Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they provide to developers and planning authorities to ensure that there is full consultation on developments which are of significant risk of causing disturbance to neighbours, and what remedies are available in the event that such consultation does not take place.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Article 15 of The Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (England) Order 2015 outlines the statutory publicity requirements for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). LPAs must give notice by site display in at least one place on or near the land to which the application relates or by serving the notice on any adjoining owner or occupier. They must also publish information about the application on their website and in certain circumstances, they must give notice in a local newspaper. Where relevant planning considerations are raised by local residents, these must be taken into account by the local authority before they determine an application. Publicity beyond the statutory requirements is at the discretion of LPAs.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken, if any, to protect Bevis Marks Synagogue and its estate, as an historic world centre of Sephardic Jewish worship and scholarship, from risk to its future from real estate development or other factors, including pressures from the City of London Corporation.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government is committed to the protection of our historic environment, including listed buildings such as the Bevis Marks Synagogue, and we have put in place a strong legislative and policy framework to achieve this. In determining planning applications, local planning authorities are under a statutory duty to have special regard to the desirability of preserving the building or its setting or any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses. This is supported by national planning policy which, in particular, states that any substantial harm or loss to the significance of a Grade I listed building such as the Synagogue should be wholly exceptional and where there is less than substantial harm, the harm should be weighed against the public benefits. In addition, local planning authorities are required to consult Historic England on any proposals affecting a listed building or its setting.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made to assist people whose houses were damaged by recent flooding and are now required to remain in those houses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what further steps they intend to take to mitigate any future difficulties experienced by such people.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
To assist households impacted by the February severe weather incidents, the Government activated the Flood Recovery Framework, a comprehensive package of support measures to support local recovery.
This package includes the Community Recovery Grant, a one-off £500 hardship grant, available to eligible flooded households. Those households are also able to receive a 100% Council Tax rebate (for a minimum of three months); rebates will apply to the flooded property and any temporary accommodation those households are required to move into. In addition, the DEFRA sponsored Property Flood Resilience scheme makes available grants of up to £5,000 to eligible flooded households to improve the resilience of those properties against future flooding incidents.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop the M5 as a growth corridor; and whether they have asked the National Infrastructure Commission to consider such a proposal.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
Government has no plans at present to develop the M5 as a growth corridor. However, this strategic corridor is important for the economies of the Midlands Engine and the Western Gateway.
We have supported growth through a number of key projects which include: the recent announcement of £219million Housing Infrastructure Fund to improve Junction 10 in Gloucestershire; £12.19million Local Growth Funding to improve the junction 25 at Taunton; and also the creation of 2 Enterprise Zones, Gravity at junction 23 near Bridgwater and at the Exeter and East Devon Enterprise Zone at junction 29.