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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on applying the Golden Rules in local planning decisions.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December 2024 includes ‘Golden Rules’ for major development involving the provision of housing on land that is situated within, or released from, the Green Belt.

The NPPF must be taken into account in preparing local development plans and is a material consideration in planning decisions.

On 27 February 2025, my Department published updated planning practice guidance on the Green Belt which sets out how local planning authorities should apply the new ‘Golden Rule’ on green space provision, including how they should consider accessibility, quality, and alignment with Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

The government has a variety of ways to assess the impacts of, and interactions between, policy changes. These include consultation processes and the publishing of a range of metrics to monitor the impacts of changes.

The government monitors and publishes data on planning permissions granted, quarterly data on starts and completions, and annual statistics showing the extent of England’s Green Belt, including changes resulting from land being released from, or added to, the Green Belt.

We also continuously engage with the planning sector, including local planning authorities, to understand the impact of our policy changes. This includes the implementation and effect of the Golden Rules.