Housing: Brownfield Sites

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd June 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton (Lab)]

My Lords, would the Minister care to comment further on the question from the noble Lord, Lord Greaves, about the difficulty of encouraging development in areas where the return for those developing on brownfield sites is hindered because rents and sale values are low? Where will the money come from to help areas such as Lancashire?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, I have just outlined that the brownfield fund should help—but housing zones should also help. Those are zones on brownfield land on which housing is especially suitable to be developed. Having the register will make that information easily accessible, and the fund will help to clear some of the difficult sites. By the same token of the land values being low, the construction is quite often cheaper.