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 help reduce the number of housing developers that deliver less affordable housing than initially promised when awarded contracts.

The government is committed to strengthening the existing system of developer contributions, including section 106 planning obligations, to ensure that new developments provide appropriate affordable homes and infrastructure. Further details will be set out in due course.

We are also reviewing the planning practice guidance on viability to ensure that the viability system works to optimise developer contributions, allowing negotiation only where genuinely necessary. We intend to provide a further update before the end of the spring.

Prior to new viability guidance being published, site specific viability assessment should not be used where development is subject to the ‘Golden Rules’ as set out in paragraph 156 of the National Planning Policy Framework.