Mayors across England are to be given call in' powers to take the
most important planning decisions in their areas.
Under proposals to be published next week, a mayor will now be
able to take over key planning applications which impact on local
growth, and direct a council to take it forward or refuse it.
The move has been backed by ten mayors from different parties and
will bring mayors across the country in line with powers the
Mayor of London already has.
The national thresholds are being set outside of London for the
first time: schemes with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000
square metres of commercial space, or any building over 30 metres
or taller, roughly ten storeys will be in scope.
Mayors will also be able to grant up front permission for
development, so that building can begin without a developer
having to apply.
Councils will continue to decide the majority of applications,
and many are already getting homes built at scale. Over the last
three years, Salford has delivered 7,584 homes against a
requirement of 4,249. Leeds has delivered 11,690 homes against a
requirement of 10,151, and Knowsley has delivered 1,888 - well
over double the requirement of 772 homes.
Every decision must follow the planning rules, the local plan,
and national policy. Applicants keep the right of appeal, and
ministers retain a backstop power to intervene themselves.
Mayors will also have a bigger say over how national housing
funding is spent in their areas. Homes England will still lead on
the biggest projects, but its funding and expertise will be
focused on the priorities agreed by local mayors.
A £1.3bn portion of the national fund for land and infrastructure
has already been allocated to the seven most established mayoral
areas, with an additional £234 million of brownfield funding to
seven MSAs, and £1.5 billion committed for devolution through the
Housing Accelerator Fund.
Mayors outside London will also be able to charge a levy on
development to fund major infrastructure, using the same tool
that helped deliver the Elizabeth line, which has boosted rail
capacity, supported housing growth and regeneration, and become
the UK's busiest railway service.
Notes to editors:
- A consultation on how the powers will work, including how far
the powers should go, publishes next week.
- Every decision must follow the planning rules, the local
plan, and national policy. Applicants keep the right of appeal,
and ministers retain a backstop power to intervene themselves.
- Of existing funding, the £1.3bn is from the National Housing
Delivery Fund, £234m is from the Brownfield Housing Fund.
