Government wants more delegated decisions

The government is to consult on shifting the jurisdiction of planning committees for smaller housing schemes, building on proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

As reported by The Times, the government is expected to announce further elements of its planning reform agenda in the coming weeks. Among the most contentious is a proposed consultation on removing council planning committees’ ability to “interfere in the vast majority of planning applications.”

Planning minister Matthew Pennycook has confirmed that larger schemes will continue to go before committee. However, stripping Councillors’ planning committees of decision-making powers over swathes of smaller applications, he argues, will help streamline the system.

While the Bill outlines a ‘national scheme of delegation’, giving planning officers the authority to approve schemes that align with local plans, it does not currently call for a wider removal of planning committee involvement in smaller developments.

This information was reported by Planning Portal.