Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many expressions of interest in response to the Locally-led Garden Cities Prospectus had been (a) received and (b) considered as of 10 December 2014.

Following the publication of our locally-led Garden Cities prospectus in April we have been in discussions with a number of local authorities, developers and consultants interested in bringing forward proposals for new locally-led garden cities. The announcement of Bicester as a new Garden Town at Autumn Statement reflects the fact that Cherwell District Council's plans for Bicester are well advanced, and in a position to benefit from Government support. Discussions with other places interested in bringing forward large scale housing developments are ongoing through the large sites programme.

It would not be in the public interest to release information that could undermine the ongoing local negotiations and policy development. But we will make further announcements on our locally-led large scale sites programme in due course.