Committee publication · Correspondence · 12 November 2025

Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 7 November concerning accessibility standards in new homes

From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Summary

The Minister of State for Housing and Planning responds to the Committee Chair's October inquiry about mandating Part M4(2) accessibility standards in new homes. The government commits to clarifying its position on mandatory Part M4(2) adoption through a consultation on national development management policies due by year-end 2025, while noting that the revised National Planning Policy Framework already requires local authorities to assess accessible housing needs.

Key findings

Government will consult by end of 2025 on national policies for development management, including clarification of its position on mandating Part M4(2) standards
Revised National Planning Policy Framework (published 12 December 2024) requires local planning authorities to assess housing needs for older and disabled people and reflect this in planning policies
Local development plans are expected to bring forward adequate supply of accessible housing, including setting out proportions of M4(2) and M4(3) standard homes where identified need exists
Government will balance impact on overall housing supply with timeframes for introducing accessible housing provision
Previous assessments of costs, impacts and risks of Part M4(2) adoption were undertaken in 2020 and 2022 consultations

Tone

Procedural

Topics

housing-standardsaccessibilitybuilding-regulationsplanning-policy

Key actors

Florence Eshalomi MP, Matthew Pennycook MP, Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Notable line

“We expect to clarify the government's intended position on the adoption of Part M4(2) as part of this consultation.”

Key Quotes

“By the end of the year, the government will consult on a new suite of national policies for decision making intended to make the development management clearer, more rules-based …”
— Matthew Pennycook MP · Outlining government's consultation timeline on accessibility standards

“Where an identified need exists, local development plans are expected to help bring forward an adequate supply of accessible housing, which can include setting out the proportion of new homes to be delivered to M4(2) and M4(3) standards.”
— Matthew Pennycook MP · Describing current requirements under the revised National Planning Policy Framework

View original document →

Source · parliament.uk record ↗