Access to Places of Worship 2024-10-17
2024-10-17
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
Residents in new towns and villages should have access to religious facilities as part of community development. The question addresses the lack of a legal requirement for local authorities to consider building new places of worship.
What steps is the Church taking with developers and local authorities to ensure that residents in new towns and villages have access to places of worship?
Local authorities are not currently required to consider building new places of worship, but under national planning policy they can include these as community buildings in development projects. The Church Commissioners seek to promote such facilities when local authorities include them.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not provide specific steps or commitments from the Church on working with developers and local authorities for new places of worship.
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The question builds on the initial query, emphasizing that community development should include places of worship to support residents' spiritual needs and enhance overall quality of life.
Development should be about building places and communities where people can live fulfilling lives, not just building houses, and places of worship play an important role in that. Will the hon. Member work with Ministers to ensure that the Government's new towns commission incorporates the creation of places of worship in new towns?
The Church Commissioners are involved in place-making and have sought a meeting with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss strategic land for up to 70,000 new homes. The diocese of St Albans provides examples of community-building through religious facilities.
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Assessment & feedback
The answer did not address the specific request to work with Ministers on incorporating places of worship into the new towns commission framework.
Response accuracy