Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 5 November, whether the special provisions within the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 on the private disclosure of information are being used in the Chinese Embassy planning case; and what steps they are taking to facilitate sharing of (1) sensitive information about the building plans by the applicant, and (2) sensitive information about the applicant and its potential use of the building for espionage or repression, including information held by the intelligence services which those services do not wish to share with the government of China or otherwise place in the public domain.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All inquiry documents for this case are publicly available on Tower Hamlets (attached) website here.
Post-inquiry representations are routinely listed at the end of the final decision letter, and are also available on request once the decision letter has issued. The Secretary of State is able to issue a direction under section 321 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, which allows specific evidence to be withheld from public inspection at a public inquiry. No section 321 direction has been made in this case.
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 24 November 2025, to Question 90709, on Shops: Planning Permission, and the Answer of 7 November 2025, to Question 86776, on Retail Trade: Urban Areas, what are the new specific powers for local authorities to block unwanted (a) hairdressers and (b) barbers that would apply to shops that are not otherwise long-term empty, separate to the Companies House changes.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As we have set out, there are a range of measures to tackle this issue. This government has since announced further action to crack down on illegal high street activity in premises such as mini-marts, barbershops, vape shops, nail bars and car washes. The Autumn Budget has provided £15 million per year to fund enhanced enforcement activity and establish a cross-government policy taskforce to better understand and disrupt organised crime, money laundering and related criminality on our high streets.
This is in addition to wider measures, which support stronger action against those who break the rules, including amending the Company Directors Disqualification Act to extend the circumstances in which directors who break the law can be disqualified.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what planning-related data they obtain from Glenigan.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Glenigan provide data on residential development sites and planning applications. Data fields include site dimensions, date application submitted, date application decided, decision outcome, number of proposed units, application type, site location, and planning authority, among other details.
We also receive a calculated metric on the number of homes granted planning permission at detailed and reserved matters stage each quarter. This is published in the department’s quarterly planning applications statistics release.
Asked by: Lord Jamieson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the guidance Holocaust Memorial: handling arrangements for planning casework, published on 5 November, and Entertainment Resort Complex, Bedford: Handling Arrangements, published on 17 October, whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the handling arrangements for the planning casework of the Chinese Embassy application at the Royal Mint.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In dealing with any planning casework, Ministers and officials will always act in accordance with published propriety guidance on planning casework decisions, which is available on gov.uk (attached) here.
Handling arrangements are published where they are required in specific cases to ensure that Ministers or officials with any role in promoting planning proposals are explicitly excluded from the planning decision-making process. That does not apply in the case of the application for the Royal Mint Court.
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, with reference to his proposal to determine certain called-in applications by written representations rather than inquiry, what assessment he has made of the implications for the level of scrutiny applied to large or complex applications on Green Belt land; and if he will issue criteria ensuring that proposals with significant Green Belt or environmental impacts will continue to receive a full inquiry where appropriate.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.
All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.
Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.
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 steps he will take to ensure that the expanded use of intervention and call-in powers does not weaken legitimate local democratic oversight of planning decisions, particularly in Green Belt-heavy areas such as Aldridge-Brownhills; and whether he will confirm that any called-in application will be assessed with full regard to adopted and emerging Local Plans.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.
All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.
Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.
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, further to the Chief Planner newsletter of 24 November 2025, whether an (a) Impact Assessment, (b) Equality Impact Assessment and (c) Environmental Principles Assessment was undertaken in relation to the decision to revoke the Letter from Nick Boles to the Planning Inspectorate of 11 March 2014 on Green Belt reviews.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The letter in question has already been superseded by changes to national planning policy, including the changes made to Green Belt policy as set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024.
The relevant impact assessments (including Equality Impact Assessment and Environmental Principles Assessment) were taken in relation to these policy changes.
As such, no separate Impact Assessment, Equality Impact Assessment or Environmental Principles Assessment consideration was undertaken in respect of the revocation of the letter.
Additionally, as set out in my letter of 9 October 2025 to the Planning Inspectorate (which can be found on gov.uk here), it is ultimately for the strategic policy-making authority to decide to undertake a review of Green Belt boundaries. The authority should take their decision in accordance with the tests set out in national policy. It is also their responsibility to undertake any relevant impact assessments in relation to that decision.
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, with reference to his written statement of 20 November 2025 on a more active use of ministerial call-in and recovery powers, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these changes on local authorities with significant areas of Green Belt, including Walsall Council; and whether he will publish guidance confirming that the protection of Green Belt land in constituencies such as Aldridge-Brownhills will be treated as a material consideration of substantial weight in any called-in decision.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Written Ministerial Statement of 2012 sets out the circumstances in which the Secretary of State will use his powers to intervene.
All called in planning applications and appeals will continue to be considered against adopted local plans, in line with s38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, taking into account material planning considerations, which may include emerging Local Plans.
Proposals to determine the appropriate procedure for called-in applications would be introduced by commencing existing provisions in the Planning Act 2008.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the government intends to review planning laws to increase support for farming business diversification in rural areas.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 95296 on 4 December 2025.
Asked by: Lee Pitcher (Labour - Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme)
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 plans to review planning regulations for houses in multiple occupation.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 22786 on 17 January 2025.
The government continues to keep permitted development rights under review.