Political Bulletin

Week commencing 8th March 2010

Heron Plaza goes in for planning

Gerald Ronson's Heron International has submitted a planning application for its Ł500m Heron Plaza scheme in the city of London.

The plans include a Four Seasons Hotel and residences, other residential, retail and new public open space. The hotel is the first purpose built luxury hotel constructed in Central London for 30 years.

It will total a 43 storey tower with 190 hotel guestrooms/suites and 120 branded residences, conference and banqueting facilities, events space, a gym, spa and swimming pool.

Healey reduces planning fees

The fees for extending planning permissions are now being reduced. The fee for a major development that was previously as high as Ł250,000 will now be Ł500, the fee for smaller developments that was as high as Ł3,000 will now be Ł170, and for householder projects the previous fee of Ł150 will be reduced to Ł50.

These changes were delayed as they were debated in Parliament.

DCLG Select Committee criticizes Ministerial turnover

The Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s annual review of CLG says staff stayed in post for an average of nine months before being moved on to other tasks. The report says this is 'not a sensible way to run an organisation' and also recommends that the prime minister 'take greater account of the prerequisites of effective government' by reducing ministerial turnover.

The average minister is in post for just under a year. Since it was established on 5 May 2006 CLG has had three secretaries of state, three local government ministers and four housing ministers plus several changes at more junior levels.

Lords to debate Traveler tenure

Baroness Whitaker will answer questions on the security of tenure on local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites next Wednesday. Clause 272 of the Housing and Regeneration Bill 2008 brings local authority Gypsy and Traveler sites under the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

Two London council's housing targets not yet signed off

Bromley and Tower Hamlets have still not had their affordable housing targets signed off by the mayor's office. Conservative-led Bromley has already exceeded the mayor's desired target of 795 homes from 2008 to 2011.

Meanwhile Labour-led Tower Hamlets is in talks with the Government Office for London and central government about reducing its local area agreement target for affordable housing from 5,064 homes to an unspecified smaller amount.

Healey announces new insulation plan, green loans

Housing Minister John Healey has announced government plans to install free insulation and Smart Meters for council house and public housing tenants. The scheme also offers loans for renewable technologies such as solar power.

He said, "Homes must become greener. The scale of the challenge cannot be left to the market."

Tories hint at new Planning Bill

Shadow planning minister Bob Neill has stressed that proposals contained in a recently issued green paper are open to change.

Neill told a Future of Planning conference this week that reform will be a priority for an incoming Tory administration. He said a planning, housing and local government bill would be announced.

This has a number of implications, since passing legislation takes a great deal of time, is likely to be strongly resisted by Labour, and is has a nine-month implementation after receiving Royal Assent. Current polls also suggest that the Conservatives will not have an overall majority, leaving any proposed Bill especially vulnerable to Parliamentary opposition and horse-trading over its contents.