Planning applications that comply with local development plans could “bypass planning committees entirely”, Government proposes

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has unveiled proposals to overhaul the role of planning committees, with changes that could see decisions bypass committees entirely if applications comply with local development plans.

Announcing the changes today, the Secretary of State for Local Government, Angela Rayner, said the reforms would help streamline the planning system and tackle "chronic" delays she claimed were plaguing the system.

According to a policy paper published alongside Rayner's statement, the Government is mulling three different proposals designed to facilitate faster delivery of homes.

The main proposals, which would require changes to primary legislation through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, include:

1. A national scheme of delegation – "bringing clarity and consistency to everyone about which applications get decided by officers and which by committees";
2. Dedicated committees for strategic development – "allowing a dedicated and small group of councillors to dedicate energy to the most significant projects"; and
3. Training for committee members, to require that councillors undertake appropriate training before they can form part of a planning committee".

The policy paper set out three potential options for a national scheme of delegation, all of which involve delegating decisions to planning officers to some extent.

The first option would require decisions to be delegated to a planning officer where an application complies with the development plan – for instance, when the application is for development on an allocated site in line with plan policies or in line with a design guide.

The second option would involve delegation to a planning officer as default, with exceptions for departures from the development plan.

Under this plan, all applications must be delegated to officers unless the application is a departure from the development plan and is recommended by officers for approval or the application has been submitted by the local planning authority, its members or officers.

The third option would again require all applications to be delegated to officers. However, the national scheme of delegation would set out a prescriptive list of application types to be determined by committees to provide certainty to applicants from the start.

The policy paper also detailed the proposals for dedicated committees on strategic development.

The proposals would introduce a requirement that local authorities set up committees to focus on strategic development where such development is planned in their area.

"Such committees would take ownership of strategic development applications and build expertise using local knowledge and understanding of planning issues", the paper said.

These committees would operate in addition to the main planning committee and would focus only on those developments that are critical to supporting local economic development and local housing need, according to the paper.

The Government said it may take forward "any or all" of the proposals and that it will consult on any proposals that it decides to advance.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "Building more homes and infrastructure across the country means unblocking the clogged-up planning system that serves as a chokehold on growth. The Government will deliver a sweeping overhaul of the creaking local planning committee system.

"Streamlining the approvals process by modernising local planning committees means tackling the chronic uncertainty and damaging delays that acts as a drag anchor on building the homes people desperately need."

Alongside the proposed reforms, the Government is this week expected to confirm sweeping changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) following a consultation launched in July.

Cllr Richard Wright, planning spokesperson for the District Councils’ Network, said: “While we passionately back the building of 1.5 million homes, which are desperately needed by our local residents, it’s important to ensure that the new homes are affordable, meet local communities’ needs in terms of size and accessibility, and come with the necessary infrastructure. This is what an effective and democratic local planning process ensures.

“Planning committees provide a democratic safety valve for decisions on local development, and help get community buy-in for major developments. Decisions about what to build and where should be shaped by local communities through the Local Plan process, with elected councillors playing a vital part in the final application process to ensure the aspirations of the community are met in full. It’s important that community voices are heard and reflected in decision making. We strongly believe local democracy should remain the bedrock of the planning system.

“Many communities continue to suffer as a result of well-intentioned attempts to build at scale in the post-War era, which brought about estates whose designs contributed to social problems, crime and isolation. We firmly believe the democratic role of councillors increases the chances that the right homes are built in the right places, and that they stand the test of time.”

Commenting on the reforms, Ben Standing, a partner specialising in planning and environmental law at Browne Jacobson, warned that any changes to the planning system "must be complemented by a dedicated drive to adequately resource planning authorities".

He added: "Their inability to call upon this resource is bringing the planning system to a gridlock and prevents councils from regularly updating local plans, which is why only a third have a plan that is under five years old.

"Long-term local plans provide certainty to communities and investors over the future roadmap in each area. If these are created after proper consultation with local people, there's a greater chance of bringing communities on board with new housing developments rather than a feeling being fostered that projects have been imposed against local will.

"This is a vital consideration given that in a recent Net Zero and Local Democracy report published by the Local Government Information Unit and Browne Jacobson, we found that the risk of successful challenge to new environmental measures is greater if local residents feel they haven't been listened to, and the same is true with housing."

Adam Carey