HC Deb 03 February 1998 vol 305 cc623-4W
11. Mr. Brady

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many square miles of green belt land have been subject to new planning approvals since 1 May 1997. [24898]

Mr. Caborn

About 620 hectares of Green Belt have been deleted by development plan changes. Over the same period local authorities have proposed adding some 33,000 hectares to the Green Belt. If they are all adopted that will mean over 32,000 hectares will have been added to the Green Belt—that is about three times the size of Bristol.

13. Mr. Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the Government's policy towards housing development in the countryside. [24900]

Mr. Caborn

The Government are committed to protection of the countryside. This involves making the best possible use of brownfield sites in urban areas to accommodate new homes. Where development in the countryside is necessary, we have very strict controls on development.

22. Sir Paul Beresford

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his Department's policy on the proportion of new homes which should be accommodated on land which has been developed. [24909]

27. Mr. Sheerman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps is he taking to encourage the use of brown-field sites. [24914]

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to maximise the use of brown-field sites for housing. [25602]

Mr. Raynsford

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State hopes to make a statement to the House on the whole issue of household growth later this month. Meanwhile, national planning policy encourages local authorities to use previously developed sites for housing. This helps regenerate our towns and cities and helps to protect our countryside.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of additional dwellings required by 2018; and on what assumptions his estimate is based. [27135]

Mr. Raynsford

My Department has made no estimate of the number of homes that need to be constructed by 2018. The latest 1992-based household projections, published in March 1995, indicate a 4.4 million increase in the number of households in England in the 25 year period from 1991 to 2016. However, these household projections should not be taken as an estimate of the number of additional houses which have to be built. Rather, they represent just one of the factors to be taken into account by local planning authorities when arriving at figures for housing provision to be included in regional guidance and development plans. The detailed assumptions underlying these projections to 2016 are set out in the Stationery Office "Projections of Households in England to 2016", a copy of which is in the Library. My Department is planning to compile revised, 1996-based. household projections around the end of this year.