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Housing Development: Cumulative Impacts
17 December 2025
Lead MP
Damian Hinds
East Hampshire
Con
Responding Minister
Matthew Pennycook
Tags
DefenceHousingClimate
Word Count: 13457
Other Contributors: 12
At a Glance
Damian Hinds raised concerns about housing development: cumulative impacts in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The MP asks the government to address the imbalance in housing targets between rural and urban areas, ensuring that development does not undermine food security or biodiversity, and considers a more equitable distribution of housing needs across different regions.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
There has been a significant increase in housing targets for predominantly rural areas, particularly East Hampshire where the target doubled from 575 to 1,100. This skews development towards rural land which often serves as farmland and is crucial for biodiversity and food security. The duty to co-operate further complicates matters by placing additional burdens on already stretched resources.
Alison Taylor
Lab
Paisley and Renfrewshire North
The MP agreed that affordability is linked to supply and demand, supporting the Government's wish to increase housing supply as it will bring prices down.
Ayoub Khan
Ind
Birmingham Perry Barr
Welcomed the Government’s proposal to develop over 1.5 million homes, highlighting a desperate need for housing in Birmingham Perry Barr with around 25,000 families living in temporary accommodation.
Cameron Thomas
Lab
Nottingham North
Asks the Government to implement recommendation 89 to make water bodies statutory consultees on development. Wished the Minister a merry Christmas and asked about implementing recommendation 89 of the EAC’s report into flood resilience in England.
Damian Hinds
Con
East Hampshire
Asked about the adverse effect on affordability if house prices rise due to more homes being built. Called for guidance to local authorities allowing consideration of cumulative impact in cases of sudden increases in housing targets and suggested rebalancing affordable homes target among local authorities.
Al Pinkerton
LD
Surrey Heath
The hon. Member for Surrey Heath raised concerns about speculative developments in his constituency and highlighted the need to plan strategically for infrastructure upgrades.
West Dorset
The MP questioned whether we need a better definition of affordable housing based on what is locally achievable, citing an example from an open event for a development plan in his constituency.
Gregory Stafford
Con
Farnham and Bordon
The debate is not about whether we need more homes but where, how, and at what cost. Constituents hear about housing in terms of pressure on schools, GP surgeries, roads, and the character of their towns and villages.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Brought a Northern Ireland perspective, highlighting the importance of housing developments for social stability and economic improvement. Emphasised the need for commitment to social housing needs within developments.
John Milne
LD
Hastings and Rye
The standard method of determining housing needs is flawed, leading to excessive permissions and wasteful land use. In Horsham, a unique circumstance called water neutrality led to the prohibition of new development for four years, affecting housing delivery. Agreed with the previous speaker's concerns but noted that the issues were present under the Conservative Government as well.
Will Forster
LD
Woking
Described concerns from his constituency about proposed housing developments on Saunders Lane and the cumulative impact of these alongside other nearby projects. Raised objections to developers pre-empting local planning processes.
Paul Holmes
Lab
Camberwell and Peckham
The hon. Gentleman agreed with the need for more infrastructure provision alongside increased housing developments, emphasising the importance of prioritising brownfield sites.
Honiton and Sidmouth
Progress cannot be measured by house numbers alone if it leaves communities worse off, as seen when new housing leads to residents being removed from their GP surgeries.
Government Response
Matthew Pennycook
The Minister for Housing and Planning
Government Response
The Minister addressed housing targets, mentioning the restoration of mandatory housing targets and introducing a new standard method to assess housing need aligned with the goal of building 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament. He acknowledged that increasing housing supply helps affordability across all tenures and included firmer expectations in the draft framework for housing sites over 150 units. Discussed improvements to the standard method for housing targets, aiming to address affordability issues through increased home construction. Mentioned revisions to urban uplifts and support for brownfield development near train stations. Emphasized strengthening local plan-led systems and addressing constraints such as flood risks. Strengthened support for essential infrastructure through the latest NPPF draft published yesterday. Plans to streamline delivery of nationally critical infrastructure via Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Proposed simpler, more transparent section 106 system with standardised templates.
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Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.