Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on ensuring that communities have a balance between green spaces and infrastructure.

The Secretary of State has had no formal discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) about balancing the provision of green spaces and infrastructure in communities in the past six months. Defra is working closely with the Ministry of HCLG on a number of projects seeking to ensure that green space and wider ‘green infrastructure’ is an integral part of communities. This includes developing revised planning guidance on open space, design guidance covering green spaces and green infrastructure standards for new development.

The Environment Bill makes biodiversity net gain mandatory for development granted permission under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This will mean that developments must demonstrate a measurable biodiversity net gain of at least 10% above pre-development biodiversity value. This will help to ensure that new development in England enhances the environment, contributes to our ecological networks and conserves our precious landscapes.