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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of not making water companies statutory consultees in planning consultations on new housing developments.

Water companies are not statutory consultees on individual planning applications, but they are consulted as part of the preparation of local development plans.

The government recently declared a moratorium on any new statutory consultees, along with a review of the existing statutory consultee arrangements to ensure they align with the government’s ambitions for growth.

Further details can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on 10 March 2025 (HCWS510).