§ Mr. WatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what financial incentives exist to encourage the development of urban brownfield and derelict sites. [50333]
§ Mr. RaynsfordEnglish Partnerships, the Government's regeneration agency, supports physical regeneration projects across England. An important part of their programme is the reclamation and development of brownfield and derelict sites. Applications to English Partnerships are handled within the framework of its single Investment Fund. The operation of this Fund emphasises flexible partnerships and funding mechanisms and seeks to maximise private investment. The Challenge Fund, which is part of the Single Regeneration Budget, is also available for local regeneration partnerships and operates in a similar manner to English Partnerships.
In addition, The Government are committed to exploring the scope for using economic instruments to achieve our planning objectives, including modifications to VAT on housing, a greenfield tax, and reform of planning obligations. A key objective of all these options would be to discourage greenfield development and promote brownfield development.