PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Housing: Construction (12 September 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations her Department has received on the potential impact of (a) 50% new town and (b) 40% Green Belt affordable quotas on the viability of building 1.5 million homes in this Parliament.

Asked by:
David Simmonds (Conservative)

The Government has launched an independent New Towns Taskforce to identify and recommend locations for large-scale new communities containing at least 10,000 homes each. The Taskforce’s terms of reference include advising on a ‘New Towns Prospectus’ – standards that developers must meet in these new settlements, including targeting rates of 40% affordable housing with a focus on genuinely affordable social rented homes. The Taskforce will seek a wide range of evidence to inform its recommendations.

As part of the consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system, the Government is seeking views on implementing golden rules to ensure development in the Green Belt is in the public interest. These rules include a target of 50% affordable housing on land released from the Green Belt for residential development. The consultation closed on the 24 September and officials in my department are currently analysing responses.

Answered by:
Matthew Pennycook (Labour)
11 October 2024