Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he considers the development of carbon negative homes in the greenbelt as an exceptional circumstance.

This Government is committed to protecting and enhancing the Green Belt. The strong protections in place for green belt land, which should be reflected in the local plan for the area, are to remain firmly in place.

The Framework applies a test when inappropriate development – including most housing – is proposed for land within a green belt. It says that inappropriate development is harmful to the openness of green belt and should be refused planning permission unless there are very special circumstances in the case, as judged by the local authority.

Whether assessing the need to adjust a green belt boundary to accommodate essential development, or considering an individual planning application, it is for the local decision-makers to determine which matters are relevant and how much weight to attach to each.

The Framework does expect local authorities to mitigate climate change by minimising greenhouse gas emissions; designing beautiful and sustainable places resilient to climate change; and ensuring the provision and retention of green infrastructure.

To help meet our net zero carbon target the Government is encouraging local authorities to deliver energy-efficient housing, wherever it is located; and from 2025 the Future Homes Standard will make sure that new homes produce at least 75% lower CO₂ emissions compared to those built to current standards.