Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2024 to Question 16911 on Planning Permission: Reform, with reference to the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework on 19 December 2023, for what reason the words as a minimum were omitted from paragraph 35(a).
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 16908 on 11 March 2024.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 61 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, whether it his policy that a local authority area being located wholly within the green belt should represent an exceptional circumstance to justify an alternative approach to using the standard method calculation when assessing housing need for the purposes of making a local plan.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, for what reason the words 'and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development' were not removed from that Framework.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, for what reason the words 'Green Belt boundaries are not required to be reviewed and altered if this would be the only means of meeting the objectively assessed need for housing over the plan period' were omitted from that Framework.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to paragraph 145 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, whether it his policy that the threshold for an exceptional circumstance would be met by a local authority area seeking to alter green belt boundaries for the purposes of making a local plan in circumstances where housing need as calculated by the standard method cannot be met having exhausted all development opportunities (a) not in the green belt and (b) in existing brownfield sites within the existing green belt boundaries.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement entitled The Next Stage in Our Long Term Plan for Housing Update, HCWS161, published on 19 December 2023, and paragraph 145 of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, whether local authorities are required to include green belt sites in their local plan to meet housing needs targets as calculated by the Standard Method.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, for what reason his Department omitted from that paragraph the words, so far as possible, taking into account the policies of in this Framework.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the consultation entitled Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, published on 22 December 2022, and to paragraph 35(a) of the National Planning Policy Framework, published in December 2023, what assessment his Department made of the potential merits of omitting from that paragraph the words 'as a minimum'.
Answered by Lee Rowley
I refer the Hon Member to the written statement made by my Rt Hon Friend The Secretary of State (HCWS161) and the revisions made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 19th December 2023.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8848 on Local Plans: St Albans, whether his Department has been notified of (a) correspondence and (b) meetings on the local plan between St Albans District Council and the Planning Inspectorate in the last 12 months.
Answered by Lee Rowley
An advisory meeting between the Planning Inspectorate and St Albans City and District Council was held on 18 December 2023.
The Planning Inspectorate will hold an advisory meeting at the request of a local authority. The purpose of an advisory meeting is to provide advice on points raised by the authority in regard to their draft local plan and the examination process so that the authority can effectively prepare for it.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January to Question 7677 on Local Plans: St Albans, what (a) correspondence and (b) meetings his Department has had with St Albans District Council on its timetable for completing a local plan in the 12 months to 19 December 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Preparing and maintaining a Local Development Scheme is a statutory requirement under s.15 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Departmental officials monitor and engage with Local Planning Authorities across England, which included meeting with officers at St Albans to discuss plan making in March and September 2023.