Property developers could bypass planning committees in bid to ‘overhaul’ process

Property developers will be able to bypass planning committees under new government plans to “overhaul” the process.

Applications “that comply with local development plans” will not have to get approval from local council planning committees in England under the new plan, Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has announced.

This will “tackle chronic uncertainty, unacceptable delays and unnecessary waste of time and resources”, her department said.

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The move is part of what the government is calling its “Plan for Change” and will also see a national “scheme of delegation” – outlining who has the authority to make decisions and perform certain functions – the creation of “streamlined committees for strategic development” and mandatory training for planning committee members.

Local planning officers will also be given more powers to implement the agreed planning policy.

Each local authority has to prepare a local plan for its area which guides decisions on future development proposals and addresses the needs and opportunities of the area, with topics covering housing, employment and shops. They also identify where development should take place and areas where it should be restricted.

The new measures are not set in stone yet, with the government seeking views from experts before a final proposal then a public consultation next year, to coincide with the introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill next year.

The ministry of housing, communities and local government said 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”.

The government is also expected this week to confirm changes to the National Planning Policy Framework, which sets out the government’s planning policies and how they are expected to be applied, following a five-month consultation.

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Labour has promised to build 1.5 million homes over the next five years, although Sir Keir Starmer last week admitted that was probably “a little too ambitious”.

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has also recently admitted reaching the 2029 target was proving harder than he initially thought.

Ms Rayner said the current planning system “serves as a chokehole on growth”.

“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,” she added.