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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of loss of publicly available green space in England over the last three years.

The Government recognises the importance of publicly available green space for the health and wellbeing of communities. The Department has not made a specific assessment of trends in the level of loss of publicly available green space in England over the last three years, or the impact of new development on the availability of green space in urban and rural communities. However, the Government collects data on access to green and blue space. The latest data shows that 80% of households in England have access to at least one green or blue space within a 15-minute walk.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in August 2026, sets out that development plans should set local standards for the provision of different types of recreational land and facilities, as well as the provision of green infrastructure, in ways which complement each other and draw on Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Standards. These include a standard on accessible green space which sets criteria on size, proximity and quality. Policies for informal recreation should aim to secure a connected network of high quality, inclusive and accessible opportunities as part of the wider network of green space provision. The new NPPF also safeguards against the loss of open space, sport and recreation facilities.