Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department will make it a requirement for developers of sites near rail stations to contribute to Section 106 monies to help deliver future accessibility improvements at those rail stations.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 90834 on 21 November 2025, UIN 111724 on 2 March 2026, and UIN 26106 on 5 February 2025.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to protect local democracy when changing the referral criteria to require Local Planning Authorities to notify the Department where they intend to refuse an application for 150 homes or more.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The power to call in planning applications is a long-established one. Decisions on call-in are a question of jurisdiction and not a view on the merits of any given application.
The policy on call in, as set out in a Written Ministerial Statement of 26 October 2012, is unchanged.
The proposed requirement for Local Planning Authorities to refer additional applications will not mean that all such applications will be called in.
All decisions on planning applications, whether called in or not, are made in line with the development plan for an area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide the evidence base used to determine that 800m is the appropriate radius for station-based Green Belt release.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.
The draft NPPF includes policies that would allow for suitable development (including housing and mixed-use) around railway stations offering high levels of connectivity, recognising these as relatively sustainable locations. It makes clear that such development should be limited to land physically well-related to the station and within reasonable walking distance of it.
Reasonable walking distance is not quantified in the consultation document itself but following the Oral Statement I made on 16 December 2025 I referenced 800 metres (approximately 10 minutes at moderate walking speed) as the government’s working assumption of how it might be defined.
The consultation seeks views on all aspects of the policy, including how reasonable walking distance should be defined. It is available on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes his Department plans to build on brownfield land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 84470 on 30 October 2025.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has conducted an assessment of the potential for "Grey Belt" designations to encourage speculative planning applications on land in an area that does not have an up-to-date Local Plan.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 and the Green Belt guidance updated on 27 February 2025 do not introduce a definition of large-built up area, town, historic town or village.
In the absence of an up-to-date local plan, there is a high likelihood that development will come forward on a piecemeal and speculative basis, with reduced public engagement and fewer guarantees that it will make the most of an area's potential. It is for these reasons that the government has been clear that we intend to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible with a view to achieving universal local plan coverage.
My Department does not collect data on the number of grey belt planning applications approved on appeal. The amount of land designated as Green Belt in England can be found on gov.uk here and the proportion of new homes built on Green Belt land can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many "Grey Belt" planning applications have been approved on appeal against the wishes of the local planning authority since the publication of the revised NPPF in December 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 and the Green Belt guidance updated on 27 February 2025 do not introduce a definition of large-built up area, town, historic town or village.
In the absence of an up-to-date local plan, there is a high likelihood that development will come forward on a piecemeal and speculative basis, with reduced public engagement and fewer guarantees that it will make the most of an area's potential. It is for these reasons that the government has been clear that we intend to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible with a view to achieving universal local plan coverage.
My Department does not collect data on the number of grey belt planning applications approved on appeal. The amount of land designated as Green Belt in England can be found on gov.uk here and the proportion of new homes built on Green Belt land can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 Planning Practice Guidance on the Green Belt, how the Department defines (a) large built-up areas, (b) towns and (c) historic towns.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 and the Green Belt guidance updated on 27 February 2025 do not introduce a definition of large-built up area, town, historic town or village.
In the absence of an up-to-date local plan, there is a high likelihood that development will come forward on a piecemeal and speculative basis, with reduced public engagement and fewer guarantees that it will make the most of an area's potential. It is for these reasons that the government has been clear that we intend to drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible with a view to achieving universal local plan coverage.
My Department does not collect data on the number of grey belt planning applications approved on appeal. The amount of land designated as Green Belt in England can be found on gov.uk here and the proportion of new homes built on Green Belt land can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have enough resources to enforce planning conditions if developers do not comply with planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance. It is for authorities to decide how and when they use their powers depending on the circumstances of each case.
It is also for local planning authorities to ensure they have the resources in place to carry out their planning enforcement function effectively.
For a summary of the steps the government is taking to support capacity and capability within local planning authorities, including within their enforcement teams, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that appropriate infrastructure is built when building new towns.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the independent New Towns Taskforce final report as well as the government’s initial response to it. Both can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have an up-to-date local plan before local government reorganisation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 3 June 2025 (HCWS676) and the answer given to Question UIN 70545 on 15 September 2025.