Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 compliance with ecological mitigation and enhancement conditions attached to planning permissions; and if he will publish post-occupancy monitoring data on the implementation of (a) bird boxes, (b) hedgehog highways, (c) tree planting and (d) other biodiversity features.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Monitoring and ensuring compliance with ecological conditions attached to planning permissions are matters for local planning authorities who already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, to use as they consider appropriate.
For a summary of the steps the government is taking to support capacity and capability within local planning authorities, including within their enforcement teams, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.
In respect of post-occupancy monitoring, my Department does not collect the data requested.
Officials in my Department have engaged with Natural England and local planning authorities about the monitoring of biodiversity enhancements, particularly in relation to the implementation of biodiversity net gain.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
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 improve the enforcement of ecological conditions attached to planning consents; and whether he has had recent discussions with (a) Natural England and (b) local planning authorities on improving post-occupancy inspections of biodiversity enhancements.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Monitoring and ensuring compliance with ecological conditions attached to planning permissions are matters for local planning authorities who already have a wide range of enforcement powers, with strong penalties for non-compliance, to use as they consider appropriate.
For a summary of the steps the government is taking to support capacity and capability within local planning authorities, including within their enforcement teams, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to question UIN 67508 on 14 July 2025.
In respect of post-occupancy monitoring, my Department does not collect the data requested.
Officials in my Department have engaged with Natural England and local planning authorities about the monitoring of biodiversity enhancements, particularly in relation to the implementation of biodiversity net gain.
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 an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in new developments.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that advanced, high quality and reliable communications infrastructure is essential for economic growth and social well-being. It sets out that planning policies and decisions should support the expansion of electronic communications networks, including next generation mobile technology.
The government intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making and we will consider policies on telecommunications as part of that exercise.
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 21 October 2025 to Question 78670 on Regional Planning and Development, if he will publish the (a) projects that had funding cancelled in each of the six local authorities and (b) amount of funding cancelled in each.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
No, the government does not routinely publish details of projects that have not received funding as that could potentially disadvantage any future applications for further investment.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department includes purpose-built student accommodation in it's counting of affordable housing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The definition of affordable housing used in statistical publications is the one included in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
Any student accommodation that falls within that definition will be included, but it is not separately identified in the data collected for the Department’s affordable housing supply statistics.
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 guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on considering potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.
In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how his Department plans to work with relevant stakeholders to resolve potential issues affecting the delivery of social housing through Section 106 on early engagement between developers and housing associations on the (a) design and (b) quality of homes in the long-term.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Section 106 agreements are, and will remain, an essential mechanism for delivering social and affordable housing.
The government continues to progress work on a holistic policy package that will deal with the legacy problem of existing uncontracted S106 units and also prevent the problem recurring. We are working with stakeholders, including registered providers, local planning authorities and housebuilders, on this.
In respect of early engagement specifically, my Department notes and welcomes the work of the G15 group of London's leading housing associations and others to develop collaboration principles aimed at improving how housebuilders and social landlords work together to deliver successful S106 agreements.
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 guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on deciding whether a site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local authority has been appealed.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.
In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.
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 13 October 2025 to Question 77628 on South West: Investment, whether there are grant conditions on the use of the £281,250.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Great South West 2025/26 grant was issued to the accountable body under a section 31 grant pursuant to the Local Government Act 2003.
Alongside this, milestones were agreed between MHCLG and Great South West covering key activity around economic intelligence and insight, planning for long-term sustainability and funding options, acting as a regional business voice, and strategic collaboration for growth and inward investment.
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, if he will make an estimate of the number of houses on brownfield land rejected for planning permission since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department publishes the number of planning applications for dwellings granted and refused per quarter by local authority in the PS2 open data file in our quarterly planning application statistics release. It can be found on gov.uk here. The number of applications on brownfield land is not collected.