Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the proposals set out in the Planning for the Future white paper are rural proofed with regard to demand for affordable homes in rural communities.

The Government recognises the importance of affordable homes in rural communities. National planning policy makes it clear that in rural areas, housing development that reflect local needs should be supported, and that affordable housing can be sought for residential developments that are not major developments in designated rural areas. None of our proposals change this overall approach.

In Planning for the Future, we propose to replace the existing system of developer contributions with a new Infrastructure Levy, which will deliver at least as much onsite affordable housing as at present. We are currently consulting on this approach, which will inform our assessment of the impacts of the proposed Levy.