Oral Answers to Questions

Vicky Ford Excerpts

Monday 27th March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

5. What steps he is taking to build new homes on regenerated brownfield land.

[Vicky Ford (Chelmsford) (Con)]

9. What steps he is taking to build new homes on regenerated brownfield land.

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

10. What steps he is taking to help ensure that planning authorities prioritise housebuilding on brownfield sites; and if he will make a statement.

--- Later in debate ---

[Rachel Maclean]

I thank my right hon. Friend for her consistent advocacy in championing this vital issue. That is absolutely what the Government are doing. We are introducing a number of measures, as she set out, to support that brownfield-first approach, including requiring every local authority to publish a register of local brownfield land suitable for housing in their area.

[Vicky Ford]

In Chelmsford there are many households living in temporary accommodation. New affordable homes are being built on greenfield sites, but that is not keeping pace with the need. Will the Government look at better ways to use brownfield sites, such as office block to residential conversions, to help to deliver more affordable homes?

[Rachel Maclean]

My right hon. Friend is doing a superb job of pushing forward affordable homes for her constituents in Chelmsford, and we are wholly committed to that shared agenda. Since 2010, over 829,000 households have been helped to buy a home by Conservative Governments. That is a massive achievement. However, it is vital to prioritise brownfield sites such as those in Chelmsford, and we recently consulted on proposed policies to further encourage the use of those small sites. I am happy to meet her to discuss that further.