Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to prioritise homes with gardens over flats without gardens in housing planning applications.

The Government, through the National Planning Policy Framework, asks local planning authorities to ensure size, type and tenure of housing, and access to outdoor space needed for different groups in the community is assessed and reflected in local planning policies and decisions. The National Design Guide, which sits alongside the National Planning Policy Framework as guidance, emphasises the importance of providing a network of high quality green open spaces, which could be public, shared or private.