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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to deliver more new homes to rural areas.

Our draft revised National Planning Policy Framework makes it clear that in rural areas, planning policies and decisions should be supportive of housing development that reflect local needs. The Framework retains the rural exception sites policy that promotes affordable housing led development in rural areas.

The revised draft Framework also acknowledges that in rural areas, sites may need to be found outside existing settlements, to meet community needs. We are currently analysing responses to the consultation and intend to publish the final version of the Framework this summer.