To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built in each millennium community to date. (274771)

The number of houses which have been built in millennium communities since the programme began in 1997 to date are:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes have been built on surplus public sector land in each of the last five years; and what estimate has been made of the number which will be built on such land in each of the next three years. (274828)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 23 March 2009, Official Report, columns 69-70W. However to clarify, the purpose of the Register of Surplus Public Sector Land is to record sites for disposal that have been identified as surplus, vacant or under-used by Government Departments and their agencies which can be used for redevelopment including housing.

Information on the number of homes built on public sector land since 2004 is not held centrally as the Register does not capture such details. However, the Homes and Communities Agency estimates that since 2004 some 19,000 homes may have been built on sites formerly owned by the public sector. The cost of providing a more accurate figure would be disproportionate. This estimate will include a proportion of the 59,505 homes built since 1997, referred to in the previous answer of 23 March 2009. I should remind the hon. Member that these figures are likely to under-represent the number of homes built on land formerly owned by Government bodies.

Our latest estimate, as at January 2009, is that about 51,000 homes could be built on public sector sites in the next three years. This will be subject to sites remaining surplus or underused and planning approval being obtained. This forecast is under review and may reduce in the future to reflect the challenging market conditions.