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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what statutory requirements are placed on local authorities to ensure (a) education, (b) health, (c) highways and (d) retail and leisure facilities and infrastructure is adequate prior to approving new housing developments.

The revised National Planning Policy Framework requires local authorities to set clear policy requirements for infrastructure through plans. These policies should be informed by evidence on infrastructure need and cost and viability assessments. At an early stage in the plan-making process, authorities will need to work alongside infrastructure providers to identify infrastructure requirements, including for education, health, highways and retail and leisure, and the opportunities for addressing these.

Local planning authorities use the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 planning obligations to require developers to contribute towards the provision and maintenance of required infrastructure as a result of new housing developments.