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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to help ensure that developers prioritise student needs when building student accommodation.

The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that it is for local authorities to identify the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, including students, and to reflect this in their local planning policies

Our planning practice guidance goes further to state that local authorities need to plan for sufficient student accommodation whether it consists of communal halls of residence or self-contained dwellings, and whether or not it is on campus.

Local authorities should also engage with universities and other higher educational establishments to ensure they understand the student accommodation requirements in their local area.