Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the process is by which a local development plan can be modified once adopted.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The law requires local planning authorities to review their local plans at least once every five years to assess whether updates are needed. When updates are needed, authorities must follow the local plan preparation process set out in law. The plan-making section of Government's planning practice guidance provides further details on this process. Government planning practice guidance also sets out the process for updating neighbourhood plans.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he will publish the Government's response to his Department's call for evidence on local authority remote meetings.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Department has considered the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the process is by which land that has been removed from the green belt can be returned to the green belt.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local authorities are responsible for creating and protecting Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework states that a local authority can take land out of Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, through the local plan process. Similarly, if a local authority considers that certain land would, and should, serve the purposes of Green Belt as set out in the Framework, it could propose the new designation as a policy in a revised local plan, and consult the local community. After any further revision, the draft plan would be submitted for formal examination in public by an independent Planning Inspector, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State. The plan (including any new Green Belt boundary) is checked thoroughly to confirm whether it is sound: that is, positively prepared, justified, effective, and consistent with the Framework.
Asked by: Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat - Chesham and Amersham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to retain current protections afforded to greenbelt areas in future Government planning proposals.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
This Government has a manifesto commitment to protect and enhance the Green Belt. Our National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that a local authority can take land out of Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, through the local plan process, and only if it can demonstrate that it has explored all other reasonable options. These strong protections for Green Belt land will remain firmly in place.