Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice he has issued to planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate on building on agricultural land. [164348]

Richard Benyon, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs [holding answer 9 July 2013]:Department for Communities and Local Government are the Government lead on planning policy. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) introduced in March 2012, puts decision making in the hands of local planning authorities and communities.

The NPPF gives a framework for decisions to encourage re-use of land that has been previously developed (brownfield land), provided that it is not of high environmental values. Local planning authorities are encouraged to take into account the economic and other benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is deemed to be necessary, local planning authorities are encouraged to use poorer quality land, in preference to high quality. If a development proposal involves the loss of 20 or more hectares of the best and most versatile land (Grades 1, 2 and 3a) Natural England on behalf of DEFRA, will be consulted. The decision on how significant the agricultural land issues are remains with the local planning authority.

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