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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to The Minister for Housing, Planning and Building Safety's oral statement on Long-term Plan for Housing on 19 December 2023, Official report, whether he plans to take steps to ensure the urban uplift within the National Planning Policy Framework meets the housing needs of each urban area.

To support the effective and efficient use of land and densification within our towns and cities the standard method urban uplift increases local housing need in our 20 most populated urban areas by 35%. The uplift is designed to ensure that the standard method is consistent with our aim to deliver 300,000 homes a year. It also helps maximise use of existing infrastructure and our wider objectives of regenerating brownfield sites, renewal and levelling up.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework (December 2023) is clear that where the urban uplift applies it should be met by those cities and urban centres concerned rather than exported to surrounding areas, except where there is voluntary cross-boundary agreement to do so, or where this would conflict with other policies in the Framework.