The Government has announced last week a ‘sweeping overhaul of local planning committees, as part of new measures to tackle the housing crisis. 

Under new plans to modernise the planning approval process, applications that comply with local development plans could bypass planning committees entirely to tackle chronic uncertainty, unacceptable delays and unnecessary waste of time and resources. 

The measures would see a national scheme of delegation introduced, the creation of streamlined committees for strategic development and mandatory training for planning committee members. 

Under the new plans, local planning officers will also have an enhanced decision-making role to implement agreed planning policy. 

The changes will mean greater certainty to housebuilders that good-quality schemes aligned with already-agreed local development plans will be approved in a timely manner to get spades in the ground. With it, kickstarting economic growth and raising living standards in every part of the country, putting money back in the pockets of working people.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: 

“Grasping the nettle of planning committee reform and fast-tracking decision-making is a vital part of our Plan for Change. Building 1.5 million homes over five years means tackling the housing crisis we inherited head-on with bold action.

“Through our Planning and Infrastructure Bill, alongside new National Planning Policy Framework and mandatory housing targets, we are taking decisive steps to accelerate building, get spades in the ground and deliver the change communities need.” 

Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said:

“It’s encouraging to see the government explore these options in such an open way. These are the right questions to ask, and it is good that the government is prioritising collaboration, transparency, and consistency. By empowering qualified planners to implement planning policies, locally elected councillors will have the time to focus on the more significant cases, effectively speeding up the planning process and reducing unnecessary delays.”

“By requiring councillors to undergo appropriate training before joining planning committees, we can ensure planning decisions are made for the greater good of the communities while aligning with national policies. We would look forward to supporting this programme.”

Next Steps

The Government has published a Planning Reform Working Paper: Planning Committees

The measures set out in the working paper will seek views from a range of planning, housing and local government experts before finalising proposal details for planning committees.

The government will then publish a formal public consultation on these detailed proposals to coincide with the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill next year.