---

Hatchfield Farm Development

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Miss Begg, and to respond to the debate. I congratulate the hon. Member for West Suffolk (Mr. Spring) on securing the debate. He is clearly a champion for his constituency and for the racing industry that has made it famous. He has set out a passionate and fascinating case for the industry and its contribution to the local economy. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will understand that, because a planning application has been submitted to Forest Heath district council that could come before the Department for consideration, I am unable to comment on the details of the proposal. As he said, the local authority is at an advanced stage with its core strategy for Forest Heath, and that plan is currently being tested by the Planning Inspectorate through an examination in public, so I hope that he will appreciate that it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the merits or otherwise of that plan. However, I can discuss some of the more general points he has set out and try to respond to them. It is through the core strategy that Forest Heath district council is planning for the future development of the district in the years up to 2021. Its aspiration is to achieve a suitable balance between protecting the area's local distinctiveness and enhancing the district's high-value business and tourism economy, which the hon. Gentleman so eloquently described. The recently published comprehensive area assessment for Suffolk highlighted the fact that although people in the county generally enjoy a good quality of life, the economy is not as well developed as it could be. I am told that high wage opportunities are relatively limited, especially in the more rural parts, that modern businesses are not being attracted into the county in sufficient numbers and that there is a lack of housing to meet the needs of local people. The east of England plan, as the hon. Gentleman said, puts in place a framework to deal with some of those issues. It promotes sustainable development, especially in respect of housing shortages, supports the continued growth of the economy and enables all areas to share in prosperity in the future. It has identified a need to deliver 6,400 homes in Forest Heath by 2021. Housing targets have been determined using a strategic, evidence-based approach that takes into account current and future levels of need and demand. Forest Heath's target of 380 homes per annum was delivered last year, but in future, more housing will need to be delivered to make up for under-provision in the past, when only 50 per cent. of the target was achieved between 2001 and 2004, and to meet growing local needs. There remains a significant unmet need for housing, especially affordable housing, right across the county, and that is no different in Forest Heath. Only 23 per cent. of homes built in the district in 2008-09 were designated as affordable homes against the target of 35 per cent. in the east of England plan. It is therefore important that authorities across Suffolk continue to work to deliver much-needed homes and to provide for the local community's needs. As we know, it is the Government's policy to ensure that everybody should have the opportunity to rent or buy a decent home at a price that they can afford in a place where they want to live and work. Indeed, this Government invested more than £11 million between 2005 and 2009 in the form of grants to registered social landlords to support delivery of low-cost home ownership and social rented housing in Forest Heath. We continue to support authorities in delivering more affordable homes through the housing pledge, in particular the national affordable housing pot. Two developments in the area have also been shortlisted for Kickstart funding. The district of Forest Heath lies in the Cambridgeshire housing sub-region, which was allocated £112.3 million for the period 2008-11 to help to ensure that more affordable homes can continue to be developed locally. Newmarket, as the largest town in Forest Heath and the international home of horse racing, as we have heard, plays a key role in driving forward the area's future prosperity, and that is recognised in the council's draft core strategy. The plan—it was not drawn up by me, and I am not a spokesman for the council—identifies the need to develop and promote Newmarket's role as the living heart of British horse racing while at the same time seeking to increase the town's potential for business and economic growth, and for better fulfilling its role in the Cambridgeshire sub-region. The plan proposes 1,640 homes to be delivered in Newmarket by 2021 to help meet the needs of local people and businesses. It also identifies the need to develop and promote the area's economy. The core strategy sets out the vision and policies that have been formulated in consultation with the local community. As I said earlier, it is currently being tested through the examination-in-public process, which is an important forum for considering the area's future. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman and others who are interested in the area's future and who have a passion for the area as he set out this afternoon will follow it closely. I hope that once it is complete, a strong vision for the future will be in place that everyone with an interest in Newmarket can get behind.