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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of updating planning guidance to support the delivery of green jobs and clean growth in regions such as West Yorkshire.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including the provision of supporting infrastructure in a sustainable manner. It also supports the increased provision and modernisation of various types of public infrastructure.

The NPPF is also clear that new development, including commercial development, should be planned for in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Local development plans should identify opportunities for development to draw its energy supply from decentralised, renewable, or low carbon energy supply systems.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new NPPF which includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making and that would give substantial weight is given to the economic benefits of planning applications for commercial development.

The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out how planning policies and decisions can make a positive contribution to mitigating and adapting to climate change and emphasised the importance of improving renewable and low carbon energy infrastructure.

We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.