The government has set out further details of proposed reforms ahead of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill due to be introduced later this week.

They include a cut in the number of statutory consultees for applications and a reduction in the involvement of planning committees.

The government hopes that the overhaul will cut waiting times and costs, and reduce uncertainty around projects.

Instead of it being mandatory to get the opinion of all bodies on a planning application, the scope will be ‘narrowed to focus on heritage, safety and environmental protection’.

Issues identified by the government have included consultees failing to engage proactively, taking too long to provide advice, re-opening issues that have already been dealt with, submitting automatic objections which they later withdraw and submitting advice for ‘gold-plated’ outcomes that are unrealistic and difficult to achieve.

As well as reducing the number of consultees, councils will also be told they only need to speak to statutory bodies where necessary to do so, and decisions should not be held up by more than 21 days.

We look forward to seeing the full text of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. We will keep you updated about what this means for your plans or project.