Government will not publish reasons for office-to-home exemptions, says Boles

The new rights, which came into force at the end of last month, allow office buildings to be converted into homes without the need for planning permission. Areas within 17 local authorities were granted exemption from the rules, including the Central Activities Zone and Tech City in London as well as areas in the Isle of Dogs and the Royal Docks Enterprise Zone.

However, Boles told the select committee that, although "many" councils had unsuccessfully applied to be exempt from the rules, the Government would not be publishing the reasons given to individual councils for the exemption decisions.

Boles said that consultants from outside the Department for Communities and Local Government had given each council scores from a point system using four criteria. It will be up to each of the local authorities to publish the reasons civil servants had given them for not granting an exemption, he said.