The future of the planning committee – evolution not revolution?

Earlier this year we wrote here about the Government’s latest working paper and its proposed reforms to speed up the planning consenting process, namely: (1) the introduction of a national scheme of delegation; (2) smaller, targeted planning committees; and (3) mandatory training for planning committee members.  The Government is now consulting on the detail of these three measures.

1.Delegation 

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes to introduce a power for the Secretary of State to set out which planning functions should be delegated and which should go to committee. Regulations will then set out the framework for delegation. 

The Government is proposing a national scheme of delegation which categorises planning applications into two tiers. Tier A would include applications that must be delegated to officers in all cases, with Tier B for applications that must be delegated to officers unless the Chief Planner and Chair of Committee agree it should go to committee. The aim is to standardise the process across all local planning authorities but still give an opportunity for democratic oversight on locally important schemes.

Tier A is proposed to include: householder development; minor commercial or residential development (i.e. up to 9 dwellings); reserved matters approvals; section 96A applications; applications for approval of conditions, biodiversity net gain plans; prior approvals under permitted development rights; and applications for Lawful Development Certificates.  In particular, a restriction on reserved matters applications under an outline permission being returned to Committee could help speed up delivery in some cases. However, it is disappointing that the Government is not proposing any other criteria (such as a site allocation under the local plan) to qualify a scheme automatically for delegation.

Tier B would include: applications not in Tier A; applications where the applicant is the local authority; section 73 applications; and review of mineral planning conditions. The Government is consulting on whether Tier B should also include applications that raise “an economic, social or environmental issue of significance to the local area” or “a significant planning matter”. There’s no detail as to what these tests could comprise and they are subjective - if introduced, they could bring numerous Tier A applications back into Tier B. It’s likely in any event that we’ll still see the bulk of outline and full applications for housing schemes of any scale being dealt with at committee. 

2. Committee size 

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes a power for the Secretary of State to control the size and composition of planning committees. Accordingly, the Government is proposing to set a maximum size of 11 members to a committee, but it is not proceeding with measures to encourage the establishment of dedicated committees for strategic development (acknowledging that many authorities already do this).  

Whether this maximum cap will speed up decision-making remains to be seen – especially when one considers that most committees are already between 9 and 12 members.[1]

3. Mandatory training for planning committee members

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill proposes a requirement for members to be trained. Whilst many local planning authorities already ensure training for their members, the Government intends to develop a committee training package which will have some sort of certification – intended to ensure a level of consistency across authorities. 

These proposals will not revolutionise the consenting regime, but they may help to improve the efficiency of the planning system in some cases.  It is encouraging that, even before the Planning and Infrastructure Bill receives Royal Assent, the Government is contemplating the detailed framework that will follow in regulations.  

The consultation closes on 23 July 2025 and you can have your say here. 

[1] Modernising Planning Committees National Survey 2025 | Local Government Association