To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Roads
Tuesday 9th February 2021

Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities and community groups about renaming roads after recipients of (1) the Victoria Cross, (2) the George Cross, and (3) other honours.

Answered by Lord Greenhalgh

I agree with my noble Lord that is important we celebrate our country’s military heroes and are proud of their achievements. We want to see local authorities engaging with their local communities to name streets after local heroes. The department has had no discussions around this issue with local authorities as the naming of streets is the responsibility of local government.


Written Question
Private Property: Parking
Wednesday 28th November 2018

Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to tackle unauthorised parking on private property; and what support is available to people who wish to remove unwanted vehicles parked on their property.

Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

The Government is currently supporting Sir Greg Knight’s Parking (Code of Practice) Bill that is seeking to create a code of practice for the private parking industry. There are, however, no current plans to further strengthen powers to tackle unauthorised parking on private property.

Landowners can manage parking on their land under the provisions of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. They may also employ a parking operator to undertake enforcement on their behalf.

Councils currently provide the support to remove unwanted vehicles. They have a statutory duty to remove vehicles that are abandoned on any land in the open air, including on private land such as car parks. There is no statutory definition of ‘abandoned’, and it is for councils to determine whether any particular vehicle has been abandoned. Council officers may legally enter private land in order to investigate and remove abandoned vehicles.


Written Question
Housing: Construction
Thursday 7th December 2017

Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what consideration the Government is giving to the delivery of place quality in its national housebuilding strategy.

Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

The Housing White Paper sets out a number of measures to strengthen national planning policy on design. These measures include:

  • Planning reform to strengthen policy requirements for good design in the National Planning Policy Framework and in Local Plans.
  • Supporting wider use of Neighbourhood Planning.

  • Providing additional funding to authorities to help them plan for growth and improve design.

  • Working with Homes England to set quality criteria for funded housing programmes.

  • Highlighting examples of good practice in housing design through support for awards.

  • Highlighting best practice for community engagement, including the use of digital platforms to visualise designs.

I also launched a government commitment to raising design quality at a recent Design Quality Symposium hosted by the RIBA, attended by members of the housing industry, local authorities, professional bodies, academics and other government departments.

In a Written Ministerial Statement on 4 December, I set out provisions to support design skills, capacity and capability through the Planning Delivery Fund. This £25 million fund will help to support a step change in design quality of new development, as well as design advice and support to local authorities delivering growth.

The Planning Delivery Fund prospectus is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-delivery-fund-prospectus


Written Question
Planning
Wednesday 6th December 2017

Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local authorities on achieving the National Planning Policy Framework core planning principle that planning should always seek to secure high quality design and a good standard of amenity for all existing and future occupants of land and buildings; and whether he has any plans to strengthen the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure high quality design for the built environment.

Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

The Government believes that good design is fundamental to creating attractive, safe and healthy places, where people genuinely want to live. Furthermore, high quality design is key to making development acceptable. The Housing White Paper published in February this year set out a number of measures to strengthen national planning policy on design.

Included in these proposals are measures to strengthen the role of design expectations and pre-application discussions on design. Local and Neighbourhood plans are an essential way to give communities a stronger voice in the design of new housing, and to influence the design of what gets built in their area. As part of the White Paper we also set out our ambition to make clear that design should not be used as a valid reason to object to development where it accords with clear design expectations.

Following the Housing White Paper consultation, we are now considering the responses to these proposals on design, with a view to publishing a revised National Planning Policy Framework for consultation in early 2018.

As a further measure to support increased design capacity within local planning authorities, we announced the Planning Delivery Fund on 4 December 2017. This £25 million fund will help to support a step change in design quality of new development, as well as design advice and support to local planning authorities delivering growth.


Written Question
Planning Authorities
Wednesday 6th December 2017

Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local planning authorities follow the guidance in paragraph 62 of the National Planning Policy Framework which recommends that local design review arrangements are put in place to provide assessment and support to ensure high standards of design; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local design review arrangements for implementing that recommendation.

Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

The Government believes that good design is fundamental to creating attractive, safe and healthy places, where people genuinely want to live. Furthermore, high quality design is key to making development acceptable. The Housing White Paper published in February this year set out a number of measures to strengthen national planning policy on design.

Included in these proposals are measures to strengthen the role of design expectations and pre-application discussions on design. Local and Neighbourhood plans are an essential way to give communities a stronger voice in the design of new housing, and to influence the design of what gets built in their area. As part of the White Paper we also set out our ambition to make clear that design should not be used as a valid reason to object to development where it accords with clear design expectations.

Following the Housing White Paper consultation, we are now considering the responses to these proposals on design, with a view to publishing a revised National Planning Policy Framework for consultation in early 2018.

As a further measure to support increased design capacity within local planning authorities, we announced the Planning Delivery Fund on 4 December 2017. This £25 million fund will help to support a step change in design quality of new development, as well as design advice and support to local planning authorities delivering growth.


Written Question
Planning Authorities
Monday 4th December 2017

Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will consider the findings of the Place Alliance survey Design Skills in English Planning Authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)

In a Written Ministerial Statement on 4 December (HCWS308), I set out provisions to support design skills, capacity and capability through the Planning Delivery Fund. This £25 million fund will help to support a step change in design quality of new development, as well as design advice and support to local authorities delivering growth.

The Planning Delivery Fund prospectus is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-delivery-fund-prospectus