Housing and Planning

Jason McCartney Excerpts

Thursday 6th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)]

If we could please have brief, single questions, I will get all hon. Members in.

[Jason McCartney (Colne Valley) (Con)]

Will my right hon. Friend keep pushing for houses to be built on brownfield sites first and keep bringing empty homes back into use? I welcome the £300 million. Given the figures that are being bandied around, will he clarify what number of houses have planning permission and are ready to be built?

[Mr Pickles]

Clearly, the figure changes almost hourly. It would not be unreasonable to use the figure of 400,000 houses, which has been used by the LGA. It is there or thereabouts. These proposals are necessary to unlock that process and to allow good local authorities to deliver growth.