Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Green Belt protection is factored in when making decisions on new towns.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Green Belt policy is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The NPPF is a material consideration in planning decisions.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to extend new planning powers and investment flexibilities being provided to the Mayor of London under the Housing Delivery package announced in Written Statement HCWS991 to (a) the Mayor of the West Midlands and (b) other Mayors; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such powers on Green Belt protection in (i) Aldridge–Brownhills constituency and (ii) in general.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department's policy to (a) guarantee that green belt protections in the West Midlands will be maintained under the devolution of planning powers to the regional mayor and (b) require the consent of affected local councils for development on Green Belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 20 October 2025 to Question 78942 on Allotments: Green Belt, if he will take steps to amend planning (a) policy and (b) practice guidance to explicitly exclude allotment land in the green belt from being classified as grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I once again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 58901 on 19 June 2025 and Question UIN 78942 on 20 October 2025.
The House will be updated on any proposed changes to planning policy and practice guidance in the usual way.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) percentage and (b) area of (i) grey belt land within the green belt and (ii) green belt land that is grey belt.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the requested information.
It is for individual local planning authorities to undertake the necessary assessments to identify if land is grey belt, either through plan making or through considering specific applications that come forward.
Similarly, it is for authorities to determine whether and how to evidence, justify, amend, and set out Green Belt boundaries through the preparation or updating of statutory plans.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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 15 September 2025 to Question 71482 on Green Belt: Planning Permission, whether the Planning Inspectorate holds information on decisions made in relation to green belt land since December 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning Inspectorate does hold information on decisions made in relation to green belt land.
This information is released under management information in our Casework Database which can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 30 June 2025 to Question 61248 on Green Belt: Maps, if he will list the local authorities that have received funding.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas.
Eligible local authorities submitted an Expression of Interest (EOI) form requesting a share of this funding. The EOIs were reviewed, and funding has been awarded.
Further details, along with a list of successful local authorities, can be found on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
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 26 March 2025 to Question 40156 on Green Belt, whether allotments are deemed to be Grey Belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department published updated guidance on Green Belt policy on 27 February 2025 to assist local authorities and other decision-makers in determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here.
It is for decision-makers to consider how to apply this to particular local circumstances and assess whether a site constitutes grey belt, as it will depend upon the circumstances of each case. The government does not maintain a definitive list of land uses or categories which constitute grey belt land.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his department holds on the (a) amount of green belt that has been de-designated and (b) number of developments that have been built on green belt land since the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of our annual Green Belt release, my Department published the extent of England’s Green Belt as at 31 March 2025. It can be found on gov.uk here.
These statistics give the area of land designated as Green Belt by local authority in England, and also provide details on each local authority who made changes to their Green Belt between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. Data is collected by financial year.
Figures for 2025-26 will be published in our next release at the end of 2026.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what research his Department has commissioned on (a) land value capture and (b) land valuation taxation since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In summer 2024, my Department commissioned the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to provide a viability study to support proposals for new ‘Golden Rules’ for Green Belt development. These proposals were set out in the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system, published in July 2024. The revised NPPF and a response to the public consultation was published in December 2024.