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Housing and Regeneration Bill

This is an important part of the Bill and an important debate. I shall try my very best to feel my way through and make as clear as I possibly can some of the principles, the nature of the evidence that we are dealing with and the historic powers that we are taking forward, and to try to reassure noble Lords, especially the noble Baroness, Lady Hamwee, who seems to very concerned about the nature of the powers we are taking. I am very anxious that she understands not only how proportionate and important they are, but also how well they are grounded in evidence, participation, consultation and negotiation of partnership. Before I get on to that, I will deal with eco-towns. I completely understand the seriousness with which the issues are raised. We had a major debate on this yesterday. I cannot make myself much clearer than I did then, except to say to the noble Lord that the discussions on eco-towns have reached a preliminary stage. All views will be taken into consideration—certainly the views of local authorities, which are very important. Alongside the consultation which is going on at the moment into the eco-town choices and the 15 sites, we are consulting separately on a sustainability appraisal and a planning policy statement. I am conscious of the concerns that have been raised by the noble Earl, Lord Cathcart, and I offer noble Lords a meeting with officials to take them through the process which will surround and contain the planning of eco-towns. Yesterday I said that it would not run alongside or be a separate part of any other process—that it is a planning process. The final decision will rest in the context of a planning application which will be open to every form of democratic representation, should the site about which the noble Earl is concerned get that far. It is a planning process that we are talking about. I would like to be assured that every Member of the Committee has read the document that sets out the prospectus for the eco-towns because in it, in a detailed appendix, the planning process is clearly explained. However, there is an issue to be addressed here and I will organise a meeting for noble Lords to be taken through the process by the relevant officials quite separately from any other considerations they may have about the local situation. I hope that they will take advantage of that offer. Let me deal with the specific issues raised by the noble Earl, Lord Cathcart. When we talk about development in this context we are not simply talking about housing but about the ordinary meaning of development, which includes infrastructure and everything else contained in community development. On the point raised by the noble Lord, Lord Dixon-Smith, the term ““person”” in its legal definition means, for example, the things we cannot encompass simply by talking about local authorities. It involves the Broads Authority or the National Park Authority, for example. I hope that clarifies those specific points.