Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure local planning authorities enforce Construction Environmental Management Plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Construction environmental management plans are usually required by conditions imposed on the grant of planning permission.
Local planning authorities already have a wide range of powers to deal with breaches of planning condition. It is for authorities themselves to decide when and how they use those powers.
Asked by: Natalie Fleet (Labour - Bolsover)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the capacity of sewage works in a local area is assessed before planning permission is given for new housing developments; and what steps he is taking to ensure that capacity is increased where needed.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 103042 on 14 January 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 support the Government is providing to local planning authorities to ensure they have the expertise to manage parks and gardens casework in the absence of guaranteed specialist input.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 18 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 13 January 2026.
The consultation asked for views on the impact of removing consultee status in the planning application process from the Gardens Trust, The Theatres Trust and Sport England.
No final decisions will be taken on the role of these statutory consultees until all consultation feedback has been fully analysed and considered. A government response will be published in due course.
Regardless of consultation outcomes, these statutory consultees will continue to engage through public consultation and targeted notifications in the planning process.
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 on planning outcomes of the decision to remove statutory consultee status from certain bodies in the planning process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
On 18 November 2025, my Department published a consultation on reforms to the statutory consultee system. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, closed on 13 January 2026.
The consultation asked for views on the impact of removing consultee status in the planning application process from the Gardens Trust, The Theatres Trust and Sport England.
No final decisions will be taken on the role of these statutory consultees until all consultation feedback has been fully analysed and considered. A government response will be published in due course.
Regardless of consultation outcomes, these statutory consultees will continue to engage through public consultation and targeted notifications in the planning process.
Asked by: Rachel Blake (Labour (Co-op) - Cities of London and Westminster)
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 proportionality of the requirement for planning permission to install double glazing.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department has not undertaken such an assessment, as in most cases the replacement of windows of similar appearance can be undertaken without the need for a planning application.
However, there may be some local exceptions, and other consents such as listed building consent may be required.
Asked by: Darren Paffey (Labour - Southampton Itchen)
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 merits of requiring planning permission to change residential homes to short-term lets.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
While short-term lets can benefit local economies, the government recognise that excessive concentrations of them impact on the availability and affordability of homes for local residents to buy and rent, as well as local services.
We are considering what additional powers we might give local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures created by short-term lets as well as second homes.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker whether there are plans to redesign or rebuild the metal fence in front of the House of Lords.
Answered by Baroness Garden of Frognal
The Abingdon Street Fence has been designed to improve the security of the Parliamentary Estate and everyone who works here. The planning permission granted by Westminster City Council for the ‘siting of a boundary fence’ is temporary and was granted for ten years. A longer-term solution will be taken forward via the Restoration and Renewal programme.
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 guidance is issued to local planning authorities on managing concentrations of houses in multiple occupation within residential areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to plan to meet an area’s identified housing need, including with an appropriate mix of housing types for the local community.
Local planning authorities already have planning powers to limit the concentration or proliferation of HMOs within their locality. They can remove the national permitted development right for smaller HMOs to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area by introducing an ‘Article 4’ direction which, once in place, requires all new HMO proposals to secure planning permission. We keep the powers to regulate HMOs under review.
Specific guidance is not provided on managing concentrations of houses in multiple occupation.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of existing planning regulations for considering the views of local residents.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Planning regulations require local planning authorities to publish all planning applications for a minimum of 21 days to allow communities to provide their comments. Where relevant planning considerations are raised by local residents within this period these must be taken into account by the local planning authority. The weight attached to a particular consideration is a matter of judgement for the local authority as the decision-maker in the first instance.
The government considers that the existing statutory publicity and consultation requirements for planning applications strikes an appropriate balance between ensuring sufficient consultation with communities and an efficient determination period for the applicant.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what impact assessment has been done for the removal of Sports England as a statutory consultee for the planning application involving playing fields.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to Question UIN 103087 on 13 January 2026.