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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce building on green field sites.

Last year we revised the National Planning Policy Framework. Its policies place much stronger emphasis on making effective use of land, with authorities expected to make as much use as possible of suitable brownfield and under-used sites, and optimise densities where there is a shortage of land for meeting identified needs. The Framework is supported by permitted development rights to allow appropriate re-use of existing buildings, and the requirement for every authority to publish and maintain a register of brownfield land suitable for housing. The £4.5 billion Home Building Fund provides support for new housing, much of it on brownfield land.