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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to his Answer dated 11 January 2019 to Question 206212, whether additional resources will be made available to local authorities to produce and enforce local design codes.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework promotes the use of local design codes to deliver quality development that reflects local character. My Department is supporting Design Network in a series of engagements with local authority officers and councillors around the country to determine the barriers to delivering quality in their areas. The permitted development right for office to residential conversions allows change of use but not external works. Nationally, over 42,000 homes were delivered under the right in the three years to March 2018. All homes delivered through the right are required to meet Building Regulations, including fire safety.