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 has taken to ensure that new infrastructure projects protect the green belt in a) Essex and b) Romford constituency.

The government is committed to preserving Green Belts which have served England's towns and cities well over many decades, not least in terms of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that inappropriate development in the Green Belt, including infrastructure, should not be approved unless justified by very special circumstances.

The government is currently consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, rules- based policies for plan-making and decision-making. The consultation includes revisions to Green Belt policy.

The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.