HC Deb 25 June 1986 vol 100 cc238-9W
Mr. Winnick

asked the. Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will receive a deputation from the tenants of Rosehill estate, Willenhall, regarding financing in the current financial year of the modernisation by Walsall metropolitan borough council of the estate;

(2) if he will state the percentage of council dwellings on the Rosehill estate, Willenhall, as accepted by his Department as requiring urgent modernisation by the Walsall metropolitan borough council, following the visit by senior officials of his Department to the estate in August 1985; and if he will make a statement;

(3) what has been the latest communication to his Department from Walsall metropolitan borough council regarding the modernisation of the Rosehill estate, Willenhall; and if he will make a statement;

(4) what land and properties on the Rosehill estate, Willenhall, his Department is asking the Walsall metropolitan borough council to sell as part of any scheme for the modernisation of the estate; and what has been the latest response of the authority to such proposals.

Sir George Young

The latest communication from Walsall metropolitan borough council regarding the Rosehill estate, Willenhall was its revised application, dated 23 May, for a further housing investment programme application from the urban housing renewal unit.

As I said in my answer of 9 June at columns 21–2 the Department sets no rigid pre-conditions for schemes to qualify for additional resources from UHRU, although local authorities are encouraged to introduce improved estate-based management and to take full advantage of any opportunities which may exist for obtaining private sector contributions to their schemes.

The council's proposals involve the modernisation of all 294 dwellings on the estate. Officers from the Department were shown a number of individual dwellings when they visited the estate and they considered that those particular dwellings were in need of some modernisation.

Officials of my Department are still discussing Walsall's revised proposals with the council, and I do not see a need to receive a deputation at this time.