Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department is providing to local planning authorities on local plans that are constrained as a result of pressures on the Green Belt.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
We have published planning practice guidance which sets out how authorities should consider the constraints, such as Green Belt, when determining the suitability, availability and achievability of sites within their plan, and which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/housing-and-economic-land-availability-assessment.
This Government is committed to protecting and enhancing the Green Belt, in line with our manifesto. The National Planning Policy Framework outlines strong protections for Green Belt land, and states that a Green Belt boundary may be altered only in exceptional circumstances, through the local plan process. A local authority should consider releasing land from Green Belt only if it can evidence that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its development needs. The local authority should demonstrate that it has used as much brownfield land as possible, optimised densities, and discussed with neighbouring authorities whether they could accommodate some of the development required.
The Framework strongly encourages the re-use of brownfield, especially for housing, to relieve some of the pressure to consider other land, including Green Belt. It says that local authorities should give substantial weight to the value of redeveloping suitable brownfield sites, including development above transport infrastructure. Communities are also expected to consider gentle densification within settlements to provide more developable land.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he has made in bringing forward legislative proposals to establish a new Building Safety Regulator as announced in the Queen's Speech 2021.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Building Safety Bill was published in draft on 20 July 2020 and has undergone pre-legislative scrutiny by the HCLG Select Committee. The Government has been considering the Committee’s report and recommendations and will introduce the Bill as soon as Parliamentary time allows. In addition, we have already established the Building Safety Regulator in shadow form within the Health and Safety Executive. The shadow Building Safety Regulator is primarily focused on developing, and preparing for, the new regulatory regime
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will hold discussions with the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society on including in any review of loneliness, the potential effect of vehicles (a) driving and (b) parking on pavements obstructing access to communities for (i) older and (ii) disabled people who suffer from loneliness.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
My Department is supporting the cross-government strategy to tackle loneliness and social isolation led by the Parliament Under Secretary of State for Sport and Civil Society, including by linking our existing initiatives that tackle loneliness to other government policies. Our policies tackle social isolation and loneliness by supporting and celebrating integrated and resilient communities in which everyone can participate. We look forward to raising these policies with the new Minister for Loneliness.
We recognise the nuisance caused to vulnerable members of our community such as visually impaired or elderly people when their access is restricted by road vehicles parked on pavements. My Hon Friend, Jesse Norman MP, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, is currently considering the effectiveness of powers to tackle pavement parking.
We want to see vibrant hubs where people live, shop, use services, and spend their leisure time, and that includes a welcoming and safe night-time economy.