Written question asked by John Hayes (Conservative) on Monday, 11 September 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 13 September 2023. It was answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch (Conservative) on Monday, 18 September 2023 on behalf of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Lighting: Pollution

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with local authorities to help reduce light pollution in new housing developments.

Answer: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that policies and decisions should ensure that a new development is appropriate for its location. These should take into account the likely effects of pollution on health, living conditions, including the risk of overheating, and the natural environment. Government policy is that by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light on local amenity, intrinsically dark landscapes and nature conservation.

Secondary information