Written Question·Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government·UIN 76124
Planning: Empty Property
Tabled: 9 September 2025
Answered: 17 September 2025
Question
Alex Mayer
Labour — Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing national planning policy and guidance in relation to meanwhile use.
Answer
Matthew PennycookMy Department has made no such an assessment. The government recognises the important role that meanwhile use can play in activating empty high street units, including through pop-up shops and community hubs, while longer-term plans are developed.