Major overhaul of planning committees to get Britain building

Planning decisions are set to be fast-tracked in a sweeping overhaul of local planning committees, as part of new measures to tackle the housing crisis.

• Strengthened decision-making powers for planners to speed up the approval process – ending needless delays and uncertainty
• Scope for applications that comply with local development plans to bypass planning committees entirely
• Comes ahead of updates to England's most important planning rulebook, the National Planning Policy Framework later this week, as part of the government's Plan for Change – rebuilding Britain in a decade of national renewal and supporting delivery of the 1.5 million homes milestone

Planning decisions are set to be fast-tracked in a sweeping overhaul of local planning committees, as part of new measures set out by the government to stimulate economic growth and tackle the housing crisis.

As set out in the Plan for Change, the government is fully focused on unlocking economic growth across the country. To support this, the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has set out plans to speed up the planning process and support better decision making in the system. 

Under new plans to modernise the planning approval process, applications that comply with local development plans could bypass planning committees entirely to tackle chronic uncertainty, unacceptable delays and unnecessary waste of time and resources. 

The measures would see a national scheme of delegation introduced, the creation of streamlined committees for strategic development and mandatory training for planning committee members. 

Under the new plans, local planning officers will also have an enhanced decision-making role to implement agreed planning policy. 

The changes will mean greater certainty to housebuilders that good-quality schemes aligned with already-agreed local development plans will be approved in a timely manner to get spades in the ground. With it, kickstarting economic growth and raising living standards in every part of the country, putting money back in the pockets of working people.

Alongside the proposed reforms, the government is this week expected to confirm sweeping changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) following a consultation launched in July.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: 

“Building more homes and infrastructure across the country means unblocking the clogged-up planning system that serves as a chokehold on growth. The government will deliver a sweeping overhaul of the creaking local planning committee system.

“Streamlining the approvals process by modernising local planning committees means tackling the chronic uncertainty and damaging delays that acts as a drag anchor on building the homes people desperately need.

“Grasping the nettle of planning committee reform and fast-tracking decision-making is a vital part of our Plan for Change. Building 1.5 million homes over five years means tackling the housing crisis we inherited head-on with bold action.

“Through our Planning and Infrastructure Bill, alongside new National Planning Policy Framework and mandatory housing targets, we are taking decisive steps to accelerate building, get spades in the ground and deliver the change communities need.” 

Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said:

“It's encouraging to see the government explore these options in such an open way. These are the right questions to ask, and it is good that the government is prioritising collaboration, transparency, and consistency. By empowering qualified planners to implement planning policies, locally elected councillors will have the time to focus on the more significant cases, effectively speeding up the planning process and reducing unnecessary delays.”

“By requiring councillors to undergo appropriate training before joining planning committees, we can ensure planning decisions are made for the greater good of the communities while aligning with national policies. We would look forward to supporting this programme.”

The measures set out in the working paper will seek views from a range of planning, housing and local government experts before finalising proposal details for planning committees. The government will then publish a formal public consultation on these detailed proposals to coincide with the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill next year.

The government will also work closely with the sector to implement any changes from the paper, the first in a series of working papers aimed at informing policy development for the Bill.  

The proposed reforms to planning committees sit alongside an overall increase in government spending on housing announced at the Budget, which will rise to £5 billion next year. 

This includes £500 million in new funding for the Affordable Homes Programme to support efforts in delivering tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes across the country.   

In addition, as part of its efforts get Britain building again, the government has already: 

• Announced an overhaul of the planning system through a consultation on reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, including new mandatory housebuilding targets for councils.
• Launched a New Homes Accelerator group to unblock thousands of new homes stuck in the planning system or partially built.
• Announced plans for ‘brownfield passports' to ensure where planning proposals meet design and quality standards, the default answer to planning permission is yes.
• Set up an independent New Towns Taskforce, as part of a long-term vision to create large-scale communities of at least 10,000 new homes each.
• Awarded £68 million to 54 local councils to unlock housing on brownfield sites.
• Awarded £47 million to seven councils to unlock homes stalled by nutrient neutrality rules.