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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has published on use of brownfield sites in local development by local authorities.

The National Planning Policy Framework asks local authorities to encourage the re-use of previously developed (brownfield) land, provided that it is not of high environmental value. It confirms that a local authority may set a locally appropriate target for the use of brownfield land through the Local Plan. Local authorities need to take account of the biodiversity value of a brownfield site before decisions are taken about development.