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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review the legality of developing crematoria on Green Belt land; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current planning framework governing such developments.

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

Proposed Green Belt policy is set out in Chapter 13 of the consultation which can be found on gov.uk here.

A proposal to build a crematorium would be assessed by the relevant local planning authority in the light of all material considerations, including the NPPF, relevant development plan policies and any specific land-use impacts associated with the proposal.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.