The government's plans to reform local
planning committees will undermine democracy without addressing
the underlying causes of the housing crisis, warns a new briefing
from CPRE, the countryside charity.
Local planning committees give members
of the public a right to speak directly to local politicians
about the potential impact of proposed developments. The new
Planning & Infrastructure Bill seeks to reduce the already
tiny proportion of planning applications that these committees
consider.
Despite the government's claims that
local planning committees are responsible for the slow delivery
of new homes, the committees decide just 4% of
applications.
The real problem lies with big
housebuilders, which maximise their profits by hoarding planning
permissions while drip-feeding unaffordable, poor-quality
properties onto the market. There are currently more than a
million potential new homes in the UK that have been granted
planning permission but have not yet been built.
In most cases planning committees only
handle significant applications with major impacts that go beyond
established local plans or which are made by councils themselves.
But, particularly in rural areas, smaller developments can also
have a significant impact on local heritage or on transport
networks. The proposed reforms would mean decisions on these
applications would be made by a single unelected planning
officer.
There are also major concerns that
legal restrictions on the role of committees could also make it
easier for developers to renege on promises of affordable housing
or good design in new developments.
CPRE's new briefing shows how local
planning committees secure positive outcomes for communities and
the environment, frequently have their decisions upheld on
appeal, and can help the government achieve its housebuilding
targets in a sustainable way.
The briefing also proposes that the
government should learn from local authorities that delegate
higher than average proportions of applications to planning
officers but still allow committees to intervene in a meaningful
way.
For example, Shropshire Council has
consistently exceeded government targets for the speed and
quality of its decision making on planning applications. In 2024,
its effective system for referring planning applications to
committee meant that 97% of all applications were delegated to
planning officers. It decided on 82% of applications within 13
weeks (or as agreed with the applicant) and approved 87% of the
total.
CPRE is calling on the
government not to curtail the role of local planning committees.
It argues that the government should:
CPRE head of policy and
planning Paul Miner said: 'Local planning committees play a vital role in our
democracy. They give ordinary people a say in major changes to
their local area, hold elected representatives to account and
push for high-quality housing built in the right
locations.
'If the government goes ahead with its
plans to curtail the role of these committees it will undermine
democratic oversight while encouraging developers to continue
with business as usual – in other words, maximising profit for
themselves and misery for everyone else. Committees can work more
effectively, but the best councils expect the committee chair and
chief planning officer to work together.
'The government is wrong to blame the
housing crisis on the planning system and environmental
protections. The true ‘blockers' are the big housebuilders that
have a stranglehold on our housing supply.
'The solution to the housing crisis
lies as much in transforming the market as it does in planning
reform. Without it we will see yet more unaffordable,
car-dependent developments built across our countryside.'
ENDS
The full briefing can be
accessed here.
