Right of Appeal
People should be able to challenge a planning decision other than through the Courts. London Forum members are asked to contact their MP promptly and urge them to support two proposed new clauses NC37 and NC38 for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to be debated from Monday 9th June 2025. They would create a Third-party Right of Appeal where a local authority approves a development not in accord with the Local Plan. A control is that the Secretary of State may dismiss an appeal if it is vexatious, frivolous or without substance, as London Forum had suggested.… Read more...
Reforming Planning Committees
The Government could transfer decision-making power from Councillors to an un-elected planning officer on what applications are considered at committee. Conservation areas would not be protected. A Technical consultation here is open until 23rd July covering decision delegation, size and composition of planning committees and mandatory training. Two tiers of planning applications are proposed. For Tier A, “minor” developments and those up to 9 dwellings would be delegated to officers but in London that could be increased to 49 dwellings.… Read more...
Chief Planner’s update
The MHCLG Chief Planner, Johanna Averley (pictured), has issued a newsletter to local authority planners. It covers a Modernised Planning Committees consultation and speeding up build-out with Completion Notices, a Delayed Homes Penalty and Compulsory Purchase Orders, as in a recent Working Paper and Technical Consultation.
The Government proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill amendments to remove the statutory requirement to consult in the pre-application stage for NSIP applications.
DEFRA is consulting on options for how Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) should be applied and MHCLG issued a related Working Paper on making the planning system fairer for SME builders.… Read more...
Simplifying decisions
As London Forum reported, the Planning & Infrastructure Bill includes delegating planning decisions. The Government has issued a 15 question Working Paper consultation for
- Simplifying decisions for schemes below 10 homes to help small and medium builders (SMEs)
- Introducing a medium-sized site threshold up to 49 homes
There is another working paper on ‘Speeding up Build-out’ and for major developments, the Government is considering options for a mixed tenure development threshold at 500 units. Views on the right threshold are sought in this ‘Simplifying Decisions’ Working Paper.… Read more...
Planning and Infrastructure Bill debate
Labour members of the Commons Planning and Infrastructure Bill Committee voted through Clause 46 in that Bill for delegation of planning decisions. Government guidance is to be produced. Gideon Amos, LibDem MP, said “We are dealing with primary statutory legislation here, and there would be no discretion over its implementation. We are talking about giving him [Mathew Pennycook MP] and all future Ministers, of whatever party, the power to write the delegation arrangements for each local council in the country and tell them what they may or may not be allowed to decide.… Read more...
Community submissions cannot be ignored
The High Court has ruled that Lambeth Council acted unlawfully in its decision to impose a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) in West Dulwich, setting an important legal precedent for how councils must handle public consultation. In short: if you ask for views, you must genuinely consider them—especially when they’re backed by substantial, relevant evidence.
This landmark ruling underscores what many communities have long suspected: that public feedback on local schemes and developments can too easily become a formality rather than a meaningful part of the process.… Read more...
Build Out consultation
The Government issued a Planning Working Paper on ‘Building Homes Faster’, as reported on 25th May 2025. That has been followed by a Technical Consultation, open until 7th July, for the introduction of a new statutory build out framework and the power to decline to determine applications.
Building homes faster
The Deputy Prime Minister has urged developers to “Get on and build” as here.
The Government wants views on a Planning Reform Working Paper ‘Speeding Up Build Out’, with eleven questions.
Councils will get new powers to keep housebuilders on track with build rates set before planning permission is granted. Developers who repeatedly fail to construct approved schemes or trade land speculatively could face a new ‘Delayed Homes Penalty’, be locked out of future permissions or have their sites acquired by councils.… Read more...
Protecting nature could be weakened
The lawyer Simon Ricketts has published comments on the Government’s proposals in Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill for a Nature Restoration Levy to be paid by developers and the use of Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs). See the lawyer’s comments here. He points to evidence that organisations have given on the Bill indicating that there could be a weakening or reduction in current levels of environmental protection. Various detailed recommended changes have been submitted.
Smart Machines strategy
The Smart Machines 2035 Strategy provides a roadmap to position the UK as a global leader in robotics and Smart Machines. It highlights their transformative potential to address pressing societal challenges, enhance economic productivity, and establish national leadership in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Also, the Government wants to explore how AI can change the way we conduct research.
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Planning, Environment and Transport committee meeting
📅 Thu 11th June | 14:00 - 16:00
🚩 Room B1 70 Cowcross St, EC1M 6EJ (map)