Introduction
In our previous blog post in March we discussed the Government’s consultation on its proposed reforms to Local Planning Authority (LPA) Planning Committees. These reforms included (1) introducing a National Scheme of Delegation setting out requirements as to which planning applications should be determined by a Planning Committee and which should be delegated to planning officers and (2) limiting the size of Planning Committees to 13 members
There have been some recent developments concerning these Planning Committee reforms which we discuss below in this follow up blog post
What has happened since the consultation?
On 1 June 2026 the Government published the following documents to progress the Planning Committee reforms:
(1) Response to consultation – The Government published its response to the consultation which can be accessed at the following link:
(2) Guidance for LPAs – The Government published a new guidance for LPAs on how they should in practice implement the Planning Committee reforms. This Guidance can be accessed at the following link:
This Guidance has immediate effect
(3) Draft Regulations – The Government published in draft The Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026 which will legally implement the Planning Committee reforms. The draft Regulations can be accessed at the following link:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348283709/contents
The Government is aiming to make the final Regulations in July 2026 which will then come into force on 31 October 2026
Our comments
The Government’s reforms to LPA Planning Committees overhauls a cumbersome and uncertain existing system where LPAs currently determine which applications go to committee which are far too many and typically for political reasons which leads to unnecessary delay in the determination of what are in many cases straightforward planning applications. We therefore welcome these reforms which should make a material difference in practice to improve the timing for LPAs determining many applications
Note: all comments and views expressed in this blog are merely opinions and provided for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice which can be relied upon. Should you require legal advice on a matter then please contact us
