Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Peter Luff (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 8 October 2009 on behalf of the West Midlands Regional Grand Committee.

Transport Capacity

Question: Many things I had hoped to say myself have been said. However, one other point is that I welcome the guidance from the Clerks that we can add our voices to later questions, which is not the normal procedure in the House. The designation of Worcester as a sub-regional growth point is leading to rapid increases in planning—under the regional spatial strategy—housing, and possibly in jobs as well. The area’s transport infrastructure is already creaking. What reassurance can the Minister give me that infrastructure, for example Worcestershire Parkway, will be built before the houses come and not afterwards?

Answer: The current infrastructure delivery plans are based on levels of growth identified in existing regional spatial strategies. Based on all the research so far, I would be surprised if there were significant infrastructure problems that prevented those developments from going ahead.

Secondary information