Planning: Railways
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of the draft National Planning Policy Framework for rail capacity on a) the Southeastern mainline, b) the Maidstone East line, c) the Uckfield line, and d) the Chatham mainline.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook
Between 16 December 2025 and 10 March 2026, the government consulted a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation on the revised Framework, which can be found on gov.uk here, set out a number of proposals to support development in sustainable locations, including a “default yes” for suitable proposals that develop land around rail stations within existing settlements, and around ‘well-connected’ train stations outside settlements, including on Green Belt land.
We have considered how the proposed draft policies could affect existing rail capacity and we will continue to work closely with the Department of Transport and with rail operators, including Network Rail, to address any issues should they arise.
We are currently analysing the feedback received and will publish our response in due course.
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