Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, what expert guidance they intend to seek in defining the criteria for well-designed buildings and places.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As the Housing and Planning Minister said in his written statement on 12 November ‘We want exemplary development to be the norm not the exception so that more communities feel the benefits of new development and welcome it. As we act to boost housing supply, we are therefore determined to take steps to improve the design and quality of the homes and neighbourhoods being built.’
The National Design Guide and National Model Design Code set out ten characteristics of well-designed places and how to achieve good design in the planning system. The department intends to update this guidance in Spring 2025 and will test this with urban design experts and practitioners from local authorities and the private sector. We also intend to establish quarterly Steering Boards on design and placemaking, ensuring that our work is guided by those with relevant professional and practical expertise.
We will continue to bolster design skills and capacity through the £46 million package of capacity and capability support provided to local planning authorities. This will be used to fund the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners, along with the £1 million funding to Public Practice for the recruitment of planners, architects and urban designers. Together, this framework provides a clear basis for the delivery of more high-quality, well-designed homes.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the capacity of local planning authorities in the light of their commitment to recruit 300 additional planning officers by 2026, and in order to increase access to qualified design expertise.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My department intends to update the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code in Spring 2025, and we will continue to bolster design skills and capacity through the £46 million package of capacity and capability support provided to local planning authorities. This will be used to fund the recruitment and training of 300 graduate and apprentice planners, along with £1 million of funding to Public Practice for the recruitment of planners, architects and urban designers.
Together, this framework provides a clear basis for the delivery of more high-quality, well-designed homes.
Additionally, our commitment to recruit 300 additional planners, taken alongside wider planning policy changes, will help us to deliver the housing and economic growth this country desperately needs.
We are also developing a wider programme of support, working with partners across the planning sector, to ensure that local planning authorities have the skills, including around design, both now and in the future.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 23 October (HL1457), whether their first principle when considering changes to the Party Wall Act 1996 will be "do no harm".
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to keeping the Party Wall Act under continuous review.
Government officials maintain records of correspondence on the Party Wall Act from parliamentarians and members of the public alike, noting any recommendations concerning the efficacy and application of the act to ensure that any necessary changes can be carefully considered and effectively addressed. No date or decision has been made to review the party wall act. If and when the act is reviewed it would require an open public consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 23 October (HL1457), when they expect to make a decision on changes to be made in relation to the Party Wall Act 1996.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to keeping the Party Wall Act under continuous review.
Government officials maintain records of correspondence on the Party Wall Act from parliamentarians and members of the public alike, noting any recommendations concerning the efficacy and application of the act to ensure that any necessary changes can be carefully considered and effectively addressed. No date or decision has been made to review the party wall act. If and when the act is reviewed it would require an open public consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 23 October (HL1457), what steps they are taking to keep the Party Wall Act 1996 under continuous review; who they are engaging with to do so; which stakeholders will they be engaging with; and what steps they will take to ensure that there is adequate engagement with the public.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to keeping the Party Wall Act under continuous review.
Government officials maintain records of correspondence on the Party Wall Act from parliamentarians and members of the public alike, noting any recommendations concerning the efficacy and application of the act to ensure that any necessary changes can be carefully considered and effectively addressed. No date or decision has been made to review the party wall act. If and when the act is reviewed it would require an open public consultation.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to the 1.5 million houses they plan to build in the next 5 years, (1) how many people are homeless in the UK at present, and (2) whether they have mapped where the housing is needed.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 31 March 2024 there were 117,450 households in Temporary Accommodation in England.
The proposed local housing need figures for each local authority in England are set out in the 'Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system' consultation documents.
To support our commitment to delivering the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation, we are also proposing reforms to the NPPF that are designed to support the delivery of affordable housing, including ensuring that councils can prioritise the types of affordable homes their communities need. These can be found at gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 1.5 million houses they plan to be built over the next five years they estimate will be built on brownfield sites, and how many on green belt redesignated as grey belt.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to building 1.5m homes over the next parliament and that development must look to brownfield first, prioritising previously used land wherever possible. We proposed a set of targeted changes in our consultation on reforms to the NPPF to support this, alongside proposals to release low-quality grey belt land within the Green Belt to meet housing and other development needs
It is for local authorities, in consultation with their communities, to set out the most appropriate strategy to meet their housing needs.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many homes they predict will be created by repurposing existing buildings during the next five years.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to building 1.5m homes over the next parliament and that development must look to brownfield first, prioritising previously used land wherever possible. We proposed a set of targeted changes in our consultation on reforms to the NPPF to support this, alongside proposals to release low-quality grey belt land within the Green Belt to meet housing and other development needs
It is for local authorities, in consultation with their communities, to set out the most appropriate strategy to meet their housing needs.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to the 1.5 million houses they plan to build in the next 5 years, whether asylum seekers will have priority for the new housing over those already on housing lists and currently residing in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the noble Lady to the answer given to Question UIN 5689 on 11 October 2024.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, of the 1.5 million houses they plan to build in the next 5 years, what percentage will go to (1) people now residing in the UK, (2) people who will be coming to live in the UK from overseas; and of those people coming from overseas, how many will be (a) foreign citizens with leave to remain, (b) asylum seekers, and (c) illegal migrants.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Immigration is one of a number of factors that impacts assessments of housing demand and future housing supply. The Government's commitment to build 1.5 million homes over the course of parliament is intended to provide the homes the country needs. If a person's immigration status does not allow them recourse to public funds then they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. This includes asylum seekers.