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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department plans to issue updated (a) guidance and (b) statutory requirements to (i) discourage planning applicants from providing supporting information in stages and (ii) support local planning authorities in managing delays caused by incomplete submissions.

The National Planning Policy Framework encourages early engagement between applicants and local planning authorities.

Pre-application discussions can help avoid disputes and reduce delays by allowing an applicant and local planning authority to agree what information is required before an application is submitted.