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 assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the consistency of Local Planning Authorities in applying the (a) NPPF and (b) Planning Practice Guidance.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not directly assess the consistency of Local Planning Authorities in applying the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance.
However, independent Planning Inspectors examine local development plans to ensure they are legally compliant and sound, including in respect of whether they are consistent with national policy.
Similarly, when determining appeals, Planning Inspectors consider these principles, ensuring that decisions reflect national policy and guidance.
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 her Department is taking to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have an up-to-date local plan.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The plan-led approach is, and must remain, the cornerstone of our planning system.
To progress toward our ambition of universal local plan coverage, the government has made clear that it will drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible.
Later this year, we will introduce reforms to accelerate local plan preparation. We will establish a clear 30-month timeline for plans to be prepared and require plans to be kept up-to-date, ensuring a more sustainable pipeline of land for development and supporting the government’s commitments to delivering much-needed homes and infrastructure.
This government has provided in excess of £29 million to local planning authorities this year to support them to get plans in place as soon as possible. In addition, authorities should make the most of other support available through the Local Government Association’s Planning Advisory Service.
This government is committed to taking tough action to ensure local authorities have up-to-date local plans in place. While we hope the need will not arise, we have made clear that we are willing to make full use of available intervention powers – including taking over a local authority’s plan making directly – if local plans are not progressed as required.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60598 on Neighbourhood Plans, what guidance her Department has provided to local planning authorities so that they can continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.
After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be possible without further government funding. With more than £71 million of support since 2013, there is now a network of planners and groups with the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so.
The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests and they continue to have statutory weight in planning decisions. Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the local development plan, which is the starting point in making planning decisions.
We have been clear that we will ensure that local planning authorities continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function. We will announce further detail details in due course.
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 assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision to end the commissioning of new neighbourhood planning support services on Neighbourhood Plans that have finished their public consultation process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.
After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be possible without further government funding. With more than £71 million of support since 2013, there is now a network of planners and groups with the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so.
The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests and they continue to have statutory weight in planning decisions. Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the local development plan, which is the starting point in making planning decisions.
We have been clear that we will ensure that local planning authorities continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function. We will announce further detail details in due course.
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 assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of continuing to commission new neighbourhood planning support services.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.
After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be possible without further government funding. With more than £71 million of support since 2013, there is now a network of planners and groups with the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so.
The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests and they continue to have statutory weight in planning decisions. Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the local development plan, which is the starting point in making planning decisions.
We have been clear that we will ensure that local planning authorities continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function. We will announce further detail details in due course.
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 her Department has taken to protect localism when neighbourhood plans are being created.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.
After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be possible without further government funding. With more than £71 million of support since 2013, there is now a network of planners and groups with the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so.
The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests and they continue to have statutory weight in planning decisions. Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the local development plan, which is the starting point in making planning decisions.
We have been clear that we will ensure that local planning authorities continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function. We will announce further detail details in due course.
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 her Department plans to replace new neighbourhood planning support services with any other services.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Following the Spending Review, my Department announced that it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards.
After more than a decade of taxpayer support, our assessment is that neighbourhood planning should now be possible without further government funding. With more than £71 million of support since 2013, there is now a network of planners and groups with the skills and expertise to prepare neighbourhood plans and to help other communities to do so.
The government remains of the view that neighbourhood plans can play an important role in the planning system. Communities can continue to prepare neighbourhood plans where they consider that doing so is in their best interests and they continue to have statutory weight in planning decisions. Once passed at referendum, neighbourhood plans form part of the local development plan, which is the starting point in making planning decisions.
We have been clear that we will ensure that local planning authorities continue to be appropriately funded for their neighbourhood planning function. We will announce further detail details in due course.
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 assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changing the Planning Practice Guidance assessment criteria of identifying grey belt land from being judged as strongly contributing to any one of purposes a, b, or d to moderately contributing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 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, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58609 on Green Belt: Planning, and the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39471 on Green Belt, for what reason her Department has decided to exclude Green Belt purposes (c) and (e) when assessing grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 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, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58609 and the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39471, for what reason only Green Belt purposes (a), (b) and (d) were included in assessing grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 July 2025.