I received the following feedback from the Petitions Team, UK Government and Parliament and thought I would share it with you.

Dear Ian Shires,

You recently signed the petition “Prioritise brownfield development in law to protect our green belt and farmland”:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/575169

A cross-party group of MPs called the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee have published a report on the future of the planning system in England, which considers a number of issues related to this petition.

Read the full report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/6180/documents/68915/default/

The report considers the Government’s proposed reforms to the planning system announced in August 2020, and considers issues around housing policies that have promoted building on greenfield sites ahead of brownfield. The report follows a survey by the Committee which found widespread support among respondents for preferring brownfield sites over greenfield locations.

In their report the Committee welcome the additional funding for brownfield sites outlined in the Comprehensive Spending Review. But they also highlight the importance of ensuring the public has confidence in the Government’s commitment to brownfield sites, including explaining why those sites alone are insufficient to deliver the Government’s target of building 300,000 housing units a year in England.

To that end, the Committee have recommended that the Government:

– incorporate availability of brownfield sites into calculations for determining housing need
– publish evidence showing why the level of house building that could be supported by brownfield sites alone is insufficient to deliver the required homes
– explain why the proportion of new residential address created on previously developed land has fallen in recent years
– enable Local Plans to prioritise the use of brownfield sites for development ahead of other sites.

Find out more about the Committee’s inquiry into the future of the planning system in England: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/634/the-future-of-the-planning-system-in-england/

Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates: @CommonsHCLG

What is the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee?

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee is a cross-party group of MPs known as a ‘select committee’ which scrutinises the policy, administration and spending of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Committee is independent of the Government.

Find out more about the Committee:
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/17/housing-communities-and-local-government-committee

Find out how select committees work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_2RDuDs44c

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament