Regional Planning and Development

Mr. Pickles
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated date is by which every local planning authority in England will have completed its local development framework.

Mr. Iain Wright
The work programmes for local planning authorities (called local development schemes) are drawn up by the authorities themselves and cleared by regional government offices. Each is different: each is intended to be tailored to the individual needs of the area. Every LDF includes a core strategy as the key overarching document but other plans vary according to circumstances. Projections are not easy to make with total accuracy but I currently expect over 90 per cent. of core strategies to be adopted by March 2011, 99 per cent. by March 2012 and 100 per cent. by March 2013.