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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to prevent land banking.

Sir Oliver Letwin reported in his 2018 independent review of build out rates - building on the work of Dame Kate Barker and many others before them - that the often-repeated idea of housebuilders 'sitting on' land is overstated. However, the Government does recognise how important build-out is to communities. The Government is absolutely clear that new homes should be built out as soon as possible.

Where build-out is delayed, it is for councils and developers to work closely together to overcome any barriers. To ensure this happens, we are exploring further options to support faster build-out as part of our proposed planning reforms.