Monday Volume 583 30 June 2014 No. 15 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 30 June 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 577 30 JUNE 2014 578 Mr Speaker: I call the hon. Member for Romford House of Commons (Andrew Rosindell)—[Interruption.] After the initiative of the right hon. Gentleman in bringing about the grouping and then in so graciously recollecting the fact Monday 30 June 2014 that he had done so, the hon. Member for Romford is sadly not with us. The House met at half-past Two o’clock Mr Pickles: Perhaps I was prescient. Mr Speaker: Yes, the right hon. Gentleman might PRAYERS have been prescient. I am sure the hon. Member for Romford was told by the Department. If he was not, we are sorry. If he was, he should be here and we are sorry [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] that he is not. No doubt further and better information will become available in due course. Development (Brownfield Land) Oral Answers to Questions 2. Mr Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) (Con): What steps he is taking to encourage development on brownfield land. [904504] COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT 4. Chloe Smith (Norwich North) (Con): What steps he is taking to encourage development on brownfield land. [904507] The Secretary of State was asked— 10. Stephen Mosley (City of Chester) (Con): What Waste and Inefficiency steps he is taking to encourage development on brownfield land. [904513] 1. Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con): 12. David Rutley (Macclesfield) (Con): What steps he What recent assessment he has made of the scope for is taking to encourage development on brownfield local authorities to make savings by reducing waste and land. [904515] inefficiency. [904503] The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for 16. Andrew Rosindell (Romford) (Con): What recent Communities and Local Government (Nick Boles): The assessment he has made of the scope for local Government are determined to make the best use of authorities to make savings by reducing waste and brownfield land and meet as much of our housing need inefficiency. [904519] as possible on brownfield sites. Earlier this month, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State The Secretary of State for Communities and Local announced an ambitious package of reforms to accelerate Government (Mr Eric Pickles): With permission, development on brownfield sites and deliver up to 200,000 Mr Speaker, I will answer question 1— homes by 2020. Mr Jones: Residential development on brownfield Mr Speaker: I remind the Secretary of State that he is land in town centres is a key way to protect small and seeking to answer that with question 16. I shall be medium-sized town centres from the structural change advised if I am mistaken or if he has changed his mind. in retailing while alleviating the demand for residential development on countryside land. Will my hon. Friend Mr Pickles: Thank goodness someone is paying attention set out what more can be done to encourage councils, to what is going on. when putting in place their local plans—they are doing To be helpful, I have published “50 ways to save”, a that now—to develop more on brownfield sites? practical guide to councils on how they can make the most of their budgets to protect front-line services and Nick Boles: My hon. Friend makes an extremely keep council tax down. important argument that one of the ways to revive town centres is to bring more people to live right in the heart Andrew Selous: Will the Secretary of State commend of them. That is why we have introduced a permitted Central Bedfordshire councillors who, while taking out development right to make it easier to convert offices £60 million of costs, have transformed all 12 libraries, into residential property. It is also why, in the recently brought back into use a leisure centre and greatly published planning guidance, we made it clear that improved it, set up a reablement service and provided councils should be looking to incentivise development extra care housing for the frail elderly. Does that not on brownfield sites and reflect the cost of developing show what a relentless focus on front-line service and those sites. value for money can achieve? Chloe Smith: I welcome those measures. Will the Minister join me, and indeed the Chancellor, in saying Mr Pickles: It is some time since I visited Central that we will not stand by and pull up the ladder of Bedfordshire council. I hope that I can visit very soon. housing that the next generation needs? The work is very impressive and clearly demonstrates how a good council, looking carefully at what it spends, Nick Boles: I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. can protect and enhance local services. I look forward She has done a lot of work recently on the interests of to an early visit. the next generation—the growing generation—of people 579 Oral Answers30 JUNE 2014 Oral Answers 580 in our country. Housing need is one of those key need to do everything they can to make sure that sites interests. It is one of the reasons why we brought are viable by setting section 106 agreements and the forward planning reforms, and help to buy is helping community infrastructure levy at an appropriate level. people get on the housing ladder. Secondly, there is no way that a developer can argue that a site is not viable for development unless they have Stephen Mosley: Cheshire West and Chester strategic clear public evidence to demonstrate why it is financially housing land availability assessment shows enough unviable. brownfield land to cater for west Cheshire’s housing need for the next 30 years, yet the council is proposing to build on green-belt land outside Chester. Will my Mr David Lammy (Tottenham) (Lab): The Minister hon. Friend reassure my constituents that the intention has made much in the House of accelerating development of the Government’s planning reforms is to encourage on brownfield land and the Secretary of State has said a brownfield development ahead of green-belt development? lot about speeding up planning. Why has the development for Spurs, which is currently with the Department with Nick Boles: Our policies are clear that brownfield regard to a compulsory purchase order, been with the development is supported unless the brownfield site in Department for 14 months? Might we reach a decision question has a very high environmental value. In order shortly and will he confirm that the Secretary of State is to bring forward proposals for development on green-belt not an Arsenal supporter? land, councils have to satisfy a high policy test of exceptional circumstances and they also have to go Nick Boles: I would never dare to tread into the through a process of intensive consultation through a question of people’s football loyalties, particularly not local plan process before they can change green-belt at this time. I understand the right hon. Gentleman’s boundaries. frustrations, but the matter has not entirely been with the Department as we have had to refer back to parties David Rutley: In a recent Civitas pamphlet, Peter on some complex questions. I am keen to make a Haslehurst from Macclesfield highlighted the importance decision as soon as possible, but I know that he will of brownfield development and the need to learn lessons want that decision to hold up in court and it is therefore from other countries, particularly the United States, in important to ensure that it is robust. taking that forward. What steps are being taken by my hon. Friend’s Department to learn from international case studies to help further accelerate this important Mr Speaker: The Minister might not be an Arsenal work? supporter, but I most certainly am—and very proud of it. Nick Boles: We should always be willing to learn from other countries, but we should also not talk down our Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): Surely own achievements. More than two thirds of all new the planning Minister understands that there has been houses are built on brownfield sites, but we can always an increasing trend, particularly in urban areas, to use do more and that is why my right hon. Friend the greenfield sites while land banking brownfield sites, Secretary of State has proposed housing zones, with a often leaving them derelict in the heart of our towns package of £400 million, to help put in place local and city centres. What is he doing to ensure that that development orders on brownfield land so that development land-banked land is brought into active use to provide comes through more quickly. regeneration benefits for our towns and cities? Mr Clive Betts (Sheffield South East) (Lab): I have referred previously to paragraphs 47 onwards of the Nick Boles: There is absolutely no evidence of what national planning policy framework, which mean that the hon. Gentleman has just claimed and in answer to sites have to be deliverable and viable to be included in a about six questions I have just explained the multiple local plan. Many developers are objecting to brownfield policies of this Government to bring brownfield land sites being included and want greenfield sites to be forward for use through guidance, policy, housing zones substituted instead because of this requirement. As a and new pots of money. result of the package to which the Minister has just referred, how many of the sites excluded from local Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab): How will the plans by paragraph 47 requirements will now be able to new local development orders on brownfield sites work be included by local authorities? in practice? For example, will the Minister say how local people will be involved in deciding which sites should be Nick Boles: I take this opportunity briefly to apologise included in development orders and confirm that that to the hon.