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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that planning decisions take into full consideration the UK's air quality obligations under EU law.

The Government recognises that clean air is vital for people's good health and this concern is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Environmental Audit Committee reported on 8 December 2014 on Action on Air Quality (HC 212) and in its response the Government set out the central role of Local Plans, prepared by local councils working with their local communities, in ensuring that new development is appropriate for its location. The Framework is clear that local planning policies should sustain compliance with and contribute to EU limit values or national objectives for pollutants, taking into account the presence of Air Quality Management Areas.