Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the potential impacts on property owners of planning permission applications being permitted on their property from those who do not own it.

The planning system entitles anyone to apply for planning permission on any land, irrespective of ownership, but applicants are legally required to notify the owners of a site before they submit their planning application. This facilitates delivery of developments where land is in multiple ownership.

The grant of planning permission has no effect on the ownership of the land and development cannot proceed without the agreement of the relevant landowner.