Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 removing Sport England as a statutory planning consultee on the future provision of playing fields, pitches and community sports facilities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many responses were received to the recent consultation on the reform of statutory consultees, specifically in relation to the proposal to remove Sport England as a statutory consultee.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the sport and recreation sector on proposals to remove Sport England as a statutory planning consultee.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to issue guidance to planning authorities on the capacity of the grid for battery projects.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan outlines an ambition for 23 – 27 GW of grid-scale batteries in Great Britain by 2030 and indicates what proportion of this capacity is required in which part of the country for 2030. It also does the same for 2035.
It is a matter for planning authorities whether to grant permission to proposed battery developments in line with existing planning guidance. Government does not plan to issue additional guidance on this matter.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of removing Sport England as a statutory planning consultee on the future provision of playing fields, pitches and community sports facilities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answers given to Questions UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026, and UIN 112696 on 2 March 2026.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 has reviewed the outline planning permission for the NA3 Wolborough Barton development, including safeguarding conditions relating to Wolborough Fen SSSI.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Due to the quasi-judicial role of MHCLG Ministers in the planning system, neither the Secretary of State nor I are able to comment on the details of specific planning proposals, including discussing them with the relevant local planning authority.
Enforcement against breaches of planning control and non-compliance of imposed conditions are matters for individual local planning authorities.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she engaged with (a) the Security Service and (b) other security agencies prior to the approval of the planned Chinese Embassy by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Security Minister on 20 January.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what security assessments her Department undertook ahead of the approval of the planned Chinese Embassy by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Security Minister on 20 January.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Chines Government made representation to her Department, outside of the planning process, on permissions for the proposed Chinese Embassy.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Hon Member knows, the decision on the planning application was made by the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government independent from the rest of Government in line with his quasi-judicial role.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, following the approval in June 2020 of outline planning permission for the NA3 Wolborough Barton development, including safeguarding conditions to protect Wolborough Fen SSSI, whether Environmental Delivery Plans or biodiversity‑offsetting mechanisms can be applied to development proposals affecting the Fen; and what criteria her Department uses to determine the appropriateness of such measures at hydrologically sensitive protected sites.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government's initial focus for EDPs is nutrient pollution, with Natural England currently exploring their development for a number of specific catchments. A list of EDPs currently being prepared by Natural England, and the areas they may cover, was published on 22 December 2025. Wolborough Fen SSSI does not fall within the catchments currently identified for the early nutrient EDPs.