Weekly planning news

New planning rules aim to improve consistency and give officers a stronger role in determining applications 

New rules governing who determines planning applications have come into force across England, giving local authority planning officers greater responsibility for decisions and establishing clearer criteria for when proposals can be considered by elected councillors. 

The National Scheme of Delegation took effect on 31 October, following the publication of statutory guidance¹ by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in June. The changes establish a national framework for determining which planning applications must be decided by officers and which may be referred to planning committees. 

Under the new arrangements, certain applications, including householder developments, minor commercial schemes and residential developments of up to nine homes on sites smaller than 0.5 hectares, will be determined by planning officers. 

Other applications are also presumed to be decided by officers, although some may be referred to a committee where they raise significant planning matters or economic, social or environmental issues for the local area. Any referral must be agreed by a nominated senior planning officer and a nominated councillor. 

The changes also replace existing local arrangements for referring applications to committees. Ward councillors will no longer be able to call in applications independently, while a set number of public objections will no longer automatically trigger committee consideration. Planning committees will also be limited to a maximum of 13 members. 

The Government says the reforms will provide greater clarity and consistency in planning decisions, allowing committees to focus on significant proposals while enabling officers to determine more routine and technical applications. 

The BBC² also reported that councils had been reviewing their arrangements ahead of the changes, with some holding additional planning committee meetings to consider applications before the new rules took effect. 

Government moves forward with local government reorganisation in five areas

The Government has indicated that it intends to proceed with local government reorganisation in five areas of England, following a review of proposals that had been put on hold earlier this year. 

Ministers intend to proceed with new council structures in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. The proposals form part of wider plans to replace existing county and district council arrangements with unitary authorities responsible for delivering local services. 

The five areas will now have at least three weeks to submit further representations before ministers make final decisions. The proposed structures vary by area: Gloucestershire is set to move to a single unitary authority, while East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, Warwickshire and Worcestershire are considering two-authority arrangements. Oxfordshire's proposal involves three unitary authorities. 

In nine other areas, the government has withdrawn previous reorganisation decisions, with proposals to be reconsidered as part of the ongoing review. A further six areas remain under review. Decisions were withdrawn in September for Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock; Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton; Norfolk; and Suffolk. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and West Sussex are still awaiting decisions. 

The government has said local elections in the affected areas will proceed in May 2027 using existing council boundaries. New councils are planned to be established for 2029, with elections to shadow councils scheduled for May 2028. 

The reorganisation in Surrey will continue separately, with East Surrey and West Surrey unitary authorities scheduled to become operational in April 2027. 

For further information, read the government’s website³   

£4bn in annual grants could help deliver council housebuilding ambitions, OBR estimates

A new report by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR)⁴ estimates that returning council housebuilding in England to levels last seen in the 1980s could mean at least 22,000 additional homes  built each year, with an estimated £3bn to £4bn in extra annual funding if all were supported through capital grants. 

The estimate is set out in the OBR's October 2026 Economic and Fiscal Outlook, which examines the potential costs of increasing council-led housing delivery alongside the Government's existing Social and Affordable Homes Programme. 

The Government expects the programme to deliver 180,000 new social homes between 2026 and 2036. The OBR assumes that half will be built by councils, with the remainder delivered by housing associations. 

It estimates that the capital grant required to build a new home for social rent ranges from around £150,000 to £200,000, depending on location. This means that funding the additional homes needed to return council housebuilding to 1980s levels entirely through capital grants could cost between £3bn and £4bn each year.

1. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-committees-and-the-national-scheme-of-delegation-of-planning-functions-guidance-for-local-planning-authorities-in-england/planning-committees-and-the-national-scheme-of-delegation-of-planning-functions-guidance-for-local-planning-authorities-in-england?
2. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx7vpy5j93mlo
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/local-government-reorganisation-moves-forward-in-five-counties?
4. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/october-2026-economic-and-fiscal-outlook?