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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on increasing the provision of land for food-growing allotments.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should enable and support healthy lives, including through the provision of allotments.

The NPPF also makes clear that open spaces and recreational buildings and land should not be built on unless there is clear evidence it is no longer required; equivalent or better provision is secured in a suitable location; or development of the site is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.