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Written question asked by James Cleverly (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 January 2026. It was answered by Matthew Pennycook (Labour) on Friday, 16 January 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Housing: Gardens

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 16 December 2025, what assessment has been made of the potential effect of the proposed changes on the number and size of residential gardens in suburban neighbourhoods.

Answer

The government is currently consulting on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making.

The consultation includes policies that will support development within residential curtilages, including gardens. The relevant policies make clear that new development within residential curtilages should not occupy more than twice the footprint of the existing building on the site and should retain at least half of the non-developed area within the building’s curtilage. These policies would safeguard residential gardens from being lost and prevent inappropriate development which would be out of scale with the existing dwelling(s) taking place, while also allowing gentle increases in density in suitable locations.

Individual development decisions would be made by landowners/homeowners.

The consultation will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
104181
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Housing Gardens Planning
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk