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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department provides to local planning authorities on the installation of air conditioning systems in residential developments in anticipation of more frequent extreme heat events.

It is the Building Regulations that ensure new housing is built to mitigate the risk of overheating. This comes through Part O of the regulations, which came into effect in June 2022. In the Future Homes and Buildings Standards consultation, which ran from December 2023 – March 2024, government sought views on whether the current overheating standards are appropriate or require amendment. We are reviewing proposals and feedback from the consultation and will publish the Government response in due course.

In terms of the Planning system, the National Planning Policy Framework, which was last revised in December 2024, is clear that the planning system should take full account of all climate impacts – including overheating.