Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to include a reference to noise levels in part 4 of the updated National Planning Policy Framework.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should prevent new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of noise pollution.

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including a new chapter (17) on Pollution, Public Protection and Security. This sets out that development proposals should not result in levels of noise exposure which would have a significant observed adverse effect. This is defined as the level of noise exposure above which significant adverse effects on health and quality of life occur.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.