Monday Volume 550 17 September 2012 No. 45 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 17 September 2012 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2012 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 619 17 SEPTEMBER 2012 620 development should not be approved in the green belt, House of Commons and boundaries should be altered only in exceptional circumstances. Monday 17 September 2012 Simon Danczuk: As we all know, Rochdale is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the United The House met at half-past Two o’clock Kingdom—[Interruption.] Can the Secretary of State assure me and residents of Rochdale that we will not PRAYERS have to swap some of our green-belt land for house building? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Mr Pickles: For a moment I thought the hon. Gentleman was going to put that to the vote; I would have been on BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS his side. The Planning Inspectorate looked at Rochdale QUEEN’S SPEECH (ANSWER TO ADDRESS) metropolitan borough council’s core strategy, and as the hon. Gentleman will know, consultation ends next The VICE-CHAMBERLAIN OF THE HOUSEHOLD reported to the House, That Her Majesty, having been attended Monday. It was extended to allow consideration of the with its Address of 17th May, was pleased to receive the proposed release of 55 hectares of green-belt land on same very graciously and give the following Answer: the South Heywood development, but that has now been excluded from the core strategy. The inspector I have received with great satisfaction the dutiful and looked at the proposed removal of that area from the loyal expression of your thanks for the speech with which green belt, tested the council and found that plans for I opened the present Session of Parliament. making such an exception were not sufficiently robust. If hon. Members have any doubts about the importance ELECTORAL COMMISSION (ANSWER TO ADDRESS) of the green belt, they should see the hon. Gentleman, I have received your Humble Address praying that who can testify to the policy’s stringent nature. I should reappoint the Right Honourable Sir George Newlands Reid to be an Electoral Commissioner with effect from Dr Whitehead: As the Secretary of State will be 1st October 2012, for the period ending 30th September 2014. aware, on 2 September the Chancellor said that local I will comply with your request. authorities should swap parts of green-belt land for I have received your Humble Address praying that I other land to encourage housing development. In light should reappoint John McCormick to be an Electoral of what the Secretary of State has said today, will he Commissioner with effect from 1st January 2013, for the clear up the confusion about what is and is not green-belt period ending on 31st December 2016. I will comply with land by firmly repudiating what the Chancellor said on your request. 2 September? Mr Pickles: What I have said is absolutely compatible with what the Chancellor said; there is no difference Oral Answers to Questions between my views and those of my right hon. Friend. We have said from the Dispatch Box that a proportion of the green belt is former brownfield land—a disused COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT quarry, for example, or a scrap yard—and the national planning policy framework envisaged careful consideration of those boundaries. Does it not make sense to get The Secretary of State was asked— those kinds of sites back under development, and protect and enhance the green belt? Green-belt Land Mr Raab: I understand that the Government want to 1. Simon Danczuk (Rochdale) (Lab): What his policy legislate further to streamline planning as part of their is on the protection of green-belt land. [120883] economic growth strategy. Elmbridge in my constituency is 57% green-belt land. Will the Secretary of State 10. Dr Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab): confirm that the proposed legislation will not contain What his policy is on altering green-belt boundaries. any new proposals that might weaken protection of [120893] green-belt land, and, critically, that planning inspectors will have no right to trump local democratic decision 14. Mr Dominic Raab (Esher and Walton) (Con): making? What steps he is taking to protect the green belt. [120897] Mr Pickles: I have good news for my hon. Friend. Based on calculations, it is not 57% green belt, but 60%. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles): The green belt is an important protection against urban sprawl, providing Mr Denis MacShane (Rotherham) (Lab): It’s just a green lung around towns and cities. The national gone up. planning policy framework delivers the coalition’s agreement to safeguard the green belt. Inappropriate Mr Pickles: It is as the right hon. Gentleman says. 621 Oral Answers17 SEPTEMBER 2012 Oral Answers 622 Of course we are not looking to affect my hon. Friend’s town team partners. I hope right hon. and hon. Members constituency. The green belt is immensely important. It will support their local town team partners so we can is a green lung and prevents major conurbations from ensure that our high streets can compete in future. bumping into one another. Peter Aldous: The Lowestoft town team are getting to Steve Baker (Wycombe) (Con): Will my right hon. work on implementing the plans set out in their successful Friend take steps to diminish planning inspectors’ powers Portas pilot bid. The town centre was enhanced in the over those who are democratically elected? summer by Lowestoft college’s short-term lease of an empty shop. Does the Minister plan to encourage landlords Mr Pickles: My hon. Friend must have come across to carry out more lettings of that nature? some grumpy planning inspectors. By and large, they are there to introduce the national planning policy Mr Prisk: Absolutely; we need to encourage that framework, and to ensure that decisions are made kind of innovation, and I commend what has happened in accordance with it. Local democratically elected in respect of Lowestoft college. That is why we have a representatives have a duty to look to the well-being of £10 million high street innovation fund to help those their constituents not only now, but in future. There with the highest vacancy rates. We need to get those must always be a balance, but the green belt remains empty shops back into use, whether as pop-up shops or very safe. as in my hon. Friend’s example. It is very important to tackle that aspect of the problem. Natascha Engel (North East Derbyshire) (Lab): Will the Secretary of State guarantee that he will not alter Mr David Crausby (Bolton North East) (Lab): Does the definition or designation of green belt? the Minister accept that as long as local authorities charge excessively for car parking, customers will simply Mr Pickles: Of course. choose to shop out of town and our town centres will continue to die? What can he do to encourage them in Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD): North these difficult financial years not to charge for short-term Leeds, too, has some of the most beautiful green belt, car parking? which is hugely important to the whole city. I welcome the Secretary of State’s clear statement today, but does Mr Prisk: The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight he acknowledge that developers continue to target attractive this issue. That is why we have removed the floor that greenfield sites while brownfield sites exist that are underpinned the minimum charging for car parking. desperate for development, and that that needs to be We encourage local authorities in his constituency and addressed? elsewhere to think carefully about the rate of charges so that our high streets can compete with out-of-town Mr Pickles: My hon. Friend will recall the national shopping centres and others. planning policy framework, which makes it clear that previously developed areas should be given development priority. Ann Coffey (Stockport) (Lab): Thriving street markets offering local produce and community and specialist High Streets stalls attract shoppers to town centres and high streets, and encourage independent retailers to start new businesses. Does the Minister agree that it is important that councils 2. Gareth Johnson (Dartford) (Con): What steps his remember the important contribution that markets make Department is taking to support local high streets. and include them in any future town centre initiatives? [120884] 6. Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con): What steps his Mr Prisk: I agree entirely with the hon. Lady. I am a Department is taking to support local high streets. big fan of local markets—they are where we can get [120888] fresh produce and where our small start-ups can begin—so I endorse entirely what she says. In the summer, of The Minister for Housing (Mr Mark Prisk): In response course, we tried to revive our markets locally, and we to the Portas review, the Government are taking positive will continue that work. I hope that all hon. Members action to help our high streets. That includes strengthening will play a part in that. local civic leadership through town team partners and business improvement districts, revitalising local markets Lorely Burt (Solihull) (LD): Shirley town centre and backing small businesses. partnership in my constituency was unsuccessful in bidding for the first tranche of funding to be a town Gareth Johnson: My local high street in Dartford has team partner. I am ever hopeful, however, that it will successfully applied to become a Portas town, which win an award under the second tranche.