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<p>Get Britain Building is a three-year scheme to provide development finance and
support to unlock stalled sites. The scheme is on track to deliver, whilst managing
the often challenging issues which hindered or stalled the sites in the first place
(such as lack of finance, delays in planning conditions and other legal obligations,
protracted sub-contractor negotiations, asbestos findings, site re-plans due to easements
and utility diversions).</p><p> </p><p>From 2012-13 to September 2014, there have
been 12,293 dwellings started, against the target of 12,000. The scheme is primarily
aimed at unlocking stalled market housing, and is not an affordable housing programme
as such; however, there have been 1,397 affordable starts which have been unlocked
as part of wider schemes.</p><p> </p><p>Completions lag behind starts due to the time
it takes to build out a site (especially given the challenging nature of some of the
sites, as outlined above), but 4,890 dwellings had been completed to September 2014,
and this figure will continue rising.</p><p> </p><p>More detailed figures are at:
<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/housing-statistics</a></p><p>
</p><p>The hon. Member will no doubt wish to criticise and knock the scheme, but I
would simply observe that we are cleaning up the mess left by the Labour Government’s
housing crash.</p><p> </p><p>We estimate that the Get Britain Building programme is
supporting between 1 to 2 jobs per unit, which suggests that up to 24,586 jobs have
been supported so far.</p><p> </p><p>As I noted in my answers of 30 October 2014,
Question 207630 and 23 January 2015, Question 219688, this is part of a package of
measures to get stalled sites building. At a time when the number of planning permissions
has risen to 240,000 a year, the total number of planning permissions which were "on
hold/shelved" in England has fallen from 90,331 in September 2011 to 45,000 in
December 2014, according to Glenigan estimates.</p><p> </p><p>This shows that the
Government’s long-term economic plan is working and turning around the mess and recession
left by the last Labour Government. Moth-balled sites are springing into action; more
homes are being planned; and more homes are being built out. By contrast, the policy
positions being advocated by HM Opposition would hinder complex land assembly projects,
discourage builders from applying for planning permission and reduce the level of
house building.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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