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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to change the threshold for on-site affordable housing from 10 to 50 units.

The government retains a strong preference for, and commitment to, on-site delivery of social and affordable housing, reflecting the benefits this provides in terms of the delivery of mixed communities, controlled land prices, and secure cash flow for developers of all sizes.

At the same time, the government also wishes to provide for a more proportionate and streamlined planning system for SME housebuilders, to help bring competition and diversity to the market, and support faster build out.

As such, the government has decided to explore further the potential benefits and drawbacks of enabling developers to discharge social and affordable housing requirements through cash contributions in lieu of direct delivery in the category of “medium” sites as part of the consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework, published on 16 December 2025.

Further information is set out in the Government’s consultation ‘National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system’ which can be found on gov.uk (attached) here.