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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to streamline (a) planning policy and (b) planning guidance.

The government published a revised National Planning Policy Framework on 12 December 2024.

Last week, the government published revising Planning Practice Guidance to support local planning authorities in their plan making. Further details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 27 February (HCWS480).

The government intends to take further steps to streamline the delivery of homes and infrastructure through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which will be introduced in the coming months.

We also intend to produce a set of national policies for decision making this year that will make national policy more accessible and understandable. We will consult on these in the Spring and further details will be set out in due course.