§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the impact of urban capacity studies on housing development and the character of historic cities. [39372]
§ Ms KeebleLocal planning authorities are responsible for undertaking the urban housing capacity studies required by Planning Policy Guidance Note 3Housing (PPG3). We expect these studies to lead to updated development plans that given priority to reusing brownfields for new housing in preference to greenfields. We have research underway to consider the implementation of PPG3 and this will report the progress made by local authorities in carrying out urban housing capacity studies. The research is considering the influence of capacity studies on housing development but will not report specifically on their impact on the character of historic cities.