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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether site specific viability assessments should be undertaken to assess whether the affordable housing requirement on development in the Green Belt is viable and developer contributions should be adjusted as a result.

As set out in the Planning Practice Guidance on viability, where development takes place on land situated in, or released from, the Green Belt and is subject to the ‘Golden Rules’ set out in paragraph 156 of the National Planning Policy Framework, site specific viability assessment should not be undertaken or taken into account for the purpose of reducing developer contributions, including affordable housing.

The government intends to review the guidance on viability and will be considering whether there are circumstances in which site-specific viability assessment may be taken into account, for example, on large sites and Previously Developed Land.