Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 February 2019 to Question 220835 on Housing: Construction, when his Department will be setting out space standards for new homes.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Nationally Described Space Standard for new homes has been in place since 2015. The Government will be considering the Nationally Described Space Standard as part of its programme to review planning practice guidance and building regulations guidance.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220837 on Local Plans, whether his Department has no plans to set a deadline for local authorities to have a local plan.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 22 February 2019 to Question UIN 220837.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220834, what progress his Department has made since 2017 in increasing transparency on who owns land privately held and the options held over it.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The total amount of freehold land registered with HM Land Registry continues to increase at an average rate of 0.1 per cent a month, and now stands at 86.5 per cent (87.4 per cent in England and 80.6 per cent in Wales). HM Land Registry receives, on average, around 400 registrations of land each day which extends the Land Register.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220826 on Housing: Construction, whether his Department has made an estimate of the amount of Section 106 funding lost to local authorities when new homes are created under permitted development rather than through granted planning permission.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
We are clear that permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are making an important contribution to housing delivery, with over 46,000 homes to rent or buy delivered under the rights in the three years to March 2018. Where additional floor space is created through exercise of the permitted development rights, community infrastructure levy is payable where an authority has a charging schedule in place.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2019 to Question 220840 on Housing: Construction, whether his Department has made no assessment of the suitability of the location of housing created under permitted development.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Data is collected on how many homes are created under permitted development rights for change of use in each local authority. This does not include information on their location within the authority area. The National Planning Policy Framework recognises that local planning authorities can tailor planning controls to local circumstance, and make an Article 4 direction to remove a permitted development right where it is necessary to protect the amenity or well-being of the area.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Housing on the 4th March, Official Report Volume 655, Column 659, if he will include in the social housing Green Paper proposals for decent home standards for (a) the private rented sector and (b) homes created through permitted development.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
In August 2018, the Government’s Social Housing Green Paper asked whether there are any changes to what constitutes a decent home that Government should consider. The consultation closed in November 2018 and we are currently analysing responses.
In January 2019, Government also commissioned the first stage of a review to assess how well the Housing Health and Safety Rating System works in practice. This review will consider the introduction of minimum standards across all rental tenures.
In the Secretary of State's Written Ministerial Statement of 13 March 2019 (HCWS1408) he announced his intention to review permitted development rights for conversion of buildings to residential use in respect of the quality standard of homes delivered.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the type of households living in permitted development compared to housing delivered through planning permission.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
National permitted development rights for the change of use to residential are making an important contribution to housing delivery, bringing forward additional homes that may not otherwise have been developed. Nationally over 46,000 homes to rent or buy were delivered under the rights in the three years to March 2018. My department publishes Live tables on housing supply: net additional dwellings which includes information on the homes developed under permitted development rights in each local authority district.
In bringing forward permitted development rights we have recognised that the only additional funding to local planning authorities through planning obligations will be where additional floor space is created and there is a Community Infrastructure Levy charging schedule in place.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the number of planning officers required to bring planning departments to full capacity.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises that having well-resourced and skilled planning departments is essential for the delivery of our ambitious housing programme. We are working with the Local Government Association and the Royal Town Planning Institute to understand the resourcing and skills needs in council planning departments.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government made of the skills gap in the planning sector.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises that having well-resourced and skilled planning departments is essential for the delivery of our ambitious housing programme. We are working with the Local Government Association and the Royal Town Planning Institute to understand the resourcing and skills needs in council planning departments.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the number of vacant posts in planning departments in England.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Government recognises that having well-resourced and skilled planning departments is essential for the delivery of our ambitious housing programme. We are working with the Local Government Association and the Royal Town Planning Institute to understand the resourcing and skills needs in council planning departments.