HC Deb 09 March 1999 vol 327 cc166-7
10. Mr. Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield)

What steps he is taking to increase the amount of assistance given to local authorities to regenerate brown-field land sites in their areas. [73421]

Hon. Members

Come on!

The Minister for the Regions, Regeneration and Planning (Mr. Richard Caborn)

I was waiting for my hon. Friend the Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) to ask his question.

Madam Speaker

It is too noisy. We cannot hear.

Mr. Caborn

I totally agree. The problem is all the noise coming from the Opposition Benches.

The Government support local authority regeneration initiatives through a range of programmes including the single regeneration budget, the new deal for communities and the land reclamation programme of English Partnerships, as well as through the revenue support grant. We plan to spend £4.6 billion on regeneration programmes over the next three years.

Mr. Sheerman

My hon. Friend will know that I share his belief that the regenerative power of brown field can change the landscape of this country, especially our towns and cities. Is he aware that we need proper incentives to get local authorities moving in partnership with all the other new agencies, such as the regional development agencies? Is it not about time that he took off the velvet gloves with some local authorities, which still have not sent back their registration of brown-field land in their areas?

Mr. Caborn

There has been an improvement in returns from local authorities. I hope that we shall be able to give a comprehensive appraisal of the brown-field sites that are available for development when we produce the land use data bank by the end of this month.

Mr. Simon Burns (West Chelmsford)

Does the Minister accept that the Government could have assisted local authorities if they had been quicker in providing their revised PPGs? Does he further accept that, if the draft PPG3 had been revised more quickly, fewer green-field sites would have been lost to building—as some still will be? Can he explain today why it has taken so long to provide draft revision of the guidance? When does he expect the draft guidance to be published? I assume that it will be shortly. More importantly, when does he expect the consultation thereafter to be completed, and the draft guidance to become actual guidance?

Mr. Caborn

As soon as the Government release draft planning guidance, it is immediately material to any inquiry. We are moving systematically through the land use planning system and bringing it under a sustainable policy in which transport, economic planning and land use planning are brought together. That is what the regional planning guidance PPG11 was about. We will now modernise the system systematically. PPG3 will be out in the next few weeks, and we have thought carefully about it. I hope to be able to publish it, and it will become material to inquiries as soon as we produce the draft guidance.