§ 2. Mr. Howard Flight (Arundel and South Downs)If he will make a statement on the proportion of brownfield and greenfield land to be used to build new houses in the south-east. [120140]
§ The Minister for Housing and Planning (Mr. Nick Raynsford)My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has already made his position clear in his proposed changes to draft regional planning guidance—RPG9. He expects that London will continue to achieve more than 80 per cent. of residential development on previously developed land and he proposes that local authorities in the south-east outside London should seek to achieve at least 60 per cent. of all new housing development on previously developed land.
§ Mr. FlightWill the Minister reconsider the Government's figures for West Sussex, which he will be aware cannot be achieved other than on the basis of 60 per cent. greenfield and 40 per cent brownfield, because there is insufficient brownfield land available?
§ Mr. RaynsfordNo, the hon. Gentleman is wrong. I shall remind him of the figures. Under the existing structure plan—the one that is in force, not the new arrangements—the provision in West Sussex as estimated by the south-east regional planning committee, Serplan, is 3,212 homes per year on average, compared with illustrative figures that we sent out to the chairman of Serplan a couple of weeks ago of 2,930 homes per year. There is no question that we shall impose an unreasonable additional burden on West Sussex—that simply is not true and it is wrong to pretend that it is.
§ Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test)Does my hon. Friend agree that, especially in the south-east, affordability is a key issue in planning future housing development? Does he also agree that a region having housing stock that is out of reach of most of the people living in that region is bad for the future of those people?
§ Mr. RaynsfordMy hon. Friend makes an extremely valid point, which is why, in PPG3, the Government placed strong emphasis on making mixed developments, 630 containing an appropriate balance of affordable housing, an important element of new development where necessary throughout the country. We shall continue to pursue that policy to ensure that all sections of the community have the opportunity to obtain a decent home.
§ Mr. James Clappison (Hertsmere)Is the Minister aware that almost all the land outside urban settlements in my constituency is covered by an existing green belt designation? My constituents derive no comfort from the philosophy expounded by his colleagues, that building on existing green belt can be made up by redesignating green belt elsewhere. Will not that sort of thinking lead to the whole of the south-east, especially the areas just outside London, being concreted over?
§ Mr. RaynsfordNo. As a former Minister, the hon. Gentleman will acknowledge the importance of the evidence, which clearly shows that the Government's target of 60 per cent. of new housing development in the south-east being on brownfield sites can be met. Those figures are confirmed by the national land use database figures, which show that the south-east contains 5,460 hectares of empty brownfield land that is suitable for housing development. It is important that development focuses on brownfield sites, and the Government are absolutely clear about their commitment to achieving that.