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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question 76124 on Planning: Empty Property, if his Department will make an assessment of the adequacy of existing national planning policy and guidance in relation to meanwhile use.

My Department has no plans to make such an assessment.

The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as amended, groups common uses of land and buildings into classes. The uses within each class are, for planning purposes, considered to be broadly similar to one another, providing flexibility to change use within a use class.

There are also a range of nationally set permitted development rights which allow for the temporary change of use of buildings between different use classes. Guidance on these is set out at gov.uk.