Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help promote community cohesion in (a) towns and (b) cities.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the construction of homes on (a) flood plains and (b) arable farmland.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of reallocating unspent funds from Levelling Up funding rounds to finance further investment rounds for towns that were successful in Town Deal bids.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The UK Government is committed to levelling up across the whole of the United Kingdom to ensure that no community is left behind. We are investing over £15 billion in a suite of complementary Levelling Up projects to help grow the economy, create jobs, improve transport, provide skills training and support local businesses.
Each fund or initiative has clear aims, objectives and funding which have been designed and allocated as part of a joined-up approach.
The Government recognises that major regeneration projects take time to deliver with important processes involved before they come to fruition - from securing planning permission, to engaging architects and acquiring land.
Decisions on any possible underspends will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of further regulating the fines chargeable by parking companies operating on private land.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Following the introduction of the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the Government is taking action to improve the regulation of the private parking industry and is developing a new code of practice to ensure the best possible protection for motorists and parking companies alike.
We are currently considering the impact of any changes to parking charges levels and debt recovery fees before a decision is made on the appropriate level.
In due course it is the Government’s intention to consult on these elements of the code, as such we have recently concluded a call for evidence to make sure the consultation on parking charges and debt recovery fees is as well informed as possible.
The Government is working with both industry and consumer representatives to ensure the code comes into effect as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to help support economic growth in coastal communities.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government is committed to promoting economic growth in all parts of the country including coastal communities.
We have supported coastal communities to level up through dedicated funding under the Coastal Communities Fund, the Coastal Revival Fund and additional funding under the Welcome Back Fund, while the Levelling Up Fund has provided around £1 billion to projects in coastal areas and over £400 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund is going to lead local authorities within or serving coastal areas in England, alongside major investment in the other nations of the UK.
But it is not just about funds. 11 out of 12 Freeports and 7 out of 20 Levelling Up Partnerships are in coastal areas, demonstrating our deep commitment to unlocking the economic potential of coastal communities.
In Southport we are investing £37.5 million through the Town Fund, which will be used to deliver the brand new 1200 seat ‘Marine Lake Events Centre’ with state of the art technical facilities, significant improvements to cycle and walking paths, upgraded road infrastructure, new public spaces and an business incubator for the Towns emerging creative/digital/tech sectors.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to minimise the loss of economic activity on high streets after the closure of Wilko.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government recognises the pressures faced by high street businesses, announcing in the Autumn Statement 2022 a package of changes to business rates worth £13.6 billion over the next 5 years in lower bills. This is in addition to the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.
The Department for Business and Trade are working with the Retail Sector Council on the strategic issues facing the sector, including costs to businesses, the importance of place and the high street, and consumer protections. The process of administration has yet to conclude, and we understand that consideration is being given to interest from potential purchasers for some of the Wilko stores. Physical retail remains a key part of the high street and a thriving high street will need a strong retail offering. Government is clear that we want all types of retail to thrive now and in the future.
We continue to work with local leaders to support town centre regeneration, including in Southport, which was awarded £37.5 million through our Town’s Fund and a further £20 million to support the repurposing of the Strand Shopping Centre and the wider transformation of Bootle Town Centre.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's planned timetable is for the nationwide roll out of the Voluntary Right to Buy scheme for housing association tenants.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government remains committed to the Right to Buy, which since 1980 has enabled over two million social housing tenants to become homeowners.
Any future announcements will be set out in the usual way.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that local authorities take (a) cultural heritage and (b) the skyline into account when approving new (i) housing and (ii) commercial developments.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In making planning decisions local planning authorities must take account of national planning policy including, where relevant, that around conserving and enhancing the historic environment and achieving well-designed places. The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises that local planning policies and decisions should ensure development that is sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment.
The supporting National Design Guide recognises that well-designed new development relates well to and enhances existing character, responding positively to the features of the site itself and the surrounding context. This includes views inwards and outwards. In addition, the National Model Design Code guides the production of local design codes and encourages local authorities to consider the impact that development will have on the skyline.
Through the Design Code Pathfinder programme, the Office for Place is supporting local councils to produce local design codes which will ensure communities will benefit from beautiful and sustainable places designed for all. The design codes and processes adopted through this programme will serve as examples for others to follow. The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill is seeking to strengthen the requirement for the use of local design codes, so that clear rules are set locally about the design of new development.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has held with the Mayor for London on the potential impact of the proposed Royal Street development on the preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Secretary of State has received a number of requests to call in this planning application. These are currently being considered against the published policy on calling in planning applications, and a decision will be issued in due course.
Asked by: Damien Moore (Conservative - Southport)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps her Department plans to take increase the number of homes built in 2023.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Since 2010, over 2.2 million additional homes have been delivered across England. This includes over 232,000 homes for the last year for which data is available – over 75% of the way towards our goal of ensuring there are 300,000 new homes a year.
We have announced £10 billion investment in housing supply since the start of this Parliament, with our housing supply interventions due to ultimately unlock over 1 million new homes over the Spending Review 2021 period and beyond.
We are also investing £11.5 billion in the latest Affordable Homes Programme to provide tens of thousands of new homes across the country.