Planning changes 'remove democratic scrutiny'

Planning changes 'remove democratic scrutiny' Image source, LDRS Image caption, Local planning committees will be dissolved as part of the changes By Pamela Bilalova  and  Jennie Dennett , North East and Cumbria Published 3 hours ago Upcoming national changes to the way planning decisions are made will reduce scrutiny, councillors have said. Westmorland and Furness Council will dissolve its three local area planning committees and move to a single one as part of new national rules aiming to speed up the planning process. It means only plans for things like larger housing schemes and some listed building consents will go before councillors, while officers will decide the rest. Andrew Jarvis, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat-run council said it was "unfortunate" and decisions would be "far less public". But the council's Labour group said the change should "drastically reduce" timelines for local schemes. The new rules are part of changes to the Town and Country Planning Regulation Act introduced by the government this year and are due to come into force on 31 October. What is changing? The local authority currently has three area planning committees, one each for Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland. From 31 October there will be only one committtee for the patch, made-up of 13 councillors, instead of the current 46. Less applications will go before the remaining committee, which is hoped to speed up the delivery of new homes and infrastructure. Most household planning applications - for example extensions and commercial developments of less that 50,000 sq m - will be determined by council planning officers. Under the new rules, applications which raise economic, social or environmental issues of significance to the area could still be referred to the planning committee for decision. Planning applications submitted by the council itself, council officers or councillors, or applications where any councillor or officer has a personal interest, can also be referred to the planning committee to support transparency. A nominated officer and a nominated councillor will be deciding which applications pass the bar. The ability for any councillor to call-in an application on their patch for public scrutiny will not exist anymore. Cumberland Council will be adopting the same changes, although it already has one committee. The new rules will not apply to the Lake District National Park Authority. 'Seeking clarity' Councillor Matt Brereton, deputy leader of the Conservative group said the overhaul would remove "quite a lot of democratic scrutiny". However, Jarvis said decisions would be "far less public". "Residents will not get the chance to go along and have their voice heard anywhere near as often as usual," the council's deputy leader said. "The law forces decisions to be made by officers rather than by planning committees in the vast majority of cases." But Labour councillor Beverly Morgan, who also chairs the council's corporate overview and scrutiny committee said moving routine approvals to planning officers should "drastically reduce the timelines for local schemes". "The key driver for Labour is boosting economic growth by building the new homes and infrastructure our communities desperately need, and by reducing the planning committee bureaucracy and delays for minor and non-controversial projects," she said. However, she added it "doesn't mean our Labour Group are not cautious about this change" and they would be "seeking clarity" on how residents will be kept informed, consulted and engaged. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, (MHCLG) has previously said: "Our plans will modernise planning committees to improve efficiency over decisions so that planning applicants have the clarity they need, and we can deliver quicker for local people." Follow BBC Cumbria on X , external , Facebook , external , Nextdoor and Instagram , external and listen to Radio Cumbria on BBC Sounds. Get in touch Do you have a story suggestion for BBC Cumbria? Contact form Contact form Related topics Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria Westmorland and Furness Council Planning permission More on this story Why are councils rebelling over planning rules? Published 1 day ago Related internet links Westmorland and Furness Council Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)