Every parliamentary written question tabled by Blake Stephenson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 161–180 of 321 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report entitled Brewing Communities: How we can create new towns that foster successful pubs, high-streets and flourishing neighbourhoods, published on 17 January 2025.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Bureaucratic burden lifted to speed up building in growth agenda, published on 10 March 2025, when she plans to publish the consultation on the removal of statutory consultees in the planning system.
As per the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510), we intend to consult shortly on reform of the statutory consultee system. A publication date is yet to be confirmed.
Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to require new town masterplans to include designated sites for future pubs.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of pubs on (a) community cohesion and (b) reducing loneliness in new towns.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to Question 47409 on Mayors: Taxation, whether the list of taxes is exhaustive.
The government keeps all tax policy, including local taxes, under review.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's press release entitled, Experimental AI could help councils meet housing targets by digitising records, published on 19 April 2025, for how long after digitisation will local authorities be expected to retain paper records.
Local planning authorities should consider several factors in the retention of their records. These include compliance with statutory requirements such as the General Data Protection Regulation, the Freedom of Information Act, the Environmental Information Regulations, the requirement to hold evidence until the threat of a legal challenge has passed under the Limitation Act 1980, operational purposes and historic interest. In general, digital and hard copy records have the same status. The 19 April 2025 press release is focused on the AI tool ‘Extract’ and its ability to help councils convert decades-old, handwritten planning documents and maps into data in minutes. On the 9 June 2025, as part of London Tech Week, the Prime Minister announced the government’s intention to roll Extract out across the country by Spring 2026. As part of this long-term transition to digital ways of working the Department will consider how paper records should be dealt with.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning Inspectorate Performance update – April 2025, published on 25 April 2025, what steps she is taking to reduce the median decision time.
The Planning Inspectorate's Strategic Plan commits to removing all casework backlogs and meeting all Ministerial targets by 2027. Casework including nationally significant infrastructure projects, local plan examinations, critical Secretary of State casework, appeals against refusal of planning permission and appeals against enforcement notices are currently being prioritised over casework of lower general intrinsic economic value. It is, for example:Meeting all statutory timeframes for national infrastructure applications;Increasingly deciding planning appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the Ministerial measure), having already cleared a backlog of casework;Beginning to decide enforcement appeals by hearing and inquiry in around 26 weeks (the ministerial measure) for the first time in many years, as it clears a long standing backlog of casework; andReducing the total number of live planning appeals by written representations every month (the highest volume area of casework) The Inspectorate is implementing actions to maintain performance in these areas performing well and to improve end-to-end times for other casework including by:Focusing available capacity of both salaried and contract (non-salaried inspectors) on reducing the amount of open appeals. The number of open planning appeals by written representations has reduced significantly during 2024 and continues to reduce.Using contract (non-salaried) inspectors to the full extent of their availability and expanding the range of casework they determine. In addition, the Inspectorate has designed and developed a new digital Appeals Service currently in Beta phase. This new service improves the process for submitting appeals, including reducing the number of invalid appeals submitted. In turn, this reduces the number of validation checks required and is speeding up the time taken to validate appeals. The new service has been expanded to cover all local planning authority areas. In five pilot local authority areas the digital Appeals Service is now being used to progress the appeal from receipt through to decision. This provides an interface for Local Planning Authorities and appellants to manage appeals and automate notifications which are expected to save time for participants, improve their experience of the appeals service and be a foundation for further improvements. The Planning Inspectorate is an Arm's Length Government Body with responsibility for allocation of resources, prioritisation and overall operational performance. The Inspectorate publishes updates on its performance on its website regularly.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer to Question 48234 on Planning Permission, if she will set out her planned timeframe.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 53569 on 28 May 2025.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May to Question 49985 on Planning: Appeals, when he plans to publish the guidance.
Guidance on the costs that may be considered when calculating planning fees will be published at the earliest opportunity following Royal Assent of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to page 70 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s publication entitled Economic and Fiscal Outlook of March 2025, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the statement that much of the additional development in the next five years is assumed to take place on current green belt land.
The government is committed to preserving Green Belts which have served England's towns and cities well over many decades, not least in terms of checking the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas and preventing neighbouring towns merging into one another. However, we know that there are simply not enough sites on brownfield land registers to deliver the volume of homes that the country needs each year, let alone enough that are viable and in the right location. The government’s new approach to the Green Belt, including prioritising the release of lower quality grey belt land and introducing ‘golden rules’ to ensure development benefits communities and nature, is set out in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published on 12 December. On 27 February, Planning Practice Guidance was published to assist local authorities and other decision-makers, and to support a consistent approach to determining whether land is grey belt. It can be found on gov.uk here. This new guidance will support authorities in producing Local Plans, while also making sure that planning applications and development on suitable grey belt land can proceed in the short-term in areas without an up-to-date plan. The government has also provided 133 local planning authorities with £70,000 of pump priming funding each to contribute towards the costs of carrying out Green Belt reviews in their areas.
Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2025 to Question 44048 on Environmental Delivery Plans, whether measures that require permanent maintenance will be funded from the initial levy.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 44048 on 24 April 2025.
Communities and Local Government, over what period her Department plans to require housing supply of 370,000 houses per year.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing need that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament. The new Standard Method sets a local housing need for England of 370,408. Detail on how individual local planning authorities should plan to meet this updated housing need, including transitional arrangements, is set out in the Framework.
Communities and Local Government, whether it his Department's policy that the New Towns Taskforce will be able to allocate new towns on areas of functional floodplain.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 is clear that new housing and most other forms of development should not be permitted in functional flood plains.National planning policy and guidance expect flood risk assessments to consider all sources of flooding, and to take the most up-to-date information into account, which includes the Environment Agency's NaFRA2 data.It is for individual decision-makers, including local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate, to apply this policy and guidance. Support in doing so is available from various sources, including recent webinars hosted by the Town and Country Planning Association. Additional guidance on interpreting the updated NaFRA2 data is also available through the Environment Agency and sector partners to assist local planning authorities.The New Towns Programme aims to create environmentally resilient places that support the Government’s net-zero agenda through sustainable design, nature enhancement, low-carbon infrastructure, and responsible development, including flood risk mitigation.
Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the minutes of formal discussions between Ministers and the New Towns Taskforce.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to give Mayors the power to allocate new towns.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance to local authorities that have expressed interest in hosting a new town on the impact of the new town on their housing targets.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, whether the New Towns Taskforce will be able to recommend sites for new towns that include land already allocated for strategic development.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the New Towns Taskforce on the willingness of local authorities to allocate new towns through their local plans.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an assessment of the merits of publishing proposals received by the New Towns Taskforce but which are not taken forward.
I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 35940 on 13 March 2025, Question UIN 42674 on 7 April 2025, and Question UIN 36088 on 14 March 2025.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the guidance entitled New national flood and coastal erosion risk information, published on 25 March 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on planning and development of this data.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 is clear that new housing and most other forms of development should not be permitted in functional flood plains.National planning policy and guidance expect flood risk assessments to consider all sources of flooding, and to take the most up-to-date information into account, which includes the Environment Agency's NaFRA2 data.It is for individual decision-makers, including local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate, to apply this policy and guidance. Support in doing so is available from various sources, including recent webinars hosted by the Town and Country Planning Association. Additional guidance on interpreting the updated NaFRA2 data is also available through the Environment Agency and sector partners to assist local planning authorities.The New Towns Programme aims to create environmentally resilient places that support the Government’s net-zero agenda through sustainable design, nature enhancement, low-carbon infrastructure, and responsible development, including flood risk mitigation.