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, whether his department has made an assessment of future local planning timetables and how they align with national housing objectives.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold data relating to future unpublished local plan timetables and their correlation with national housing objectives.
The new plan-making system includes a new process for producing plans with clear steps that a local planning authority will need to take. This should support faster preparation of plans and more frequent updates, helping to ensure that plans delivering higher housing figures are in place more quickly.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her department has made of the potential economic impact of an increase in notifications to mobile telecommunications companies under the Notice to Quit regime.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Electronic Communications Code allows for site providers to serve Notices to Quit in specific limited circumstances, including if land is to be redeveloped and is no longer suitable to host telecommunications apparatus, or needs to be moved.
We recognise that mobile operators have raised concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure, particularly in more urban areas, as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To minimise the impact of this on mobile coverage and capacity, in its recent Call for Evidence on reforms to planning legislation, the government proposed to extend the period by which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 months to 36 months. This will ensure operators can continue to provide connectivity to local areas without planning permission while they identify new permanent sites. We are considering the responses to this Call for Evidence and will set out the next steps in due course.
Asked by: Sean Woodcock (Labour - Banbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reforming the Notice to Quit regime to reduce disruption to mobile data coverage and capacity.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Electronic Communications Code allows for site providers to serve Notices to Quit in specific limited circumstances, including if land is to be redeveloped and is no longer suitable to host telecommunications apparatus, or needs to be moved.
We recognise that mobile operators have raised concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure, particularly in more urban areas, as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To minimise the impact of this on mobile coverage and capacity, in its recent Call for Evidence on reforms to planning legislation, the government proposed to extend the period by which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 months to 36 months. This will ensure operators can continue to provide connectivity to local areas without planning permission while they identify new permanent sites. We are considering the responses to this Call for Evidence and will set out the next steps in due course.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether funding for the Alpha phase of the BNG metric digitisation programme was based on the Equal Experts Discovery Report on error rates in BNG metric submissions.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Funding for the Alpha phase of the BNG metric digitisation project followed completion of the Discovery phase, which is an early, exploratory stage in the Government Digital Service lifecycle. Decisions to progress from Discovery to Alpha, and to commit funding, are based on the overall findings of Discovery, including the nature of the problem to be addressed, user needs, strategic alignment and the potential value of a digital solution. While Discovery work considered a range of evidence, including issues affecting BNG metric submissions, the decision to fund Alpha was not based on any single factor.
Asked by: Lord Banner (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Levitt on 26 March (HL15521) and 12 March (HL14912), what assessment they have made of the article “Are judicial reviews in the Planning Court taking too long?”, published by the UK Constitutional Law Association on 23 March, having regard to that article being based upon statistical analysis unlike the Written Answers.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Written Answers on 26 March (HL15521) and 12 March (HL14912) were based on the professional knowledge and experience of the Planning Liaison Judge, rather than statistical data, drawing on his role managing claims in the Planning Court. The Planning Court Users Group provides a mechanism for users to raise any specific concerns regarding the timely progress of cases. The Court has confirmed that there is no backlog of cases in the Planning Court relating to challenges to planning permissions granted under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Significant Planning Court claims are managed in line with the targets set out in the relevant Practice Direction, while other cases follow the arrangements applicable to the Administrative Court. Overall oversight by the Planning Liaison Judge ensures that claims are progressed efficiently.
HMCTS is committed to improving efficiency, responsiveness and overall quality of service provided. Through collaborative working with the well-established Planning Court Users Group, HMCTS will discuss and consider any further administrative improvements.
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, whether an Environmental Principles Assessment was produced for the Revised Planning Practice Guidance published in December 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44485 on 22 April 2025.
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 23 March 2026, to Question 120664, on Travellers: Caravan sites, how the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework on traveller sites are a material consideration in the application for a possession order in relation to land that the travellers do not own but are residing on without the landowner’s permission.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, included proposals to incorporate policies relating to traveller sites, currently set out in Planning Policy for Traveller Sites, within relevant chapters of the draft NPPF.
The consultation also included a proposed policy on retrospective planning applications and unauthorised development which sets out that if it is concluded, based on evidence, that the unauthorised development was intentional, that fact should be given substantial weight in considering whether to grant planning permission.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
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 reforms to the statutory consultee system on Sport England's ability to represent the interests of grassroots sports clubs during planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 119470 on 23 March 2026.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 124238 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, how many applicants have successfully received funding under the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking; and what the total value is of funding awarded under that scheme.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
As of 1 January 2026, the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking grant has funded 39 sockets with a grant value of £13,531. The grant funds the installation of charge points at residential properties with on-street parking if they are also installing a cross-pavement solution. This grant is in addition to the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant for local authorities.
The Government has consulted on measures to reduce planning permission requirements for cross-pavement solutions, further supporting households with on-street parking, and will be responding in due course.
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 discussions he has had with local planning authorities on efficiently preparing Article 4 directions under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for houses in multiple occupation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The procedure for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to make an Article 4 direction is laid out in Schedule 3 of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, which is available on gov.uk here.
Additional guidance can be found in the “When is permission required?” Planning Practice Guidance, which is available on gov.uk here.
My Department engages with LPAs in respect of Article 4 directions on an ongoing basis.