Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department's review of the National Planning Policy Framework will require applicants for (a) new developments or (b) changes of use to assess impacts of noise from all external sources on the intended occupiers of a development.

We have made clear that we expect planning policies and decisions to make sure proposed developments are appropriate for their location, taking noise impacts into account. In the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), we introduced the agent of change principle, which places the duty to consider and provide suitable mitigation for significant adverse noise effects on the applicant for new development, not existing businesses and community facilities

We have also published Planning Practice Guidance on noise, to help local authorities consider how to apply the agent of change principle in practice. The principles of this guidance can be used to assist in fulfilling the ‘prior approval’ requirements for certain changes of use with regard to noise management

There are no plans to change the agent of change principle in any future review of the NPPF.