Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities in the North West region have chosen to build fewer houses than set out in their Objectively Assessed Need.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to plan to meet the objectively assessed housing needs of their area.
Where an authority is unable to meet its need locally, it is expected to work with neighbouring authorities through the duty to co-operate to determine whether the unmet need can be met across the wider area.
Bolton’s current Local Plan, adopted in March 2011, sets an average annual housing target of 694 dwellings per annum. Wigan’s existing Local Plan, adopted in September 2013, has an average annual housing target of 1,000 dwellings per annum.
The Department publishes information on the number of net new dwellings developed in each local authority every year. This may be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing (table 122). This table shows that the number of net additions for Bolton and Wigan for 2015/16 were 510 and 640 respectively.
A table setting out existing Local Plan targets, where known, and their delivery in 2015/16 for authorities in North West England is set out below.
Local authority | 2015/16 Net Additional Dwellings (per annum) | Current Plan Target (per annum) |
Cheshire East | 1570 | 1800 |
Cheshire West and Chester | 1770 | 1100 |
Halton | 540 | 552 |
Warrington | 600 | - |
Allerdale | 380 | 304 |
Barrow in Furness | 90 | - |
Carlisle | 500 | 565 |
Copeland | 130 | 277 |
Eden | 260 | 239 |
South Lakeland | 330 | 400 |
Bolton | 510 | 694 |
Bury | 340 | - |
Manchester | 1760 | 3333 |
Oldham | 260 | 289 |
Rochdale | 310 | 460 |
Salford | 1100 | - |
Stockport | 320 | 495 |
Tameside | 590 | - |
Trafford | 360 | 578 |
Wigan | 640 | 1000 |
Blackburn with Darwen | 100 | 625 |
Blackpool | 250 | 280 |
Burnley | 210 | - |
Chorley | 610 | 417 |
Fylde | 300 | - |
Hyndburn | 100 | 213 |
Lancaster | 480 | 700 |
Pendle | 130 | 298 |
Preston | 480 | 507 |
Ribble Valley | 300 | 280 |
Rossendale | 120 | 247 |
South Ribble | 430 | 417 |
West Lancashire | 300 | 324 |
Wyre | 320 | - |
Knowsley | 290 | 450 |
Liverpool | 2020 | - |
Sefton | -190 | 640 |
St Helens | 580 | 570 |
Wirral | 500 | - |
The Government expects local authorities to review their plans regularly to ensure that they are kept up-to-date. The Mayor of Manchester is currently preparing a Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which includes Bolton and Wigan.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities in (a) the North West region and (b) England have (i) adopted an Objectively Assessed Need (OAN) plan, (ii) chosen to build fewer homes than their OAN and (iii) chosen to build the full OAN.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to plan to meet the objectively assessed housing needs of their area.
Where an authority is unable to meet its need locally, it is expected to work with neighbouring authorities through the duty to co-operate to determine whether the unmet need can be met across the wider area.
Bolton’s current Local Plan, adopted in March 2011, sets an average annual housing target of 694 dwellings per annum. Wigan’s existing Local Plan, adopted in September 2013, has an average annual housing target of 1,000 dwellings per annum.
The Department publishes information on the number of net new dwellings developed in each local authority every year. This may be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-net-supply-of-housing (table 122). This table shows that the number of net additions for Bolton and Wigan for 2015/16 were 510 and 640 respectively.
A table setting out existing Local Plan targets, where known, and their delivery in 2015/16 for authorities in North West England is set out below.
Local authority | 2015/16 Net Additional Dwellings (per annum) | Current Plan Target (per annum) |
Cheshire East | 1570 | 1800 |
Cheshire West and Chester | 1770 | 1100 |
Halton | 540 | 552 |
Warrington | 600 | - |
Allerdale | 380 | 304 |
Barrow in Furness | 90 | - |
Carlisle | 500 | 565 |
Copeland | 130 | 277 |
Eden | 260 | 239 |
South Lakeland | 330 | 400 |
Bolton | 510 | 694 |
Bury | 340 | - |
Manchester | 1760 | 3333 |
Oldham | 260 | 289 |
Rochdale | 310 | 460 |
Salford | 1100 | - |
Stockport | 320 | 495 |
Tameside | 590 | - |
Trafford | 360 | 578 |
Wigan | 640 | 1000 |
Blackburn with Darwen | 100 | 625 |
Blackpool | 250 | 280 |
Burnley | 210 | - |
Chorley | 610 | 417 |
Fylde | 300 | - |
Hyndburn | 100 | 213 |
Lancaster | 480 | 700 |
Pendle | 130 | 298 |
Preston | 480 | 507 |
Ribble Valley | 300 | 280 |
Rossendale | 120 | 247 |
South Ribble | 430 | 417 |
West Lancashire | 300 | 324 |
Wyre | 320 | - |
Knowsley | 290 | 450 |
Liverpool | 2020 | - |
Sefton | -190 | 640 |
St Helens | 580 | 570 |
Wirral | 500 | - |
The Government expects local authorities to review their plans regularly to ensure that they are kept up-to-date. The Mayor of Manchester is currently preparing a Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which includes Bolton and Wigan.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of land in (a) Bolton, (b) Wigan and (c) Greater Manchester has been designated green belt land.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
As of 31 March 2017, the following percentages of land were designated as Green Belt in Bolton, Wigan and Greater Manchester:
Bolton | 52 |
Wigan | 57 |
Greater Manchester | 47 |
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that new build homes are sold on as leasehold properties.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Government’s consultation, Tackling Unfair Practices in the Leasehold Market, considered a number of issues within the leasehold sector including the sale of new built leasehold houses, and onerous ground rents. The consultation also sought views on what further areas of leasehold reform should be prioritised and why. The public consultation, which closed on 19 September, received around 6,000 replies. We are carefully analysing the responses, and will issue the Government response in due course.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many affordable homes have been built in (a) the North of England, (b) Bolton and (c) Wigan in each year since May 2010.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Figures on the number of additional affordable homes supplied are available in live table 1008C: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of empty homes in (a) the North of England, (b) Bolton and (c) Wigan.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Figures on the numbers of empty homes are available in live table 615: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much (a) Bolton and (b) Wigan councils received in government grants in (i) 2014-15 and (ii) 2015-16.
Answered by Marcus Jones - Treasurer of HM Household (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Commons)
This information is publically available.
Bolton Council 14/15 - http://www.bolton.gov.uk/sites/DocumentCentre/Documents/Statement%20of%20Accounts%202014-15.pdf
Wigan Council 14/15 - https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Council/Performance-and-Spending/Statement-Accounts/Statement-of-Accounts-Final-Audited-Version.pdf
Indicative formula allocations were made through the Final Local Government Finance Settlement for England 2015-16. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2015-to-2016
My Department does not hold a live list of non-formula grant allocations to local authorities over the current financial year. Both Bolton and Wigan councils will release this information as part of their Statement of Accounts for 2015/16.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department is doing to ensure that brownfield land which may have been used by heavy industry is cleaned and prepared for house building in (a) Bolton West constituency and (b) England and Wales.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
We are supporting the regeneration of brownfield land through a range of measures. This includes up to £400 million to help create Housing Zones which can be used to cover the costs of land remediation, and a £1 billion fund which we intend to create to focus on unlocking homes on brownfield land for additional housing.
We are also supporting development on brownfield sites through the existing Large Sites Programme, which provides long term loan finance and support to developers, and by releasing enough public sector land for over 150,000 homes by 2020.
In Bolton the Homes and Communities Agency have been working with the Council and the Joint Venture ‘Horwich Vision’ since 2008 to facilitate the redevelopment of a large contaminated site - the former Horwich Loco Works for housing.
Through the Housing and Planning Bill the Government will require local planning authorities in England to create and maintain registers of brownfield land that is suitable for housing.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what support his Department provides to local authorities seeking a devolution deal.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
Officials in my Department as well as the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Her Majesty's Treasury are in regular dialogue with local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships about devolution deals. In addition, a large number of Government departments and agencies are providing more specialist policy expertise both in negotiating and implementing devolution deals.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of new residential addresses have been created on brownfield sites since 2010.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
Statistics for 2013/14 were published in August 2015 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/land-use-change-statistics-2013-to-2014
These statistics show that, in 2013/14, 60 per cent of new residential addresses, including conversions to residential use, were created on previously developed land.
The figures in the 2013/14 publication are the first in a new series. The Department holds no historical figures for the proportion of residential addresses on previously developed land prior to this.