Weekly planning news

Attention councils: Have your say on how planning fees are calculated

The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) has launched one of its most significant initiatives in recent years, aimed at supporting the government’s plans to localise planning fees. 

PAS is developing a model that would allow local planning authorities (LPAs) to set their own fees, reflecting the actual cost of handling applications. In a recent blog¹, PAS outlined its research priorities and approach, emphasising the need for a “fair, transparent, and practical” system for calculating, monitoring, and maintaining planning fees. 

The service is currently reviewing the national fee schedule to identify misalignments between fees and cost recovery. PAS is also developing a simple model that LPAs can use to calculate fees based on the real cost of delivering planning services. The blog highlighted that wider performance reforms will be required to ensure any additional funds are allocated effectively and that the new fee framework aligns with other charges for related planning services. 

While exact dates for changes to planning fees and the release of the additional framework have not yet been confirmed, PAS has opened its National Fees Survey² to all chief planners and heads of planning, with one survey per LPA. PAS stressed that participation is critical: local authorities’ experience and insights are essential to shaping a system that works. 

To support engagement, PAS has also launched a new network for LPA officers interested in cost recovery, localised fee models, and planning service funding. The network provides a space to connect with peers, share insights, exchange good practice, contribute to tools and guidance, and stay up to date on policy developments and opportunities to get involved. 

You can find out more here.³

Anonymous green belt posts cost councillor party whip 

A Sheffield councillor has been suspended from the Labour party whip for three months and removed from her role as deputy whip following a social media controversy over green belt development. 

The issue stems from Sheffield City Council’s ongoing local plan, which was paused in February after inspectors highlighted the need for sites to accommodate more than 3,500 additional homes. To meet these housing requirements, the council suggested that parts of the city’s green belt could be released for development. 

In April, the council’s Strategy and Policy Resources Committee backed officers’ proposals to release 327 hectares of green belt land to deliver approximately 3,900 homes, alongside a list of potential additional site allocations. By 29 May, the council confirmed that 14 green belt sites had been proposed for release, representing 3.6% of the city’s total green belt. Nine of these sites were located in the S35 postcode area in the north of Sheffield. 

The councillor in question admitted to anonymously posting in a local community Facebook group to campaign against some of the proposed green belt allocations. Between May and July 2025, she made dozens of posts defending the council’s draft local plan, which included releasing green belt land to meet government housing targets. Local campaigners accused her of spreading misleading information under false identities, describing the actions as a breach of the Nolan Principles of Public Life. 

The councillor later acknowledged the posts, saying she had aimed to clarify confusion and ensure residents were properly informed to participate in the consultation process. She explained that anonymity allowed her to speak more freely than she could on her official councillor page and emphasized that while she personally opposed building on green belt, councillors had little choice but to consider some release for the plan to progress. 

Despite her explanation, Labour sanctioned the councillor following complaints from campaign groups, which argued her actions undermined public trust in local governance. 

Recommended: South-West and Yorkshire get three new towns each, latest report advises

A new report has identified the best locations for the UK’s next generation of new towns, based on a range of metrics, highlighting areas that could best support local populations. The study considered factors such as projected population growth, proportion of households with children, average house prices, available undeveloped land, and existing railway access. 

The analysis, published by Carter Jonas consultancy⁴, suggests that “no single area of the country is uniquely better suited for this type of development,” indicating that opportunities for new towns are spread across several regions. 

The report also outlines challenges. It notes that private sector investment may be limited due to short-term business models and rising costs of land, labour, and construction materials, which reduce profitability and increase risk. Public funding or guarantees are likely to be required to kickstart essential infrastructure projects and attract private investment. 

On scale, the report stresses that new towns will need to exceed the government’s minimum target of 10,000 homes to make a meaningful impact on national housing supply. Building at scale is vital to create thriving communities with diverse social infrastructure and employment opportunities—but the bigger the town, the greater the delivery challenge. 

Francis Truss, partner in Carter Jonas’ strategic land team, said: 

“To deliver effective new towns along the lines of Milton Keynes or Stevenage, the government must think big. Planning needs to happen on a regional, rather than local, scale. Without strategic planning frameworks, cross-boundary coordination fails and local politics can stall development.” 

The report’s shortlist of potential locations includes: 

• Buckinghamshire 
• Central Bedfordshire 
• Bradford (West Yorkshire) 
• County Durham 
• Kirklees (West Yorkshire) 
• North Yorkshire 
• Somerset 
• Wirral (Merseyside) 
• Wiltshire 
• Birmingham 
• Cornwall 
• Medway (Kent) 
• Tameside (Greater Manchester) 
• Reigate and Banstead (Surrey) 
• East Riding of Yorkshire 
• Sefton (Merseyside) 

Despite earlier commitments that the new town task force would announce its recommendations in July, we’re still waiting on the list of locations.  

Government launches ‘Plan for Change’ to fast-track homes and infrastructure while protecting nature 

The government has unveiled its ambitious Plan for Change, aiming to tackle Britain’s chronic housing shortage and clogged planning system while maintaining environmental protections. Central to this plan is a £500 million funding boost for the Nature Restoration Fund and Marine Recovery Scheme, designed to help developers meet environmental obligations more efficiently and at scale. 

A standout feature is the Lower Thames Crossing, set to become the first major UK infrastructure project with a single lead environmental regulator. Officials say this will cut delays and simplify approvals, providing a template for future large-scale projects. 

The government frames these reforms as essential to solving the housing crisis, citing delays in planning and environmental requirements as a key barrier to building homes. By streamlining approvals and coordinating regulators, ministers aim to deliver 1.5 million new homes and fast-track 150 major infrastructure decisions by the end of this Parliament. 

While the plan has received cautious praise for its potential to accelerate delivery, environmental groups have expressed concern over whether pooling mitigation obligations could compromise local nature recovery. Critics argue that speed should not come at the cost of long-term ecological impact. 

Ministers insist the reforms balance growth with sustainability. Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, stated: “People can’t find affordable homes because Britain’s broken planning system has blocked building work. These changes will get spades in the ground quicker while benefiting nature.” 

As the government pushes forward, all eyes will be on the pilot projects, like the Lower Thames Crossing, to see if this new model can truly deliver faster infrastructure without sacrificing the environment. 

1. https://planningadvisor.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/localised-fees-setting-get-involved-with-pas/
2. https://www.local.gov.uk/pas/topics/localised-fee-setting/national-planning-fees-survey-guide-and-resources
3. https://www.local.gov.uk/pas/topics/localised-fee-setting/national-planning-fees-survey-guide-and-resources
4. https://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/carter-jonas-identifies-the-best-areas-for-delivering-future-new-towns.html