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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to legislate to remove or amend any nutrient neutrality rules restricting housebuilding.

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

Nutrient neutrality advice affects 8% of national housing delivery or 14% of England’s land area, equating to 16,500 dwellings per year if housing delivery were to remain at recent levels. The Government is committed to finding solutions to support the building of homes affected by nutrient neutrality without weakening environmental protections. We are working with nature organisations, other stakeholders, and the sector to determine the best way forward. If legislation is required for the purposes of enabling development to fund nature recovery where currently both are stalled, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will provide the necessary legislative underpinning to unlock a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We will only act in legislation where we can confirm to Parliament that the steps we are taking will deliver positive environmental outcomes. We will conduct a full impact assessment ahead of any changes to legislation.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of removing or amending nutrient neutrality rules on housebuilding.

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

Nutrient neutrality advice affects 8% of national housing delivery or 14% of England’s land area, equating to 16,500 dwellings per year if housing delivery were to remain at recent levels. The Government is committed to finding solutions to support the building of homes affected by nutrient neutrality without weakening environmental protections. We are working with nature organisations, other stakeholders, and the sector to determine the best way forward. If legislation is required for the purposes of enabling development to fund nature recovery where currently both are stalled, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will provide the necessary legislative underpinning to unlock a win-win outcome for the economy and for nature. We will only act in legislation where we can confirm to Parliament that the steps we are taking will deliver positive environmental outcomes. We will conduct a full impact assessment ahead of any changes to legislation.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many homes they predict will need to be delivered across the Greater London area to house the predicted additional 434,000 people who will be living there by 2028 compared to 2018.

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

I refer the noble Lady to the answer given to Question UIN 3005 on 9 September.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what penalties they intend to impose on the Mayor of London should he fail to meet London’s housing delivery target.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning authorities should monitor progress in building out sites which have permission. The Government publishes the Housing Delivery Test results for each local authority in England annually, which is a percentage measurement calculated over a rolling three-year period, taking into account the homes delivered in an area against the homes required. The latest Housing Delivery Test results, published in December 2023, measures delivery over the 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 financial years. Paragraph 79 of the National Planning Policy Framework sets out the policy consequences for local planning authorities whose housing delivery has fallen below their housing requirement.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the delivery of housing in London in each of the past five years for which data are available.

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

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that local planning authorities should monitor progress in building out sites which have permission. The Government publishes the Housing Delivery Test results for each local authority in England annually, which is a percentage measurement calculated over a rolling three-year period, taking into account the homes delivered in an area against the homes required. The latest Housing Delivery Test results, published in December 2023, measures delivery over the 2019/20, 2020/21, and 2021/22 financial years. Paragraph 79 of the National Planning Policy Framework sets out the policy consequences for local planning authorities whose housing delivery has fallen below their housing requirement.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to promote densification of housing in Greater London.

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

The Government has consulted on an updated growth-focused National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which makes clear our commitment to maximise delivery in urban areas, including building upwards where appropriate. We will publish the outcome of the consultation and a revised NPPF in due course.