The Government has introduced a new National Scheme of Delegation for planning decisions in England. While it may sound like just a technical change, it could have a significant impact on how quickly planning applications are determined and who makes those decisions.
England's planning system has long been criticised for inconsistency and delays. Although national planning policy is the same across the country, different councils often have different rules about who decides planning applications, meaning similar developments can follow very different routes through the decision-making process.
An application that is delegated to officers in one authority may be debated by councillors in another, even if the proposals are very similar in terms of scale and type of development. The Government believes this contributes to unnecessary delays and uncertainty, and the National Scheme of Delegation aims to create a more consistent, transparent and efficient system.
The National Scheme of Delegation will replace these local approaches with a single national framework for deciding which applications are determined by officers and which should be considered by planning committee. It is due to come into effect on 31 October 2026.
The Government's position is that planning committees should focus on the most significant or controversial proposals, while planning officers determine the majority of routine, policy-compliant proposals.
Under the new scheme, some applications must be determined by planning officers. These include:
• Householder applications
• Minor residential developments of 9 homes or less.
• Minor commercial developments of under 1,000 square metres.
• Most reserved matters applications (except those relating to very large outline permissions of more than 500 homes or 50,000 square metres of floorspace)
• Applications to discharge planning conditions
• Prior approval applications
• Permission in Principle applications
• Lawful development certificates and other routine planning matters
Other applications are not automatically decided by planning committee. The default position remains that they will be determined by planning officers unless they meet a new statutory "Gateway Test", which is designed to identify applications which raise issues of genuine economic, social, environmental or planning significance. The guidance makes it clear that referral to committee should be the exception rather than the rule.
Whether an application is referred to committee is decided jointly by the Head of Planning (or equivalent) and the Chair of Planning Committee. If they cannot agree, the application remains with officers for determination.
The reforms also introduce a maximum planning committee size of 13 councillors, with mandatory training for committee members expected to follow.
Overall, the changes are likely to mean that more planning applications are decided under delegated powers, with planning committees focusing on the proposals that genuinely require political oversight. The Government hopes this will create a faster, more consistent and predictable planning system.
For landowners, promoters and developers alike, the hope is that these changes will bring greater certainty to the planning process as well as less time spent waiting for planning decisions.
With a more predictable route through the planning system, there is greater confidence that policy-compliant applications will be determined by planning officers rather than being referred to committee, reducing the risk of unnecessary delay and political uncertainty in the decision-making process.
The reforms also reinforce the importance of the plan-making process. If planning committees have a reduced role in determining policy-compliant applications, ensuring that land is allocated and supported through local plans becomes even more important.
This is where we come in. At The Strategic Land Group, we have almost 20 years experience of helping landowners secure planning permission for new homes. If you think we could help with your site, get in touch today for a free, no obligation review of your land's development potential.
