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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance on whether the embodied carbon of an existing building is a material consideration in the planning process.

The government’s Planning Practice Guidance on Climate Change, National Design Guide and National Model Design Code provide general guidance on how carbon impacts can be taken into account in the planning process.

In our recent consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, we sought views on whether carbon can be accurately measured and accounted for in plan-making and planning decisions. The consultation closed on 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses with a view to publishing a government response before the end of the year