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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to bring forward pilot zoning schemes to provide easier planning for commercial development in financial and professional service hubs in the East of England.

The government recognises a local zonal approach where upfront planning permission is granted for certain types of commercial development can be a useful tool to attract new investment to specific places.

Local planning authorities already have the power to make Local Development Orders to do this, and the National Planning Policy Framework encourages them to use this tool.

Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, we are also now giving mayors a similar power to make Mayoral Development Orders, enabling them to bring forward proactively new strategic sites for commercial development in their area.