The petition of residents of Bromsgrove District,
Declares that it is wrong for rural Bromsgrove District’s housing targets to be increased by 82% while neighbouring urban Birmingham’s targets are reduced by 31%; while noting that Bromsgrove District is 89% green belt and 79% rural and that at least 140 hectares of brownfield land in the south of Birmingham are already available for development.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to justify the flawed formula used to calculate the local housing need for Bromsgrove District, reverse the planned reduction in Birmingham’s housing target to ensure the burden is shared in a fair and proportionate way and only allow new houses to be built when the accompanying infrastructure is provided.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Bradley Thomas, Official Report, 25 November 2025; Vol. 776, c. 353.]
[P003130]
Observations from the Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook):
In December 2024, following extensive consultation, the Government implemented a new standard method for assessing housing needs 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 is based on a more objective assessment of need. To identify the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for, the standard method uses a formula that incorporates a baseline of local housing stock, which is then adjusted upwards to reflect local affordability pressures. Areas where unaffordability is most acute see the largest adjustment. The new method strikes a balance between meeting the scale of need right across the country and focusing additional growth on those places facing the biggest affordability pressures, by more than doubling the affordability multiplier we apply in the method.
The new standard method does not include the 35% urban uplift which was applied under the previous standard method to the 20 most populated cities and urban areas, including Birmingham. That urban uplift was an arbitrary adjustment to housing need, which was not based on evidence and was disconnected from delivery realities.
Instead, the new standard method supports a more strategic approach to housing growth, distributing growth across wider city regions, and not just to the largest urban authority within our largest cities. The new method also seeks to direct housing growth to a wider range of urban areas across England and not just the 20 largest urban authorities—this will help stimulate growth across our smaller cities and urban areas as well as those larger cities areas and continue to direct growth to make the best use of brownfield land. Under the new standard method, housing need across metropolitan combined authority areas increases by over 20% compared to the previous method.
The Government recognise that urban areas should be the focus for growth and has been clear that brownfield land must, wherever possible, be prioritised for new development. Through the revisions made to the national planning policy framework in December 2024, we broadened the definition of brownfield land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved, and made clear that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas. However, brownfield sites vary greatly, and local authorities are best placed to assess the suitability of each for redevelopment.
On 22 September 2024, the Government published a brownfield passport policy paper, inviting views on how we can further prioritise building on previously used urban land, and how we can make best use of land in accessible locations, such as around train stations.
The Government are currently consulting on a new national planning policy framework that draws on the proposals outlined in that policy paper and the feedback received on it. It includes proposals designed to further strengthen support for development on brownfield land, support the intensification of urban and suburban areas, and enable more development in sustainable locations.
The standard method is used by local authorities to inform the preparation of their local plans. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then calculate the number of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability and constraints on development (such as national landscapes and areas at risk of flooding) and any other relevant matters.
The national planning policy framework sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner. Contributions from developers play an important role in delivering the infrastructure needed to support new development. The community infrastructure levy is a locally set charge on most new development to help address the cumulative impact of development by funding infrastructure anywhere across the charging authority’s area.
Local authorities can also seek a section 106 planning obligation from a developer to mitigate the impact of a specific development, to make the development acceptable in planning terms. This might require the provision of, or a contribution towards, a new or improved school, health facility or open space needed because of the development. Alongside this, the Government provide financial support for essential infrastructure in areas of greatest housing demand through the housing infrastructure fund.
We expect local authorities to explore all options to deliver the homes their communities need—maximising brownfield land, working with neighbouring authorities, and, where necessary, reviewing green belt. Each authority should assess and plan how to meet its housing needs over the plan period.
Each local plan, including the local housing requirement, is subject to a public examination in front of an independent inspector, who examines plans impartially to ensure that they are legally compliant and sound. A sound plan should be consistent with national policy, positively prepared, effective, and based on proportionate evidence. Plans should also take the views of local people into account.
Through the Planning and Infrastructure Act, the Government are legislating to re-introduce a level of strategic plan making, by creating a duty to produce spatial development strategies. As these are produced over the next few years, they will have the ability to re-distribute housing needs between local planning authorities, in line with wider opportunities and the spatial strategy that the SDS is based on. The aggregate need across the SDS area will be based on the standard method for assessing local housing need.