Planning Committee Reforms: Stop the Attack on Local Democracy

The London Forum has issued a scathing response to the Government’s recent consultation on Planning Committee reforms.

The proposals were branded as authoritarian and anti-democratic

Despite claims that these changes will focus committees on complex cases, the draft regulations actually prevent many significant, contentious applications from ever being seen by elected members.

Under the new “Schedule 1” and “Schedule 2” system, the overriding assumption is that almost all applications will be decided by officers. The Forum is particularly concerned that conservation areas have been excluded from special consideration, and that major phased developments—which can impact communities for decades—will lose essential public scrutiny.

Perhaps most damaging is the “veto” power given to nominated officers. By allowing an unelected official to overrule a Committee Chair, the government is creating a system fraught with conflict that undermines public trust. The London Forum urges the Government to abandon these flawed reforms and instead focus on properly training committee members to ensure high-quality, transparent decision-making.

The full response can be read along with others in our ‘What we’ve said‘ archive.