Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps Lancaster City Council has taken to apply for regeneration funding for Heysham South as part of its Lancaster Core Strategy.
Answered by Andrew Percy
My department is not aware of any specific regeneration funding applications from Lancaster City Council.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has been notified of any funding applications from Lancaster City Council for the West End of Morecambe; and what information his Department holds on progress being made on (a) the Chatsworth Gardens project and (b) any other new housing projects in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Chatsworth Gardens project, known as West End One, is a flagship private rent project involving refurbishing and remodelling 27 empty properties to create 51 (1, 2, 3, & 4-bed) homes. Work on site commenced in early 2015 and, to date, ten 4-bedroom houses have been completed. The project is supported by £8.3 million of funding from the Homes and Communities Agency and £1.9 million of empty homes funding.
The next release of new homes is expected later this month, with completion of all units by Autumn 2016. West End Two, the adjacent site is to follow on directly creating a further 50 homes for private rent.
The Department does not collect data on all housing developments across the country, but 13 developments, either completed since 2014 or are currently on site, across the Lancaster City Council area have received Social Housing Grant via the Homes and Communities Agency, totalling £8.0 million and are providing a total of 231 new affordable homes.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the additional revenue councils will receive from local business rates as a result of devolution deals.
Answered by Marcus Jones
The Government has announced that, by the end of the Parliament, we will give all local councils new responsibilities in return for keeping 100% of locally raised business rates. In advance of 100% retention, devolution deals are already giving some areas the ability to keep 100% of the actual growth in business rates they achieve above a pre-determined baseline. This will give them an added incentive to grow their local economies and increase their income from business rates.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Government-sponsored new social and council houses were built between (a) 1997 and 2010 and (b) 2010 and 2016.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The numbers of dwellings completed by houisng associations and local authorities in England between 1997 and 2015 were as follows:
Year | Housing associations | Local authorities |
1997 | 20,970 | 290 |
1998 | 19,900 | 240 |
1999 | 17,780 | 50 |
2000 | 16.680 | 90 |
2001 | 14,500 | 160 |
2002 | 13,310 | 180 |
2003 | 12,820 | 180 |
2004 | 16.600 | 130 |
2005 | 17,540 | 180 |
2006 | 20,660 | 280 |
2007 | 22,180 | 250 |
2008 | 26,470 | 430 |
2009 | 26,990 | 360 |
2010 | 22,650 | 790 |
2011 | 25,940 | 2,230 |
2012 | 25,440 | 1,410 |
2013 | 21,590 | 840 |
2014 | 23,780 | 1,180 |
2015 | 30,200 | 1,640 |
Statistics on new build housing starts and completions in England, and in each local authority district, are published on the Department's website at:
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the application for a Lancashire combined authority; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Marcus Jones
The Department has to date not received any applications for a Lancashire Combined Authority. To make such an application an area must, in accordance with the provisoins of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 1999, as amended by the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, undertake a gvoernance review for the area and also publish a scheme setting out propsals for a Combined Authority. They must also undertake a public consultation on these proposals and provide a summary of these proposals to the Secretary of State.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning applications for new homes or conversions of existing buildings have been made in Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency since June 2015.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Department does not collect information on the number of planning applications by parliamentary constituency.
However it collects the numbers of decisions made at a local planning authority level. In the six months to 31 December 2015 Lancaster City Council, within which the hon, Member's constituency falls, has made decisions on applications for:
- 18 major residential developments
- 27 minor residential developments
- Permitted development rights for one ‘office to residential’ scheme and nine ‘agricultural to residential’ schemes
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what progress his Department is making on the Enterprise Zones applied for by the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
My rt hon. Friend, the Chancellor announced the Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership’s successful bid for a new Enterprise Zone at Hillhouse as part of the 2015 Autumn Statement. This followed approval of the business case for the Blackpool Enterprise Zone which was announced on 12 November 2015.
Regulations are being laid for both Enterprise Zones to enable them to offer business rate discounts and enhanced capital allowances from April 2016. The new Enterprise Zones complement the existing Lancashire Local Enterprise Zone which covers sites at Warton and Samlesbury.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) council houses, (b) housing association properties and (c) affordable homes were built in the Lancaster City Council local authority area between (i) 1997 and 2001, (ii) 2001 and 2005, (iii) 2005 and 2010 and (iv) 2010 and 2015.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Statistics on house building completions by tenure in each local authority district are published in the Department's live tables 253 (annual) and 253a (quarterly), which are available at the following link.
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
Taken together, house building statistics by housing association and local authority tenures provide estimates of total social housing completions, but these figures understate total affordable supply. This is because the house building figures are categorised by the type of developer rather than the intended final tenure, leading to under recording of affordable housing, and a corresponding over recording of private enterprise figures.
More comprehensive statistics on affordable housing completions are published in the Department’s live tables 1006, 1006a, 1007 and 1008, which are available at the following link:
http://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
These statistics include both newly built housing and acquisitions.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding his Department provides to support high streets in seaside and coastal towns and villages; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Marcus Jones
Since 2010 we have committed over £18.53 million of public funding to support high streets, including in coastal towns and villages.
In 2014 we launched the "Great British High Street" awards which includes a coastal town category.
Since 2012 the Government's Coastal Communities Fund has also committed over £91 million to help coastal areas, including support for a range of projects that are contributing to the regeneration of high streets in a number of coastal towns including Blackpool, Chatham, Gravesend and Scarborough.
Asked by: David Morris (Conservative - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ask or require local planning authorities to publish the planning routes for any application of (a) fracking and (b) any other energy facilities.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The Government’s online planning practice guidance (http://planningguidance.planningportal.gov.uk/ ) includes information on the process for applications made for planning permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Guidance on the process for projects that are nationally significant infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008 is also available online http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/application-process/ .
Local authorities are free to make links to this guidance on their own websites if they wish.