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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to local planning authorities on the allocation of land owned by those authorities within local plans.

Local planning authorities are permitted to allocate land that they own for development in local plans. Any such allocations would be subject to public consultation and examination by an independent planning inspector before they can be confirmed.

When planning applications are brought forward for development on such allocated land, the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 ensure that they cannot be decided by a committee or officer responsible for the management of any land or buildings to which the applications relate.