PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament

1075W
Written Answers
26 MARCH 2013
Written Answers
1076W
for Sustainable Homes; how many such houses were
built on greenfield land; what proportion of the
completed units were affordable; and if he will make a
statement. [150185]
Mr Foster: The Government does not hold information
in the form requested, distinguishing the types of sites
on which Code homes are constructed. Statistical
information about the Code for Sustainable Homes and
the energy performance of buildings is however published
quarterly on the Gov.uk website. In 2012 Code level 4
completion certificates were issued for 9,468 homes, of
which 7,640 were publicly funded. Similarly in 2012,
Code level 5 and 6 completion certificates were issued
for 234 homes, of which 211 were publicly funded.
Olympic Games 2012
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government whether any
funds from the public purse will be spent refurbishing
and modifying the Olympic Stadium in preparation for
any sale. [149863]
Brandon Lewis: Parliament, in passing the Localism
Act, devolved a number of functions, including
responsibility for the Olympic legacy in London to the
Mayor of London. Therefore, the Mayor is now accountable
to Londoners and the London Assembly for the delivery
of these functions in London and the use of the resources
provided to support them. The Mayor established the
London Legacy Development Corporation to manage
the long-term planning, development, management and
maintenance of the Olympic Park and its facilities after
the London 2012 Games. There are no current plans to
sell the stadium.
On 22 March the Corporation announced that West
Ham United Football Club has been confirmed as the
stadium’s long-term anchor tenant with a 99 year
concession, paying approximately £2 million in rent per
year. West Ham will also make a contribution of £15 million
towards the cost of transforming the stadium into a
multi-use venue with a roof to pitch side and retractable
seating that is suitable for athletics, football and other
events.
The remaining funding for the transformation of the
stadium will come from the London borough of Newham
(£40 million), the Corporation/Mayor of London
(£52.6 million), the Public Sector Funding Package
(£38.7 million) and the Public Works Loan Board
(£18.7 million).
The Government is committed to ensuring that the
Olympic Stadium provides a long-term and viable legacy
for the Olympic Games and therefore agreed to make
an exceptional contribution of £25 million towards the
transformation costs, should it be required once the
tenders are returned.
The total public sector contribution towards the
cost of transforming the stadium is £175 million. The
stadium and its transformation will be managed by
the Legacy Corporation and Newham council using
a dedicated joint venture E20 Stadium LLP. The
partnership, announced in July 2012, will help secure
extensive community benefits including jobs and sport
and education activity, with community access to both
the stadium and the new 400m community track. The
E20 Stadium partnership will now procure a stadium
operator to manage the venue, coordinate community
and sporting use, and to bring in various concerts and
events.
The stadium transformation will ensure that it has
both the capacity and facilities to attract cultural and
sporting events on a one-off basis and through long-term
regular use.
Planning Permission
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for
Communities and Local Government whether his
Department has any plans to deregulate the
publication of planning permission applications in
local newspapers. [149335]
Brandon Lewis [holding answer 21 March 2013]:
Ministers have been clear that, in an internet age,
commercial newspapers should expect over time less
state advertising as more information is syndicated online
by local authorities for free. The flipside is the free press
should not face state unfair competition from town hall
newspapers and municipal propaganda dressed up as
local reporting.
However, my Department does not have any current
plans to remove the statutory requirement for certain
planning applications to be advertised in newspapers.
Such notices ensure that the public are informed of
decisions by their local authority which may affect their
quality of life, local amenity or their property. This is
especially the case in relation to planning applications,
where there is a limited period for local residents to
make representations.
The last Administration produced a consultation paper
on this issue, proposing to
remove the statutory requirements to publish notices in
newspapers (Department for Communities and Local
Government, ‘Publicity for planning applications’, July
2009). This was not well-received. Following that
consultation, the Administration concluded:
“The Government has decided not to take forward this amendment.
This means that the statutory requirement to publish certain
applications in newspapers remains. It is clear from the responses
that some members of the public and community groups rely on
the statutory notices in newspapers to learn about planning
applications in their area. The Government is not convinced that
good alternative arrangements can be readily rolled out”.
(Department for Communities and Local Government,
‘Publicity for planning applications: Summary of responses
to consultation’, December 2009, p. 14).
More broadly, in response to his implicit suggestion
that such notices should be abolished in newspapers, I
would direct the hon. Member to a passage from The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:
“People of Earth, your attention, please... This is Prostetnic
Vogon Jeltz of the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council. As
you will no doubt be aware, the plans for development of the
outlying regions of the Galaxy require the building of a hyperspatial
express route through your star system, and regrettably, your
planet is one of those scheduled for demolition. The process will
take slightly less than two of your Earth minutes. Thank you...
There’s no point in acting surprised about it. All the planning
charts and demolition orders have been on display at your local
planning department in Alpha Centauri for fifty of your Earth
years, so you’ve had plenty of time to lodge any formal complaint
and it’s far too late to start making a fuss about it now...