copy of each of the eight Planning Inspectorate reports in the Library. [308386]
Mr. Ian Austin: Copies of the decisions, referred to in the answer of 20 October 2009, Official Report, columns 1401-02W, have been placed in the Library of the House.
Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council England
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he will publish the hospitality guidelines issued to Arts Council England staff; [308033]
(2) what hospitality was received by (a) senior managers and (b) board members of Arts Council England in each of the last three years. [307926]
Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.
Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which council members of Arts Council England have served since January 2005. [308051]
Margaret Hodge: The current members of the Arts Council England are:
| Name | Start date | End date | Number of terms |
The former members of the Arts Council England who have served since 2005 are:
| Name | Start date | End date | Number of terms |
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