Written questions by Morton.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to implement the provisions of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024.

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, what steps she plans to take to ensure that new electricity transmission infrastructure is integrated with local development plans.

Measures are already in place that ensure infrastructure provision is considered in the local plan-making process. The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that plans should be deliverable over the plan period, which will include ensuring that the required infrastructure, included energy infrastructure, can be provided to support proposed development. Infrastructure providers will be consulted where relevant and would be expected to advise on whether any capacity constraints exist that could prevent planned development being deliverable.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure that housing developments agreed through the accelerated planning process under the Planning and Infrastructure Bill align with the unique needs of local communities.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will improve certainty and decision-making in the planning system, including through introducing a new scheme of delegation to modernise local planning committees, and increasing the capacity of local planning authorities by enabling the cost recovery of planning fees.It is local development plans that set out a vision and a framework for the future development of any given area, addressing needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the economy, community facilities and essential infrastructure – as well as a basis for conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and achieving well designed places.Local plans are the best way for communities to shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development that their areas need.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework published in December 2024, whether her Department has conducted an environmental impact assessment on the proposed development of grey belt land.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025; UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025; and UIN 36395 on 12 March 2025. It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the location and potential impacts of new development in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, what role will local communities play in the assessment of land designated as grey belt.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025; UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025; and UIN 36395 on 12 March 2025. It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the location and potential impacts of new development in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, what (a) involvement and (b) engagement the Neighbourhood boards will have with (i) Councillors, (ii) Mayors and (iii) hon. Members.

MPs whose constituencies sit within the boundary of the place must sit on the board. In Scotland and Wales the appropriate constituency MSP or MS should also sit on the board. Councils in Northern Ireland are encouraged to invite the MLAs to the board and should ensure that representation is balanced. In areas where there are 2 tiers of local authorities, there should be one councillor from each tier. In unitary authorities, there should be 2 councillors from the authority. Mayoral representatives may be invited to sit on the board.

Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to take legislative steps to ensure there is consultation with local communities before any developments are approved on grey belt land.

I refer the right hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025; UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025; and UIN 36395 on 12 March 2025. It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the location and potential impacts of new development in their areas.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure Neigbhourhood boards are representative of the community.

The local authority or an alternative organisation, such as a community group if agreed by the chair and local authority, should act as secretariat to the board. Recognising the partnership between the board and local authority, council officers may provide secretariat support and can sit as an observer to discussions, if agreed with the chair. We strongly encourage the board to consider whether an alternative organisation, e.g. a local community group, could act or support in this role to build capacity and capability. In line with the principles of public life and to ensure the local community can hold the board to account, its operations must be transparent, with membership and governance arrangements (including minutes of meetings and decision logs) published on the lead council’s website.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, what criteria will be used to determine the (a) geographical boundaries and (b) jurisdiction of the Neighbourhood boards.

The default geographic boundary for each place is determined as follows:for England and Wales: the built-up areas as defined by the Office for National Statistics (2022 boundaries GB BGG)for Scotland: based on Localities 2020 geographyfor Northern Ireland: Settlements 2015 data Neighbourhood Boards may make representations to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to alter their default boundary.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety of 4 March 2025 on Plan for Neighbourhoods, Official Report, columns 210-212, who will the new Neighbourhood Boards be accountable to; and what steps her Department plans to take to measure the effectiveness of the Boards.

The relevant local authority in each place will act as the accountable body for the funds with responsibility for ensuring that public funds are distributed fairly and effectively, and that funds have been managed in line with the Nolan Principles and Managing Public Money principles. They will also be responsible for compliance with legal responsibilities in relation to subsidy control, state aid and procurement.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework published in December 2024, what her Department's definitions of (a) grey belt and (b) green belt are.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025 and Question UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025. Land is Green Belt if designated as such in a Local Plan.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.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, what steps she plans to take to ensure consultation with local communities before any developments are approved on grey belt land.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025 and Question UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025. Land is Green Belt if designated as such in a Local Plan.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.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2024, what instruction has been given to the planning inspectorate on determining land as grey belt.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers to Question UIN 26011 on 31 January 2025 and Question UIN 26507 on 5 February 2025. Land is Green Belt if designated as such in a Local Plan.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.

Communities and Local Government, what estimate her Department has made of the number of empty retail units in town centres; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing new (a) grants and (b) funding streams to encourage small businesses to occupy vacant spaces.

The commercial vacancy rate is 13.3% in England and 16.2% in the West Midlands. This government is committed to tackling high street vacancy and supporting small businesses. On 4 March, we launched the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a £1.5 billion investment to help revitalise local areas and fight deprivation in 75 places across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. We also introduced High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs), a power to auction the lease of persistently vacant commercial properties. This is backed by a fund of over £1 million to help local authorities implement these measures. Our Small Business Strategy, to be published in due course, will set out how we intend to further support small businesses on the high street and beyond.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support (a) councils and (b) local authorities to improve high streets.

The commercial vacancy rate is 13.3% in England and 16.2% in the West Midlands. This government is committed to tackling high street vacancy and supporting small businesses. On 4 March, we launched the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a £1.5 billion investment to help revitalise local areas and fight deprivation in 75 places across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. We also introduced High Street Rental Auctions (HSRAs), a power to auction the lease of persistently vacant commercial properties. This is backed by a fund of over £1 million to help local authorities implement these measures. Our Small Business Strategy, to be published in due course, will set out how we intend to further support small businesses on the high street and beyond.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to monitor the impact of development on grey belt land on local (a) ecosystems, (b) infrastructure and (c) community resources.

It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the locations of new development in their areas.The amount of development that occurs in any given Green Belt will depend on local circumstances. Where a local authority proposes to alter its Green Belt boundaries through a Local Plan, the revised draft Plan will be created in consultation with the local community and submitted for rigorous independent examination by planning inspectors prior to its adoption.Similarly, any planning application will be assessed in the light of policies in the adopted Plan, of relevant policy in the National Planning Policy Framework, and of all other factors the decision-makers find relevant to a particular planning case and its location, including the evidenced concerns of local people.We have been clear that development on grey belt must be sustainable and we have introduced new Golden Rules to ensure that development benefits communities and nature. Our reforms to Green Belt policy do not lessen existing policy obligations to protect designated areas and minimise impacts on biodiversity.Transitional arrangements for implementing policies in the revised National Planning Policy Framework are set out in Annex 1 of it.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she plans to take to ensure environmental protections are maintained when development occurs on grey belt land.

It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the locations of new development in their areas.The amount of development that occurs in any given Green Belt will depend on local circumstances. Where a local authority proposes to alter its Green Belt boundaries through a Local Plan, the revised draft Plan will be created in consultation with the local community and submitted for rigorous independent examination by planning inspectors prior to its adoption.Similarly, any planning application will be assessed in the light of policies in the adopted Plan, of relevant policy in the National Planning Policy Framework, and of all other factors the decision-makers find relevant to a particular planning case and its location, including the evidenced concerns of local people.We have been clear that development on grey belt must be sustainable and we have introduced new Golden Rules to ensure that development benefits communities and nature. Our reforms to Green Belt policy do not lessen existing policy obligations to protect designated areas and minimise impacts on biodiversity.Transitional arrangements for implementing policies in the revised National Planning Policy Framework are set out in Annex 1 of it.

Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure community involvement in decisions on the (a) designation and (b) development of grey belt land.

It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the locations of new development in their areas.The amount of development that occurs in any given Green Belt will depend on local circumstances. Where a local authority proposes to alter its Green Belt boundaries through a Local Plan, the revised draft Plan will be created in consultation with the local community and submitted for rigorous independent examination by planning inspectors prior to its adoption.Similarly, any planning application will be assessed in the light of policies in the adopted Plan, of relevant policy in the National Planning Policy Framework, and of all other factors the decision-makers find relevant to a particular planning case and its location, including the evidenced concerns of local people.We have been clear that development on grey belt must be sustainable and we have introduced new Golden Rules to ensure that development benefits communities and nature. Our reforms to Green Belt policy do not lessen existing policy obligations to protect designated areas and minimise impacts on biodiversity.Transitional arrangements for implementing policies in the revised National Planning Policy Framework are set out in Annex 1 of it.

Communities and Local Government, what transitional arrangements she plans to put in place for (a) local authorities and (b) developers to adapt to the provisions on grey belt development in the new National Planning Policy Framework.

It is for individual local authorities to plan and make decisions regarding the locations of new development in their areas.The amount of development that occurs in any given Green Belt will depend on local circumstances. Where a local authority proposes to alter its Green Belt boundaries through a Local Plan, the revised draft Plan will be created in consultation with the local community and submitted for rigorous independent examination by planning inspectors prior to its adoption.Similarly, any planning application will be assessed in the light of policies in the adopted Plan, of relevant policy in the National Planning Policy Framework, and of all other factors the decision-makers find relevant to a particular planning case and its location, including the evidenced concerns of local people.We have been clear that development on grey belt must be sustainable and we have introduced new Golden Rules to ensure that development benefits communities and nature. Our reforms to Green Belt policy do not lessen existing policy obligations to protect designated areas and minimise impacts on biodiversity.Transitional arrangements for implementing policies in the revised National Planning Policy Framework are set out in Annex 1 of it.

Communities and Local Government, with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, published on 12 December 2024, what her Department’s timescales are for implementing the provisions relating to paragraphs (a) 148 and (b) 155 on grey belt land development.

The policies in paragraphs 148 and 155 of the revised National Planning Policy Framework came into effect on the day of publication, 12 December 2024.Transitional arrangements in relation to the implementation of these policies are set out in Annex 1.Further guidance to help local authorities review their Green Belt and identify grey belt land, will be published in the coming weeks.