Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will (a) encourage local authorities to provide additional free parking close to centres of employment while restrictions on the use of public transport during the covid-19 outbreak are in place and (b) reimburse those authorities for the provision of that free parking.
Answered by Simon Clarke
In line with the Government’s position on localism, parking is the responsibility of local authorities and it is for them to determine what is appropriate in their own area. However, central government does have an interest in how car parks are managed and is working closely with local government stakeholders to keep parking policies and guidance under review during the COVID-19 response.
We have recently published guidance on Safer Public Places, which includes recommendations for the adaptation and management of urban centres and green spaces to facilitate social distancing.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to make changes to housing build out rates for local authorities as a result of the disruption to the industry during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
It is important to keep the planning system moving as much as we can, so that it is able to play its full part in the economic recovery to come. We note the concerns some authorities are raising on house building rates and we will continue to monitor the situation.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance is Department issues to local authorities on building proposals for new homes on flood plains.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The National Planning Policy Framework states that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be directed away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. If new homes are necessary in a flood risk area, and no suitable sites at lower risk are available, the local authority should ensure that the development will be safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere. Where those tests are not met, development should not be allowed.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure an equitable distribution of investment in new housing between the north and the South East of England.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We are committed to building more of the right homes, in the right places across the country, and ensuring the housing market works for everyone. The Government has so far allocated circa £3 billion from the Housing Infrastructure Fund across every English region, to unlock the development up to 272,862 homes across the country.
Furthermore, the Government has allocated £3.4 billion in Growth Deals to areas in the Northern Powerhouse - supporting locally determined projects to unlock economic growth.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of Government proposal on migration on the required level of new home builds in the next five year.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
There is a consensus that housing supply needs to be significantly higher than its historical average, which is why it is this Government’s ambition to deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.