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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans her Department plans to take to ensure local residents are consulted on any proposed construction on designated grey belt land.

The Government is committed to preserving the greenbelt which has served England’s towns and cities well over many decades.

We intend to move away from a system that allows greenbelt land to regularly be released for development in a haphazard manner and often for speculative development that does not meet housing need.

Without changing its purpose or general extent, Labour will take a more strategic approach to greenbelt land designation and release to build more homes in the right places.

The release of lower quality grey belt land will be prioritised, and we will introduce ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature.

Further details on how grey belt land will be designated and the methods by which it might be released will be provided in due course.