Starting October 31, fewer major housing planning decisions in Somerset will be made by councillors in public meetings, following recent changes to UK planning law. These reforms form part of the Labour government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million new homes by the end of the current parliamentary term.
In early June, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced alterations to the ‘national scheme of delegation’, which sets out which planning applications are referred to public committee meetings. The changes aim to streamline the process but may reduce public scrutiny of large developments, especially where outline planning permission has already been granted.
Currently, housing developers can pursue either a full planning application, covering all development details at once, or an outline application that typically addresses access, followed by a reserved matters application detailing design and layout.
READ MORE: ‘Magic Roundabout’ near Somerset Beauty Spot Remains Unchanged After Years
READ MORE: Farm shop, café and holiday accommodation approved in Pawlett, Somerset
Under the existing system in Somerset, full, outline, and reserved matters applications can be referred to the relevant planning committee if two local division councillors and the committee chair agree.
Under the amended scheme, major outline applications will still be considered by committees. This includes developments like the Monkton Heathfield urban extension in Taunton. Reserved matters applications for developments containing 500 homes or more can also be decided by committee, as can applications where councillors and officers agree all related applications should be public - such as the Orchard Grove estate in Taunton.
However, reserved matters applications for developments with fewer than 500 homes will typically be handled by planning officers unless the responsible officer, local councillors, and committee chair all agree to refer the application to committee.
Dawn de Vries, Somerset Council’s service manager for development management, explained this at the Planning Committee South meeting on July 29 in Yeovil: “Applications might come to committee after passing the ‘gateway test’, requiring sign-off from the lead division member, lead officer, and committee chair. Reserved matters applications are mainly delegated to officers, except for those linked to large outline applications exceeding 500 homes, which undergo further scrutiny.”
Councillor Oliver Patrick, a committee member representing the Coker division near Yeovil, acknowledged that councillors will still influence major applications but emphasised they will need to “work harder” to justify committee referrals and refusals. Writing on LinkedIn, he noted concerns about councillor influence being overstated and clarified that the power to call major applications remains, but must be supported by substantial planning reasons rather than relying on a set number of objections.
Somerset Council’s previous ‘Planning Reimagined’ initiative restructured decision-making to allow planning committees to focus on major decisions, removing everyday household applications or ‘in principle’ screenings from committee consideration unless involving a councillor or council employee.
Councillor Patrick highlighted that this approach helps concentrate efforts on significant, controversial developments with wide public interest. He countered claims that the new changes represent a ‘denial of democracy’, pointing out that around 95 per cent of planning applications are already decided by officers under policies established by elected councillors through the Local Plan process. “This plan-led system ensures councillors set the rules, while professional officers manage the application of those policies,” he stated.