Housing Targets (Hansard, 23 April 2001)

§ Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the implications of removing housing targets from the planning process. [158431]

§ Ms Beverley Hughes
Under the previous Government, long-term projections of household growth were converted using a "predict and provide" methodology into inflexible targets for new housing. This Government's approach is to enable public consideration at the regional level about the likely rate of housing provision required in a region over the foreseeable future, expressed as an annual rate, and to keep this under regular review.
Local authorities are expected to provide sufficient land for housing but give priority to reusing previously developed land within urban areas. We have set a target 74W number of people on the housing waiting list, (b) the number of priority homeless and (c) the number of people accommodated in bed and breakfast accommodation under housing legislation. [158582]

Mr. Robert Ainsworth
The table shows the number of households on the housing register, the number of homeless households in priority need accepted by London authorities and the number of households accommodated in bed and breakfast accommodation by London authorities under the provisions of the 1985 and 1996 Housing Acts.
that, by 2008, 60 per cent. of additional dwellings should be provided by redevelopment of previously developed land or through conversion of existing buildings. These policies have been supported by the issue of new planning guidance on housing, (PPG3).

§ Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on controls to prevent urban cramming in market towns. [158432]

§ Ms Beverley Hughes
Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: "Housing" advises local authorities to improve the quality of residential development by good design and layout (para 54). It further advises local authorities to have clear policies for the protection of open space and playing fields (para 53). We are presently consulting on revised guidance on planning for sport, open space and recreation (PPG17) which reinforces this message.