§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what quantity of land in the Thames Gateway needs to be re-allocated from employment uses to housing or mixed use to meet the Government's aspirations for delivering 120,000 additional houses by 2016. [149185]
§ Yvette CooperThe figure of 120,000 is drawn from discussions on development capacity with local planning partners during the preparation of the Gateway initiative, and reflects both existing planning allocations for development and local perspectives on further capacity. Work is now under way with Regional 1089W Planning Bodies to agree the detailed distribution of this growth, and prepare for its incorporation into Regional Strategic Statements.
Development in the Gateway focuses on its substantial reservoir of redundant and brownfield land, most of which will have originally been used historically for industrial and employment use. However, economic renewal is a parallel priority for the Gateway in order both to provide a stronger economic base for existing communities, and meet the employment needs of new residents. The area remains an important industrial and commercial location in the South East, and collectively the Gateway ports are the largest in the country. Retention and renewal of appropriate and good quality employment land to meet the needs of the local economy therefore remains important. The planning exercise now under way will therefore also be taking into account the appropriate future balance of housing and employment land.