Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the application by China to situate its embassy in a new site in London is expected to be determined; and whether they anticipate any delay to that process, and if so, why.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The planning application for a proposed new Chinese Embassy is currently with the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The timing of determining the application is a matter for them as the local planning authority. No further comment can be made in respect of this, or any prospective scheme, as to do so may prejudice any future decision the Deputy Prime Minister in her role as Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may need to make should this application come before her in the future.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they assess and measure the value to the UK economy of freight and logistics in the formulation of any new planning framework.
Answered by Baroness Swinburne
The Government has launched a call for evidence on the interaction between freight and logistics and the planning system in England. The evidence we receive will help underpin any new or amended planning policies that reflect the government’s vision and expectations for local planning authorities in planning for freight.
The call for evidence closes on 9 October 2023.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria by which residents of EU member states will be enabled to vote in the next general election.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
EU citizens have never been able to vote in UK parliamentary elections and the Government has no plans to change that. The right to vote in Parliamentary elections and choose the next UK Government is rightly restricted to British citizens and those with the closest historical links to our country.
Resident citizens of Malta and Cyprus can vote in UK general elections as qualifying Commonwealth citizens. Citizens of the Republic of Ireland (ROI) can also vote in UK general elections based on historical ties and a long-standing reciprocal arrangement on voting rights between the two countries.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures are in place to encourage planning authorities to support planning applications for the UK’s logistics network, including (1) transport, (2) intermodal sites, (3) warehousing, and (4) other facilities.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should help create the conditions in which businesses can invest, expand and adapt. Significant weight should be placed on the need to support economic growth and productivity, taking into account both local business needs and wider opportunities for development.
The Framework also states that planning policies and decisions should recognise and address the specific locational requirements of different sectors. This includes making provision for clusters or networks for storage and distribution operations at a variety of scales and in suitably accessible locations.
In support of this the Planning Practice Guidance states that the logistics industry plays a critical role in enabling an efficient, sustainable and effective supply of goods for consumers and businesses, as well as contributing to local employment opportunities, and has distinct locational requirements that need to be considered in formulating planning policies.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comparative effectiveness of the planning systems in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not made an assessment on the comparative effectiveness of the planning systems in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State recently made a statement on further changes to the planning system, which I repeated in this House. The statement is available (attached) here.