NALC calls for stronger enforcement and local input in planning reforms
We have responded to the government's consultation on the draft regulations and guidance for planning committee reforms set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.
The consultation focuses on proposals to increase the delegation of planning decisions to officers and to review the size and operation of planning committees. We recognise the need for an effective and efficient planning system. We will support changes which strengthen decision-making, enhance the voice of local democracy, and lead to better quality, appropriately sited development. However, we will not support changes that risk undermining these principles.
A key priority of ours is ensuring that local planning authorities are required to take a more robust approach to enforcement, which includes holding developers to account for complying with Section 106 agreements and planning conditions. We also emphasised the importance of parish and town councils being meaningfully consulted on the provisions of Section 106 agreements, both new and renegotiated, before they are finalised.
We are also calling on the government to provide greater flexibility for parish and town councils in how they use developer contributions. In particular, councils should be able to spend Section 106 funding on leisure, recreation, and other community infrastructure, based on local need.
The response reiterates our support for a sound planning system as the most reliable tool for the sustainable allocation of land. We stress that planning decisions must continue to balance social, economic, and environmental considerations equally.
In relation to the draft guidance on planning committees and the national scheme of delegation, we consider that the existing criteria for referring applications to committees are clearly set out. However, we recommend the addition of a third criterion to ensure that applications which conflict with an adopted neighbourhood plan can also be referred to the committee. It would help ensure that neighbourhood plans, as expressions of local democratic will, are given appropriate weight in decision-making.
We will continue to engage constructively with the government to ensure that planning reforms support strong local democracy and deliver development that meets the needs of communities.
