Select Committee · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Reforms to national planning policy

Status: Closed Opened: 2 Feb 2023 Closed: 18 Mar 2024 17 recommendations 8 conclusions 1 report

The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee will be examining the Government’s current consultation on reforms to national planning policy, looking at the proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the Government’s wider approach to planning reform. The Committee is expected to examine the Government’s proposed changes to the NPPF, the approach …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Seventh Report - Reforms to national planning policy HC 1122 14 Jul 2023 25 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
3 Recommendation Seventh Report - Reforms to national pl… Rejected

Government lacks clear planning reform timetable and fails to evaluate past NPPF changes.

The Government has not been clear on the timetable for its many planning consultations and when its reforms will be implemented. Nor has the Government sufficiently evaluated the impact of its past NPPF changes to inform its current reform proposals. There is a strong case that the Department should conduct …

Government response. The government implicitly rejects the call for comprehensive impact assessments of past NPPF changes, citing resource constraints for its targeted and proportionate approach to evaluation, while stating it will continue to consider the potential impact of proposed changes.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
10 Recommendation Seventh Report - Reforms to national pl… Rejected

Set out proportions of different housing tenures, including 90,000 Social Rent homes annually

We reiterate our previous recommendation from our report on the future of the planning system in England (2021) that the Government should set out the proportions of different types of tenure that will make up the 300,000 net new homes per year, in order to encourage local planning authorities to …

Government response. The government maintains that it is for local authorities to identify the size, type, and tenure of housing needed locally, and does not commit to setting national proportions or a specific target for social rent homes.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
12 Recommendation Seventh Report - Reforms to national pl… Rejected

Conduct national review of Green Belt purpose to assess brownfield development suitability

We reaffirm our previous recommendation from our report on the future of the planning system in England (2021) that a national review of the purpose of the Green Belt should assess the circumstances where brownfield sites within the Green Belt should be considered for development. Local Green Belt boundary reviews …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation for a national review of the Green Belt, stating it has no such plans and is committed to protecting and enhancing the Green Belt, while promoting brownfield land use.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
14 Recommendation Seventh Report - Reforms to national pl… Rejected

Abolish the urban uplift and implement a single needs-based standard method formula

The Government should abolish the urban uplift when it reviews the standard method in 2024. Instead, a single standard method formula that accounts for local housing need and capacity should apply to all local authorities. The revised formula should be based on future local need, with a focus on regenerating …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to abolish the urban uplift, defending its purpose in directing homes to urban centers and supporting levelling up. It intends to review the standard method for assessing housing needs following the 2021 Census data but …
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
24 Apr 2023 Emran Mian · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Rachel Maclean · Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities View ↗
13 Mar 2023 Councillor James Jamieson · Local Government Association, Kate Henderson · National Housing Federation, Richard Blyth · Royal Town Planning Institute, Sam Stafford · Home Builders Federation View ↗

Correspondence

8 letters
DateDirectionTitle
12 Sep 2023 To cttee Letter from the Secretary of State to the Chair dated 1 September 2023 concerni…
18 Jul 2023 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Secretary of State dated 17 July 2023 concerning h…
27 Jun 2023 To cttee Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 2…
13 Jun 2023 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 1…
13 Jun 2023 To cttee Letter from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated 6…
18 Apr 2023 To cttee Letter from the Local Government Association to the Chair dated 24 March 2023 c…
28 Feb 2023 To cttee Letter from the Minister for State for Housing and Planning to the Chair dated …
7 Feb 2023 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Minister of State for Housing and Planning dated 6…