Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of design quality guidance for new build developments in the planning system.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring the planning system creates more beautiful and sustainable buildings and places. Our national planning policy makes clear that local authorities should engage communities during the preparation of local design codes in line with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code. Local councils can use this guidance to inform local policy and local guidance to define expectations for well-designed new development for their local area.
Furthermore, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduces a requirement for local planning authorities to produce a design code for the whole of their area as part of the development plan, which will give design codes significant weight when planning applications are determined.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what powers local authorities have to prevent the building of poorly designed housing developments.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring the planning system creates more beautiful and sustainable buildings and places. Our national planning policy makes clear that local authorities should engage communities during the preparation of local design codes in line with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code. Local councils can use this guidance to inform local policy and local guidance to define expectations for well-designed new development for their local area.
Furthermore, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduces a requirement for local planning authorities to produce a design code for the whole of their area as part of the development plan, which will give design codes significant weight when planning applications are determined.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the research by Adfree cities which found that outdoor advertising is disproportionately placed in areas of existing deprivation, published in March 2024.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Advertising has a valuable role to play in a free market society. Local councils already have the choice, through powers in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, to refuse applications on amenity or public safety grounds.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Southwark (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent Refugee Council report Keys to the City 2024: ending refugee homelessness in London and its finding that in the two years to September 2023, there was a 239 per cent increase in refugees requiring homelessness support from local authorities after being evicted from Home Office asylum accommodation.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
We recognise the number of individuals moving on from the asylum support system is placing pressure on local authorities. The Home Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities are working closely on this and have been regularly engaging with local authorities to ensure they are supported. There are a number of improvements in train to ensure local authorities receive early notification of those leaving Home Office asylum accommodation to enable effective planning.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on making an assessment of the potential merits of introducing new planning rules on Material Changes of Use and Permitted Development for children’s residential homes.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The joint ministerial statement on planning for children’s homes jointly published in May 2023 by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Education remains the most up to date government policy on this matter. I am aware of the Hon Member’s concerns on this issue, and if he has more information to share we would be happy to receive it.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of planning rules on the installation of (a) telecommunications infrastructure and (b) 5G masts.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Permitted development rights have been developed for telecommunications infrastructure. In 2022 the Government made changes to permitted development rights to enable 5G deployment and help extend mobile coverage, following consultations on both the principle and technical detail of changes.
Alongside these changes, the Government published a new Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England. This details considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited. It also covers how they should consult with interested parties throughout the development process, particularly with local residents, and the circumstances where a greater level of community engagement should be considered.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help increase collaboration between (a) network operators and (b) local communities on planning consultations for proposed 5G masts.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Permitted development rights have been developed for telecommunications infrastructure. In 2022 the Government made changes to permitted development rights to enable 5G deployment and help extend mobile coverage, following consultations on both the principle and technical detail of changes.
Alongside these changes, the Government published a new Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England. This details considerations that operators should follow when deploying infrastructure, including how infrastructure should be sited. It also covers how they should consult with interested parties throughout the development process, particularly with local residents, and the circumstances where a greater level of community engagement should be considered.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of housing (a) need and (b) mix in (i) Cambois, (ii) Sleekburn and (iii) North Blyth since the failure to agree a deal to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Cambois.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In January 2023, as part of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, we announced that £14.7 million was awarded to Northumberland County Council for two new high-quality cycling and pedestrian routes in Hexham and Bedlington.
The Government will continue to work with stakeholders across Northumberland to deliver long term support to the area, including working with Northumberland County Council.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities to follow the standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method does not dictate where homes should go.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department still plans to provide funding for (a) walking and (b) cycling routes in Bedlington in the context of the failure to agree a deal to build an electric vehicle gigafactory in Cambois.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In January 2023, as part of the second round of the Levelling Up Fund, we announced that £14.7 million was awarded to Northumberland County Council for two new high-quality cycling and pedestrian routes in Hexham and Bedlington.
The Government will continue to work with stakeholders across Northumberland to deliver long term support to the area, including working with Northumberland County Council.
The National Planning Policy Framework expects strategic policy-making authorities to follow the standard method for assessing local housing need. The standard method does not dictate where homes should go.
Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Labour - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to enable local planning authorities to use the most recent Office for National Statistics household projections in the standard method of calculating local housing need.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
A review of the standard method formula was undertaken in 2020. As part of the consultation, we asked if we should incorporate more recent household projections data into the formula. Following careful consideration of the responses received, to provide stability and certainty for local authorities and other stakeholders we decided to retain the existing formula.
We have kept the standard method under review. Through a consultation on changes to national policy held in 2022/23 we committed to review our approach to assessing housing needs once new household projections data, based on the 2021 Census, is released in 2025.