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Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Bill

I agree wholeheartedly. I was not recommending that the roof tax be applied generally. As my hon. Friend rightly highlighted, it is an appropriate mechanism for areas with a greater than average concentration of land ownership, with greater than average uniformity of land values and where there is certainty in the development pipeline. It is precisely in such circumstances that that mechanism is one of the most effective tools to achieve the objectives that we all have. It would be wholly inappropriate in Greenwich, but as I have pointed out, I do not think that the planning gain supplement will be appropriate in Greenwich, and I would rather have a framework that allowed section 106 agreements, which have worked well there, to continue, allowing the developments to flow in the area. The argument that I have been advancing is that there should be more of a focus on existing mechanisms or new thinking about appropriate mechanisms that may be tailored to the needs of individual areas. We should allow those to succeed rather than focusing on the single, across-the-board mechanism of the planning gain supplement, which in my view will not deliver the promised benefits in certain areas. I have explained why I do not think that it will deliver in many development sites on my own patch. I agree with my hon. Friend, but the conclusion that I draw is that an across-the-board taxation system such as PGS is probably not the right way forward. Instead, we should be looking at how to develop the different mechanisms that exist at the moment or are being developed. The last one that I want to refer to briefly is the concept of a strategic section 106 agreement. One of the greatest worries about section 106 is the uncertainty for developers as to what they are likely to be required to pay. I fully understand the worries that they have expressed about that element of uncertainty in the existing system. The idea of a strategic approach is to set out in advance a much clearer indication of the contribution that developers will be expected to make, so that when they go to explore a particular site, they can do so with greater certainty. That would be a good way to tackle one of the difficulties with section 106, and it would do it in a way that ensures that developers and local authorities have a common interest. That common interest would mean that development would happen, that the developer would know what they were expected to contribute, that there would be greater certainty, and that the contribution would be used for local benefit. There are a range of options; the planning gain supplement is not the only possibility open to the Government. I hope that my hon. Friend the Minister will recognise that the alternatives merit further consideration. I hope that when the consultation is finally assessed, he will come to the conclusion that we should not take a highly risky route that may not provide all that was promised, and that there is considerable merit in exploring the scope for making existing mechanisms work better, and ensuring that the objective that we all share is achieved. That objective is greater success in capturing the profits of development to ensure more successful, sustainable developments that work well, and for the interests of the whole community.