Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gareth Johnson and Mark Prisk

Monday 17th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)]

6. What steps his Department is taking to support local high streets.

[The Minister for Housing (Mr Mark Prisk)]

In response to the Portas review, the Government are taking positive action to help our high streets. That includes strengthening local civic leadership through town team partners and business improvement districts, revitalising local markets and backing small businesses.

[Gareth Johnson]

My local high street in Dartford has successfully applied to become a Portas town, which has encouraged a large number of organisations such as NCR to consider putting help and expertise into Dartford. Does the Minister agree that such a proactive response, particularly from local councils, will help to ensure a successful future for our high streets?

[Mr Prisk]

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend that strong civic and local business leadership is vital. That is why we are enabling more than 300 towns to form town team partners. I hope right hon. and hon. Members will support their local town team partners so we can ensure that our high streets can compete in future.

Housing

Debate between Gareth Johnson and Mark Prisk

Wednesday 5th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Prisk]

The Prime Minister and Chancellor are not saying that. If I have learned anything, it is not to believe everything I read in the newspapers.

Alongside the measures I have just described, it is important to ensure that we help local areas, but not in the same way as the previous Government. For example, we could help those local areas that wish to deliver locally led large-scale new developments in a way that helps their communities. Unlike the previous Government, whose eco-towns were promised and never happened, this Government do not intend to dictate to people or impose on them. We want to work with them, which is an important principle.

Let me give an example of how that policy has worked. I pay tribute to my predecessor, because last week, the Government helped to unlock plans for 23,000 homes on the brownfield site of Eastern Quarry in Ebbsfleet. Those plans had been stuck on the drawing board for a decade, but the homes can now be built.

[Gareth Johnson (Dartford) (Con)]

That development, which is on a brownfield site in my constituency, is for 10,000 homes, which makes it one of the largest developments in Europe. Is the Minister aware that the idea was conceived in 1996, but that not one single home was built in the following 13 years? Only now are we seeing action on the Eastern Quarry development in Ebbsfleet.

[Mr Prisk]

Those 23,000 homes are testimony to the incompetence of the previous Labour Government.