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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter of 27 March 2015 from the Minister of State for Housing and Planning to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate, what his policy is on landscape character and prematurity in planning decisions.

The Government's letter of 27 March (available on the Government's website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-the-chief-executive-of-the-planning-inspectorate) summarised the Government's policy in respect of landscape character and prematurity.

Those policies are set out in full in the Government's National Planning Policy Framework and supported by planning guidance.

I would reiterate that the Government's policy retains strong protections against inappropriate development in valued areas even in the absence of an adopted and up-to-date Local Plan. Paragraph 211 of the Framework makes clear that policies in Local Plans should not be considered out-of-date simply because they were adopted prior to the publication of this Framework.