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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that communities are consulted on proposed local infrastructure projects.

Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, we are improving the planning process so local communities have more control over what is built, where it is built, and what it looks like.

The process for producing plans will be made simpler, faster and easier for communities to engage with through clear opportunities to get involved at key stages in the process.

We will increase and enhance the opportunities for involvement to ensure that development is brought forward in a way that works best for local people. We are clear that communities must have a say on development that affects them and retain the right to comment on applications.

Alongside traditional forms of engagement, digital engagement will remove barriers to engagement and create a more democratic planning system with planning.