The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that Tring faces significant large-scale development proposals driven by top-down national planning policy, which is being imposed on local communities with insufficient regard for the views of residents or the detrimental impact on Tring’s character, infrastructure, and environment.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to schedule a debate in the House of Commons on the Government’s review of the National Planning Policy Framework and how communities like Tring can be better protected from inappropriate over-development, and how local residents can be given a genuine and effective voice in the planning decisions and infrastructure provision that shape their towns and affect their daily lives.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Victoria Collins, Official Report, 16 June 2026; Vol. 787, c. 804.]
[P003209]
Observations from the Minister for Housing and Planning (Matthew Pennycook):
In December 2024, the Government introduced a new standard method for assessing housing needs that better directs new homes to where they are most needed and least affordable.
To identify the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for, the new standard method uses a formula that incorporates a baseline of local housing stock, which is 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. It is based on a more objective assessment of need and supports a more strategic approach to housing, distributing growth across wider city regions, not just to the largest urban authority within our largest cities.
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.
It is for local authorities, in consultation with their communities, to set out the most appropriate strategy to meet their housing needs. The Government 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.
Local plans are the best way for communities to shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development their areas need. They enable local areas to set their strategy for future growth and their approach to protecting and enhancing the environment, and they provide the certainty and confidence required to bring development forward across the country. In the absence of an up-to-date plan, there is a high likelihood that development will come forward on a piecemeal and speculative basis, with reduced public engagement and fewer guarantees that it will make the most of an area’s potential.
In developing a local plan, local planning authorities should carry out appropriate consultation with their local communities. Local authorities can only adopt a plan that is sound. Plans should be consistent with national policy, be supported by evidence and take the views of local people into account. Each plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent inspector.
As the examination of the Dacorum local plan is ongoing, it is for the relevant independent inspector to assess whether the plan can be adopted by the local authority. Anyone who has submitted a representation during the consultation on the draft plan may make a request to be heard by the inspector during the examination.
In respect of the impact of development on local communities and infrastructure, an integrated approach should be taken to considering the location of housing, economic uses and community facilities and services.
Through this process we have made several changes to planning policy, including revisions to reflect local nature recovery strategies and align with current approaches to working with nature, including a stronger focus on green infrastructure and nature-based solutions.
The new NPPF is clear that to contribute positively to the natural environment, and support nature’s recovery, development proposals should consider the environmental qualities of land proposed for development, including habitats, landscape character and the natural beauty of the countryside, and identify opportunities for those qualities to be conserved or enhanced. They should also use green infrastructure provided as part of the scheme and nature-based solutions to secure multiple benefits.
Green infrastructure is a network of multi-functional green and blue spaces and other natural features, urban and rural, which is capable of delivering a wide range of environmental, economic, health and wellbeing benefits for nature, climate, local and wider communities and prosperity.
The Government are also clear that the planning system should promote the creation of healthy and inclusive places and support the provision of appropriate public services.
The new NPPF provides greater clarity on how local authorities should plan for community facilities and public service infrastructure that local communities need. It is clear that in planning for community facilities and public service infrastructure, authorities should engage proactively with local communities and relevant service providers, taking into account relevant strategies to improve health, address inequalities and foster social and cultural wellbeing for all sections of the community.
The new NPPF also strengthens support for proposals that provide new or improved community facilities and public service infrastructure, including where they are required to support new development.