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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what steps she plans to take to ensure that new electricity transmission infrastructure is integrated with local development plans.

Measures are already in place that ensure infrastructure provision is considered in the local plan-making process.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that plans should be deliverable over the plan period, which will include ensuring that the required infrastructure, included energy infrastructure, can be provided to support proposed development.

Infrastructure providers will be consulted where relevant and would be expected to advise on whether any capacity constraints exist that could prevent planned development being deliverable.