§ Mr. Doverasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will be issuing further guidelines or instructions relating to the planning requirements for low cost starter homes.
§ Mr. Giles ShawJoint preparation of planning guidelines for starter homes has now been undertaken by the Housebuilders Federation and the national development control forum, which represents local planning authorities. We intend to decide in the light of this work what further guidance we ourselves should give. In the meantime, local authorities should follow the policies set out in circular 22/80; paragraph 12 of Annex B refers specifically to the importance we attach to low cost starter homes, and emphasises that it may only be possible to build them at higher than conventional densities. The guidance in the circular will be applied in determining planning appeals.