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Planning Permission Without the Committee: How Will Labour Build Their Homes

Jennifer Copley

How will the Labour government meet its goal of building 1.5 million new homes by 2029? We take a closer look at reforms around planning committees to find out…


Background


The Labour government has outlined its housing provision plans under the slogan ‘Get Britain Building Again.’ This includes reinstating mandatory housing targets and reforming planning rules. Building on brownfield sites will be prioritised first. Low-quality green belt land, also defined as ‘grey belt,’ will be released where necessary, requiring at least 50% of homes to be affordable as outlined in the new National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF) they published late 2024.



Transformation of the planning system


In order to stimulate building and remove barriers to development the government is instituting major reforms to the planning process and fundamental changes in how planning decisions are made. They propose streamlining the process by reducing and even removing the need for approval from planning committees. Instead, local authority planning officers will be given the authority to approve developments if they comply with national regulatory standards and locally agreed plans.


What is a Planning Committee?


Planning committee meetings are public gatherings where elected councillors come together to decide if planning applications should be approved or rejected and if any conditions or obligations need to be attached.




Out with the Old and in with the New


By overhauling planning rules, Housing Secretary Angela Raynor hopes to remove "chaos and subjectiveness" from the current system.


While most planning committees make fair and well-considered decisions, the government identify weaknesses in the current system that need addressing. Lack of clarity about whether applications go to committee causes uncertainty for developers, and too much time is spent on proposals already aligned with local plans or on post-permission matters. In some cases, developments are rejected against officer advice and later overturned on appeal, wasting time and resources. Additionally, insufficient understanding of planning principles and laws among committee members can make decisions more vulnerable to being overturned. Finally, transparency is often lacking, especially when committees refuse an application that subsequently wins an appeal with costs awarded against the local authority.


In recent years, planning decisions have been stalled, leading to unnecessary appeals, the incurring of costs and a shortage of much-needed homes. According to government statistics between January and March 2024, only 19% of major applications met the 13-week statutory deadline.


In the new system, in line with the National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF), all local councils will be required to formalise compulsory development plans. The proposed fast-track planning process would enable housing projects and related infrastructure that are already broadly approved and comply with these local development plans to bypass planning committees altogether.




The Detail


This overhaul of local planning committees forms part of the government’s Planning Reform Working Paper: Planning Committees. The paper seeks feedback on a proposed national scheme of delegation to standardise planning committees and speed up decision-making.


The new plans to modernise the planning approval process include the following key reforms:


  • Planning must reflect the input of local communities. Every area should have an up-to- date local plan developed through resident engagement.

  • A national scheme of delegation will be introduced, including the creation of streamlined committees and mandatory training for planning committee members. 

  • Dedicated committees for strategic development will function to focus on the most significant projects.

  • Applications that comply with local development plans could bypass planning committees entirely.

  • Local planning officers will be empowered to make decisions and implement agreed planning policy. 


The proposed reforms are accompanied by increased government spending on housing announced in the Budget, which will rise to £5 billion next year. Including £500 million in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme.


Do you have questions about how the new reforms could affect your project? Give us a call and we can help you navigate the changes.

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