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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy not to include train stations which do not have step free access in his planning policies on development around train stations.

Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). That consultation, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.

The consultation also included proposals relating to green space, and provisions to ensure that transport issues, such as parking, should be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and development proposals, to support delivery of well-designed and sustainable places. Further, it included proposals to ensure that applications for development should address the needs of people with disabilities and reduced mobility in relation to all modes of transport.

We are currently analysing the responses received to these proposals and will publish our response in due course.