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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 20 November (HL Deb col 930), whether they plan to make changes to planning practice guidance and the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure that water and sewerage companies and undertakings fully engage with local plans and spatial development strategies as statutory consultees at the strategic level, rather than at the individual site level.

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

Government will shortly be introducing a new plan-making system to support faster preparation of plans and more frequent updates. This new system will provide a more strategic approach for water and sewerage company engagement in plan-making. Government intends to prescribe water and sewerage companies in ‘Requirement to Assist’ regulations so they will be obliged to assist with plan-making, where a plan-making authority reasonably requests it. Government also intends to list water and sewerage companies as consultation bodies for the new plan-making system, so they will be made aware of key plan-making consultations where the plan-making authority considers that they have an interest. The Requirement to Assist will also apply to the preparation of spatial development strategies. The National Planning Policy Framework and relevant planning and guidance will reflect these law changes where appropriate.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 24 November (HL Deb cols 1154-1155), whether all land around railway stations and capable of accommodating 150 or more housing units can be categorised as brownfield sites.

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

I refer the noble Lady to the Written Ministerial Statement published and attached on 18 November 2025 (HCWS1062) – noting the statement contains several discrete measures.

It will be for planning decision-makers to determine whether land around train stations meets the definition of brownfield (previously developed land) as set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 5 November, whether the special provisions within the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on the private disclosure of information are being used in the Chinese Embassy planning case; and what steps they are taking to facilitate sharing of (1) sensitive information about the building plans by the applicant, and (2) sensitive information about the applicant and its potential use of the building for espionage or repression, including information held by the intelligence services which those services do not wish to share with the government of China or otherwise place in the public domain.

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

All inquiry documents for this case are publicly available on Tower Hamlets (attached) website here.

Post-inquiry representations are routinely listed at the end of the final decision letter, and are also available on request once the decision letter has issued. The Secretary of State is able to issue a direction under section 321 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which allows specific evidence to be withheld from public inspection at a public inquiry. No section 321 direction has been made in this case.

Found: Return Baroness Lloyd of Effra Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Baroness Taylor of Stevenage

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Found: Baroness Lloyd of Effra Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Baroness Taylor of Stevenage

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Found: Return Alison McGovern Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Baroness Taylor of Stevenage

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Found: G15 Dinner No 30 Alison McGovern Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Baroness Taylor of Stevenage

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