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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what her policy is on promoting the use of Local Development Orders by local planning authorities.

Local development orders are an important tool to enable local planning authorities to proactively grant planning permission for specific developments or classes of development.

The National Planning Policy Framework encourages local planning authorities to use local development orders for particular areas or categories of development where the impacts would be acceptable, and in particular where this development would promote economic, social or environmental gains for the area.

The Planning Advisory Service has also published best practice guidance on the use of local development orders and we encourage local planning authorities to take advantage of this guidance.