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 issues on embodied carbon as a material consideration in the planning process when assessing planning applications for the (a) replacement of existing buildings and (b) construction of new buildings.

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

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 makes clear that the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change should be considered in preparing and assessing planning applications.