Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any reforms to the planning system protect the delivery of affordable housing.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill gives the Government powers to create a new Infrastructure Levy. This will be a mandatory, non-negotiable charge, set and collected locally.
The Government is committed to the delivery of on-site affordable housing through the Levy, and to delivering at least as much, if not more, affordable housing than at present.
Section 204G(2) of the Bill sets out that, when setting Infrastructure Levy rates, local planning authorities will need to have regard to the level of affordable housing that is already secured through developer contributions, recognising the desirability of maintaining the level at which affordable housing is delivered.
We will also introduce through regulations a new 'right to require', which will allow local authorities to require developers to deliver a set proportion of their Levy liability as onsite, in-kind affordable housing. Developers will not be able to negotiate their affordable housing obligations downwards, which offers significant protection of affordable housing delivery over the present system.
The Levy will be brought forward through regulations that will set out the detail of how it will operate. We intend to consult on this detail, prior to any publication of regulations.
The Levy will be implemented through a ‘test and learn’ approach to support local authorities through the transition period. This will see the Levy rolled out in some local authorities in the first instance, before wider national roll-out over several years. This approach will aid the monitoring and evaluation of the Levy where it is introduced initially, and support the creation of a system that works.
A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been published for the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which includes specific impacts in relation to the Infrastructure Levy. Impact Assessments are required for all UK government interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector and/or public services. The Impact Assessment has been reviewed and rated by the Regulatory and Policy Committee prior to publication, and the Department has received a 'Green' rating, meaning the Impact Assessment is fit for purpose. The Regulatory Impact Assessment can be found here.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an assessment of the implications of the proposed infrastructure levy.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill gives the Government powers to create a new Infrastructure Levy. This will be a mandatory, non-negotiable charge, set and collected locally.
The Government is committed to the delivery of on-site affordable housing through the Levy, and to delivering at least as much, if not more, affordable housing than at present.
Section 204G(2) of the Bill sets out that, when setting Infrastructure Levy rates, local planning authorities will need to have regard to the level of affordable housing that is already secured through developer contributions, recognising the desirability of maintaining the level at which affordable housing is delivered.
We will also introduce through regulations a new 'right to require', which will allow local authorities to require developers to deliver a set proportion of their Levy liability as onsite, in-kind affordable housing. Developers will not be able to negotiate their affordable housing obligations downwards, which offers significant protection of affordable housing delivery over the present system.
The Levy will be brought forward through regulations that will set out the detail of how it will operate. We intend to consult on this detail, prior to any publication of regulations.
The Levy will be implemented through a ‘test and learn’ approach to support local authorities through the transition period. This will see the Levy rolled out in some local authorities in the first instance, before wider national roll-out over several years. This approach will aid the monitoring and evaluation of the Levy where it is introduced initially, and support the creation of a system that works.
A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been published for the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which includes specific impacts in relation to the Infrastructure Levy. Impact Assessments are required for all UK government interventions of a regulatory nature that affect the private sector and/or public services. The Impact Assessment has been reviewed and rated by the Regulatory and Policy Committee prior to publication, and the Department has received a 'Green' rating, meaning the Impact Assessment is fit for purpose. The Regulatory Impact Assessment can be found here.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of the housing targets allocated to each council area; whether there is an expectation, as evidenced by the Housing Delivery Test, that they will be (1) met or (2) exceeded; and on what grounds targets could be negotiated downwards.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
A crucial first step in making sure the country has the right amount of homes, is to plan for them. The National Planning Policy Framework expects local authorities to calculate local housing need using the standard method. However, our standard method is only the starting point in the process of planning for new homes. It is not a target. Local authorities will still need to consider the constraints they face locally to assess how many homes can be delivered in their area in setting their own housing targets when preparing their local plans.
The Housing Delivery Test exists to offer greater transparency on housing delivery in an area and encourages local authorities to be realistic about likely rates of delivery from sites in plans. Where delivery falls, policy consequences are applied to ensure more land is brought forward. The latest results show that the majority of those delivering 75% or less of the housing they need had a plan over 5 years old at the time of publication – this underlines the importance of having an up to date plan and proactively supporting development in a plan-led way.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many local plans have been approved without providing evidence that they will meet their housing targets.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
As part of the plan-making process, local land constraints such as the green belt, sites of special scientific interest and national parks are considered in determining housing targets. All local plans are then subject to an independent examination to determine whether the plan is sound, legally compliant and aligns with national policy. As part of the examination the Inspector will determine whether the plan sets out an appropriate strategy for the area, based on proportionate evidence and whether the strategy is deliverable.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of use Class E units converted to residential use, as proposed in the Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure consultation, returning to high street or town centre uses.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The new homes delivered under the Class E to residential Permitted Development Right will help to increase housing supply. The Right will include a prior approval process to allow for local consideration of specific planning matters such as the impact of the introduction of residential use in general industrial, waste management, or storage and distribution areas on future occupiers. In addition, all new homes delivered under the Right will need to meet Nationally Described Space Standards and provide adequate natural light in all habitable rooms. A full Impact Assessment has been prepared which will be published shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that proposals in the Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure consultation do not lead to developments that (1) fail to meet adequate design standards, and (2) fail to contribute to local areas and result in poorer living environments.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The new homes delivered under the Class E to residential Permitted Development Right will help to increase housing supply. The Right will include a prior approval process to allow for local consideration of specific planning matters such as the impact of the introduction of residential use in general industrial, waste management, or storage and distribution areas on future occupiers. In addition, all new homes delivered under the Right will need to meet Nationally Described Space Standards and provide adequate natural light in all habitable rooms. A full Impact Assessment has been prepared which will be published shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how their proposals in the Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure consultation to allow the conversion of use Class E units to residential will operate alongside local plans that have already been developed to identify where housing should be situated.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The new homes delivered under the Class E to residential Permitted Development Right will help to increase housing supply. The Right will include a prior approval process to allow for local consideration of specific planning matters such as the impact of the introduction of residential use in general industrial, waste management, or storage and distribution areas on future occupiers. In addition, all new homes delivered under the Right will need to meet Nationally Described Space Standards and provide adequate natural light in all habitable rooms. A full Impact Assessment has been prepared which will be published shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult with local authorities on the development of targets for new homes.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We consulted on changes to the standard method formula for assessing local housing need and have now considered the responses carefully. On Wednesday 16th December we announced that in order to ensure that the country meets the challenge of delivering 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, we changed the formula to focus greater need into urban areas to maximise existing infrastructure and to support development that reduces the need for high-carbon travel.
We believe the new method achieves the balance between these objectives whilst also providing certainty and stability during a period of economic uncertainty for our communities, businesses, and development sector. The figures we published alongside the new formula are only indicative, and local housing need remains the starting point for planning for housing need. Authorities should consider how this is best met based on their local circumstance, based on land availability, and relevant constraints.
We continue to engage with those authorities who are facing challenges. The Spending Review confirmed initial funding of £7.1 billion for the National House Building Fund (NHBF) over the next four years to unlock up to 860,000 homes.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any reforms to the planning system protect the environment.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Our proposals in Planning for the Future seek to improve environmental outcomes. This will be achieved by amending the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure that it targets those areas where a reformed planning system can most effectively play a role in mitigating and adapting to climate change and maximising environmental benefits, while protecting and enhancing the most valuable and important habitats and species in England. The Government will respond to this consultation in due course. The Environment Bill will make 10 per cent net gains for biodiversity mandatory for most new developments, and also introduce Local Nature Recovery Strategies to secure enhancements through development schemes and contributions. We have also committed to review the environmental assessment process to help promote a clean, green recovery from the effects of coronavirus, and are taking this forward as part of the Planning for the Future reforms. Environmental protection will be at the heart of this review and where possible, any new framework will go further to take advantage of opportunities for environmental improvement.
Asked by: Baroness Thornhill (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possible impact the changes proposed in the Planning White Paper will have on the delivery of affordable housing.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The?proposal?to create a new Infrastructure Levy,?as set out in the?Planning for the Future?White Paper,?will?support?a more streamlined and accessible planning system. The new Levy will be designed to deliver at least as much onsite affordable housing as at present and will continue to be collected and spent at the local level, on priorities including infrastructure and affordable housing.
The consultation on the White Paper closed on 29 October. We are currently analysing the consultation responses and will publish a response in the Spring which will set out our decisions on the proposed way forward.