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German Road, Bramley

I congratulate the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Mrs. Miller) on securing this debate. She has set out her concerns about the role of the Secretary of State in the planning application in respect of German road, Bramley. The hon. Lady was right to say at the beginning of her remarks that I am very constrained in what I can say in the House about these matters. The case is still under consideration by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, so it would not be appropriate for me to comment on the matters that she has raised. I am unable to take action that could prejudge the determination of the planning decision. However, I can tell the House that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to the parties involved on 3 April 2007 indicating that she is minded to disagree with the inspector and to grant planning permission, subject to conditions and in particular subject to receipt of a satisfactory reformulated planning obligation in respect of securing the appropriate provision of affordable housing. The parties involved have been asked to submit such an obligation and any other representation by 3 July this year. Subject to the substance of those submissions, I understand that it is anticipated that a decision would be issued on or before 2 August. The hon. Member for Basingstoke will know that clear procedures exist for the determination of planning cases. Such cases involve private as well as community interests, so it is appropriate that the procedures are properly followed to ensure that decisions are fair to all sides and appropriately transparent. She will appreciate too that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s role in such cases is quasi-judicial, and that it is therefore inappropriate for Ministers to debate cases in Parliament while they are passing through the process. In addition, I am afraid that we are also unable to have a slightly wider debate that uses an individual case as an example, as to do so could give the appearance that we were prejudging the case, which would be inappropriate. The hon. Member for Basingstoke will want to ensure that the views of her constituents and of everyone involved in the case are fairly taken into account and are not prejudiced by the debate. However, I can draw the attention of the hon. Member for Basingstoke to the letter of 3 April, which sets out the Secretary of State’s consideration of the development plan, the sustainability of the site, transportation matters and planning policy guidance note 13. It also sets out my right hon. Friend’s consideration of housing matters and planning policy statement 3, and of the relevant conditions under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Finally, it sets out my right hon. Friend’s conclusions in the light of those considerations. I am afraid that it would be inappropriate for me to comment further, and I am also unable to comment on the relationship between the application and the wider plans for the district. The hon. Lady raised wider issues around the need for infrastructure and for housing. I preface my comments on those two wider issues by saying that I am not commenting on them with regard to their implications for this individual case. As I have made it clear, it would not be appropriate for me to do so. We believe that there is a need for more investment in infrastructure to support housing growth across the country. That is why we have been looking at issues around planning gain supplement and why we have been working with areas, such as Milton Keynes, on ideas around tariff. She has to recognise that infrastructure requires investment and that that investment needs to be found. I hope that she will urge her Front Bench to support additional investment in infrastructure across the country. The hon. Lady may be aware that the national housing and planning advice unit has today published a report that looks at the impact of affordability on current and planned levels of house building and concludes that if more homes are not built, there will be a big increase in pressures on first-time buyers over the next 20 years and that this is a serious matter.