Councils take on futile fight against national planning changes
Summary
The article reports that four local authorities, including Bolton and Tameside, have refused to amend their constitutions to align with the new National Scheme of Delegation of Planning Functions, which takes effect on 1 November. The scheme shifts more planning decisions from committees to officers and sets a national standard for referral, with councils warned that non-compliance could trigger judicial review, decision reversals and costs.
Why it matters
This is relevant to surveyors because it changes how planning applications are determined and may affect the timing, certainty and governance of development proposals. It also highlights a potential source of legal challenge where councils fail to follow the new statutory framework.
Key points
- The new scheme makes officers the default decision-makers for most planning applications.
- Reserved matters applications below specified thresholds will generally not go to committee.
- Councils that do not comply risk judicial review, overturned decisions and legal costs.
- Some councils have adopted the changes despite political opposition to the loss of local discretion.
- The reforms reduce planning committee size to a maximum of 13 members.
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