Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support is being offered to (a) leaseholders and (b) freeholders of buildings awaiting access to the Building Safety Fund.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Leaseholders in buildings eligible for the Building Safety Fund can be reassured that unsafe non-ACM cladding on their blocks will be funded and replaced. The £30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund will pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in buildings where a waking watch is in place while waiting to have unsafe cladding removed
The Government has also allocated additional funding to Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to provide independent, free, initial advice to leaseholders on building safety issues to ensure they are aware of their rights and are supported to understand the terms of their leases. Building owners are supported in their applications to the Building Safety Fund by Delivery Partners and we also provide those planning and undertaking eligible remediation work expert construction consultation.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when the latest Building Safety Fund will open for applications.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The announcement on 10 February of an additional £3.5 billion of funding for remediating unsafe cladding on buildings 18 metres and above means that leaseholders and residents in eligible buildings can be reassured that unsafe non-ACM cladding on their blocks will be replaced. For any buildings that may have missed the original registration deadline for the Building Safety Fund we will be reopening for registrations in the Autumn.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what criteria will be used to prioritise applications to the Building Safety Fund.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The criteria used for the Building Safety Fund is set out in the Building Safety Fund Prospectus, available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#prospectus---outlining-eligibility-for-the-fund.
All buildings that meet the Building Safety Fund criteria are treated as a priority for remediation funding. Leaseholders in buildings eligible for the Building Safety Fund can be reassured that unsafe non-ACM cladding on their blocks will be funded and replaced.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many housing officers are available to process Building Safety Fund applications in (a) Plymouth, (b) the South West and (c) in the UK.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Fund only operates in England as housing is a devolved matter. Applications for buildings outside of London are processed by Homes England.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications to the original Building Safety Fund has been allocated a Case Officer.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Data on the Building Safety Fund, including the number of applications being progressed and how much funding has been allocated, is published and updated monthly at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registration-statistics. All applications to the Building Safety Fund are supported by Delivery Partners.
To ensure this critical safety work can commence at pace we also provide expert construction consultation support to those planning and undertaking remediation work under the Building Safety Fund.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many funding applications for the original Building Safety Fund have been progressed.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Data on the Building Safety Fund, including the number of applications being progressed and how much funding has been allocated, is published and updated monthly at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registration-statistics. All applications to the Building Safety Fund are supported by Delivery Partners.
To ensure this critical safety work can commence at pace we also provide expert construction consultation support to those planning and undertaking remediation work under the Building Safety Fund.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
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 potential merits including of a water neutral planning policy requirement within the OxCam development.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
On 18 February the Government published 'Planning for sustainable growth in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc' which sets out the principles for how we will develop a Spatial Framework for the Arc. The Spatial Framework will support a long-term, coordinated approach to planning, to ensure economic, social and environmental (both built and natural) opportunities are realised, and improve the Arc as a place to live and work.
The Policy Paper outlines that we will set high standards for new development and support an integrated approach to water management. This integrated approach will take into account sustainable water abstraction, drought and flood resilience, water quality and the risk of flooding, and will consider how and where new water related infrastructure should be developed. As part of the Policy Paper, we have also committed to identifying environmental Opportunity Areas, which will include water services infrastructure, and incorporate nature-based solutions.
The Spatial Framework will be supported by a robust and comprehensive evidence base, developed in conjunction with key stakeholders. The evidence base will include an extensive range of environmental technical assessments, to inform policy development. The evidence base will be underpinned by a fully integrated Sustainability Appraisal (SA), to ensure we understand the likely environmental, social and economic implications of the implementation of proposed policies. This process will present the opportunity for further refinement of the proposed polices, ensuring sustainability aspirations are realised as far as is practicable, before we finalise, adopt and implement them. The SA will include a full assessment of the implications of policies on the water environment.
The content and nature of the environmental policies within the Spatial Framework will emerge once the evidence base has been consolidated, and SA assessments have been undertaken.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the building regulations review, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of lowering the water requirement to 100 litres per day on water efficiency.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
In 2019 DEFRA launched a consultation and call for evidence on measures to reduce personal water use. The consultation sought views on labelling water-using products, building regulations for water efficiency, metering and smart metering and behaviour change.
DEFRA will be publishing a response shortly which will lay out proposals including those relating to building regulations.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to allow local authorities to prioritise small scale affordable and social homes for local people on sustainable AONB sites.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
There are no immediate plans to require local planning authorities to publish data on the number of planning applications and permissions within AONBs. However, a key aim of our planning reforms is to digitalise planning services so more data like this can become available.
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in AONBs, and the White Paper does not propose to change this.
The Government is committed to delivering affordable homes for local people. In our recent response to the consultation on Changes to the Current Planning System, we committed to review and update existing Planning Practice Guidance to assist local authorities in delivering rural exception sites. These are small sites which can come forward and provide local people with affordable housing in areas such as AONBs.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to require local authorities to publish annual information on the number of housing planning applications (a) submitted and (b) granted for sites (i) within the boundaries of and (ii) in the setting of AONBs.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
There are no immediate plans to require local planning authorities to publish data on the number of planning applications and permissions within AONBs. However, a key aim of our planning reforms is to digitalise planning services so more data like this can become available.
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in AONBs, and the White Paper does not propose to change this.
The Government is committed to delivering affordable homes for local people. In our recent response to the consultation on Changes to the Current Planning System, we committed to review and update existing Planning Practice Guidance to assist local authorities in delivering rural exception sites. These are small sites which can come forward and provide local people with affordable housing in areas such as AONBs.