Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on planning applications (a) on and (b) near coastal cliffs.

The Government’s planning policies are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, which was published 2012. This includes policies on assessing planning applications in areas subject to coastal change. In a Coastal Change Management Area, local planning authorities should consider whether development will be safe over its planned lifetime without having an unacceptable impact on coastal change.

They should also ensure that development does not hinder the creation and maintenance of a continuous signed and managed route around the coast. Further information is provided in our planning practice guidance on flood risk and coastal change, issued in 2014.

The Framework also sets out policies on conserving and enhancing the natural environment, including maintaining the character of the undeveloped coast and improving public access to and enjoyment of the coast. To prevent unacceptable risks from land instability, the Framework expects local planning policies and decisions to ensure that new development is appropriate for its location.

The Framework and the planning practice guidance can be accessed through at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/planning-practice-guidance