§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment his Department makes of the impact on the local economy when considering proposals for the relocation of Government Department buildings and buildings used by Government-sponsored agencies. [30438]
§ Dr. WhiteheadThe Department is carrying out a programme of reviews of its future accommodation needs in each region for its own staff, its agencies and the Government offices for the regions. It is the Department's policy to provide any new accommodation by co-locating such bodies.
The objectives of a co-location project are to: reduce running costs; increase operational flexibility; increase disposability of accommodation; improve the working environment; promote sustainable development; deliver high quality design; and facilitate joined-up Government. A matrix of detailed criteria, used to evaluate options for co-location, includes the requirement for the new building to attain an "Excellent" BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating, to be located in the centre of a town or city with good links to an integrated public transport system and to involve the redevelopment of a brownfield site, if available.
Each co-location project includes the Government office in the region and they are able to bring into account more detailed issues relating local impact.