Asked by: Lord Patten (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 1 April (HL15919), whether the National Planning Policy Framework contains strong protections for the setting of the Stonehenge World Heritage site from vans, buses and travellers' vehicles in the skyline beyond the site.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Planning Policy Framework provides strong protections for World Heritage Sites and their settings including where any development relating to vehicles, for example, car parks or roads, is proposed.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the programme of new towns to be constructed in England.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The precise funding offer for each new town location will be confirmed once final decisions have been made on the programme. Final decisions on locations will be confirmed later this year once the New Towns Draft Programme consultation has closed and all necessary environmental assessments have been completed.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to the visibility of the night sky of light pollution from new housing developments.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development is appropriate for its location, taking into account the likely effects (including cumulative effects) of pollution on the natural environment, as well as the potential sensitivity of the site or wider area to impacts that could arise from the development. In doing so they should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation.
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals relating to pollution. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the protection afforded to surrounding landscape views (1) of, and (2) from, World Heritage Sites in England.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My Department has not made such an assessment. Our National Planning Policy Framework sets out the strong protections in place for World Heritage Sites including their settings.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their policy that shops, medical centres and other amenities should be provided at the same time as the construction of homes in greenfield developments.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that significant weight should be placed on the importance of new, expanded or upgraded public service infrastructure when considering proposals for development.
The government is consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, more ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes policies supporting the delivery of new and improved community facilities and public service infrastructure serving new development, setting out that planning conditions and obligations should be used to secure the timely delivery of community facilities and public service infrastructure required to serve new development, so that these facilities are available for use when the development (or an agreed proportion of the development) is first occupied or comes into use.
We are inviting views on these proposals through the consultation, which is available here (attached) and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of places of worship in current plans for large-scale greenfield housing developments.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of community facilities, such as places of worship. It is for local planning authorities to make decisions on individual development proposals, and the government does not collate information on proposals to provide new places of worship as part of these.
The government is consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, more ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes policies to support the provision of places of worship, including where a development proposal for housing, employment or other development would give rise to significant numbers of additional people living in, working in or visiting an area.
We are inviting views on these proposals through the consultation, which is available here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Lord Patten (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 3 November (HL11277), whether the gardens of Leaden Hall fall within the description as part of a nationally significant setting to be protected as defined by the National Planning Policy Framework.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the definition of ‘the setting of a heritage asset’ in the National Planning Policy Framework, its extent is not fixed and may change as the asset and its surroundings evolve. It is therefore for the decision maker to decide what the setting of a particular heritage asset is when considering a relevant planning application.
Asked by: Lord Patten (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 22 October (HL10990), whether "the settings of Heritage Assets" may include views from a distance, and whether the word "assets" by definition alone includes a setting.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The ‘setting of a heritage asset’ is defined in the glossary of the National Planning Policy Framework. National planning policy seeks to protect the significance of a heritage asset which is defined as deriving not only from a heritage asset’s physical presence, but also from its setting.
Asked by: Lord Patten (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 September (HL10307), what assessment they have made of the protection afforded by the National Planning Policy Framework to the landscape views of Salisbury Cathedral from the water meadows of the River Avon.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The settings of heritage assets are protected through national planning policy. Any harm to, or loss of, the significance of a designated heritage asset, including from development within its setting, requires clear and convincing justification. Substantial harm to or loss of assets of the highest significance, including Grade I listed buildings such as Salisbury Cathedral, should be wholly exceptional.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the protection afforded to views of landscape or of historical note outside London.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that developments are sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape setting. The Framework further sets out that planning policies and decisions should also contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by protecting and enhancing valued landscapes.
Great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and National Landscapes which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.