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Local Government Finance: Torbay

Volume 457: debated on Monday 5 March 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to approve (a) the mayor's vision, (b) the housing land availability assessment for Torbay and (c) the capital programme for Brixham in relation to the new growth point programme for Torbay; and if she will make a statement. (124276)

Torbay council's applications for new growth point funding for developing the mayor's vision and for a regeneration project at Oxen Cove, Brixham are currently being assessed by the Government Office for the south west. The results of that assessment will be available shortly to the Department.

I understand that the council has undertaken an assessment of housing land availability as required in planning policy statement 3 (published in November 2006). It is a factual assessment and does not require the Secretary of State's approval. I understand that the council was preparing such an assessment as part of developing the evidence base for its local development framework (LDF). The assessment will therefore be available for testing in the public examination.

The content of the mayor's vision is a matter for the mayor and Torbay council. We would expect it to be incorporated into the LDF, which will be the subject of a public examination in due course.