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The UK Government is consulting on a national scheme to streamline planning committees, proposing increased delegation to planning officers with varying exemptions. These changes aim to balance technical expertise, local insight, and democratic accountability in strategic development.
As part of its drive to get Britain building again the
Government have issued a consultation paper inviting views on a
national scheme of delegation for planning committees. The
proposals include options for the creation of smaller, targeted
planning committees focussed on strategic development.
The consultation proposes three options for a change to planning
committees including that: (1) all decisions are delegated to
officers on applications that comply with local development plans,
(2) all planning applications shall be decided by planning
officers, unless the application is contrary to the development
plan and is recommended for approval or is submitted by the Local
Planning Authority, an officer or a member and (3) all decisions
are delegated to planning officers, with a specific list of
exemptions.
The consultation acknowledges that planning decisions involve
balancing technical expertise with local knowledge and democratic
accountability. This isn't formal consultation but will inform
discussions within the section. Nevertheless the outcome could
potentially represent a significant change to how planning
committees operate, so if like me you spend a lot of time at them -
definitely worth a read.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
