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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he has taken to support local authorities in repurposing derelict sites.

Derelict buildings can blight communities and the government is committed to giving communities the tools to revitalise them. The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on go.uk here.

The government’s Pride in Place programme will provide up to £5bn to help the most deprived communities thrive. The programme will put local neighbourhoods back in control, with 244 across the country given up to £20m of flexible funding over 10-years to unlock the potential of the place they call home. Restoring derelict buildings is one of the options available to those neighbourhoods, amongst other local priorities.

The government has also introduced High Street Rental Auction powers, giving councils the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant properties.