Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures the Government has enacted to ensure local plans identify and manage the impacts of development on chalk stream rivers; whether these include buffer zones, green corridors or exclusion zones; and whether such measures are mandated in planning policy guidance.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, more rules-based policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes explicit recognition of chalk streams as features of high environmental value.
Our proposed policy is clear that local plans must identify and manage the impacts of development on these sensitive areas, for instance by creating buffer zones or green corridors, while giving local authorities flexibility to decide which measures are best suited to their local context.
We have also set out more clearly expectations for development proposals to assess and mitigate adverse impacts to water quality on these sensitive waterbodies.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how explicit protection of chalk stream rivers is defined in government policy or guidance, as referenced during the Planning Reform debate on 16 December 2025.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, more rules-based policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation includes explicit recognition of chalk streams as features of high environmental value.
Our proposed policy is clear that local plans must identify and manage the impacts of development on these sensitive areas, for instance by creating buffer zones or green corridors, while giving local authorities flexibility to decide which measures are best suited to their local context.
We have also set out more clearly expectations for development proposals to assess and mitigate adverse impacts to water quality on these sensitive waterbodies.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of homes in each constituency that currently meet the M4(2) accessibility standard.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The data requested is not held centrally although the English Housing Survey does collect data on accessibility and adaptations within the home. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities; everyone deserves to live in a decent home in which they feel safe.
The Government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes policies on accessible housing. The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes in Poole constituency meet the M4(2) accessibility standard.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The data requested is not held centrally although the English Housing Survey does collect data on accessibility and adaptations within the home. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities; everyone deserves to live in a decent home in which they feel safe.
The Government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes policies on accessible housing. The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many existing homes meet the M4(2) accessibility standard.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The data requested is not held centrally although the English Housing Survey does collect data on accessibility and adaptations within the home. Housing is one of this Government’s top priorities; everyone deserves to live in a decent home in which they feel safe.
The Government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes policies on accessible housing. The consultation on changes to the NPPF is available here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Building Safety Regulator.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has a range of duties, including facilitating safety in higher-risk buildings (HRBs), keeping the safety and standards of all buildings under review and facilitating improvement in competence across industry.
The introduction of the BSR in 2023 has led to demonstrable improvements in the safety of the buildings it is responsible for. HRBs are now subject to more stringent scrutiny at both design and construction stages. The planning gateway process embeds fire and structural safety requirements at the earliest stages of design and construction.
The BSR has faced challenges implementing a significant shift in building safety regulation and recognises the impact of delays on the pipeline of new HRBs. In June, MHCLG announced a new phase for the BSR, including strengthened leadership, steps to address operational challenges, and plans for a new body for the BSR.
BSR performance continues to improve. Significant numbers of new build applications have been cleared, and new operating models are delivering dramatically reduced processing times. To support transparency and accountability, the BSR published performance data on 23 December 2025 and will continue to do so monthly.
Establishing a standalone body for the BSR will provide a singular focus for the new leadership to tackle this complex area of regulation. Work is underway to establish the new body through a Statutory Instrument which confirms the establishment date as 27 January 2026. We will work closely with the BSR to ensure a smooth transition from the Health and Safety Executive.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he has considered the potential merits of ensuring that Sport England maintains its role in the statutory planning consultee framework.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 17 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation closes on 13 January 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.
No decision will be made on Sport England’s role until views on impacts of these consultation proposals are fully reviewed.
Asked by: Will Forster (Liberal Democrat - Woking)
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 tackle developers who bank land instead of building homes, such as the 2,000 new homes with planning permission in Woking where construction has not started.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In May 2025, the government published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Speeding Up Build Out inviting views on further action the government should take to speed up homes being built. It can be found on gov.uk here.
On the same day, we launched a technical consultation on implementing measures to improve the transparency of build rates from new residential developments, which includes proposals to implement provisions in Section 113 of the LURA on the power to decline to determine applications. That consultation can be found on gov.uk here.
We are now analysing the responses to both consultations, and we will set out our next steps in due course.
The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including new policy designed to ensure major development proposals are capable of being implemented within a reasonable period – taking into account tenure mix, local market conditions and development history of the site.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what consideration is given within the planning system to the potential impact of housing developments on nearby (a) small businesses and (b) local employment.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local planning authorities are expected to assess economic needs as part of their evidence base and to consider these issues when determining individual applications, including the potential effects of new housing development on nearby businesses and on opportunities for local employment.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies and decisions should ensure that new development can be integrated effectively with existing businesses. Where the operation of an existing business or community facility could have a significant adverse effect on new development in its vicinity, the applicant (or ‘agent of change’) should be required to provide suitable mitigation before the development has been completed.
The government is currently consulting on changes to the NPPF, including updated policy on the agent of change principle so that it is more explicit about the matters to be considered and types of activity which may be affected. The consultation can be found on gov.uk here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.
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 (a) planning application success rate and (b) the number of planning appeals being considered by the Planning Inspectorate relating to mansard extensions since the changes in national policy in 2023.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not collect data on planning applications or planning appeals relating specifically to mansard roof extensions.