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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that neighbourhood plans effectively safeguard the environment and green belt in local areas.

By designating Local Green Spaces and setting expectations for development in their area, neighbourhood plans can ensure development is environmentally acceptable and preserves access to nature.

Local planning authorities, in consultation with their communities and any neighbourhood planning bodies, decide whether land should be designated as green belt in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Framework permits neighbourhood plans to amend green belt boundaries where strategic policies set out in a local development plan or spatial development strategy justify changes.