Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Not Addressed
Provide separate statements to Committee demonstrating NPPF and PIB compliance with EPPS
Recommendation
The Government should set out how the NPPF and PIB comply with the EPPS, in line with sections 17 and 19 of the Environment Act 2021. Two complete and separate statements should be shared with the Committee—one for the NPPF and one for the PIB—in response to this report. (Recommendation, Paragraph 23)
Government Response Summary
The government's response details its Planning Data Platform for land and housing data, digital planning services, and forthcoming Land Use Framework, but does not provide statements on how the NPPF and PIB comply with the Environmental Principles Policy Statement (EPPS).
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6. The Government’s Planning Data Platform (https://planning.data.gov.uk) is an operational Beta service which aims to make land and housing data easier to find, use and trust. The Platform collects planning and housing data (including environmental data) from local planning authorities, other planning authorities, and existing national sources visible through services such as MAGIC and Local Land Charges. It transforms this data into a consistent format across England making it visible on a national map, as well as being searchable, and accessible through APIs which support geospatial data, and other data. The data can also be downloaded in bulk under clear licensing and attribution terms. The service is expanding in its scope, with current data driven by the needs of digital planning services being developed as part of the wider Digital Planning Programme, although the data is available for anyone to view, download and use for analysis and decisions related to the environment, planning and housebuilding. 7. Data on the platform has been prioritised to: support the development of local plans; support software such as PlanX, which reduces call-centre traffic by helping householders and others to understand whether they need planning permission; and monitor housing delivery. A key part of this work involves discovering user needs for “planning considerations” and collaboratively designing these as datasets for the platform. We are developing planning data standards and will introduce data standards via secondary legislation through planning data powers in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (“LURA 2023”), to increase consistency of data across the planning system. 8. In the Government’s Land Use Consultation last year, respondents were asked questions about actions that could be taken to improve access to spatial data for use by various sectors. The Government’s response will be outlined in the forthcoming Land Use Framework, including exploring the potential to work collaboratively across Government departments to improve the interoperability of spatial data for decision-making.