Regeneration (Thames Gateway)

Mr. Gummer
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if her Department will give local planning authorities in the Thames Gateway additional incentives to put design frameworks in place through the planning delivery grant.

Yvette Cooper
The Government are currently consulting on the proposed criteria for the allocation of £120 million of planning delivery grant in 2007-08.

These proposals include a provision of £24 million to recognise the additional work that is being undertaken by local planning authorities within growth areas to deliver higher levels of housing growth, which may well include work to bring forward design frameworks. This will apply to all planning authorities in the Thames Gateway.

Mr. Gummer
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of the local planning authorities in the Thames Gateway have up-to-date urban capacity assessments.

Yvette Cooper
All of the local planning authorities in the Thames Gateway have current urban capacity studies. Where the urban capacity studies are not up to date they are either in the process of being reviewed or will be reviewed as the local planning authority in question develops the evidence base for the development documents in the local development framework.