§ Lord Dean of Beswickasked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the advice of the West Midlands Regional Forum of Local Authorities on housing provision and whether they will issue an amendment to Regional Planning Guidance 11.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)The forum is to be congratulated on the comprehensive nature of its advice and its involvement of the House Builders Federation and the Council for the Protection of Rural England in its formulation.
We have concluded that further regional planning guidance on housing provision in the West Midlands is required. We expect to issue this early in the New Year. A copy of the amendment will be placed in the Library of the House.
We have concluded that provision should be made for 335,000 dwellings in the region between 1991 and 2011 including replacements and conversions to be redistributed as set out below. This is broadly in line with the advice received from the forum but we take the view that the metropolitan area has the capacity to make 202WA slightly higher provision than it proposed. This would have benefits both for urban regeneration and protection of the countryside. In amending the guidance we will want to set out clear policies that authorities should pursue in their development plans to increase the amount of housing on previously developed land, to make provision for affordable housing and to ensure sustainable locations for housing development within transport corridors.
Annual average of housing provisions for West Midlands Region 1991–2011 Regional Total 16,750 Herefordshire 825 Worcestershire 2,065 Shropshire 2,400 Staffordshire 3,520 Warwickshire 2,035 Shire County Total 10,845 Birmingham 2,325 Coventry 555 Dudley 620 Sandwell 890 Solihull 505 Walsall 505 Woverhampton 505 Metropolitan Total 5,905