Found: To deliver the proposed bill discount scheme, we intend to legislate as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The government is also legislating in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to establish a system of

Found: We are starting to see that coming through in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will be laid

Found: Upcoming legislation that addresses spatial planning, such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill,

Found: The reforms, subject to the outcome of a consultation, will be included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: discussions between DfT and MHCLG to better join up thinking, and the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: I know that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will address some of these issues, and that will be

Found: will really help is for chief planning officers to be made a statutory role within the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: infrastructure projects meet their environmental obligations as part of its forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The other opportunity is in the planning and infrastructure Bill, particularly around the opportunities

Found: In the longer-term, the department intends to introduce measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: Given the ongoing policy development, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill being brought forward

Found: allowing full scrutiny and debate of any changes to the Habitats Regulations through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The Government are also planning to take through a planning and infrastructure Bill aimed at improving

Found: measures that are being introduced through the Clean Power Plan 2030 and the subsequent Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: goals to accelerate housebuilding and infrastructure delivery through the proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: On the wider planning issues, there will be some reforms in the planning and infrastructure Bill that

Found: Our understanding from the Government’s plan is that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will contain

Found: advocating for and have been for some time—but we will have another go through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: On the wider planning issues, there will be some reforms in the planning and infrastructure Bill that

Found: advocating for and have been for some time—but we will have another go through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) will introduce new measures to prioritise and streamline

Found: Are they going to bring forward proposals, not least in the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: responses are currently being reviewed, with a view to taking powers as necessary in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: I do not want to prejudge the planning and infrastructure Bill, which will come out later this year

Found: Lord Best: The Government are bringing forward a planning and infrastructure Bill in this Session of

Found: responses are currently being reviewed, with a view to taking powers as necessary in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: the Secretary of State at DEFRA to environmental NGOs in relation to the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides a golden opportunity to codify in law the

Found: Planning and Infrastructure Bill to amend the Habitats Regulations to ease the Nutrient Neutrality stand-off

Found: Finally, we also highlight that the upcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides an opportunity

Found: .  We will also use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to establish a more efficient and effective

Found: Monday a wo rking paper on modernising planning committees in England to inform the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is coming forward in March 2025.

Found: are determined to rewire the planning system from end to end, including through the planning and infrastructure Bill

Found: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is coming forward in March 2025.

Found: We envisage a planning and infrastructure Bill coming forward probably around March this year, so that

Found: Therefore, through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government will accelerate infrastructure

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will take steps to increase data available on the number of planning officers per (a) authority and (b) region.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG does not hold detailed data on the number of planning officers recruited by individual local authorities.

In 2023, the Department commissioned a nationwide survey to improve understanding of the capacity and capability issues reported in local planning authorities. The findings of the local authority planning capacity and skills survey have been used to guide support and monitor investment impacts. We are currently analysing the results of the 2025 pulse survey, which will update key metrics and compare them to the 2023 baseline.

Our manifesto committed us to appointing 300 new planning officers into local planning authorities. We are on track to meet that commitment through two routes, namely graduate recruitment through the Pathways to Planning scheme run by the Local Government Association and mid-career recruitment through Public Practice.

On 27 February, the government announced funding to support salaries and complement graduate bursaries. Further information can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480).

The government has also increased planning fees for householder and other applications from 1 April 2025, which will provide much-needed additional resources for hard-pressed local planning authorities. The government is also taking forward measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will enable local planning authorities to set their own planning fees to cover their costs.

Through our funding of the Planning Advisory Service, support is also being provided to local planning authorities and their staff (including ecologists) in relation to the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of planning authorities’ access to ecological expertise.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG does not hold detailed data on the number of planning officers recruited by individual local authorities.

In 2023, the Department commissioned a nationwide survey to improve understanding of the capacity and capability issues reported in local planning authorities. The findings of the local authority planning capacity and skills survey have been used to guide support and monitor investment impacts. We are currently analysing the results of the 2025 pulse survey, which will update key metrics and compare them to the 2023 baseline.

Our manifesto committed us to appointing 300 new planning officers into local planning authorities. We are on track to meet that commitment through two routes, namely graduate recruitment through the Pathways to Planning scheme run by the Local Government Association and mid-career recruitment through Public Practice.

On 27 February, the government announced funding to support salaries and complement graduate bursaries. Further information can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480).

The government has also increased planning fees for householder and other applications from 1 April 2025, which will provide much-needed additional resources for hard-pressed local planning authorities. The government is also taking forward measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will enable local planning authorities to set their own planning fees to cover their costs.

Through our funding of the Planning Advisory Service, support is also being provided to local planning authorities and their staff (including ecologists) in relation to the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has plans to increase the number of additional planning officers.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

MHCLG does not hold detailed data on the number of planning officers recruited by individual local authorities.

In 2023, the Department commissioned a nationwide survey to improve understanding of the capacity and capability issues reported in local planning authorities. The findings of the local authority planning capacity and skills survey have been used to guide support and monitor investment impacts. We are currently analysing the results of the 2025 pulse survey, which will update key metrics and compare them to the 2023 baseline.

Our manifesto committed us to appointing 300 new planning officers into local planning authorities. We are on track to meet that commitment through two routes, namely graduate recruitment through the Pathways to Planning scheme run by the Local Government Association and mid-career recruitment through Public Practice.

On 27 February, the government announced funding to support salaries and complement graduate bursaries. Further information can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February 2025 (HCWS480).

The government has also increased planning fees for householder and other applications from 1 April 2025, which will provide much-needed additional resources for hard-pressed local planning authorities. The government is also taking forward measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill that will enable local planning authorities to set their own planning fees to cover their costs.

Through our funding of the Planning Advisory Service, support is also being provided to local planning authorities and their staff (including ecologists) in relation to the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that local opinion is considered during the development of large-scale renewable energy infrastructure.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This government has a very simple principle: if you live near new clean energy infrastructure, you should benefit from it. That's why the Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes much-needed reforms, including direct bill discounts for communities, easier access to community funds, and a streamlined, less burdensome planning process. We know that to deliver on our mission we must bring communities with us.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of renewable energy projects on local communities.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This government has a very simple principle: if you live near new clean energy infrastructure, you should benefit from it. That's why the Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes much-needed reforms, including direct bill discounts for communities, easier access to community funds, and a streamlined, less burdensome planning process. We know that to deliver on our mission we must bring communities with us.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to streamline planning regulations to expedite house building.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government is delivering on our Plan for Change commitment to deliver a pro-growth planning system. In December 2024 we published a revised national planning policy framework, which strengthened housing targets and allowed for development on poor quality ‘grey belt’ land. The government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also speed up and streamline the planning process to build more homes of all tenures and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects, aligning with our industrial, energy and transport strategies.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing Mayoral Strategic Authorities with statutory duties on play via the proposed English Devolution Bill.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that formal play spaces and recreational areas should not be built on unless they are no longer needed, equivalent or better alternatives are provided, or the new development is for alternative sports or recreational provision which offers greater benefits.

The Government believes that individual local authorities are best placed to make local planning decisions. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will introduce powers for strategic authorities to produce strategic spatial plans for their area. These powers are about planning for growth across a larger than local area, and do not include specific duties in relation to play. Local planning authorities will still be responsible for developing and agreeing a Local Plan in line with the strategic spatial plan and it is at this level that specific decisions about issues like playgrounds would be made.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16199 on Infrastructure: Planning Permission, what steps she is taking to speed up Ministerial decision-making on national significant infrastructure consents.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As part of the government’s Plan for Change, we are committed to fast-tracking planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects by the end of this Parliament.

The reasons that Ministerial decisions on individual applications can exceed the three-month statutory deadline are varied and complex and include the need to secure additional information on unresolved matters at the point Ministers receive the recommendation of the Examining Authority.

The forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill includes measures designed to resolve issues prior to the decision stage. It will deliver a faster and more certain consenting process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) by ensuring that National Policy Statements are updated regularly, streamlining NSIP consultation requirements and reducing opportunities for judicial review.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will include the Land Use Framework to support (a) nature recovery and (b) net zero objectives.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government is currently consulting on the Land Use Framework. It will not be implemented through the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) new planning proposals and (b) increased house building do not (i) negatively impact wildlife and (ii) worsen environmental degradation.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, and the wider benefits from natural capital and ecosystem services. Development is restricted in areas which are designated for their environmental value.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published on 12 December 2024 included several changes designed to enhance and protect the environment. For example, it expects developments to provide net gains for biodiversity, including through incorporating features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats, and hedgehogs.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are being prepared across England to set out priorities for nature recovery, map important habitats and identify opportunities for improvements.

The government recently updated its Planning Practice Guidance to explain the role of Local Nature Recovery Strategies in the planning system and made clear as part of that update that these strategies will form an evidence base which may be a material consideration when making planning decisions.

When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as a barrier to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature.

Proposals for a Nature Restoration Fund are under development for inclusion in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Further information will be set out when the Bill is introduced.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2025 to Question HL4406 on Local Government: Reorganisation, how many individual Ministerial direction powers she plans to legislate for across the (a) English Devolution Bill and (b) the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

All Ministerial direction powers legislated across the English Devolution Bill and the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be set out during introduction and passage of each Bill through Parliament.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to streamline (a) planning policy and (b) planning guidance.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government published a revised National Planning Policy Framework on 12 December 2024.

Last week, the government published revising Planning Practice Guidance to support local planning authorities in their plan making. Further details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February (HCWS480).

The government intends to take further steps to streamline the delivery of homes and infrastructure through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which will be introduced in the coming months.

We also intend to produce a set of national policies for decision making this year that will make national policy more accessible and understandable. We will consult on these in the Spring and further details will be set out in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that the plan for growth includes protections for (a) wildlife and (b) nature.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is fully committed to ensuring that development contributes to nature’s recovery and delivers a win-win for both nature and the economy. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will establish a Nature Restoration Fund. This will create a more efficient and effective way for obligations related to our most important sites and species to be discharged at a scale that brings about the greatest environmental benefits. The Autumn Budget 2024 committed £45 million in funding to support the establishment of the Fund.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper published on 16 December 2024, what powers directly elected Mayors will hold on the development of spatial planning strategies; and whether directly elected Mayors in Mayoral Combined Authorities will have the authority to rescind Local Plans within their boundary which have passed inspection stage by HM Planning Inspectorate.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in the English Devolution White Paper, Mayors will have a duty to prepare a Spatial Development Strategy for their area. The required provisions will be set out in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We do not intend to give Mayors a power to rescind a local development plan.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to introduce the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 24890 on 29 January 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she expects to publish the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 24890 on 29 January 2025.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether funds given to the proposed national Nature Restoration Fund will be allocated to the county where the development they are offsetting takes place.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The details of how the Nature Restoration Fund will operate are being worked through in preparation for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Our working paper on development and nature recovery was published last December. This noted that in addressing environmental impacts from development more strategically, and at an appropriate geographic scale, we also needed to recognise the importance of protecting local communities’ access to nature and green space.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the level of growth expected during this parliament as a result of the expansion of Heathrow Airport to three runways.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Expanding Heathrow would have significant growth benefits. These include:

• Billions invested into the economy, with the potential to create over 100,000 jobs, according to the current Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS)
• Strengthening Heathrow’s status both as a global passenger hub and as the UK’s largest air freight hub by volume
• Major benefits for passengers, including lower fares and reduced delays and opportunities for a greater choice of airlines and destinations

A recent report from Frontier Economics suggested a third runway could increase potential GDP by 0.43% in 2050, with 60% of the economic boost from Heathrow expansion going to areas outside London and South-East.

The government expects to see progress being made on Heathrow expansion during this parliament and will introduce a Planning and Infrastructure Bill to speed up and streamline the planning process and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what process local authorities should follow when producing a spatial development strategy as set out in the their English Devolution White Paper published on the 16 December 2024 where the local authority does not sit within a strategic authority.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Legislation regarding the production of spatial development strategies (SDS) will be included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which has yet to be laid before Parliament.

For areas that are not covered by a strategic authority, the duty to produce an SDS will rest with upper tier county councils and unitary councils. These areas should form groupings in order to produce their SDS. These groupings should be in accordance with our “sensible geography” criteria as set out in the English Devolution White Paper. We propose to take a power in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill for the Secretary of State to direct such groupings where they are not forthcoming.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals on nutrient neutrality reform.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

As set out in my answer to Question UIN 26836 on 5 February 2025, proposals for a Nature Restoration Fund are under development for inclusion in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Further information will be set out when the Bill is introduced.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s policy paper entitled Development and Nature Recovery, published on 15 December 2024, what steps is she taking to ensure new housebuilding is prioritised over the protection of newts.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

When it comes to development and the environment, we know we can do better than the status quo, which too often sees both sustainable housebuilding and nature recovery stall. Instead of environmental protections being seen as a barrier to growth, we want to unlock a win-win for the economy and for nature.

Proposals for a Nature Restoration Fund are under development for inclusion in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Further information will be set out when the Bill is introduced.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to allow the National Policy Statements for Energy and Planning Policy Guidance to approve grid infrastructure for new data centres.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will provide the powers to accelerate the infrastructure needed to deliver on the Government’s ambitions. The Government published a working paper [1] on the proposals on the 26^th January 2025 and more detail will be available in due course.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-reform-working-paper-streamlining-infrastructure-planning/planning-reform-working-paper-streamlining-infrastructure-planning

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to bring grid infrastructure for new data centres under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will provide the powers to accelerate the infrastructure needed to deliver on the Government’s ambitions. The Government published a working paper [1] on the proposals on the 26^th January 2025 and more detail will be available in due course.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-reform-working-paper-streamlining-infrastructure-planning/planning-reform-working-paper-streamlining-infrastructure-planning

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department’s policy paper entitled Development and Nature Recovery, published on 15 December 2024, whether Delivery Plans will be part of Local Plans.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Delivery Plans as proposed in the Development and Nature Planning Reform Working Paper would be prepared for protected habitats or species and would not necessarily be at the scale of local plans.

Proposals for a Nature Restoration Fund are under development for inclusion in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Further information will be set out when the Bill is introduced.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Clean Power 2030 Action Plan: A new era of clean electricity, published on 13 December 2024, what progress his Department has made on achieving clean power by 2030.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

In addition to publishing our Clean Power 2030 Action Plan the Government has taken rapid action towards meeting our 2030 targets by: lifting the ban on onshore wind, establishing Great British Energy, consenting almost 2 GW of nationally significant solar, and delivering a record-breaking renewables auction. As announced last week, the Government will bring forward a Planning and Infrastructure Bill with new measures to prioritise projects and streamline the legal framework for critical infrastructure through the planning process.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 August 2024 to Question 1688 on Planning, what progress her Department has made on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Drafting of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill continues apace. We plan to introduce the Bill in Parliament in the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether nutrient neutrality mitigation levy measures will be subject to economic viability assessments; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the additional mitigation levy measures on the amount that can be levied through (a) the Community Infrastructure Levy and (b) Section 106 agreements.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government committed in our manifesto to unlock development affected by nutrient neutrality. Our proposals will deliver economies of scale and efficiency improvements for existing environmental obligations, streamlining the planning process and reducing costly delays and uncertainty for developers. This will result in a smoother and more efficient way for developers to discharge their existing environmental obligations, as opposed to creating new ones. The government is committed to tackling impacts at source, also reducing the cost burden on development.

These proposals will be considered as part of the wider Impact Assessment as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We published a working paper and will develop the detail of how the levy will operate taking into account the responses to it.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 December 2024 to Question 16892 on Regional Planning and Development: Finance, what her Department's policy is on the (a) continuation of the Thames Estuary Growth Board and (b) coordination of planning across the Thames Estuary area.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

At the Autumn Budget, the Government confirmed that it would consult on its minded to decision to cease funding for pan-regional partnerships at the end of this financial year. The consultation sought to gather views from all interested parties on the impacts of this decision, should it be taken forward, and closed on 16 December. The Department is currently considering the responses received and will confirm a final decision shortly.

The English Devolution White Paper, Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth, published in December 2024, confirmed our commitment to strategic planning through the production of Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) covering all of England. Legislation to enable this will be introduced in 2025 through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to (a) amend and (b) repeal assimilated EU law on the Habitats Directive on (i) newts and (ii) other protected species.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

As the Prime Minister said in his speech on 5 December the Government will streamline development processes to meet new and ambitious targets to build 1.5 million homes and advance 150 major infrastructure projects.

The Government will also use the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to establish a more efficient and effective way for obligations related to our most important sites and species to be discharged at a scale that has the greatest environmental benefits.

The Government has committed to only act in legislation where we can confirm to Parliament that the steps we are taking will deliver positive environmental outcomes. Necessary amendments may be made to assimilated EU law on the Habitats Directive to secure the operability of the proposed new approach.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether any recent proposals to (a) build and (b) expand prisons have been affected by nutrient neutrality rules.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Within the prison expansion programmes, the Rapid Deployment Cells Programme has been affected by nutrient neutrality rules at four sites. Developments in these catchment areas need to either secure nutrient credits or other nutrient mitigation for planning permission to be granted. To date, mitigation has been secured at three of the four sites.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes a more strategic approach to nature recovery, which we expect would streamline the process for nutrient neutrality mitigation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the policies set out in her Department’s policy paper entitled Planning Reform Working Paper: Planning Committees, published on 9 December 2024, on local democracy.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The government believe that planning committees have an integral role in providing local democratic oversight of planning decisions. It is however vital that in exercising that democratic oversight, planning committees operate as effectively as possible.

The government’s planning reform working paper on planning committees invites views on a range of proposals designed to support better decision making in the planning system. If we determine to take forward any of the proposals in question, each of which would require primary legislation through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, they would be the subject of further detailed consultation in the normal way – in particular where necessary to underpin secondary legislation following passage of the Bill.

Found: Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2024-25

Found: • Align with the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill to ensure play sufficiency is fully integrated

Found: Letter from the Deputy Prime Minister to local authorities: Introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: Letter from the Deputy Prime Minister to local authorities: Introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: HOMES AND KEY INFRASTRUCTURE WILL BE BUILT FASTER UNDER PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE BILL ENERGY

Found: The landmark Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be formally introduced to Parliament this week, laying

Found: communities to directly benefit from hosting grid infrastructure to be introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: They come ahead of the government’s flagship Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will be introduced

Found: And today, I want to share more details on how we will go even further, in our Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: Introducing the Planning and Infrastructure Bill next month.

Found: This follows the announcement that the Government’s forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill will

Found: Last week we confirmed our priorities for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill …  … to rapidly streamline

Found: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill to be introduced in Spring will enact further sweeping reforms and

Found: Sweeping reforms under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will take an axe to red tape that slows down

Found: projects whilst supporting nature recovery at scale will be included in proposals for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: Monday a working paper on modernising planning committees in England to inform the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: To deliver bill discounts, we intend to legislate through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Found: If taken forward, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill would be used to implement the legislative

Found: The government has begun to deal with this challenge through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Found: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduced to Parliament on 11 March is a key element of the Government

Found: Planning and Infrastructure Bill: RPC Statement of Lateness

Found: which has already: Lifted the onshore wind ban at the stroke of a pen Introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill provides an opportunity to accelerate developments, such as prisons

Found: Introducing the Planning and Infrastructure Bill next month.

Found: dating back to the State Opening of Parliament where he outlined plans to introduce the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

Found: improve the delivery of our major projects, the 2024 King’s Speech announced a new planning and infrastructure bill

Found: The government has begun to deal with this challenge through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.