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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to Local Planning Authorities to ensure that green infrastructure delivered via developer contributions satisfies local requirements for spatial quality and facility type.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in December 2024, sets out that access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and physical activity are important for the health and well-being of communities, and can deliver wider benefits for nature and support efforts to address climate change. Additionally, plans should make sufficient provision for green infrastructure, which is defined as a multifunctional network of green and blue spaces.

Planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

The NPPF is also clear that open space should not be built on unless there is clear evidence it is no longer required, or equivalent or better provision is secured in a suitable location, or development of the site is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the benefits of which clearly outweigh the loss of the current or former use.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, we consulted on a new NPPF. That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, includes proposals to give substantial weight to development proposals that provide new or improved community facilities such as facilities for play, sport and informal recreation, and proposes safeguards against the loss of existing open space.

The draft NPPF also includes a new requirement for local plans to set standards for green infrastructure drawing on Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework. The Green Infrastructure Framework includes a standard on accessible greenspace which sets criteria on size, proximity and quality.

Additionally, our proposed policy clearly sets out that development proposals should make sure that green infrastructure is located and designed to minimise risk of future failure, and that appropriate measures are in place for any necessary long-term management.

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