Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Overdevelopment: London and the South-East

Monday 5 October 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Theresa Villiers asked about steps to prevent overdevelopment in London and the South East.
  • The response stated commitment to delivering homes and protecting green spaces.
  • Villiers questioned the inconsistency between the Secretary of State's letter to the Mayor of London and his new housing algorithm.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Theresa Villiers Con
Housing
Context

The question arises from concerns about the impact of overdevelopment on green spaces, local communities, and housing needs. Theresa Villiers seeks specific actions to address these issues.

Question

What steps he is taking to prevent overdevelopment in London and the South East. Our consultation sets out the elements that we intend to balance when determining local housing need, including building 300,000 homes, tackling affordability challenges in the places where people most want to live, and levelling up our towns and cities.

Answer from Christopher Pincher

We are committed to delivering the homes and communities that this country needs, while protecting our important green spaces and avoiding overdevelopment anywhere in the country. Our consultation sets out the elements that we intend to balance when determining local housing need, including building 300,000 homes, tackling affordability challenges in the places where people most want to live, and levelling up our towns and cities. The consultation recently closed and we are reflecting carefully on the feedback.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures to prevent overdevelopment were not detailed, only a commitment was given.

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Q2 Theresa Villiers Con
Housing
Context

A letter from the Secretary of State to the Mayor of London expressed concern over a plan tilting towards one-bedroom flats. The MP questions how this aligns with new housing algorithms.

Question

In March, the Secretary of State wrote a strongly worded letter to the Mayor of London to express concern that his London plan tilts away from family homes towards one-bedroom flats. How does the Secretary of State reconcile the inconsistency between that letter and his new housing algorithm, which will generate such high targets that they are unachievable without tower blocks full of predominantly one-bedroom flats?

Answer from Christopher Pincher

As I said, we will reflect carefully on the feedback that we receive from the consultation on calculating local housing need. My right hon. Friend refers to the desire to protect quiet neighbourhoods and ensure that they are not overborne by tall tower blocks. I am keen to make sure that local authorities are at the heart of decision making, and we will make sure that that is a fundamental part of our response to the consultation. I reassure my right hon. Friend, who is a doughty campaigner for the fine borough of Barnet, which builds lots of homes, that we will bring forward proposals to achieve the sorts of ends that she is looking for.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific reconciliation was provided; only assurances about decision-making processes and future proposals were given.

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