Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing legislation on short term holiday lets; and what powers are available to local councils to ensure prospective holiday rentals are subject to the planning system.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
We announced on 19 February that, following last year’s consultation on the Introduction of a short term let use class and associated permitted development rights, we will give Councils the power to control the proliferation of short term lets. We will introduce a new use class for short term lets (C5 use) and associated permitted development rights. In addition, the Government will bring forward a new registration scheme for short term lets.
Further details of the planning changes, including the timeline for implementation, will be set out when the Government formally responds to the consultation.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help tackle antisocial behaviour by guests in short-term holiday lets.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
As outlined in the ASB Action Plan (2023), the Government is introducing measures to ensure that landlords have the tools they need to take action against persistently problematic tenants, relieve innocent parties living nearby and ensure that anti-social tenants face the consequences of their actions. This includes a commitment to preventing short-term lets importing anti-social behaviour into communities.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he plans to take to improve local consultation on nationally significant infrastructure projects.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Effective consultation with local communities on nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) is essential to ensuring that projects are delivered in the right way. That is why on 30 April we updated our guidance on public consultation during the pre-application stage for NSIPs.
This new guidance outlines the expectations examining inspectors will have that effective engagement will support better quality applications. Applicants will now be required to include a clear programme of engagement which reflects the complexity and scale of the project proposed.
The guidance also emphasises the importance of frontloaded consultation so that applicants can resolve issues at an early stage, and how communities can influence and shape projects so they can be accommodated to maximise local benefits and minimise any disbenefits.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of design quality guidance for new build developments in the planning system.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring the planning system creates more beautiful and sustainable buildings and places. Our national planning policy makes clear that local authorities should engage communities during the preparation of local design codes in line with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code. Local councils can use this guidance to inform local policy and local guidance to define expectations for well-designed new development for their local area.
Furthermore, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduces a requirement for local planning authorities to produce a design code for the whole of their area as part of the development plan, which will give design codes significant weight when planning applications are determined.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what powers local authorities have to prevent the building of poorly designed housing developments.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Government is committed to ensuring the planning system creates more beautiful and sustainable buildings and places. Our national planning policy makes clear that local authorities should engage communities during the preparation of local design codes in line with the principles set out in the National Design Guide and National Model Design Code. Local councils can use this guidance to inform local policy and local guidance to define expectations for well-designed new development for their local area.
Furthermore, the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduces a requirement for local planning authorities to produce a design code for the whole of their area as part of the development plan, which will give design codes significant weight when planning applications are determined.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what progress his Department has made on making an assessment of the potential merits of introducing new planning rules on Material Changes of Use and Permitted Development for children’s residential homes.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The joint ministerial statement on planning for children’s homes jointly published in May 2023 by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Education remains the most up to date government policy on this matter. I am aware of the Hon Member’s concerns on this issue, and if he has more information to share we would be happy to receive it.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to increase online (a) advertisement of and (b) engagement in planning applications.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Local planning authorities are required to publicise certain types of planning applications in local newspapers as set out in Article 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. Proposals in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill for the digitisation of the planning system will help enable the move to a modern and efficient planning system fit for the 21st century. Alongside traditional forms of engagement, digital engagement will remove barriers to engagement and create a more democratic planning system with planning decisions and local plans being informed by a larger and more diverse range of community views.
The Government recognises the importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve as an important engagement method.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local newspapers in advertising planning applications.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Local planning authorities are required to publicise certain types of planning applications in local newspapers as set out in Article 15 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015. Proposals in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill for the digitisation of the planning system will help enable the move to a modern and efficient planning system fit for the 21st century. Alongside traditional forms of engagement, digital engagement will remove barriers to engagement and create a more democratic planning system with planning decisions and local plans being informed by a larger and more diverse range of community views.
The Government recognises the importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve as an important engagement method.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps people can take to escalate a complaint where the Housing Ombudsman has (a) acknowledged but not provided further response to an individual initiating a formal complaints process and (b) not responded to an official complaint from an hon. Member on the lack of response to their constituent.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Housing Ombudsman resolves disputes between social housing residents and their landlords. The service is free to residents, independent of Government and impartial. The Housing Ombudsman Service receives a high volume of cases and is working to deal with them as quickly as possible. In 2020-21, the average time taken to complete an investigation was 5.2 months, down from 5.8 months in 2019-20.
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of the long term economic impact of the Future High Streets Fund.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Future High Street Fund has a robust monitoring and evaluation plan, published on 1 April, to ensure outputs are being delivered while maintaining value for public money; this strategy will ensure the fund delivers on its aims and spreads economic prosperity across the country.
As towns and high streets continue to open up this funding will provide a much-needed boost for towns as they safely welcome shoppers and visitors back to their high streets.
The Fund is being invested in transformational projects that will improve transport access, make use of vacant shops, buy and bring land forward to support new housing, workspaces and public realm, and help adapt high streets in response to changes in technology. This is part of our plan to protect and create thousands of jobs while delivering long term prosperity to communities across England.