Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of automatic planning permission for extending helipad operation hours at major trauma hospitals.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Operating hours are usually set locally, by condition, following the grant of planning permission. If there are conditions restricting operating hours, these can be varied or removed through a section 73 application following local consideration of the benefits and any local impacts.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the letter to the Hon Member for Thirsk and Malton, from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, of 15 August 2025, when the Minister of State for Housing and Planning first became aware that the applicant had not provided unredacted drawings to the planning application.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not comment on live planning cases.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) building regulations and (b) planning policy on levels of installation of air conditioning in new build homes.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Part O of the Building Regulations, which was introduced in June 2021 and came into force in June 2022, ensures new homes are designed to minimise the risk of overheating.
Given the Government’s net zero commitment, our preferred means of mitigating overheating is through passive measures, which ensure little or no energy is required to manage indoor temperatures. While mechanical cooling, such as air conditioning, is effective at reducing overheating, it is not a desirable or financially efficient solution due to the energy it consumes. Widespread reliance on mechanical cooling would place additional demand on the national grid, slowing the transition to a zero-carbon system and requiring further generation capacity. There are also implications for households, as the costs associated with mechanical cooling could exacerbate fuel poverty where people are unable to afford to run cooling systems.
Mechanical cooling can still be used to comply with Part O. However developers must first demonstrate that all reasonable passive measures have been implemented before adopting mechanical solutions.
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 assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changing the Planning Practice Guidance assessment criteria of identifying grey belt land from being judged as strongly contributing to any one of purposes a, b, or d to moderately contributing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 July 2025.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58609 on Green Belt: Planning, and the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39471 on Green Belt, for what reason her Department has decided to exclude Green Belt purposes (c) and (e) when assessing grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 July 2025.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58609 and the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 39471, for what reason only Green Belt purposes (a), (b) and (d) were included in assessing grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 July 2025.
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 assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the consistency of Local Planning Authorities in identifying grey belt land.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not changed the five purposes of the Green Belt set out in paragraph 143 of the NPPF, and we do not propose to alter its general extent.
The contribution Green Belt land makes to the five purposes is only one consideration in local planning authority decisions relating to the release of Green Belt land.
In its response to the 30 July 2024 to 24 September 2024 consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, and having considered the feedback received, the government clarified that grey belt land is Green Belt land which does not strongly contribute to Green Belt Purposes (a), (b), and (d).
As set out in Planning Practice Guidance, where grey belt is identified, it does not automatically follow that it should be allocated for development, or released from the Green Belt, or that development proposals will be approved in all circumstances.
I otherwise again refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answers given to Questions UIN 39471 on 26 March 2025 and UIN 64265 on 9 July 2025.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of waiting times for the processing of Disabled Facilities Grants for people with (a) motor neurone disease and (b) other rapidly progressing diseases.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government recognises the importance of timely home adaptations, especially for individuals with rapidly progressing conditions, such as motor neurone disease.
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide adaptations for people who satisfy a needs assessment, eligibility criteria and a means test, and have powers to agree a more generous local policy.
Local authorities also have a statutory duty to provide a decision on Disabled Facilities Grants applications within 6 months of receipt, and the works must usually be completed within 12 months of the approval date. Government guidance sets out that local authorities should prioritise urgent cases, and work to quicker, best practice timescales. The guidance is available here.
To support effective delivery, government also funds a national body for home improvement
agencies, currently Foundations, to provide support and advice to local authorities to help them deliver the DFG as efficiently as possible.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the National Planning Policy Framework in delivering sustainable drainage.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44742 on 22 April 2025.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact that the removal of the Gardens Trust as a statutory consultee in the planning system on (a) local planning authorities, (b) UK tourism, (c) climate change and (d) the sustainability of historic parks and gardens.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is committed to reviewing the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth.
As per the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510), we intend to consult on removing a limited number of statutory consultees, including the Gardens Trust.
We also intend to review the range and type of planning applications on which statutory consultees are required to be consulted and consider whether some types of application could be removed, or addressed by alternative means of engagement and provision of expert advice.
Further details will be set out in due course.