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Public Houses: Rural Areas

Asked by Blake StephensonConservativeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 12 January 2026UIN 102039

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press release entitled Raising a glass: Beloved village pubs to be helped with new funding to broaden their services, published on 18 October 2025, whether he plans to bring forward planning reforms to allow pubs to more easily construct new premises to achieve those goals.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook

The government is currently consulting on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), including policies which would give substantial weight to proposals that provide new or improved community facilities such as public houses and safeguards against the loss of existing public houses.

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

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