Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to Lancaster City Council's Local Plan for Lancaster District 2011-2031: Strategic Options for Land Allocations, what assessment his Department has made of the logistics of providing the services for the 5,000 new homes in the rural area of the Lune Valley that would be required under Option 5 of that plan.

We have not made any specific assessment; the drafting of a Local Plan is a matter for the local council. Planning guidance issued on 6 March is clear that infrastructure requirements must be considered by councils in plan making when they assess the suitability of sites.