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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he can provide an update on the a) effectiveness and b) adequacy of Department's 'brownfield' first approach to development.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that substantial weight should be given to the value of using suitable brownfield land within settlements, including the development of under-utilised land and buildings to meet the need for homes and other uses.

Through the revisions we made to the NPPF on 12 December 2024, we broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas. The definition in question can be found in the NPPF glossary on gov.uk here.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included a range of proposals to further strengthen support for brownfield development. We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.

We have also announced £5 billion of land and infrastructure capital grant funding. This funding, to be administered by a new, single National Housing Delivery Fund that will complement investment from our National Housing Bank, can be used to address viability gaps on brownfield sites.

It nevertheless remains the case that there are simply not enough sites on brownfield land registers to deliver the volume of homes that the country needs each year and Green Belt land will consequently need to be released for development where individual local planning authorities determine that exceptional circumstances exist and have first demonstrated that they have examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting identified need for development – including making as much use as possible of suitable brownfield sites and underutilised land, optimising the density of development, and working with neighbouring authorities to assess whether identified need might be sensibly accommodated.