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

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the new National Planning Policy Framework; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any delay in its publication on the production of local plans.

Government is clear that it expects plan making to continue as we move towards the new system, following royal assent of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. As part of that we are closely monitoring those areas that have failed to keep plans up to date.

We intend to publish updates to the National Planning Policy Framework later in 2023 and are carefully considering how the changes should be implemented to encourage and support different authorities to progress their plans to adoption.