Housing and Regeneration Bill

My Lords, I am afraid that I cannot support the noble Baroness’s amendment nor those of the noble Lord, although I articulated some sympathy with their sentiments in Committee. I have two or three important points to make. In the valuable debate we had in Committee, we all understood how strongly views were held on planning powers. I say to the noble Viscount that some evidence suggests that these planning powers have been used entirely benignly and in a positive way over the past five years. It is useful to remember that we are not putting in the Bill the kind of culture, organisation and wide, sweeping powers that we saw in the New Towns Act 1946. We do the Minister’s hard work and her amendments a disservice if we suggest that the HCA’s planning powers would be used in that way. I remind noble Lords of the example that I used in Committee, when I explained that English Partnerships has had these powers throughout its existence. We no longer look to the old model of new towns or other urban development corporations, where an organisation was set up entirely detached from local democracy and local authorities. Rather, we should look to delivery vehicles set up in the past five years, such as the Milton Keynes Partnership—with a progressive, intelligent, local authority—which has been a joint venture between local authority members, English Partnership board members and members of the local community, who now comprise the local planning authority. That authority has an independent chair, a person with a strong Milton Keynes track record. Evidence for this can be found in the amount of high quality development infrastructure that has been delivered in Milton Keynes compared to the rather arid scene of 10 years earlier. It is right to say that these powers will be used exceptionally. The Milton Keynes partnership committee was indeed an exception and was initiated after extensive consultation, not just with the local authority but with a range of stakeholders. Ministers were at pains to stress that, although the Milton Keynes partnership uses the planning powers of English Partnerships, it is by no means controlled or dominated by English Partnerships. That is the reality of the way in which we set up delivery vehicles in the 21st century. We do not look towards the development corporations that we had in the previous century. I am sure that my noble friend will underline that when she responds. The concessions that the Government have made in their amendments make it clear that this provision will be used only in exceptional circumstances, in an entirely benign way and with the full agreement and co-operation of the relevant local authority. The advisory team on large applications comprises specialist planning practitioners and is a joint team consisting of members of the department and English Partnerships. It has worked closely with local authority colleagues across the country, where they have asked it to intervene to help them process large, complex applications because they simply did not have the necessary skills and expertise. The great news for local authority colleagues is that they do not have to pay anything for that specialist advice. This has been a marvellous innovation in facilitating developments that would not otherwise have been brought forward by local authorities that were minded to support them but simply did not have the range of expertise to do so. I gently chide the noble Lord, Lord Dixon-Smith, as I think there is definitely scope for the HCA to facilitate and to provide support in that way.