The Battle of the Houses: Government to oppose House of Lords' amendments to Housing & Planning Bill

The Housing and Planning Bill looks set to enter its most contentious phase of passage yet, with Greg Clark signalling that the House of Commons is set to oppose a large number of the amendments introduced in the House of Lords.

The Bill will be batted back and forth between the houses until the final wording is approved - in a process often referred to as 'ping pong'. From the look of the areas of the Bill that are currently in dispute, it might be a highly contested match!

in a note published ahead of the Commons session next week, ... Greg Clark signalled that the government will move motions proposing that ... amendments be rejected. But Clark also put forward a government amendment that would give ministers powers to make regulations placing restrictions on the sale of Starter Homes.

the government will opppose Lords amendments .. requiring developers to make affordable housing contributions on certain small-scale developments.

The government will also oppose a Lords amendment giving a right of appeal where an permission does not accord with policies in a neighbourhood plan, the document reveals.
However, the government has put forward its own amendment that would require local authorities to include information about neighbourhood plans in officer's reports... and identifying "any points of conflict between the plan and the recommendation".
”