Concerns over councils having less power over planning decisions

Next month, councils will have less power over planning decisions following reforms designed to streamline the planning system.

The changes would effectively allow planning officers to make more decisions on applications without intervention from committees made up of councillors who listen to applications; take comments from developers and objectors; debate the matter; then vote on whether to approve or refuse the scheme.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) say they have made changes in order to speed up the approval of developments and see all councils operate planning in the same way.

Currently, different councils have varied approaches to planning committees, although they are largely similar. Subtle differences between local authorities are how long objectors can speak, who can call-in decisions or how many councillors can sit on a planning committee.

Under the new rules, due to come into place on October 31, planning applications would be split into two tiers – Schedule 1 applications and Schedule 2 applications. Schedule 1 includes smaller and more technical applications, whereas Schedule 2 covers larger applications.

Examples would be an attic conversion on a semi-detached house in Schedule 1 and a skyscraper with 1,250 homes in Schedule 2. 

The changes would also reduce the size of planning committees and require all members to undergo a formal training process. Chief planning officers at the council will also need to sign off on which applications get taken to the planning committee for decision. 

The new reforms have not gone down well with some planning committees and councillors. One Labour councillor, who sits on Rochdale council’s planning committee, feels these changes fly in the face of the push for devolution.  

Devolution aims to empower local government in decision making, but this new planning reform does the opposite of that.
Chair of Rochdale council’s planning committee, Coun Shakil Ahmed, says the main issue raised with him about the changes is the ability for councillors to call-in applications.

“They have a right to call in an application and go for consideration by the committee,” Coun Ahmed explained. “That right will be taken away.
“That is a big concern for council members. If they have issues in their wards they refer that to the committee.”

The call-in process in Rochdale allows ward councillors to bring a planning application before the planning committee to be discussed. This is usually done in response to strong objections in the local community.

This call-in process would be stripped away under the new planning committee procedures.

Allan Hopwood, leader of Reform in Tameside and a planning panel member, said: “Once again, Labour claims to champion communities, yet in practice, they do nothing to empower them.

“This Act has stripped us, as local councillors, of the power to oversee and make local planning decisions. 

“The authority once held by councillors like myself to defend our residents by scrutinising planning applications and championing the needs and wishes of the community has been greatly diminished, and in some cases stripped entirely.
“This will have a devastating impact on issues such as the development of green belt land, HMO’s, and many other sensitive areas where residents have fought to protect their homes and environment.

“Under this Act, those local safeguards are gone, leaving our green belt land vulnerable to insensitive development, without the opportunity for a locally elected Councillor to challenge it.

“Labour always talks about communities, but rarely listens to them. In my opinion, this is an affront to local democracy, and clearly an egregious overreach of power by central government to fast track decisions on planning matters without local consultation.”

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “We’re modernising planning committees to improve efficiency over decisions.
“This will ensure planning applicants have the clarity they need, and will get homes and infrastructure built quicker for local people.”