Written question asked by Lord Patten (Conservative) on Tuesday, 10 February 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. It was answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage (Labour) on Wednesday, 25 February 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Religious Buildings: Change of Use

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of places of worship in current plans for large-scale greenfield housing developments.

Answer

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is clear that planning policies and decisions should plan positively for the provision and use of community facilities, such as places of worship. It is for local planning authorities to make decisions on individual development proposals, and the government does not collate information on proposals to provide new places of worship as part of these.

The government is consulting on a new NPPF that includes clearer, more ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making, designed to make planning policy easier to use and underpin the delivery of faster and simpler local plans. The consultation includes policies to support the provision of places of worship, including where a development proposal for housing, employment or other development would give rise to significant numbers of additional people living in, working in or visiting an area.

We are inviting views on these proposals through the consultation, which is available here and will remain open for responses until 10 March 2026.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL14500
Session: 2024-26
Attachment: National Planning Policy Framework consultation
Subjects: Construction Housing Religious buildings Greenfield sites Change of use
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Religious Buildings: Change of Use

Secondary information

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