Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of extending permitted development rights for agricultural reservoirs.

Reservoirs are reasonably necessary for agricultural purposes and can already be developed under an existing Permitted Development Right. We recognise that navigating planning flexibilities can be challenging, therefore we intend to update the relevant Planning Practice Guidance in the coming months with additional guidance to make it easier for farmers to utilise the Permitted Development Right in practice.