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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the draft National Planning Policy Framework of 16 December 2025, and the plans for the re-introduction of maximum parking standards, whether the Government intends to provide guidance on the specific maximum numeric levels of parking spaces allowed per new build unit.

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

The consultation includes policies relating to sustainable transport and updated policy on parking standards. It proposes that maximum parking standards should be set where they will support efforts to encourage the use of sustainable transport modes, optimise the density of development in well-connected locations, or where they are necessary for managing the local road network.

As is the case now, it will be for local planning authorities to determine appropriate parking standards for their area through the plan-making process.

The consultation is open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.