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 draft National Planning Policy Framework, whether almshouses and other charitable housing providers are treated as affordable housing for planning purposes.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, did not propose to amend the NPPF definition of affordable housing to include almshouses that are not registered providers.

The consultation did, however, invite views on a range of proposals to better support the provision of social and affordable housing.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.