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Housing: South Basildon and East Thurrock

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 12 January 2026UIN 102430

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Housing Sec pledges to 'go further than ever before' to hit 1.5 million homes, published on 16 December 2025, how many of the potential 1.8 million homes are expected to be constructed in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook

The revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 12 December 2024 includes a new Standard Method for assessing housing needs that is aligned to our Plan for Change milestone of building 1.5 million new safe and decent homes in England by the end of this Parliament

The standard method is used by local authorities to inform the preparation of their local plans. Once local housing need has been assessed, authorities should then make an assessment of the number of new homes that can be provided in their area. This should be justified by evidence on land availability, constraints on development, such as National Landscapes and areas at risk of flooding, and any other relevant matters. The approach taken is then be tested by the Planning Inspector during the examination of the Local Plan.

We expect local authorities to assess and plan how to meet their local housing needs over the plan period by maximising brownfield land, working with neighbouring authorities, and, where necessary, reviewing Green Belt.The

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