Planning Barometer findings spark debate on planning committee reform

Planning committee reform emerged as the central theme during a high-profile panel discussion held in Manchester, where property experts from across the region gathered to discuss pressing issues within the UK’s planning system, Labour’s policy changes, and their impact on the North West.

The event, hosted by strategic communications agency SEC Newgate and planning and development consultancy NJL Consulting, was the regional launch of SEC Newgate’s annual piece of research, the National Planning Barometer. This is the only nationally representative survey of councillors sitting on local authority planning committees across England and Wales.

Councillors’ views on the dynamics of planning committee decision-making sparked a discussion where the audience members agreed with some of the panellists that urgent reform is required to unlock stalled developments and meet the region’s growing housing needs.

Suggestions included enhanced pre-engagement and additional training for committee members to improve decision-making. One proposal was to give greater weight to Officer’s reports to committee, making them more influential than individual councillor votes. Another idea was to require realistic conditions for approval instead of outright refusals for applications recommended for approval.

There was also a call for applicants to have the right to directly respond to members’ concerns raised during the meeting. The debate on professionalising planning committees was also revisited. From the officer’s perspective, attendees were encouraged to improve the quality of committee presentations.

This fourth edition of the National Planning Barometer was released against the backdrop of an escalating housing crisis, with 3.7 million households needing homes, a decline in planning permissions, slower application decisions, rising affordability issues, and nearly 250,000 households in overcrowded or temporary accommodation.

The full report can be found here, some of its main findings include:

Housing Crisis Intensification: 74% of councillors believe the UK housing crisis has worsened over the past year, with 66% rating the crisis in their local areas as severe.

Barriers to Housing Delivery: The top challenges to housing delivery identified by councillors include developers' viability claims for affordable housing (68%) and lack of funding for affordable housing (62%).

Member contradiction: Councillors rate planning officers, and the quality of their presentations highly, despite 80% ​of councillors stating they have voted against a recommendation in the last 12 months, including 46% who have voted against 3+ times

Councillor Priorities: Providing affordable homes is the top priority for councillors in 2024, with 70% ranking it among their top five priorities and 30% naming it their number one priority.

Planning System Struggles: Only 19% of major planning applications were decided within the statutory 13-week period last year, highlighting significant delays in the planning process due to resource constraints and increasing administrative burdens.