Planning minister Matthew Pennycook has confirmed that reforms are set to go ahead to place more application decisions in the hands of planning officers rather than council committees.

The National Scheme of Delegation will come into force on 30 September 2026 pending successful passage through Parliament.

Mr Pennycook announced the update at the annual Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (REiiF) in Leeds

KPPC wholeheartedly supports the changes and welcomed the decision.

KPPC Planning Director Adam Bennett says: “The National Scheme of Delegation will put the power back into Planning Officer’s hands with respect to the determination of many planning applications; under Schedule 1 (Tier A), principally for minor patterns of development, but also enabling reserved matters application in respect of many developments (excluding multi-phased) where outline permission exists and thus the principle of the development has been established.

“There is also a requirement to consider where applications falling under Schedule 2 (Tier B) are still applications that should be determined by officers; where defined tests are not met whereby the proposal does not raise:

• one or more issues of economic, social or environmental significance to the local area
• one or more significant planning matters having regard to the development plan and any other material consideration

“Putting the power back into the hands of planning officers to use their professional expertise in the determination of applications, many of which will be made by individuals or SME developers and homebuilders, will only serve to help mobilise this end of the market and reduce the ever growing cost burden in making a planning application.

“Planning committees always introduce a risk, with decisions made not just on the technical and policy grounds, but on more subjective and political positions.

“Taking political considerations out of the decision-making process for these applications will only be beneficial and return us to a position where a decision is made based on its planning merits and the policies in force and not a desire to restrict or resist development unreasonably.

“With respect to reserved matters applications, this is a particularly welcomed change whereby the details of a development (the reserved matters), whether comprising ‘all matters’ or ‘some matters’, on all but larger multi-phase consents, can be determined by Officers.

“Where the principle of a development has already been established, this can only be a sensible change and will once again be a boon to SME developers and homebuilders.

“We support wholeheartedly the changes which will ensure that committee time is spent on only those applications that really merit members’ consideration.”

Consultation on the draft regulations for the changes to planning committees closed on 26 April.

Also at UKREiiF, Mr Pennycook announced that a pilot scheme to unlock sites for SMEs – the  ‘Small Sites Aggregator’ – would be rolled out nationwide following its success in Bristol, Lewisham and Sheffield.

It aims to unlock sites that would otherwise not have been developed, while attracting private investment to build new social rent homes.

He also revealed that the government is working with 23 councils to co-develop a pattern book of standard house designs which it intends to publish by the end of the year.

Please get in touch with us at KPPC to find out what these changes will mean for your plans, site or project.